Music Questions

Music IN Education....Things to Think About 

1.      How do you use music in YOUR life? 

I use music a lot in my daily life. I listen to music while doing daily tasks. For example, while doing homework, I listen to it for background noise. At work, I listen to the radio all day which I believe increases my productivity. I make a game out of it in a way. I see how much I can get done within a song. Finally, I listen to music when I work out. I run to the beat of the music so that I know my tempo stays pretty constant.

2.      What musical activities and interests did you have as a child? 

I loved playing the piano when I was younger. My older sister was taking lessons, and she taught me how to play using her beginning book. I also was in dance for fourteen years of my life. It helped learn count music and keep to a beat. Finally, I played the flute for my school’s band. This helped increase my knowledge in music theory.

3.      Have you observed children at musical play? 

Yes, I have observed children at musical play. I would volunteer to help teach dance lessons for beginners. The children were taught to count music and keep beat. It was really interesting to see how the children progressed musically throughout the year.

4.      Are there some musical skills you are able to teach to children more easily than others? 

I am better at teaching how to read the notes than teaching how to count complex patterns. I am able to teach mnemonic device and other ways to remember notes and symbols written in the music. These help students remember what they learned better.

5.      What do you think that all children should be able to do, musically, as a result of a

 MUSICAL education? 

I think all children should be able to hear different pitches in music and be able to tell if they were higher or lower than the previous pitch. I also think children should be able to figure out the number of syllables in a word with the knowledge of rhythm that they learn in music education.

6.      Have you ever observed a teacher integrating music into the classroom?  Cite examples. 

Yes, I have observed a teacher using music within her classroom. She played music, and the students danced to it. One song that was used was “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” This song got the students moving, while also promoting listening skills and the knowledge of different body parts. Another time I observed music within a classroom is during transition times in a first grade classroom. While different areas of students were given the task to wash their hands before lunch, the teacher sang different songs with the rest of class to keep them doing something and to have a focus. I really liked how smoothly this made the transition go.

7.      How do you think music can be integrated into the elementary classroom? 

I think music can be integrated within a classroom in a variety of ways. Many subjects can be taught using music. For example in social studies, there is the president song that teaches the president and the order to which they were president. Teachers can also make piggy-back songs to teach concepts in other subjects. Finally, music makes for good transitions within the classroom to get and keep the students focus.

8.  How do you think music can be used as an interdisciplinary tool in the elementary classroom? 

I think that piggy-back songs are good interdisciplinary tools in an elementary classroom. This is because teachers can create their own lyrics or find some that fit the topic they are teaching. This is important because different types of learners are reached with the different method of teaching.