Top Teaching Tips!
WE ASKED, YOU RESPONDED! BELOW IS A SELECTION OF TRADE SECRETS FROM VICTORIAN MUSIC TEACHERS.
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Contributors: Roz Wilson (Monbulk College), Katie Hull-Brown (Balit Kindergarten, Melbourne Polytechnic), Zac Johnston (Carey Baptist Grammar), Helen Farrell (Retired), and Lesley Collins (Carey Baptist Grammar).
IF YOU HAVE A TEACHING TIP YOU WOULD LIKE TO PASS ON, WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! PLEASE EMAIL US ON asmevic@asme.edu.au
I believe that participation is the key. Not all students need to strive for excellence to get the most out of music lessons. Get students in the class and playing anything! Even if you only have two lessons a week for one semester in Year 7 or 8, you can get them playing together and sounding like a band (think Seven Nation Army, Stay with Me, Uptown Funk, etc.). Hopefully they like it enough to then choose it as an elective in Year 9, where you can then introduce to them some theory. Even better, get them playing more real world gigs, whether that be at a local market, busking, background music in a cafe or restaurant, or signing up for local community events.
In 2023, Monbulk College students performed at the Hilltop Music Festival. This was a terrific experience for the students and an incredible opportunity to share our music with the community.
Contact: roz.wilson@education.vic.gov.au
Roz Wilson
Monbulk College
My top tip is to embrace the chaos! Every student has the right to experience authentic musical opportunities in school, so get those instruments handed out and run with it!
Not all schools are going to be in a position to have ready-made musicians studying AMEB exams and who can be slotted into ensembles. More often than not, it will be a smaller school with low numbers of instrumental music students and basic classroom music. Teach music for the enjoyment. Classroom music students may not become world class musicians, or graduate with PhDs in music, but you can still teach valuable skills, such as resilience, team work, empathy, along with gross motor or fine motor skills, artistry, and an appreciation for the arts.
Katie Hull-Brown (ASME Vic member)
Music Mentoring for Balit Kindergarten and Lecturing at Melbourne Polytechnic in Early Childhood and Primary Degrees
Shake Your Hands: A short action song in a minor tonality that can include student choice.
This is a great brain break or icebreaker. Finishing on the freeze makes it easy as the facilitator to invite new ideas while everyone is silent and still (classroom management hack!). It has so many musical elements embedded and it is open to creativity and student ideas.
Contact: katiehullbrown@gmail.com
Zac Johnston (ASME Vic member)
Carey Baptist Grammar School
A drum machine can be used as a quick backing pulse, with different customisable grooves and drum kits. Leaving this on while doing a warm-up (perhaps with an ensemble) can provide a more relevant pulse than a metronome and can free you up to move around the room. As a starting place, it is largely in 4/4 time, but can offer students the opportunity to hear more than a standard rock beat.
Musicca, as an "everything" music website and resource, is free. It also has other virtual instruments, aural exercises, and an online tuner.
Contact: zac.johnston@carey.com.au
Helen Farrell (ASME Vic member)
When verbal communication is not reliable or available, various aids, supports and technologies can assist. One Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system will rarely meet all communication needs. A combination of systems may be important.
Some AAC involves physical aids or assistive technology. Communication aids can be "light tech" or non-electronic. This means they don’t involve electronic devices or technology. They are often paper-based. Other communication aids are "high tech" meaning they do require technology to work. AAC assists by making communication "visible" with pictures, written words, objects, signs, or other visual supports.
Contact: s_hjf@bigpond.com
Learn more about communication aids for students here.
Lesley Collins
Carey Baptist Grammar School
Recommendation: Teaching Podcast: Crescendo Music Education with Debbie O'Shea
The Crescendo Music Podcasts are short informative sessions that place you in the right frame of mind before a teaching week or day. Excellent guest on many of the podcasts, with a plethora of subjects, year levels, diverse settings being covered. At my last look there was approximately 150 podcasts to listen to. I access them on my commute via Spotify. You can also go here to the Crescendo Music Webpage.
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