It is essential to note that being a teacher or a tutor is not a walk in the park. As a teacher, you are supposed to utilize studying techniques that will accommodate every student.
Generally, a class comprises students who are fast and slow learners. In other words, some students will understand a particular concept within a short duration, while others could take several days to understand the same concepts.
Being a music teacher is difficult, especially because not every student enjoys learning music. On the same note, some students might have difficulty understanding music concepts.
This article will discuss several tips teachers could use to engage students, especially in music lessons.
#1. Use instrumental music
This is the use of music that does not contain words or vocals but only contains the sound of one or more instruments.
Sometimes in rare cases, some inarticulate vocals might appear, but they are never meant to be the main focus of this type of music.
Instrumental music inspires the mind and helps the imagination and creativity to arise whenever they are applied.
As an instructor, creating and writing new songs is very difficult hence the need to improve personal creativity and skills in developing instrumental music.
Students easily get bored therefore there is a need to integrate instrumental music into their lessons.
This prolongs their attention throughout the lesson and improves the students’ capabilities when using musical instruments.
Students also develop more interest in instruments once they see how effectively they are used, and this keeps their attention at maximum during classes.
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#2. Hold class discussion sessions with music
Many school students are young; therefore, they relate to music in nearly all situations.
This makes it easier for an instructor to deploy music in their lessons because music is very helpful in studying and learning.
Discussing a subject inside the classroom with music helps the students retain important information and also helps them recall crucial information a long time after the discussion.
Holding discussions with music also proves to be fun, making the students more willing to attend and participate in the sessions.
In this scenario, the music chosen should relate to the topics being discussed and should be of a genre that encourages learning rather than disrupting it.
#3. Teaching vocabulary by using music
The brain normally associates tune and beat or music as a whole to certain memories, words, and other things making it easier for people to remember.
Learning many new vocabularies can be tiresome to students, and many might forget them easily, therefore the need to integrate music into the learning.
The learning process with music will be fun, and the students will not forget the new words learned easily as they can sing the songs and remember the vocabulary.
The newly learned vocabularies come in handy for the students when they come up with their music composition.
#4. Incorporate practical platforms
It is better to incorporate practical platforms such as performances or activities to engage your students’ attention fully.
This will help the students feel more re-energized and excited about music and their learning. Practical exams should also be included in the program as they will ensure that the students perfect their performances before the exams.
The activities involved will make the students bond together as a unit, making it easier for them to attend all classes and be active and attentive.
#5. Use familiar music
Take advantage of what your students already know and consider the students’ musical knowledge and abilities.
This helps in capturing the student’s attention throughout the learning period. Using familiar music also saves time that could have been used to create and learn new songs.
Students enjoy the well-known song more as they can sing along in class. Despite many genres of music having educational information, proper and informed decisions should be made regarding the type of music to use in class to get the best out of the students.
You have to make sure that you identify the kind of music the students like either through the experience of being with them for a long time or by asking them personally and then you determine which song is more suitable for that class.
#6. Teaching by use of games and fun
Playing games in a class increases the students’ motivation by helping them learn and pay attention.
Games are an effective class management tool that aims to motivate students to be part of a team and take responsibility for their studies.
Games make the students very competitive in class; hence they increase the competitiveness among class members, which brings a bond that enables them to support each other during other learning activities.
Games that require the students to have problem-solving abilities and planning also stimulate their brains, enabling them to use their working memory to solve those problems.
Games and fun should be applied only when necessary (not in each lesson or every day) so the students can have enough time to study.
#7. Inspire students to be active
To fully get the attention and engagement of the students in a music class, you have to encourage them to be active throughout the lesson.
To achieve this, you may start by giving concessions and incentives to active students to keep them engaged.
Another way to ensure that they are active and engaged is to get to know them personally because this helps you understand what they like and love about music.
After learning all these things about all students, you can easily talk to them and give them your humble opinion and recommendations without hurting their feelings.
You can also make the students active by being closer to them and participating in class activities and games.
Being a music teacher is not a walk in the park, nor is being a music student. The good thing is that with the tips discussed in this article, you will have less difficulty engaging your students in music lessons as a teacher.
