5 Creative Approaches for Teaching Music Theory to Kids: A Trainer's Guide
Pratheeksha Mani
December 26, 2024
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8 min read
Music classes at school always seemed like a wonderland to me—the thrill of discovering new tunes, decoding music charts, and singing my heart out still gives me goosebumps to this day.
I know what you are wondering — singing is fun for kids, but can music theory lessons spark the same excitement?
Well, let me tell you, the answer is a big, bold yes! A recent survey reveals that 91% of learners value fun in learning. Also, kids who learn through games show an 11% increase in factual knowledge and a 9% increase in retention rate.
As a music trainer, one key thing to keep in mind is making learning an enjoyable journey, full of excitement and discovery. But the real question here is, how do you make this happen. Before we delve into the how, let's first try to understand why teaching music theory is important for kids. Read on!
There’s no doubt that music has a powerful way of evoking emotions. Just a few notes can bring a sense of calm and peace, but mastering it isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s built on a foundation of rules and structures that need to be followed to truly captivate the listener.
Think of music theory as learning a new recipe before you start cooking. You can put all the ingredients together and end up with something edible, but knowing the right techniques and proportions helps you create a dish you would relish. Music theory is that recipe, helping kids craft melodies and harmonies that hit all the right notes.
Music theory provides the building blocks for understanding how music comes to life. Without this groundwork, kids may struggle to truly master music and appreciate its beauty and depth.
Getting kids to engage in music theory lessons is definitely a daunting task. Capturing their attention to explain the details of musical notes can feel exhausting. But the good news is, there are ways to make learning music theory fun and exciting, while also building a strong student-teacher relationship.
In the book ‘Internet Invention: From Literacy to Electracy’ Ulmer quotes Albert Einstein on how he enjoyed playing with a magnetic compass as a child and this inspired his interest in science. Einstein said, "I can still remember that this experience made a deep and lasting impression on me. Something deeply hidden had to be behind things.”
Create a simple tune and teach the notes to the kids, asking them to repeat it back to you. When they make a mistake, use it as an opportunity to explain the details of the tune. After clarifying the intricacies, hold a question and answer session based on what they have learned.
Reward kids who answer correctly with chocolates, stars or a toy. This keeps them motivated and makes learning music notes enjoyable. You could play this game to teach notes, scales, and chords in a fun and engaging way.
Storytelling is one of the most enjoyable ways to teach music theory because it involves creating a narrative with characters that instantly capture kids' attention. To make it exciting, craft a story filled with interesting characters and plot twists.
For instance, introduce a haunted house with a big monster named Glomper and a sneaky cat. Each character or setting in the story can be linked to a specific musical note or sound:
As you tell the story, encourage the kids to write down the music notes that match each character or description. Once they have recorded the notes, have them sing the sequence out loud. This approach helps kids learn and remember different music sounds effectively.
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Kids love to tell you when you go wrong. You can see their eyebrows raise and a grin appear when they catch you contradicting yourself. Use this enthusiasm to teach aural skills by switching roles - let the kids be your teacher, and you play the student.
For example, hand out a music sheet filled with incorrect notes and give them a red pen. Ask them to circle the errors with the red pen and grade your work out of 10. Then, have each child analyze the mistakes they found and the reasoning behind why they are incorrect. This method is highly effective because it helps kids recognize incorrect music notes while knowing how to write music notes correctly.
Teaching the prescribed music notes can sometimes feel dull. Kids today love to experiment, innovate, and discover new things. Before starting the lesson, sing a tune and describe the scene it represents. Then, encourage the kids to imagine a different scene or setting and create the music notes for it. This approach helps kids understand how melodies and sounds can be adapted to fit various situations.
For example, you might sing a calm, flowing tune to represent a peaceful river. Then, ask the kids to imagine a busy city street and create music notes that capture the fast-paced, energetic atmosphere of that scene.
Learning musical expressions can sometimes be challenging for kids. To make it easier, you could create a set of pluck cards, each displaying a different musical expression.
For example:
Create about five pluck cards, each representing one of these musical expressions. Play various tunes and have the kids use the pluck cards to identify the musical expressions. Once this exercise is done, and you are confident they have grasped the concepts, hand out a session feedback form. Ask them to fill it using emojis to reflect on how well they have understood.
Music theory serves as the foundation of music, much like grammar in a language. It is essential for kids to grasp concepts like sounds, harmony, chords, scales, intervals, and orchestration to truly understand how a piece of music works. However, teaching these intricate concepts can feel overwhelming, especially to kids. By incorporating the above strategies, you can make music theory lessons both enjoyable and effective. Interestingly, a recent survey showed that 88% of teachers who used games in their classrooms observed a significant boost in student engagement—a crucial element for enhancing the learning experience.
Incorporating music theory games in the classroom requires careful planning, thoughtful analysis, and seamless execution. Here are a few steps to help you get started.
Identify the key music theory concepts that need to be covered throughout the year. This could include topics like note identification, scales, intervals, rhythm, time signatures, chords, and more. Clearly outline the fundamental theory topics that would build the foundation of understanding music in kids.
Organize these concepts by considering what students should understand by the end of each semester or term. For example, in the first semester, you could focus on basic note reading and rhythm, while in the second semester, you could delve into more complex topics like intervals and chord progressions. The sequence should ensure a logical progression from simpler to more advanced topics.
Once you have finalized the learning goals, create an outline. Organize the concepts, scope and the learning goals into a module. This means breaking down the topics into digestible chunks, focusing on one main concept per session, and ensuring a smooth flow from one lesson to the next. This module will serve as a guide for how to present the material to the students in an engaging, structured way.
After you have created the module, think of interactive games and activities that align with the theory concepts. The key is to select games that reinforce the learning objectives and keep the students engaged. Make sure that each game is well-suited to the age group and level of the kids to maintain motivation and participation.
In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on making music theory more practical and engaging. Most music trainers agree that kids learn best when they can directly apply theoretical concepts to the music they play, sing, or compose.
This is where music theory games take center stage. Most music trainers today adopt a variety of fun games to help kids develop the ability to recognize intervals, chords, and rhythms, enhancing their understanding of how music works. But this approach requires careful planning of classes. Classcard’s music school software is an excellent tool to help you get started. It enables you to create online lessons with integrations like Zoom and Lessonspace, making virtual teaching more accessible. Additionally, its scheduling software simplifies essential administrative tasks such as student enrollment, class scheduling, attendance tracking, and payment management.
With the right tools, techniques and processes in place, you can make learning music theory both fun and engaging, inspiring kids to keep coming back for more. Happy teaching there!