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How Computer Games can (ipod) help you learn music.

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By Kevin Tuck

 Who remembers going to traditional piano lessons? Where you had to go to Mrs Jones’s house and sit up straight on the stool, and play the right notes or you’d get a swift ruler tap on the back of the knuckles?

Well these days things are a little different and we hope that teachers of piano students no longer use rulers to correct their students posture!

However, a new type of Music Lessons have evolved over the last few years: These things that are part educational, and very much sold to the entertainment market - they are computer games.

Certainly there is some worth in games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band Sometimes it can really feel like playing the real instrument when you are playing these games

The great thing about these games is that it is giving people the opportunity who otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to pick up an instrument and know what it feels like to be on stage with a guitar, or play a tune on a piano.

Of course if you are serious about playing an instrument then these games are not and should never be your primary source of tuition.

These games can provide excellent help with learning music, provided you use them in combination with lessons from a teacher. Games like this do have educational value - quite a lot of it in fact.

For example if learning guitar you can learn the form and structure of a song through playing the game, then go and learn the correct chords and riffs from a teacher.

If you are learning drums there is some value in playing the Rock band drum kit, however its layout isn’t quite the same as a real kit, which is a bit disappointing from an educational perspective.

Learning piano with one of the Piano learning tools such as Piano Wizard can also be helpful. In this game you can play the notes on the screen in real time on a proper electric piano which is hooked up to the computer via MIDI.

Some things to help you choose a music game:

Try and find a program that you can use a Real instrument with.This should be easy for the piano programs like piano wizard, however the technology isn’t quite there for guitar yet to play the game with a real instrument.

Kevin Tuck is a person who is passionate about two things: Teaching music, and making music fun for his students. Kevin is also an editor for the Fun Music Company, who create music theory worksheets and educational music games for music lessons.

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How to make a lesson plan fun for elementary students

By Kevin Tuck

 One very important thing that every teacher is taught is that you always need to be prepared for every lesson you teach. Of course, that is if you want to end the day in a stress free fashion!

A lesson plan can be very simple, in fact experienced teachers can almost do it without even writing it down, however they do always have something ready and a lesson plan in their head or on paper.

In our area of music there are a few tips that make elementary classes much more fun, both for the students and the teacher.

1. Do a variety of activities

There is a saying that goes “Too much of a good thing….”, and in teaching is is very apt! Even if the children love a particular game or song they will eventually lose interest in it, so make sure you stop while they are still liking it and move onto a new one.

2.Each segment should be short and to the point

Depending on the nature of the lesson it it always best to structure your lesson into short 5-10 minute segments. For example if you are doing a choir/singing type lesson you will want to do one or two songs, then break it up with perhaps some rhythm work or percussion instruments then come back and do songs again and perhaps some movement at the end.

3. Break up the routine with something unexpected!

Its definitely a good thing to keep the students guessing about what they might expect next! You should always keep some stability of course, but you may wish to break it up by heading out to the playground for a lesson with some games, or visiting another class to sing them a song. Do something unexpected and you’ll suddenly find that some students really love coming to your class!

4. Have a surprise around every corner

All children love surprises, especially young children! Get your students inspired by having a reward for the best singer one class, then the most well behaved the next! Incentive schemes always work, but mix it with surprises and you’ll find they’ll respond even better.

5. Call it a “game”

Any activity will be more fun if you approach it like you would approach playing a game! So if you’re going to do rhythm clapping for example, instead of saying “Let’s do some rhythm work”…. say “Lets play a rhythm game!” with a big smile on your face! One small change to your expressions and what you say will make a huge difference!

Always have plenty of “spares” up your sleeve!

Whenever you’re lesson planning make sure that you keep plenty of material in reserve, and always have far more than you need for each lesson. This isn’t that hard - just have a couple of songs that you know well that you can pull out if you need them, and a few music theory worksheets that you know will be fun and easy.

Your music lesson plans will be much more fun and enjoyable for your students with a couple of these simple ideas.

Kevin Tuck has taught music at elementary and high school levels and also in his own private music studio. Kevin is now editor of music teaching materials for the Fun Music Company.

The Benefits of Music Therapy for Children with Special Needs

By B.Z. Nuseibeh

 While therapists and medical professionals have long recognized the measurable benefits of occupational therapy and physical therapy for children with developmental disabilities and other special needs, the far-reaching benefits of music therapy have only relatively recently been discussed in depth.

The latest research proves that music therapy offers children with special needs a wide range of long-term benefits. It helps children improve their gross and fine motor skills, aids in academic achievement, improves social interaction skills and helps with communication.

Do you remember learning the alphabet? Did the familiar “A-B-C” song help you retain that information? That’s a small example, but a good one, of how music can help us learn and retain academic knowledge. Music therapy helps organize a variety of information in smaller, easier to learn, bits.

One of the greatest upsides to music therapy that makes it one of the best activities for children with special needs, is the fact that it music very appealing to the children themselves. For example, children with autism are often extremely interested in and stimulated by music. They respond more often to music than many other types of sound. In fact, there are some children who will respond only to musical stimuli. Their affinity for music is a great motivator for them to participate in therapy and helps make music therapy that much more effective.

According to the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), since music is processed by a different area of the brain than speech, it’s easier for children with special needs to absorb and retain a wide range of information using music therapy. The well-known mood enhancing or soothing aspects of music help the children improve their emotional state. Research shows that group music therapy for children empowers them to channel feelings such as frustration and anger into creative forms of expression and communication.

Music therapy also helps these children focus. Again according to AMTA, research proves that children in early education programs who participate in music therapy group activities greatly improve their ability to pay attention and stay on task. Furthermore they score higher in language skills, fine motor skills, social interaction and cognitive development.

Finally, the benefits of music therapy in helping children with physical disabilities or other special needs to improve their motor skills are enormous. For example, learning to play a musical instrument through adapted guitar lessons or adapted piano lessons can help these children improve their fine motor skills as well as hand-eye coordination. The repeated rhythms of music therapy have been proven to help with gross motor skills also, helping children who have irregular gaits or challenges with muscle control.

Truly, music therapy is one of the most effective and helpful ways to teach special needs children. One of its best, most appealing qualities is that it’s fun. Like all of us, children are drawn to music. It engages them, improves their mood and helps them focus. Music therapy makes learning enjoyable and offers a remarkable variety of benefits to children with developmental disabilities and other special needs.

Betsey Zenk Nuseibeh, of Melodic Connections is a special educator and a board certified music therapist in Cincinnati. Her foundation focuses on providing music therapy for special needs children, special needs music lessons cincinnati, and other programs for adults with disabilities.

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Monday, March 29th, 2010 at 10:35 pm and is filed under music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.