Education

10 Tips To Make Teaching Music To Children More Effective

Sharon Conwell

It may be rewarding teaching children and seeing them enjoy your lessons and grow as musicians but let’s be honest… it can sometimes be frustrating too. Here are ten top tips to ensure your lessons are always enjoyable and fulfilling.

Be Positive

Children love to know that they have done a good job and that their practising is paying off so by making sure you congratulate their achievements they will immediately feel more inspired and motivated. A positive atmosphere creates a fun and loving space which, when you’re a young child (especially ages 3-6) really helps with their desire to develop creatively.

Be Engaging

For young children, their attention spans are a lot shorter than adults so keeping them engaged is key to success. To do this it is vital that you switch up the exercises, changing between physical and mental stimulation.

Relate Topics With Subjects They Already Know

Children learn and understand things quicker when they can relate it to something they already know. For example, learning the names of the piano keys can be taught through singing the alphabet whilst note durations can be learnt through clapping and counting. This will not only help them understand concepts but it is also a fun and interactive way to learn.

Use Music Your Student Likes

Young students always love little tunes such as Twinkle Twinkle or Mary Had A Little Lamb. By helping them learn songs like this they feel as if they have accomplished something so great and will be motivated to practise. It is also a good idea, if they like, to get them to sing along to the song whilst they play as this gets them practising the function of doing two things at the same time whilst also having fun.

Get To Know Your Students

If you do one-to-one lessons it is important to get to know your student. Understand what they like, how they learn and how long they can keep their focus for. This will help you be able to personalise your lesson for them to allow greater success. For example, if your student is very energetic use small breaks throughout the lesson and combine physical activity within their learning so they can let off some steam. Maybe four jumps for every semibreve or two twirls for every minim.

Plan Your Lessons

Planning your lessons can be time consuming but it is also a great way to make sure your student is getting the most out of their time with you. If your student enjoys learning in a more academic way then spend some time doing worksheets with different coloured pens. If your student is more practical then try and resonate all aspects of music in a way where they can interact with it. Planning your lesson will not only make sure they are happy but will also allow you to feel organised.

Be Active

It’s all very well telling a student to play something or explaining definitions but by playing an active role you are building a stronger rapport with them, which is crucial for a happy child and successful lesson. When getting them to play, maybe take some time to play with them so they feel they are playing a duet, which for them will be a great achievement, even if it is only four notes long!

Be Enthusiastic

If a student can see that you are passionate about what you are teaching and they can truly believe that their teacher finds music fun and exciting then they are more likely to feel inspired to think the same. Think about it, in school who did you relate to more, the teachers who read out the chapters of the text book, or the teachers who were hands on and in love with their subject?

Encourage Them To Showcase Their Music

It is important to get the child excited about the musical journey they are on. A good way of doing this is encouraging them to show their family/friends songs that they are confident playing. This will make them feel real pride for their achievements and will also appreciate that people around them that are supportive and care about the progress they have made.

Give Them Tasks To Focus On At Home

It is very easy for a child to go home after a lesson and forget about what they have learnt, especially if they only have one music lesson a week. This is why you should set them some light and fun tasks to do at home, that they can enjoy, to re establish what they have learnt in the lesson so they can come to the next one prepared and ready to progress further.

this article was written by Laura Bevan

Education

Online Education vs.Traditional Education: The Pros and Cons

Sharon Conwell

Online education is become an attractive alternative to traditional methods, for several reasons. It’s cheaper, you can do it at your own pace, and programming and design courses that take place online can often provide a much more direct path to a career.

The following list surmises the pros and cons of online and traditional education systems, so you can choose the path that is right for you.

Online Education

Pros:

Economical:

Some Coder Camps may cost up to $10k for 9 weeks, but at the end you’ll be fully qualified and ready to work in the real world.

Prices plummet as you look into options where you work at your own pace, and there are also plenty of free tutorials and open courses around the web.

People have experienced successes with all of the above methods.

Work Around Your Life

You can work part-time, full-time, have a family, hobbies, and a social life, and still be able to successfully complete an online course.

Better Preparation for the Jobs Market

It’s a highly competitive world out there, and as online courses are shorter, they’re much more focused on the job at the end.

It’s A More Relevant Format

You are learning about the digital age and online tools and techniques, so it makes sense to do so online.

It’s A Modern Approach

Coding and programming are a changing field, so it’s important to stay up to date, and learning online is one of the best ways of doing so.

Cons:

Many of the cons for online education are the same as the pros for a traditional education.

Traditional Education

Pros:

The College Experience:

If you want to sleep in a dorm, join a sports team, and go to frat parties, then an online education just won’t offer you what you want.

Making Contacts

At college you’re surrounded by people who can help you out on your career path or help you find an internship.

Your Degree is Considered Legitimate

A traditional degree may not get you a job straight away, but you can be fairly certain that nobody will question your credentials.

You Have Facilities and Resources

Whether you’re sporty or want to make the most of a library or laboratory, you’ll have to go to a traditional school, as most people don’t have these facilities at home.

A Traditional Career Requires a Traditional Degree

If you want to go into academia or something that requires practical skills, then you’ll need a traditional education. You may need a bachelor’s in order to get an advanced degree for a career, such as a scientist,or teacher.

Cons:

Price:

The average cost of college is $20,000 a year, and if you want to go somewhere Ivy League you can expect to pay a whole lot more.

There’s No Job Guarantee

The number of graduates who walk straight into employment is dropping drastically, and even fewer are going into jobs they actually want.

Your Training May Not Be Skills-Based

A lot of traditional college is theoretical, which means you don’t have the real life skills you need for a job.

This is especially true if you want to work in technology.

Studies are showing more and more that businesses doubt the capabilities of graduates in the workplace.

What Do You Really Want

Before you decide which kind of education is right for you, you need to really look into what you want and what you can realistically commit to in terms of time and budget. If you want a traditional college experience, then you may feel a little lonely online, but if you want to get a job quickly, you may be better off with an online course.  If you’re self-motivated, you can be on a quick path to success through online education.

Education, Social Media

Social Media’s Influence on the Education System

Sharon Conwell

There can be no doubt that social media plays a large role in the lives of teenagers, especially those between the ages of 13 and 17. This has left educators wondering how and when it should be incorporated into the classroom.

All teachers know that social media is vastly appealing, but it’s not yet clear how it can be used to teach. It’s also not clear whether it should be used as a tool in traditional core subjects, or whether lessons should cover the safety and risks of social media.

As the risks of social media are growing, it’s becoming clear that students need to be informed of the risks and dangers social media can present.

Here’s how educators are handling social media so far:

Education Dedicated to Social Media

Suicide is one of the top three killers of teenagers. Almost all teens are on social media, and almost half of them have reported being bullied online, which many connect to current suicide rates.

Some forward thinking educators are starting to address the way we behave on social media, and want to treat social media classes in the same manner as sex education classes – fully informing students of the risks and potential consequences of inappropriate online behaviour.

Unfortunately, many schools are reluctant to discuss social media beyond bullying.

Teaching Assistance

When students are involved and engaged with a subject, a good teacher will try to bring that into the classroom as it can help increase their overall interest in a topic.

For this reason, many teachers want to use the platform to educate their students, and recent studies from Harvard show that students, at least at college level, benefit from group interaction in online platforms.

They can share knowledge and study tips, but it’s unclear if this would work with younger students, especially if it’s not regulated. It does show that social media could play a role in classrooms though.

Researching With Social Media

Research used to involve rooting through dusty tomes in a library. Not any more though, as social media has made that process a whole lot simpler.

Social media is also the first place many people see the news, which can make this a great way to teach current events or inspire debate.

There are some problems to students having so much information, for one thing, the information may not be accurate, and mass panic can be generated through the dissemination of false information.

This can be a great way to teach about honesty and journalistic integrity, as the consequences of fake posts on social media can be cataclysmic.

Privacy Worries

There are some grave concerns when minors are online, as they are very vulnerable when their privacy is violated.

There are some moral and potentially some legal concerns if schools encourage students to post information about themselves online, especially on platforms that are largely unregulated.

While educators may soon look into social media platforms, it’s still a very new area, and there are definitely unknown variables that could pose risk.

While there’s no doubt that social media will one day play a role in schools, it is definitely still early days.