MUSIC INSTRUCTION

The NYSSMA Sequential Guide to Music Instruction is a tool intended to promote consistency in learning and instruction, through a standards/outcomes-based approach. Understanding that every district and school has unique characteristics in creating learning situations, this document provides concepts general enough to be included in any course of study, yet specific enough that music educators can plan and implement a comprehensive course of instruction.

MUSIC INSTRUCTION

The document identifies what students should know, understand, and be able to do in the music classroom. It is to be adapted by teacher and/or supervisor for each instructional setting, which may be impacted by factors, e.g.: frequency of meeting, length of class, ability of student, grade level, and resources (dedicated space, availability of instruments, audio, texts, sheet music, technology, etc.). Teachers are expected to make necessary accommodations for students with various learning needs and styles. Concepts listed identify the developmental level in which they should be introduced to students, throughout the path of a spiraling curriculum. Levels are developmental in nature, rather than grade specific.

Greg started out teaching guitar lessons in his own home and the homes of his students. After a very short time, Greg had more students than he could handle and so he brought a friend on to help with the student load. Eventually, they began to be asked about instruments they did not teach. Because Greg had played professionally around Columbus for many years, he knew a lot of other musicians who were ready to teach. And so, GnG Music Instruction began.

Courtney has been a private and group instructor with GnG Music Instruction since 2010. During that time, she has used her skills to teach multiple instruments in a variety of styles and genres. In the studio, not only has Courtney taught private lessons, she has been the instructor of several guitar, percussion, piano, and instrument sampler classes. She has also taught various music courses at Moler Elementary, Champion Middle School, and Columbus Collegiate Academy.

Whatever music moves you, be it rock, metal, the blues, pop or country you can be assured that Pro Music Instruction teaches both the electric and acoustic guitar in all styles to everyone, to the new rocker, advanced player, or somewhere in between. So let us help you become the guitar star you want to be as we expertly guide you through everything from learning your favorite songs to advanced theory. Our fun but challenging lessons are taught via personalized goal based Guitar Lesson curriculum, lessons are then given in-depth reinforcement through our comprehensive weekly progress checks with our students and parents. Pro Music Instruction students LOVE to practice and always show up to their lessons with a smile on their face, eager to enjoy learning and most importantly playing music!

Our piano instructors teach a variety of styles ranging from classical to popular music. Whether you are new to piano or have been playing for years our instructors are dedicated to helping you with your goals to become an accomplished pianist.

Music lessons are a type of formal instruction in playing a musical instrument or singing. Typically, a student taking music lessons meets a music teacher for one-to-one training sessions ranging from 30 minutes to one hour in length over a period of weeks or years. Depending on lessons to be taught, students learn different skills relevant to the instruments used. Music teachers also assign technical exercises, musical pieces, and other activities to help the students improve their musical skills. While most music lessons are one-on-one (private), some teachers also teach groups of two to four students (semi-private lessons), and, for very basic instruction, some instruments are taught in large group lessons, such as piano and acoustic guitar. Since the widespread availability of high speed. low latency Internet, private lessons can also take place through live video chat using webcams, microphones and videotelephony online.

Music lessons are part of both amateur music instruction and professional training. In amateur and recreational music contexts, children and adults take music lessons to improve their singing or instrumental playing skills and learn basic to intermediate techniques. In professional training contexts, such as music conservatories, university music performance programs (e.g., Bachelor of music, Master of music, DMA, etc.), students aiming for a career as professional musicians take a music lesson once a week for an hour or more with a music professor over a period of years to learn advanced playing or singing techniques. Many instrumental performers and singers, including a number of pop music celebrities, have learned music "by ear", especially in folk music styles such as blues and popular styles such as rock music. Nevertheless, even in folk and popular styles, a number of performers have had some type of music lessons, such as meeting with a vocal coach or getting childhood instruction in an instrument such as piano.

For vocal lessons, teachers show students how to sit or stand and breathe, and how to position the head and mouth for good vocal tone. For instrument lessons, teachers show students how to sit or stand with the instrument, how to hold the instrument, and how to manipulate the fingers and other body parts to produce tones and sounds from the instrument. For wind and brass instruments, the teacher shows the student how to use their lips, tongue, and breath to produce tones and sounds. For some instruments, teachers also train students in the use of the feet, as in the case of piano or other keyboard instruments that have damper or sustain pedals on the piano, the pedal keyboard on a pipe organ, and some drums and cymbals in the drum kit such as the bass drum pedal and the hi-hat cymbal pedal. In addition to teaching fingering, teachers also provide other types of instruction. A classical guitar player learns how to strum and pluck strings; players of wind instruments learn about breath control and embouchure, and singers learn how to make the most of their vocal cords without hurting the throat or vocal cords.

There are many myths and misconceptions among music teachers, especially in the Western classical tradition, about "good" posture and "bad" posture. Students who find that playing their instruments causes them physical pain should bring this to their teachers' attention. It could be a potentially serious health risk, but it is often overlooked when learning to play an instrument. Learning to use one's body in a manner consistent with the way their anatomy is designed to work can mean the difference between a crippling injury and a lifetime of enjoyment. Many music teachers would caution students about taking "no pain, no gain" as an acceptable response from their music teacher regarding a complaint of physical pain. Concerns about use-related injury and the ergonomics of musicianship have gained more mainstream acceptance in recent years. Musicians have increasingly been turning to medical professionals, physical therapists, and specialized techniques seeking relief from pain and prevention of serious injury. There exists a plurality of special techniques for an even greater plurality of potential difficulties. The Alexander Technique is just one example of these specialized approaches.[1]

Most music lessons include some instruction in the history of the type of music that the student is learning. When a student is taking Western classical music lessons, music teachers often spend some time explaining the different eras of western classical music, such as the Baroque Era, the Classical era, the Romantic Era, and the contemporary classical music era, because each era is associated with different styles of music and different performance practice techniques. Instrumental music from the Baroque era is often played in the 2000s as teaching pieces for piano students, string instrument players, and wind instrument players. If students just try to play these Baroque pieces by reading the notes from the score, they might not get the right type of interpretation. However, once a student learns that most Baroque instrumental music was associated with dances, such as the gavotte and the sarabande, and keyboard music from the Baroque era was played on the harpsichord or the pipe organ, a modern-day student is better able to understand how the piece should be played. If, for example, a cello player is assigned a gavotte that was originally written for harpsichord, this gives the student insight in how to play the piece. Since it is a dance, it should have a regular, clear pulse, rather than a Romantic era-style shifting tempo rubato. As well, since it was originally written for the harpsichord, a light-sounding keyboard instrument in which the strings are plucked with quills, this suggests that the notes should be played relatively lightly, and with spaces between each note, rather than in a full-bodied, sustained legato.

Although not universally accepted, many teachers drill students with the repetitive playing of certain patterns, such as scales, arpeggios, and rhythms. Scales are often taught because they are the building blocks of melody in most Western art music. In addition, there are flexibility studies, which make it physically easier to play the instrument. Percussion instruments use rudiments that help in the development of sticking patterns, roll techniques and other little nuances such as flams and drags.

Skills learned through the discipline of music may transfer to study skills, communication skills, and cognitive skills useful in every part of a child's studies at school, though. An in-depth Harvard University study found evidence that spatial-temporal reasoning improves when children learn to make music, and this kind of reasoning improves temporarily when adults listen to certain kinds of music, including Mozart.[4] This finding (named The Mozart effect) suggests that music and spatial reasoning are related psychologically (i.e., they may rely on some of the same underlying skills) and perhaps neurologically as well. However, there has been considerable controversy over this as later researchers have failed to reproduce the original findings of Rauscher (e.g. Steele, Bass & Crook, 1999), questioned both theory and methodology of the original study (Fudis & Lembesis 2004) and suggested that the enhancing effects of music in experiments have been simply due to an increased level of arousal (Thompson, Schellenberg & Husain, 2001). 041b061a72