MYRIAD OF STRATEGIES IN TEACHING MUSIC
Music has been studied and used for ages immemorial. It has become part of every one’s life and has also been tapped to improve students’ learning. It has been studied that music is used to increase one’s intelligence and increase students’ creativity. If students have inclination in Math are happy completing their time tables; students of Music also love to play their scales. Music teachers in other parts of the world have a yearly celebration of Music month and how those could be of high advantage to students with various learning needs.
Music teachers can try maximizing their music classes with a combination of modern or hip-hop music and traditional or classical music to engage students into a wide array of music choices as they explore more the value of learning music. There are also a number of software or application that music teachers could choose from to engage their students in reading music sheets, having concerts, conducting sing-alongs and other special performances. Modelling is very important in teaching music as students see actual performances, they also become more interested and they awareness grow into a bountiful forest of knowledge and interest. I have adapted a six-step strategy from some meaningful sources and those are as follows;(1) Playing some excerpts of music that the students like, (2) Cite some comparisons of how people in urbanized areas and people in rural areas view music in a similar and different perspective, (3) Encourage students to identify contrasting art forms with music, (4) Initiate a discussion regarding how those various music forms affect people’s lives, (5) Play the music again and have the students incorporate some psychomotor movements with the music, and (6) Play the music again and tell the students to write ideas about it.
Music is embedded in teaching literature as literature gives meaning to life in all its forms and wonders. It has always inspired me as a music teacher to share more knowledge and ideas to students and to learn from my students’ experiences in enhancing their love for music and compassion for life and its deepest essence.
--oOo— The author is Master Teacher I at Rafael L. Lazatin Memorial High School