You, too, Can be a Guitar Hero!

In 2008 I made the decision that it may be time to begin a guitar program as part of general music instruction at my school.  The popularity of the instrument in music programs was growing, there was a great deal of interest because of the guitar’s traditional connection to popular music, and I felt my fifth graders who were reaching the usual “too cool for school” point could use a little motivation.  I must also add that living on the Texas/Mexico border was a key motivator for me to begin this program.  The mariachi tradition is rich here and given the instrument’s prominent place in these groups (along with its cousins the guitarrón and the vihuela) made the decision to start teaching it in elementary school a no-brainer.  Our middle schools and high schools have award-winning mariachi and conjunto programs, and it is, after all, our duty as elementary music specialists to prepare our students for what lies ahead once they leave our instruction.

As a keyboardist/vocalist/saxophone player, the guitar was always the “mystery instrument” for me.  The piano has always made sense to me visually and since that was my first instrument at the age of 10 it was easy to transfer my piano knowledge to other instruments – including my voice.  But the guitar was just “weird.”  I marveled at those who could play it and play it well and knew that picking one up to play would be a challenge due to the fact that it was unlike any other instrument with which I was familiar.  But…as we are to instill that “life-long learner” attitude in our students, I put my fears aside and decided to model this ideal and learn the guitar for myself.  After all, I certainly didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of a “real” guitar teacher because I was an accomplished musician (Old dog, new trick?  Hey, I have my pride!), so I took the guitar to the woodshed as it were, and got to it.

I prepared by getting a decent, inexpensive, steel string guitar for myself along with a “learn-to-play-guitar” method book that came with a play-along CD.  It was rough going, but I gave myself a few months before the actual start of the 2008-2009 school year.  Besides, when it comes to teaching elementary students, you really only need to stay one or two lessons ahead of your students, right? 

Preparing for the "Big Buy"

I knew if I was going to do this, I was going to go at it all the way – I wasn’t about to have six guitars with four students sharing each one – especially in fifth grade.  This being my mission, my next step was to consolidate my budget accounts so I could actually purchase 24 guitars. If your experience is anything like mine, you know that transferring monies from your 54321 account to your 12345 account usually requires an act of congress and a promissory note to sign over your first born child upon completion of the transfer.  But this was important, so I was willing to endure whatever “the system” was willing to throw at me for the sake of getting this program off the ground.

I made the decision to buy twelve ½-size, nylon string guitars and twelve ¾ -size guitars.  Learn from my mistakes if you have not already begun the guitar adventure in your own classroom:  the ½ -size guitars work just fine and they’re not really all that different from a full size.  I am six feet tall and have absolutely no problems maneuvering with a ½ -size guitar.  The ½ -size guitars are less expensive too.

If you're going to go as big as getting an entire class set of guitars, keep storage in mind.  I was able to purchase 24 guitar wall hangers for a reasonable price.  Take the time to set up procedures for students getting guitars as well as returning them to their proper place carefully.  This "ounce of prevention" will avoid headaches and mishaps that could easily drop your 24 guitars down to 18.

Prepare to Repair

As every music specialist is well-aware, you not only have to be a crackerjack teacher when it comes to music, but you also have to be somewhat of an instrument repair person.  When you are using nylon strings in this setting, you have to expect a broken string here and there - have some spares.  Also, learn from my pain, get yourself a string winder!  They only cost a couple bucks and save you loads of frustration in an already packed-full school day, not to mention avoiding the contraction of a case of carpel tunnel syndrome.  Finally, I have learned that Gorilla Glue® is my best friend.  I have had the saddle of a couple of my guitars come off while hanging in place over the weekend.  I have also had the wood on the saddle crack and cause the bridge to fall.  Gorilla Glue®  has saved all guitars involved.  Just remember to read the directions - it's not like any other glue.  It does expand (like the directions say) so use sparingly, and rather than "clamping" as suggested in the directions, I found setting a couple textbooks on the saddle while the glue dried over night did the trick just fine.

How to Avoid Doing Your Best Pete Townshend Impersonation (Out of Frustration, Not to Be Cool)

I began my classroom guitar adventure thinking I could approach it in traditional lesson-by-lesson fashion.  I diligently went about preparing lessons incorporating the first pages of the guitar method that had so aptly taught me my way around the first, second, and third strings of the guitar.  I am a stickler for copyright, so I would never photocopy a book – but I can project a page from it onto the screen using my document camera for my students to view.  Besides, the method book worked for me, so it should be a breeze for my fifth graders, right?  WRONG!  I’m not certain what, exactly, caused this to be such a failure.  Even though guitar was to be included as only a portion of the day's music lesson, it just wasn't working the way I had imagined.  Maybe it was too much information on one page, maybe my expectations were too high, maybe my conservatory-approach training caused me to be too much of a perfectionist, or maybe it was a combination of all of these.  Whatever it was, it was definitely not what I wanted my classes to look like.

As the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year arrived, I decided to get a handle on this.  The start of a new school year is always the same for upper elementary grades - review concepts from previous years and then start to build on them.  It's always a challenge to have fifth grade students review very basic concepts and still hold their interest, so I decided this would be the way I would introduce the guitar rather than use the method book approach.

A Tool for Review

When reviewing basic rhythm reading skills, I incorporated the guitar by having my classes play simple quarter note-quarter rest-eighth note rhythms that I keep printed on homemade flashcards.  By simply having the students play the rhythms on the first string of the guitar (as opposed to clapping or playing classroom rhythm instruments) I was able to accomplish two goals:  first, the students were solidifying their basic rhythm reading skills and second, I was able to introduce the guitar without a lot of lesson book reading.  They learned how to hold the guitar, which string was the "first" string, and how to play on only one string.  The following week I augmented the review to include patterns with whole notes and half notes.  I took this opportunity to introduce placing the fingers on the fingerboard - first finger, first fret, first string (the pitch "F").  After getting the idea of how much pressure was required to change the pitch on the first string from "E" to "F," I had them identify notes by giving this instruction:  "When I show you each card, play E's for every quarter note or whole note, play F's for each eighth note or half note..."  Here they were able to read simple four-beat rhythm patterns, identify notes by their proper names, and practice playing on the first string simultaneously.  The concentration required was enough to keep them focused without being overwhelming which can sometimes cause the "I give up" attitude with this age group.

Later we were reviewing basic meter - meter in 2 and meter in 3.  I had the students practice something this simple by having them open their textbooks to "Amazing Grace."  We identified the time signature and what it meant, discussed the concepts of "strong beat" and "weak beats," then accompanied the song (which, thankfully, is in the key of G major in our text) by playing the fourth, third, and second strings (D, G, B) in succession.  True, this accompaniment doesn't fit the song exactly, but when you are learning how to pick individual strings on the guitar - it's good enough!

Go for It!

These are just a couple of examples of using the guitar to accomplish musical goals you were most likely already teaching in your music class.  When introducing an instrument to young children, we need to buck traditional music instruction slightly and get creative.  Teaching techniques like peer evaluation, cooperative learning, and the use of "centers" can all be incorporated to keep your students interested and motivated.  Take a look at your existing curriculum and take some "pondering time" to come up with unique ways of including the guitar as a regular part of your general music instruction.  I still only include guitar as a part of each lesson, and occasionally we don't use them at all.  This keeps the learning less tedious and keeps the excitement fresh.

If you haven't already started this adventure and are considering it, or if you have already started and may be feeling a bit discouraged, I hope my experience will help you press forward with it.  Your students will thank you for it.

My next try is going to be with a few apps...I'll give you the verdict after I've had a chance to try and fail at a few things.

Until then, happy strumming and I'll be writing again next week...

"The Plan" - Part V

Whew!  And to think when I conceived this that I was going to put it in ONE post...glad I woke up before I started it.

This week, the final week for the curriculum series, I am addressing tone color and expressive elements as well as music-related topics.

Tone Color

The basic understanding of this musical element is that:  1)  Different materials produce different sounds and 2) We classify instruments by the materials from which they are made or by the way these instruments are played, and 3) The scientific concept that (generally)  "larger items produce lower sounds, smaller items produce higher sounds."

Pre-K - At this grade level, students can have experiences with various tone colors that may be available in the classroom.  Begin to point out that small, medium, and large sizes play high, middle, and low sounds.  Practice using different voices - speaking, whispering, singing, and yelling (calling).

Kindergarten - Students at this age can begin placing sounds in groups - hit, shake, scrape, ring, etc.  It is not important that they know the four families of instruments.  Kindergarteners can also identify man's voice, woman's voice, and child's voice.  Speaking, whispering, singing, and yelling (calling) voices are also solidified at this age.

First Grade - First graders continue classifying sounds and have much experience playing different sizes of instruments and relating that sound to pitch range.  They also can begin with playing different instruments in different ways and discovering or identifying how playing the instrument in a different way changes its tone color (how will the xylophone sound different if we play it with a wooden mallet instead of a yarn mallet?).

Second Grade - This is the age when we actually start to discuss families.  I never go into a comprehensive study of brass, woodwind, percussion, and string, but I do take the time to start to look at one or two of these families and several of the instruments contained in them.

Third Grade - Whatever families were not covered in second grade can be added in third grade.

Fourth Grade - In fourth grade being able to place instruments in their appropriate family is important.  Not only "memorizing" what instrument goes where, but being able to articulate the "why" an instrument belongs in a certain family and not in another.  Fourth graders should have a good understanding of the four main instrument families and what instruments belong in them.

Fifth Grade - In fifth grade, other "families" can be added (keyboard instruments, electronic instruments) as well as various ensembles and what instruments/voices are contained in them.  This age can also intellectualize various aspects of sound in groups and why they are traditionally arranged in a certain fashion (i.e. why is the conductor in the center of the orchestra?  Why are there so many strings and only a few brass?  Why do the strings sit near the front of the stage?).

Expressive Elements

The main expressive elements in music are dynamics and tempo.  As mentioned in my first post, you really can't have either of these without connecting them with some other element of music.  Perhaps the most difficult concept to get across (even to fifth graders) is the difference between "high" and "loud" and "low" and "soft."  Use appropriate terminology at all times and whenever possible, sneak in those "music words" even in non-musical contexts:  "Boys and girls, I need you to line up and be very pianissimo while getting in line."  When walking in a line, "We are moving andante - be careful not be largo or allegro!"  Connect types of music with various tempi, "If you were to sing a song that puts a baby to sleep, would you use a fast or slow tempo?  Would you sing loudly or softly?  Lullabies are usually slow and soft."  Try singing songs in various tempi or dynamic levels.  How did it change the way the song felt to you?

When discussing form in the upper grades, talk about elements of music that can contrast to create different sections - tempo and dynamics are two of these elements.

Music-Related Topics

I once had a discussion with a very noted music professor about this.  I was young in my career and was confused as to the importance of selecting topics for my classes and leaving others out (in elementary school, there simply isn't TIME to address them all!).  He said, "I have found that whatever YOU are into, your students will be highly successful at that.  I have seen teachers who are passionate about opera.  They develop units of study about opera and their students are quite successful.  Another teacher who is not as strong in opera could teach the same unit and it could end up being a total flop."  I have carried this with me and it has helped ease my guilt a little when I realize, "Gee, my students are leaving me not knowing ____." If composers and facts about their lives really rock your world, then by all means, include them.  Which ones do you include?  Good question.  At this point in musical history, I suppose it's completely up to you - there are far too many!  I try to select "the biggies" to discuss (within the context of the study of other elements) - Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, etc.  My music memory students are currently studying "O la o che bon echo" by Lassus.  I will confess, I don't believe I've ever heard this piece of music (or heard of this composer) in my life.  Sure, I may have crammed about Lassus for a music history class in college - but that is testament to how important it was in my overall musical life as an adult.  I can tell by listening that Lassus probably wasn't a contemporary of Beethoven and his style is most like what I know to be renaissance music.  Intellectually, isn't that good enough for what we want our students to know?

Once your students are well-versed in musical elements, you can discuss style very intelligently.  Play some music.  What style are you hearing?  They are very aware of style - especially within the larger genre of pop music.  They may not put a name on it, but they know.  So this is a good time to start diving deeper into the topic since they know more about the elements of music.  What makes hip-hop different from pop?  What are some artists from each style?  When they realize the topics they've learned about in music are universal, it is a little easier for them to grasp the difference between, for example, the romantic and baroque periods.  Pick what your find meaningful for your students to have successful musical lives - either as consumers or musicians or professionals in a music-related career.

Well, there you have it.  That's my take on elementary music curriculum.  I have no doubt I have probably left out something.  If I realize I have, I will come back and edit my posts.  Feel free to leave a comment if there is something about which you feel strongly.

Until next week...

"The Plan" - Part IV

This week we look at the elements of harmony and form.

Harmony

When developing harmonic concept in young children, baby steps are really important.  Singing in harmony and aurally identifying it are not easy tasks for most human beings - especially at the age of elementary students.

Here is the breakdown by grade level of how I cover harmony:

Pre-K - I make sure I use lots of "harmony" words when speaking in class.  "Let's sing that without the accompaniment...or...I am going to play an ostinato."  It's also important that students at this age learn to echo appropriately (i.e. not sing your part with you - which they love to do!).  It is important that young students get the idea that we "take turns" musically (my part, your part).

Kindergarten - In kindergarten we continue to make sure we know when our "turn" is and we develop the ability to identify the presence and absence of accompaniment.  At this age I have students play simple ostinati to accompany age-appropriate songs as well.

1st Grade - Here we actually want to identify an ostinato.  Later in the year we want to make sure students understand we can have rhythmic ostinati (that don't add harmony) and melodic ostinati (that do add harmony).  We play them while the class sings, we play along with recordings, we also make sure that we know when an accompaniment is NOT an ostinato.  Just because an instrument is playing along, does not mean it is an ostinato.

2nd Grade - In second grade we want to get to the point where we actually know what "harmony" is - two or more pitches being played or sung simultaneously.  I want them to understand that just because an instrument is playing with a singer (or singers) it may not necessarily be playing harmony.  At this age it's also appropriate to have students recognize simple chord changes in an accompaniment (I-V).

3rd Grade - Third graders really start getting into the nitty gritty of harmony.  They do all the previous activities with harmony, but also identify a chord as "three or more pitches played together."  We identify chord symbols when they are present in printed music and play them on classroom instruments.  We look at what harmony looks like in printed music.  In third grade we also work on identifying and singing canons (rounds) and partner songs.

4th Grade - In fourth grade I give my students more practice with all of the previous harmony experiences - accompaniment, ostinati, chords, canons, and partner songs.  We may also play a recorder song in two parts.

5th Grade - Once again, this is the year when we can approach the more theoretical side of all the harmony experiences they've had since pre-K.  We can add the idea of Roman numerals marking chords.  We can build chords based on scales (identifying scale degrees, letter names, and syllable names of pitches).  This is also the year when I introduce reading two-part written music (for singing) as well as the term "descant."

Form

This element is one of the best for relating music to life.  I usually start of my form introduction with the parts of a house - two squares for the windows, a big square for the actual house, a rectangle for the door and a triangle for the chimney.  I say, "What do you think might happen if an alien came to you and had never seen a house?  How do you think he would put these pieces together?  I then go about making some ridiculous combination of the above-named shapes.  Then I explain, "Because we know the order of the parts of a house, we can put a house together that makes sense.  Music is the same way..."  I also try to impress upon them that nearly everything has form (the body, the weather, visual art, buildings, etc.).

Here is the grade level breakdown for form:

Pre-K - Four-year-olds can identify "same" and "different."  At this age I play small examples or melody fragments and ask the students to identify if they are the same or different.  We also have lots and lots of experiences singing songs in AB and ABA form and do dance with "same" and "different" parts.

Kindergarten - In kindergarten when discussing form, I mainly want my students to know two words and know them well - these are:  "verse" and "refrain."  We make a big deal about "different words/same music" and "same words/same music" repeated.

1st Grade - In first grade we work on being able to identify AB and ABA forms in music.  We also point out that some songs simply have an "A" section and nothing else.

2nd Grade - In second grade we can add slightly more complex combinations of "A" and "B" and continue to find the verse and refrain in music both aurally and when printed.

3rd Grade - Adding to AB, ABA, and AABA, this is the age when I like to introduce rondo form.  It's also a time when we can actually discuss "parts" of a piece of music.  "How did you know A was ending and B was beginning?"  This is a perfect opportunity to review all the elements of music.  "What can change in a song's parts?  What if there is no singing, what can change?"

4th Grade - This is a good time to focus on printed music directions that give big clues to form - D.S., D.C., coda, and fine should all be parts of the fourth grade vocabulary when discussing form.

5th Grade - There was a time when I would use fifth grade to introduce more complex forms - sonata form, fugue...but...with new times come new demands and my daily lessons do not allow for this.  Now I am content to add theme and variations to their form vocabulary and if we get that far (when combined with all of the topics from the previous years), I am satisfied.

Next week I'll get into tone color and talk a little about the "expressive elements" and "music-related" elements.  Until next week...

"The Plan" - Part III

As promised, this week I'm addressing meter and melody.

Meter

This element is a logical follower to beat and rhythm because they are connected.  It's not a topic to be brushed over and can easily get confusing for young minds - especially as you dive deeper into it.  The basic principles I want my students to know are that each of the two main meters (2 and 3) has a feeling - I choose "march" for 2 and "sway" for 3 but that is arbitrary.  If you have something that works, have at it.

I want students to know that all meters are combinations of these two basic meters.  I divide meter into categories:  duple (2), triple (3), compound (6 or 12), and unusual (5 or 7).  Any time you have a meter other than 2 or 3, it is simply a combination of these two.  Meter in 4 is two groups of 2, meter in 5 is either a 2+3 feel or a 3+2 feel, and so on.

I connect meter with life and address the reasons why meter in 2 is so much easier for us than meter in 3 or any unusual meter.  We have two legs and feet.  Walking is a meter in 2.  We would certainly look a bit odd walking in 3.  Our heartbeat is a meter in 2 (or the compound meter of 6 if you want to get technical).  Meter in 2 or 4 is relatively easy to grasp as opposed to other meters.

Here is the breakdown of how I address meter in each grade level.

Pre-K - At this age, I am mainly concerned with my students knowing that "Meter in 2" and "Meter in 3" exist.  They are too young to really intellectualize much more about it.  Because of this, they need lots of experiences playing instruments, singing, and moving to each.  I often point out "This song was meter in 3."

Kindergarten - I'm not so concerned that students at this age give a name to "meter in 2" or "meter in 3" but if they can, that's great.  My main focus for kindergarteners is their ability to identify "strong-weak" and "strong-weak-weak" patterns in music.  Movement and playing of instruments is the best way to accomplish this.  Visual representations are also a must (big and little sticks, large and small pictures, etc.).  The repeat sign is also something I like to introduce at this grade level.

First Grade - In first grade, we begin to name beat groupings as "meter in 2" or "meter in 3."  We identify the time signature (meter sign) at the beginning of written music.  We practice dividing written music with barlines.  We review the repeat sign and also learn about the double bar.

Second Grade - With the introduction of longer note values during the study of rhythm, this is a good age to focus on the written aspect of meter a little more deeply.  We can see that other meters exist (meter in 4).

Third Grade - In third grade, with the introduction of syncopation, much experience with reading, singing, and playing or moving to meter is very important.  At this age I stick to basic meters of 2, 3, and 4.  We continue to identify the meter sign (still using a number over a note value rather than an actual time signature) and discuss what it means.

Fourth Grade - In fourth grade we can introduce the lower number in the time signature.  Why?  This is traditionally the year students begin to learn fractions in math.  We continue to identify the feeling of various meters, practice interchanging note values for number values in the meter sign, and practice counting multiple measures of rest (this can be done in third grade - however, in my current situation, we play the recorder in fourth grade so it's a prime opportunity to learn to count multiple measures of rest when playing with recorded accompaniment).

Fifth Grade - We continue to study all the meter concepts from previous years, but add the concepts of compound meter and unusual meter.  At this age, you can test the waters to see if they truly understand meter as it is written and as it is heard.  Play a simple tune like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" then play it again - changing the meter.  How was it different?  You can have the students practice this in writing if your daily schedule allows time.

Melody

I have a firm foundation in the Kodály method, although I have never taken the certification levels for this method.  I prefer Kodály especially when it comes to developing melodic concept in children because of the hand signs.  It provides a very kinesthetic aspect to the teaching of melody.  Not only does each pitch "feel" different (the sign itself), but children gain the relationship of higher and lower that each pitch has in relation to the others.

My students learn these main ideas:  The note head is the part of the written note that identifies the melody or pitch.  Pitches are individual sounds (do, mi).  Melodies are made up of groups of pitches (do-mi-so).  Melodies can move in three ways - up, down, or staying the same.  Pitches have four different relationships to each other - step, leap, skip, and repeat.

Before going into grade level introductions, it is important to note that singing a melody (not a short one, but one of any length) completely in solfege has little to no value to students at this age.  You may want to try this type of activity late in fifth grade, but singing through music in solfege in the elementary grades has little to no meaning to a developing child.  What we are aiming for here is that students begin to recognize patterns of sound and that music is, at the lowest level, a series of these patterns.

Here is my breakdown by grade level as to how I introduce melodic concepts to my students:

Pre-K - high, middle, low.  This takes a lot of work.  I also make sure to address that "high" does not mean "loud" nor does "low" mean "soft."  We address melodic range in pieces of music as "high" or "low."  We also do some vocal-visual work at this age - following abstract drawings (or actual drawings if you want!) with our voices.

Kindergarten - we continue work on high and low and upward and downward melodic motion.  I do some visual representation of melodies (pictures, big circles) representing upward and downward motion, but don't get into actual notation at this point.

First Grade - In first grade we start to learn a few actual pitch names.  I introduce them in this order:  so and mi (together...if you prefer "sol" by all means, write it that way), then la, then do.  We start to read so and mi on two lines, then on two spaces (three lines) and talk a great deal about "on the line" or "in the space."  It's also important to strongly address the "left-to-right" nature of music reading.  When writing melodies for the first time, it is common for students place notes on top of each other or place the first pitch of a melody then begin to write the second pitch before the first one.  I demonstrate this by writing my name - left to right, then writing it again with the letters all jumbled up.  I also talk about when the teacher says, "Write your name on the line..." it is quite different when we write music "on the line."  We discuss how "so and mi are in spaces, then la goes on the line above so.  When so and mi are on lines, then la goes in the space above so."  After some practice with two lines and two spaces, we expand it to the full staff.  We talk about the number of lines and spaces and how we number from bottom to top, not top to bottom.  When I introduce do, I use the old Kodály "key" for finding do on the staff (present textbooks tend to write the word "do" at the beginning).  We sing:

Then we sing the converse, "When do is in a space..."

Second Grade - In second grade we start looking at pitch relationships - step, leap, skip, and repeat.  I introduce the pitches re and do¹.  I have heard talk that this approach is best suited for Hungarian children and that American children should be introduced to the pentachord as soon as possible (do, re, mi, fa, so) but...the Hungarian way has worked for me for the past 27 years and I'm not about to fix something that isn't (for me) broken.  If you want to do it that way, have at it...but you didn't hear it from me.

Third Grade - Third grade students continue to work on reading, singing, and playing the pentatonic and finding melodic patterns containing do, re, mi, so, la, and do¹ in songs that we sing.  We practice reading the pentatonic (or its pitches) in various keys.  This is also the age when we begin to look at tonality (major and minor) and pitches below do (low-la and low-so or la1 and so1).  We learn about "home tone" for major and minor - the focus or "home tone" for major is do, for minor it is la.

Fourth Grade - I introduce fa and ti in fourth grade.  Fa and ti get saved for this later stage in development because of the concept of the half step.  There are plenty of adults who could not tell you which pitch is higher when listening to a half step and hearing it can be tough.  I introduce the meaning of "sharp" and "flat." After the introduction of these pitches fa and ti, we can talk about the order of whole and half steps in the major scale.  "We were happy when we were home."  Whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half.  How will this order change if a song is in minor mode?  We look at simple key signatures of C major, F major, and G major and their relative minors A minor, D minor, and E minor.  Fourth grade is also the year that we begin to name pitches with syllables as well as letter names.

Fifth Grade - In this grade level we can address the full spectrum of key signatures and scales.  We talk about the importance of key signatures ("Why not just write everything in C major?").  We discover the circle of fifths.  We practice interchanging pitch names with syllables, letters, and scale degrees.  This is kind of "heavy duty" so it's best to break this up over the year.  Too much "theory" can make Jack a very dull boy - and Norm a not-so-fun-and-interesting music teacher!  Find the most creative and fun ways you can to inject these rather heavy musical topics into each music lesson.

Next week...harmony and form...until then...