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Kelsey DiGregorio
Jessica Harrell
English 4 Honors
November 5, 2014

Music Education

For centuries, different forms of education have been debated and practiced.
Why? Because society has called into question the effects each teaching method has
influenced a learning child. For different subjects, certain techniques are required to
help a child develop and progress in that specific direction. For music students,
effective teaching methods are endless. Aside from the obvious (sheet music, theory,
and practice) is a world of math, psychology, and history that is necessary for a student
to understand when learning how to sing. A music educator must include visuals,
sounds, art, history, and physical movement to ensure their students are receiving and
absorbing (in all possible ways) useful information to become a more knowledgeable
and exceptional musician.
When musical training seemed to hit a dead end, it was decided by several
composers, teachers, and performers that new methods of teaching would need to be
discovered and applied to music students. Creating art and experiencing art educate
feeling (Reimer). Using art to help visualize a certain emotion can help a student create

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an idea of what kind of color they would like to make out of their music. The art may
represent a certain time-period, which they will visualize in their minds to create the full
effect for themselves when remembering which style of music, which dynamics, and
which technique would be most appropriate for that particular performance. For
example, a student viewing a painting of Bach conducting his orchestra may adopt a
more romantic feeling, and will sing with contagious energy, while a student staring at a
black and white piece of paper with symbols may feel bored, causing him/her to sing,
but not relate to his/her music. The way each individual may sing the piece reflects on
the other members of the choir, and one performing with almost a story-telling manner
will influence those around him/her to avoid being one who goes through the motions of
music without being able to relate to it or excite his/her audience. Certain sounds may
also play an important role in music education. For example, a student who listens to
multiple songs from each genre and/or time period will have a better understanding of
what was common in music during that time. They will also be able to connect other
songs and genres of music with each other by knowing which tunes or order of notes
arrived in which era. If you want to understand music better, you can do nothing more
important than listen to it (Copland 1).
Practice makes perfect! Constant repetition of the same technique or practice
helps students learn to be able to use this technique when performing a new song
automatically. The ultimate product of performance artlive performanceis also
supported by a fund of acquired knowledge and deliberate practice (Helding 1).
Psychology plays a big part in music education. For example, physical movement may
help a student produce a specific sound as long as they think it will. Since singing

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requires movement and work from the entire body, each physical singing crutch is
crucial in developing a better feel for the technique.
Teaching music history doesnt only serve the purpose of informing the student
about his/her musics origins, but it also helps one to connect to his/her music on a
more personal level. Alison Garner explains in her article, Teaching Music, how she was
able to explain a musical dynamic to her student by telling a story about Beethoven and
his emotional reaction to this dynamic. The student was able to remember the story
while singing, and used the dynamic correctly. Music history may also be used to help
the musician understand music theory and art, because they will have learned of all the
background work that went into deciding how music will look on paper. Objects,
artifacts, and works of art can pique the imagination. Try directing students to an object
or visual image to help them recognize common ground or learn historical perspective.
Historical periods, events, and people come alive through painting, sculpture,
architecture, and artifacts of the time. (Garner 1).
For a student to become a superior musician, he/she needs to be exposed to all
available resources, including visuals, physical movements, sounds, and music history.
Limited to sheet music and rehearsals, one may not be able to connect completely to
his/her music on a personal level, and may lack the technique required to make it more
than just a sound repeated from paper. Music is personal, physical, and historical, and
should be appreciated that way by music students and educators.

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Works Cited
1.) Teaching Music to the Non-Major: A Review of the Literature By: Enz,
Nicholas J., Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 87551233,
20131101, Vol. 32, Issue 1

2.) Helding, Lynn. Journal of Singing , Jan/Feb2014, Vol. 70 Issue 3, p349-354,

6p, Database: Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
3.) GARNER, ALISON M. Teaching Music. Aug2011, Vol. 19 Issue 1, p28-31.
4p.