Using Padlet to Plan a Unit About Learning to Read Music

When thinking about what unit I wanted to prepare, I actually went to the Common Core Standards for Performing Arts. I also thought about the kids who I teach now private music lessons, who are, on average, about 10 years old. I read through the standards and reflected on what I thought my kids would need to learn most to achieve these standards. Although a lot of people think that learning music by ear is fine enough to be proficient, I believe there is value in learning to read music, because it provides the framework for understanding the musical language.

It is a common core standard that by grade 5, students should be able to understand and perform the basic elements of written music.In teaching the basic elements of music, I wanted to introduce rhythm as a concept of feeling, and pitch as a concept of hearing on different instruments, because it is easy to separate written music from music that you hear. I believe that separation is harmful to the students' learning! Therefore, I believe having games such as the Rhythm Lab in the Chrome Music lab allows students to put together what they see with what they hear and feel in the music.

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