Anyone who is in education for any length of time comes across Howard Gardner's "Theory of Multiple Intelligences" which discusses the ways through which each of us learns. The point is to realize that it is important for teachers especially to use techniques that appeal to as many of these learning styles as possible in teaching concepts, in an attempt to reach as many students as possible.
The magic of music is that it can appeal to everyone. If a student learns through the:
1. Linguistics - Song lyrics or musical stories will be the connection.
2. Logical - Sequences and the organization of the musical sounds will be the connection. The mathematical relationships of the notes will be the draw.
3. Body Movements/Kinesthetic - Dances, fingerplays, and instrument playing will be the connection.
4. Interpersonal - Interacting, performing, and communicating with the music will be the attraction.
5. Intrapersonal - The connection between the musician and instrument/voice, and the self-assessing, reflecting, goal setting and planning that goes into performing will be the draw.
6. Visual/Spatial -The movement in space of performing or watching the performance of music or dancing, and/or the reading of written music will be the connection.
7. Natural - The discerning of patterns, categories, and classifications of musical sounds and the observation of it all will be the attraction.
Brain research is showing us that the connections between right and left brain made in the first 5 years of life are critical to a child's future thinking and recall abilities. Music is an ideal stimulus for making those connections!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
A word of explanation...
Or perhaps a point of view...
My thought is that if any activity contains one of the musical elements, it can be claimed as being a somewhat musical activity - especially with young children.
So what are the elements?
1. Pitch - the high-ness or low-ness of the sound, or the number of vibrations in the soundwaves if you want to be technical. Melodies and harmonies come out of this.
2. Dynamics - the loudness, softness, or anything-in-between-ness of the volume of the sound.
3. Timbre - the "color" of the sound, as in the difference between the sound of a voice and a piano, or a violin, or flute, or drum.
4. Rhythm - the beat or pulse of the sound, which also includes the meter (the way the beats are organized) and the tempo (whether the beat is fast or slow).
5. Form - the way the melodies are organized into a whole composition.
6. Texture - the number of different melodies, sounds, etc. going on at one time.
Enough theory, right?
My thought is that if any activity contains one of the musical elements, it can be claimed as being a somewhat musical activity - especially with young children.
So what are the elements?
1. Pitch - the high-ness or low-ness of the sound, or the number of vibrations in the soundwaves if you want to be technical. Melodies and harmonies come out of this.
2. Dynamics - the loudness, softness, or anything-in-between-ness of the volume of the sound.
3. Timbre - the "color" of the sound, as in the difference between the sound of a voice and a piano, or a violin, or flute, or drum.
4. Rhythm - the beat or pulse of the sound, which also includes the meter (the way the beats are organized) and the tempo (whether the beat is fast or slow).
5. Form - the way the melodies are organized into a whole composition.
6. Texture - the number of different melodies, sounds, etc. going on at one time.
Enough theory, right?
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