UNIT 4: FIVE FACETS OF MUSIC TEACHING

Teaching Music in the Elementary Grades

MOTIVATION
Before we start the discussion, we'll have first some warm up activity entitled,
" It's your time to shine "

A. SINGING
- An activity which is common in a music classroom. It is therefore, necessary for the
music teacher to know the proper way to sing so that his singing may be the example
to the children in his class.

- The core of the music education program.

- Every child is a potential singer but, sometimes, we come across children who, for
one reason or another, do not sing in exact tunes. These children are not really
monotones but just unturned, like instruments which are not tuned correctly.

Rote-Song - A song to be taught by rote, or by frequent repetition to the learner, as a child

before it is able to read.

Preparing Children for Part Singing

 The use of instruments may be a device not only for the musical growth of the
children but also for their enjoyment and understanding of music. The first instrument
experiences of the children may be with toy or rhythm band instruments.

 Some children are not prepared to sing part songs and therefore, are unable to
participate in choral activities. The music teachers may be able to help the children
develop part singing readiness by the use of the following singing activities:

1. Singing songs with chording, that is, singing the bass do, sol or fa together with
the song depending on the harmonic character of the song.
2. Singing songs with a chant: A chant is a figure or phrase sung repeatedly with the
phrases of a song. The chant is used, therefore, with songs that have only one
harmony throughout.
The four main vocal ranges:
 Soprano – is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of
all voice types.
 Alto – (Italian: “high”) the alto is the second highest vocal range of a female.
 Tenor – it is the highest natural adult male voice.
 Bass – the lowest vocal range of a male.

B. LISTENING
What do we mean by listening?
LISTENING
Definition
 The ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication process.
 It is the key to all effective communication. Without the ability to listen effectively,
messages are easily misunderstood. If there is one communication skill you should aim to
master, then listening is it.
The Need for Teaching Children How to Listen
 The world of music is unfolded to children through varied experiences in singing, playing
instruments, rhythm and dancing, and creative activities. Children do not usually develop
with excellence among these lines, but it is hoped that each one may find atleast one
phase of the work which can provide enrichment in his life not only in his childhood, but
also in adulthood, perhaps only few will develop into skillful performers (singers,
dancers, or composers) but a good number, all can become discriminating and sensitive
listeners. As a matter of fact, it is through listening rather than active participation or
performance that a big majority of the people enjoy music.

Active Listening: Teaching with Music

Active listening similarly requires students to engage with and think about what they hear. In
other words, active listening is listening with a purpose.

You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear. - Sherlock Holmes

THREE TYPES OF LISTENING

1. Affective Listening
This type of listening is perhaps the most basic. Useful questions for this type of listening
typically prompt students to voice their observations on a basic level: What instruments do you
hear? What genre of music is this? What emotions does this evoke? How fast or slow is it? (For
those with musical training, this might also include more targeted questions to draw out
observations about tempo, meter, rhythm, range, etc.)
2. Dialogic Listening
This type of listening is perhaps the most complex and time-consuming, yet also the most fruitful
and potentially rewarding. As the name implies, this type of listening places a musical example
in dialogue with external elements—generic conventions, other musical pieces, artwork, texts,
objects, etc. Teaching with music does not preclude using texts or visuals as well. If your piece
has lyrics, include them (and if those lyrics are not in your students’ native language, provide a
translation as well). It often helps to complement listening with other ways of engaging with
musical examples by using other types of media.
3. Structural Listening
This type of listening approaches a musical example almost like a sculpture or a painting, in
which you point students toward particular moments and see the ways in which those moments
are the culmination of particular trajectories. As such, structural listening often means comparing
different moments from within a particular piece. Questions might include: How does the artist
or composer move from one idea to another? Why? And etc.

How Music Helps Us Be More Creative?

C. CREATIVE WORK
 A manifestation of creative effort such as artwork, literature, music, paintings, and
software. Creative work have in common a degree of arbitrariness, such that it is
improbable that two people would independently create the same work.
 A new study suggests that listening to happy music promotes more divergent thinking—a
key element of creativity. BY JILL SUTTIE | NOVEMBER 17, 2017

RHYTHMIC MOVEMENT
- An interesting way of interpreting music.
- It may be performed in the following forms: the fundamental bodily movements such
as walking, running, or skipping; rhythmic activities like swaying or clapping the
hands or dangling.
 There are two kinds of bodily movements – locomotor movements which are progressive
movements like stepping, hopping, jumping, etc. there are several directions in which
locomotor movements may be done, e.g, forward or backward, in a circle or se111mi-
circle, slow or fast, long or short, light or heavy or smooth. Locomotor movements may
be executed in different meanings. Axial movements which are performed in space like
 swinging the hands, rotating the arms, or falling. The axial skills are performed in
standing, kneeling or lying position.
CREATIVE MOVEMENTS
 May be approached from different means:
 After the discussion of the meaning of a familiar song, the children may be led to create
different types of actions to depict different movements suggested in the song.

INTERPRETATIVE MOVEMENTS
 It may be suggested by the sound made by animals or objects; of jingles, rhymes, or of
selling calls; and greeting and farewells.
 Music heard or performed may suggest varied movements. Dance steps can be adapted to
different moods of music.

D. INSTRUMENTAL WORK
- A process of instrument learning or a method of training in which the reinforcement is
made by contingent on the occurrence of the response.

Rhythm Band
 The use of instruments may be a device not only for the musical growth of the children
but also for their enjoyment and understanding of music. The first instrumental
experiences of the children may be with toy or rhythm band instruments.
 The objectives for using the rhythm band instruments are:
>To utilize the instruments as a means of interpreting music.
>To develop the ability to recognize one color and to learn to use it for musical interpretation.
>To develop mental and physical coordination through the manipulation of the instruments.
>To develop musical memory and use this is meaningful ensemble work.
>To develop the basic skills and fundamentals of music through enjoyable instrumental
activities.

Classifications of Instruments
Chordophones
 - These are the instruments with strings which may be bowed or plucked or strummed.
Examples include the violin, the violoncello or cello, viola, and the contrabrass or
bass viola.
Aerophones
- Instrument made to sound by blowing air into the tube by means of the mouth pressed
against the mouthpiece of embouchure, or blowing through the lips or the nose, or
blowing air by putting the mouthpiece and its vibrating reeds inside the mouth.
Examples are cornet, trumpet, trombone, horn, tuba, sousaphone (all of which are made
brass) the flute, clarinet, oboe, and bassoon (all of which are made of wood).
Membranophones
- The third group of instruments are the membranophones which are so called because
they have a piece of membrane or similar material stretched over a hollow end of a
cylinder which is made to sound by beating with the drumstick. Examples of
membranophones are the different kinds of drums and the tympani or kettle drums.

Idiophones
- The fourth group of instruments include the triangle, xylophones or glockenspiel,
marimba, castanets, and cymbals. Idiophones are played by hitting, shaking, and
rubbing.

E. MOVEMENT
 Incorporating music and movement into early childhood education can help young
children with development, social interaction and language growth.
 In regards to that, music, for children is something they can associate with through
movement. When they hear it, they sway to it, dance to it, they react to it with
movements that they want.
 It is an important part of their learning experience.

Exploring Movement
 Music leads to movement. It's hard to listen to music without moving in some way, even
if it's just moving your toes, head, or fingertips! Movement is how we interact with our
environment and define the space we occupy in the world. We move to explore. Crawling
leads to walking, and walking leads to hopping, skipping, and jumping.

Importance of Music & Movement in the Education of Young Children by Meg Brannagan
Early Childhood
 Early childhood education, for children 8 years of age and younger, is the beginning of a
student's academic experience. This is an important time of learning and brain
development for children in preparation for the rest of their education. Playing music and
moving to a beat provides stimulating experiences for young children and fosters learning
at home or in the classroom. Parents and early childhood teachers can incorporate music
and movement into daily routines.
Brain Development
 According to the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association, 85 percent of brain
development occurs by the time a child reaches 3 years. As children grow, they need to
learn specific activities that are important for development. For example, very young
children begin to scoot and crawl for movement and while these activities are part of
eventually learning to walk, they are also essential for brain development. Additionally,
patterned activities at home or in the preschool classroom, such as clapping to music or
jumping in time to a beat stimulate brain function and help the brain to organize thoughts
and behaviors.
Language
 Language has its own tempo; speaking a language fluently involves regular pauses, stops
and starts in appropriate places. For example, most people do not speak in a constant,
running diatribe of words; rather they insert pauses between phrases, they use accents and
they increase or decrease the overall speed of speech. Music has a tempo and teaching
young children songs that have rhythms and beats or learning to march in time to a tune
can help students to learn the rhythm of speaking and improve their communication
skills.

QUESTIONS:
 How can rote singing help develop musical accuracy among elementary learners?
 Why is listening considered the foundation of music appreciation?
 How can rhythmic movement support brain development?
 What is the importance of rhythm band instruments in elementary classes?
 Why are the Five Facets of Music Teaching essential in elementary education?
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