Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning

I hear this over and over from music teachers and educators: there never seems to be enough time to get it all done. We’re always looking for new ways to be more productive, get more done in the little time we seem to have, and save time in places where, like money, we might be overspending. Where (and how) do you want to spend your time? What’s important to you? If you know me, you know I'm a sav...

Aural skills (also known as ear-training) is a fundamental facet of musicianship. Learning to listen, identify, discern, and understand music without notation present helps us develop the inner listening skills needed to become well-rounded, well-versed musicians. What kinds of aural skills experiences are we giving our students, of all ages? How can we incorporate aural skill activities in our we...

I have to be honest: I have a love-hate relationship with goals. I’ve had years of setting detailed goals in categories like Business, Teaching, Professional, and Personal. I’ve set monthly goals and sometimes weekly goals to stay on track. Other years, I’ve been happy with a few new habits and a book list. And that's where I'm finding myself this year. How do we plan and set goals for the year ah...

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Society often makes us feel like we are one or the other, but in reality, these personality traits are two opposite ends of a spectrum, and most of us fall somewhere in the middle ( source ). I’ll admit it took me a while to figure this out for myself. When I realized what I was feeling was a natural part of being an introvert, I planned my days and weeks diff...

We know that practicing is important to our work as professional musicians , even if we aren’t performers. Staying connected to your instrument helps keep your musicianship skills sharp—your aural awareness and reading abilities, technique, and commitment to a beautiful tone. Playing your instrument makes you a better teacher, too, because you’re in it—you know how to pick and choose the strategie...

As lifelong learners, we get to discover new things, new people, and new ideas. We explore things that are new and unfamiliar, whether that’s reading a short biography about a composer or sight-reading a new piece; outlining a new learning sequence or figuring out how to use a new app. But what does this look like as a music professional? Here’s a personal and practical look at what lifelong learn...

In the last few years, I’ve spent some time reflecting on how best to encourage and motivate my students to continue learning on their own. I started thinking about how I give praise and offer words of encouragement. Praise is a powerful tool and one that we as educators can use to equip and empower those we teach. We can use praise to inspire creativity, cultivate the pursuit of excellence, and c...

As teachers, we ask a lot of questions. What’s the first note? What’s your hand position? Which finger plays the black key? What kind of note do we sing in m. 8? Are these notes stepping or skipping? But, did you know there are different kinds of questions (or ways of asking questions) that can actually promote learning? A good question does more than assess student learning or mastery of a concep...

Rote learning is a method of instruction based on imitation and repetition. This is useful for things like multiplication tables and the ABCs, but it’s also beneficial for learning a new language and yes, learning music. And in a day and age when we’re doing more online teaching, this is especially important. When we learn something by rote, we start by listening, then experiencing it ourselves—im...

At the beginning of this year, I had a buddy lesson with a 2nd grader and a 1st grader. Samantha and Colby have back-to-back lessons in my schedule this year, so once a month, I overlap their 30-minute lessons so they each have 15 minutes of solo lesson time and 30 minutes in the middle for shared buddy lesson time. Today, I’m giving you a behind-the-scenes peek into one of our buddy lessons this...

Some suggest that embracing your inner child (and, in some cases) thinking like a five-year-old is actually beneficial for creativity, lifelong learning, and the development of core leadership skills ( source ). After all, five-year-olds are about as creative as they come (try asking one how many patterns they can create with notes C, D, and E). Of course, we were all five once. But it’s all too e...

Most years, the beginning of the new school year feels fresh and exciting. Everything is new and bright and full of possibility. This year, in the midst of a global pandemic, things feel a little different. Some of you are starting new jobs or preparing for your first year of teaching. Others of you are trying to decide if you want to return for another year or take this opportunity to do somethin...

In March of this year, teachers all over the world were thrown a curveball when schools were closed until further notice due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Suddenly, we found ourselves signing up for Zoom accounts, setting up home studios, purchasing webcams and external microphones, and trying to figure out how to do what we do in this new virtual space. Instead of looking at this as a temporary subst...

Do you find yourself drawn to being a learner again in the summer months? Do you read more or study a topic that’s interesting to you, learn a new skill, take a class, or try something creative? This summer already looks a little different than normal: events have been canceled, trips have been postponed, and most of us find ourselves (still) staying home. But there’s a gift in that if we’re willi...

Today, we’re talking about curriculum. And more specifically, how to write your own. A curriculum can be defined in a few different ways. My favorite definition comes from A.V. Kelly’s (2009) book, The Curriculum: Theory and Practice : “[ Curriculum is] the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process.” Think of a curriculum like a guide: a plan to help you do your best te...

Let’s talk about musicianship. Musicianship is the skills you have as a musician: things like listening, singing, playing, creating, performing. It’s also the ability to “think in sound,” or audiate ( source ). This means hearing music in your head without any sound being present. Think of this as the ability to read a book silently — hearing the words in your head as you read them but not actuall...

Last summer, I discovered a book one day that piqued my curiosity while browsing in the OverDrive app: Zig Zag: The Surprising Path to Greater Creativity by Keith Sawyer. I’m always interested in learning more about the creative process and gleaning insight into our creative processes as musicians, thinkers, educators, and creators, and when I found out that Keith Sawyer was not only a scientific...

A few years ago, I started teaching monthly group classes in my studio. The idea was to include more opportunities for informal performance, observation, musical discussion, and developing musicianship skills in a supportive group environment. All students are invited and encouraged to play something each time, even just part of a piece. But what to do when the world shuts down and everything move...

What a crazy few weeks in the world, right? Who would have thought that we’d be facing widespread school closures and the sudden need to move everything online in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic? If you’re technologically savvy and have been using technology in your teaching already, it may not feel like that big a jump, but for those who are new to all this, there’s quite a lot to learn and fig...

Rhythm pattern cards are a great way to teach new rhythmic concepts, reinforce familiar patterns, and build that all-important musical vocabulary (the ability to understand and create your own musical patterns and sequences). I’ve found that having a few sets of rhythm pattern cards on hand can be so helpful in teaching to capture the attention of young learners and help them grasp new concepts (a...

Last week, in Episode 6, I talked about four things I’m doing differently in my piano studio this year . Today, I want to take a step back and tell you a story about one of my teachers. She wasn’t my first teacher—in fact, she was one of my last teachers—but she was the woman who taught me how to overcome my fears, play with power and control, develop my own interpretation, and understand music an...

No matter how many years I teach, I always feel the same excitement around a fresh start and trying new things. There are certain parts of my routine that I like coming back to—things I like to keep the same—but there are always a few things I’m ready to change in my teaching when the new year rolls around. I've learned a few things over the past few years and asking the questions, “What’s working...

You know the feeling: Lackluster. Laborious. Boring. Same old, same old. It’s easy to slip into a rut in rehearsals from time to time, but I think we can all agree: it’s not a great feeling. Feel like your rehearsals have gotten a bit monotonous lately? Here are a few reasons why this may be happening, plus some helpful strategies for getting out of that rut and back to making music with creativit...

Think about some of the great teachers you’ve observed or had the pleasure of working with throughout your life. What made them great? What separates them in your mind from other teachers you’ve had? One thing that I’ve noticed is that exceptional teachers have an innate ability to inspire and motivate those they teach. Their focus is not on the content, curriculum, or goals that they’ve set for t...

A few years ago, I finally got around to reading a book that was on my to-read list for a few years: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink. The book is based on scientific research by people like Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, Carol Dweck, and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, among others, and provides insight into the role of motivation in our lives. Here are my three bigge...