Music to our ears...

"Virtually every person everday experiences music. Every person has the capacity to enjoy and make music. Every culture in the world includes music in some form: for ceremony, relaxation, communication, celebration and enjoyment. The world would be inconceivable without music. Imagine the absence of music in our lives..." - Music Council of Australia

Victorian school students with James Morrison

An effective music program can contribute to the life and the reputation of a school... however it is only well funded and recognised as core curriculum in a small number of Australian schools, with 63% of primary schools and 34% of secondary schools not offering classroom music (Music Council of Australia, p. 14).

As with all arts education, primary school teachers play an important role in providing children with music experiences that will impact on their perceptions and participation in music in the future (Jeanneret & Swainston, 2012, p. 92). I'm relieved to read that a lack of confidence is a common problem for generalist teachers when it comes to teaching music, however research has found that teacher traits such as willingness, determination and industry have more effect on student's ability to learn and improve than the teacher's musical background (Jeanneret & Swainston, 2012, p. 93). Phew!

Students learning in music falls in to two categories:

• Music practice (making, exploring and developing music ideas, processes, conventions, composing and performing music), and
• Aesthetic understanding (listening and responding to music and understanding music's social, cultural and economic significance).

There is a vast array of resources available to help teachers develop their students learning in these areas. Two common approaches to music education in primary schools include "Orff Schulwerk" and "Kodaly method".

Here is a really helpful video showing how Orff Schulwerk works in a class:

See here for more information about Orff Shulwerk in Australia, and here for information about the Kodaly method in Australia.

Finally here is another fantastic resource for the classroom. In partnership with ANZ, Music Matters each year produce an animation of a Program Song for teachers and students to enjoy.  Here is the 2014 Music Matters animation and song:

References:

Jeanneret, N., & Swainston, A. (2012). Making music and cultural connections. In C. Sinclair, N. Jeannert & J. O'Toole (Eds), Education in the arts. Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.

Music Council of Australia (n.d.) Music to our ears. Retrieved 13 August, 2015, from http://www.moremusictoolkit.org.au/images/stories/PDFs/music_to_our_ears.pdf