Mrs. Shall

How I teach...

The district provides a timeline of specific concepts to be taught, it is up to each teacher to decide how to teach these concepts.  I find the excitement and enjoyment of playing instruments serves as a natural incentive and encouragement for student participation.   Children find security in repetition.  This is one reason why repeated patterns known as ostinati provide the basic accompaniment framework .  An ostinato is a rhythmic, melodic, or harmonic pattern which is repeated.  The ostinato offers children the opportunity to play and sing in ensemble at an early age.  Ostinatos can be performed through movement, speech, singing, or instrumental.

My approach to elementary music learning addresses every aspect of musical behavior: performing, creating, listening, and analyzing.  I use a variety of means to cultivate these behaviors.  The ideal kind of music for children as defined by Carl Orff is, "never music alone, but music connected with movement, dance, and speech - not to be listened to, meaningful only in active participation."  I try to offer students a wide variety participatory activities to foster their musical growth.  These activities include speech, movement, song, instruments, and listening.  Musical ideas are consistently explored through this array of active means in increasingly sophisticated ways.  Readiness, skill level, and activity preference will vary among children.  I respect these individual differences and therefore use a variety of media to develop each child's maximum musical potential.  For example, a child who is not an able singer may master a given melodic pattern on a bar instrument because visual reinforcement of the sound occurs when it is played.  This allows mastery of musical skills for children who might not succeed in a one dimensional approach.