MUSIC – Lesson 1 Notes:
Classical Music:
- Classical music is highly beneficial for the brain’s development
The following findings were documented:
Listening to music:
- “When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain are lighting up at once as they
process the sound, take it apart to understand elements like melody and rhythm and then
put it all back together into a unified musical experience.“
Playing a musical instrument:
- Playing a musical instrument engages practically every area of the brain at once,
especially the visual, auditory and motor cortices.
- As with any other workout, disciplined, structured practice in playing music strengthens
those brain functions, allowing us to applying that strength to other activities.”
Motor Cortex:
- The motor cortex is the region of the cerebral cortex involved in the planning, control, and
execution of voluntary movements.
- Children from 2 to 7 years benefit the most from classical play-songs and movement to
music.
From 10 Years Up, Learners Enjoy:
- Singing popular songs
- Classical music with a story behind it
- Singing classical music
- The structure of classical music is more complex and therefore sets a challenge to the
listener’s brain.
- The secret is to make it enjoyable and appropriate for the different ages and phases in
life.
Introduce different genres:
- It also becomes important in the music classroom to integrate different music genres
(especially through melody and rhythm) after classical music has been well
introduced and understood.
,Elements Of Music:
- It is the teacher’s task to unlock all the elements of music in the music appreciation
classroom.
- The face of a satisfied customer is priceless.
- Even if it is a toddler who manages to concur playing the triangle for the first time in his
life.
Listening and Making Music:
- Listening to and making music should provide them with the armour to tackle any
problem in the classroom and in their private lives.
, Why Teach Music?
1. Music is an intelligent choice
2. Music adds value to society
3. Music is a human behaviour
1. Music is an intelligent choice:
- In his book, “Frames of the mind: The theory of Multiple Intelligences”, Howard Gardner
discusses his theory of multiple intelligences
- The traditional view of intelligence is defined as “the ability to answer items on tests of
intelligence” (Gardner, 1983:15)
- Individuals write IQ tests at different ages which, by inference, imply that intelligence
doesn’t change with age or training or experience
- It’s seen as an inborn quality or ability
- Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, however, is in complete contrast to the
traditional view of intelligence
- In his view, an intelligence is seen as the ability to solve problems or create products that
have meaning in a particular cultural setting or community
- The problem solving involves identifying a goal and finding an appropriate pathway/s to
that goal
- Only those skills that are universal to humankind are considered when determining
intellectual ability
- While problem solving is therefore biologically rooted, the problems will differ between
social contexts and geographical environments
Gardner’s 8 Intelligences:
1. Bodily kinaesthetic intelligence
2. Logical – Mathematical intelligence
3. Linguistic intelligence
4. Musical intelligence
5. Spatial intelligence
6. Interpersonal intelligence
7. Intrapersonal intelligence
8. Naturalistic intelligence
- The intelligences are also called SMART, as in: music smart, body smart, mathematics
smart, language smart, etc
- Each of the intelligences has to pass a stringent test of criteria to be considered as a true,
autonomous intelligence
- One criterion is that any intelligence must have an identifiable core operation or core set
of operations, for example:
- a core of musical intelligence would be a sensitivity to pitch and rhythm relations
- an example of linguistic intelligence would be a sensitivity to phonological features
- Another criterion for any intelligence is that it must be encoded in a symbol system – a
system of encoding that contains meaning, as in language, picturing, maths and music
Classical Music:
- Classical music is highly beneficial for the brain’s development
The following findings were documented:
Listening to music:
- “When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain are lighting up at once as they
process the sound, take it apart to understand elements like melody and rhythm and then
put it all back together into a unified musical experience.“
Playing a musical instrument:
- Playing a musical instrument engages practically every area of the brain at once,
especially the visual, auditory and motor cortices.
- As with any other workout, disciplined, structured practice in playing music strengthens
those brain functions, allowing us to applying that strength to other activities.”
Motor Cortex:
- The motor cortex is the region of the cerebral cortex involved in the planning, control, and
execution of voluntary movements.
- Children from 2 to 7 years benefit the most from classical play-songs and movement to
music.
From 10 Years Up, Learners Enjoy:
- Singing popular songs
- Classical music with a story behind it
- Singing classical music
- The structure of classical music is more complex and therefore sets a challenge to the
listener’s brain.
- The secret is to make it enjoyable and appropriate for the different ages and phases in
life.
Introduce different genres:
- It also becomes important in the music classroom to integrate different music genres
(especially through melody and rhythm) after classical music has been well
introduced and understood.
,Elements Of Music:
- It is the teacher’s task to unlock all the elements of music in the music appreciation
classroom.
- The face of a satisfied customer is priceless.
- Even if it is a toddler who manages to concur playing the triangle for the first time in his
life.
Listening and Making Music:
- Listening to and making music should provide them with the armour to tackle any
problem in the classroom and in their private lives.
, Why Teach Music?
1. Music is an intelligent choice
2. Music adds value to society
3. Music is a human behaviour
1. Music is an intelligent choice:
- In his book, “Frames of the mind: The theory of Multiple Intelligences”, Howard Gardner
discusses his theory of multiple intelligences
- The traditional view of intelligence is defined as “the ability to answer items on tests of
intelligence” (Gardner, 1983:15)
- Individuals write IQ tests at different ages which, by inference, imply that intelligence
doesn’t change with age or training or experience
- It’s seen as an inborn quality or ability
- Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, however, is in complete contrast to the
traditional view of intelligence
- In his view, an intelligence is seen as the ability to solve problems or create products that
have meaning in a particular cultural setting or community
- The problem solving involves identifying a goal and finding an appropriate pathway/s to
that goal
- Only those skills that are universal to humankind are considered when determining
intellectual ability
- While problem solving is therefore biologically rooted, the problems will differ between
social contexts and geographical environments
Gardner’s 8 Intelligences:
1. Bodily kinaesthetic intelligence
2. Logical – Mathematical intelligence
3. Linguistic intelligence
4. Musical intelligence
5. Spatial intelligence
6. Interpersonal intelligence
7. Intrapersonal intelligence
8. Naturalistic intelligence
- The intelligences are also called SMART, as in: music smart, body smart, mathematics
smart, language smart, etc
- Each of the intelligences has to pass a stringent test of criteria to be considered as a true,
autonomous intelligence
- One criterion is that any intelligence must have an identifiable core operation or core set
of operations, for example:
- a core of musical intelligence would be a sensitivity to pitch and rhythm relations
- an example of linguistic intelligence would be a sensitivity to phonological features
- Another criterion for any intelligence is that it must be encoded in a symbol system – a
system of encoding that contains meaning, as in language, picturing, maths and music
