| How to write a lesson plan for music |
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By Kevin Tuck Lesson plans are an indispensable tool for music teachers. They are critical to the success of one lesson, and the whole terms lessons, and the teachers life in general.There is nothing like the old saying "If you don't prepare, then prepare to fail". However, once you are a little more experienced then preparing lesson plans becomes a lot easier. For those who are just starting out, here are a few guidelines for creating compelling music lesson plans. 1. Think about the age group of the students you are teaching The best thing to start with when preparing any lesson is to consider the age of the students you will be presenting to. What are their likes and dislikes? What music do they listen to on the radio? What are the other cultural factors that affect them at this age? Sometimes they can be at an age where they are very shy in front of their peer group - is this one of those ages? Whenever you create a music lesson plan, in your head or on paper these are the things that you need to consider. Ready made lesson plans that you might buy or find online that are created in a rigid format usually don't work. Each individual class and student needs to have the lesson plan tailored to their individual needs. Once a teacher has been teaching for a number of years they are able to do this adaptation in an instant, referencing the lesson plans that are in their head, and adapting as they go. When you are just starting however a good starting plan is to spend a few minutes researching the age group, and learning how they think and interact with each other. 2. Have much more than you thought you would planned You might prepare a lesson with approximately ten points to cover. Sometimes you'll only get up to the fourth one and the bell will ring for the end of the lesson. Another day, perhaps even with the same lesson and a different class you'll get through all ten activities and there will still be another 15 minutes to go! You just don't know for sure, and that is why its always a good idea to have a backup plan. Have copies of spare worksheets, or an interactive game on hand so that you can always go to at the end if you have a few spare minutes. 3. Include a mixture of activities. In many schools the curriculum is planned for set lessons for the week: one lesson will practical, one theory etc. Often this is unavoidable due to practical concerns and the length of the school lessons, however why not try and mix them around a bit. You could spend half a lesson on theory, then pull out the instruments for the second half of the lesson. It'll be interesting for the students and keep them guessing. 4. Start simple - simpler than you might think! Its always a good idea, particularly if working with younger students to have the simplest version as a backup of your complicated idea. For example if you're introducing a new piece of music in a practical lesson you may wish to plan for the scenario of it being way too hard for the students. Start with a section that you know the students will be able to play, then come back and deal with the harder sections. 5. Listen to feedback Students will give you feedback - even if it is extremely subtle. Teenage students (and pretty much most students for that matter!) will never say "Mr Brown, I thought you did a wonderful job today, we learned heaps, and had fun at the same time!" Perhaps you might have a dream that your student says that - but its not going to happen in real life! What you will see is students eager to come to your classes, and happy to have a joke with you at an appropriate time. You'll also see students putting band or orchestra ahead of their other activities. When this happens, you'll know that what you are doing is on the right track. Kevin Tuck is a music teacher who has taught in private music studios and schools in Australia. Kevin is also an editor of music theory worksheets for the Fun Music Company. |
