Musical Pedagogies: In the Elementary Band Setting

Audrey Hoffman

Department of Music, The Pennsylvania State University

MUSIC 444W: Emphasis in Elementary and Intermediate Band

Dr. Linda Thornton

December 11, 2022

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Musical Pedagogies: In the Elementary Band Setting

When it comes to teaching music, there are countless methods and styles used by

educators to best help their students succeed. “Music pedagogy refers to all practical,

application-oriented, as well as scholarly efforts aimed at teaching and instruction. The tasks of

music pedagogy focus on ability, knowledge, experience, understanding, and interpretation in all

areas of music” (Frühauf, 1). Each pedagogical style is geared towards a particular musical goal

and incorporates specific teaching techniques and philosophies based on what each creator found

necessary in the music learning process. Despite their differences, each style shares the same

goal: to educate their students in the art of music. Some of the most popular pedagogical styles

today include Kodály, Orff, Suzuki, and Gordon.

The Kodály method was created by Hungarian composer and musician, Zoltán Kodály

(1882-1967). “He was determined to reform the teaching of music and to make it an integral part

of the education of every child” (Organization of American Kodály Educators, 1). This approach

places an importance on singing, folk music, solfege, and quality music. Kodály believed

students should “first learn to love music as human sound and as an experience that enriches life”

(Organization of American Kodály Educators, 1). With this belief in mind, “Kodály called

singing ‘the essence’ of this concept [because] the voice is the most natural instrument and one

which every person possesses” (Organization of American Kodály Educators, 1). Singing also

allows students to learn how to read music without having to focus on instrumental techniques

and develops their inner, musical ear. The Kodály method starts students out by singing specific

genres of music: folk songs of the American culture and other cultures, traditional children’s

songs, music of masters from all ages, and pedagogical exercises written by master composers

(Organization of American Kodály Educators, 1). Folk music is key in this method because it is
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the music of the people that have been sung for centuries and helps to develop a love for music

in young children. Kodály beleived “the compositions of every country, if original, are based on

the songs of its own people. That is why their folk songs must be constantly sung, observed, and

studied.” He considered solfege to be the best tool for developing the inner ear and aiding in the

establishment of all musical skills. He advocated for a moveable “do” system over a fixed “do”

to teach musical literacy. Overall, Kodály believed that music enhances the quality of life, so he

placed importance on only using the best music for teaching: folk and master composers’ music.

“Quality music demands quality teaching: teachers need to be as well-trained as possible,

teachers’ training must be well-rounded, and teachers need to develop their musical and vocal

skills to the highest degree possible” (Organization of American Kodály Educators, 1). Kodály

training is a great method for young students just starting to learn music because it is “a complete

and comprehensive approach to music education and meets the National Standards for Arts

Education” (Organization of American Kodály Educators, 1).

This method can be incorporated into band rehearsals by having students use their voices

alongside their instruments. In my experience, I have learned that many younger students are shy

and uncomfortable when it comes to singing in front of their peers. For example, on my first day

of teaching in Partners in Music, I asked the students to sing a rhythm they were struggling with.

Very few students actually sang and the ones who did, sang so quietly I could barely hear them.

Singing rhythms or pitches is a great way to learn new music and develop aural skills, so to help

students become more confident in their singing, band directors can use a scaffolding technique

to slowly get their students more comfortable. Teachers can start their students off by having

them sizzle difficult rhythms during rehearsals. Once the students appear to be confident in

sizzling, the students can then switch to humming. To effectively get students to confidently sing
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in large ensemble settings, teachers can first introduce it in small groups or lessons so students

feel less exposed in front of their peers. Finally, the students should be prepared to sing both

rhythms and tuning pitches in ensemble rehearsals. Teachers can also choose to have their

students use solfege hand signs alongside the singing. This scaffolding technique helps students

build their confidence over time and prevents them from becoming overwhelmed or embarrassed

during class.

The Orff-Schulwerk method was created by German composer, Carl Orff (1895-1982).

He developed this method in the 1920s and 1930s while working at the Günter Schüle in

Munich. “This approach to learning … builds musicianship through singing, playing instruments,

speech, and movement. Active music making is the core of this philosophy, supporting both the

conceptual and affective development of children” (American Orff-Schulwerk Association, 1).

These activities are, then, broken into four categories: preliminary play (guided experiences in a

spontaneous exploration of the materials under focus), imitation, exploration (guided experiences

in applying suggested ideas), and improvisation.

A fun way to get students involved in this method is to create an Orff Ensemble. In this

class, students have the opportunity to play various pitched mallet percussion instruments such as

xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels. They will also be able to use non-pitched

instruments like castanets, maracas, woodblocks, triangles, tambourines, gongs, bongos, conga

drums, and hand drums. This class also allows students the chance to improvise, both as soloists

and small groups. Students can even compose their own music for their classmates. The most

common way to incorporate Orff into the bandroom is through the use of recorders. Many

curriculums use recorders with elementary students before starting to joining band to allow them

to build general instrumental skills before picking up an instrument that requires more in-depth
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skills. The recorder also allows students to sharpen their music reading skills, ensemble skills,

and internal pulse.

The Suzuki method, also called Talent Education, was created by Japanese violinist

Shinichi Suzuki (1898-1998). His ideas behind this method began when he realized the fact that

children all over the world are able to learn to speak their native language with ease. “He began

to apply the basic principles of language acquisition to the learning of music and called his

method the mother-tongue approach. The ideas of parental responsibility, loving encouragement,

constant repetition, etc., are some of the special features of the Suzuki approach” (Suzuki

Association of the Americas, 1). Just like when parents/guardians are involved with their

children as they are learning to speak, parents/guardians should be involved when their children

are learning music. They become their child’s “home teachers” away from the classroom even if

they themselves do not have any musical background. It is also very important for children

learning music to be met with appropriate praise and encouragement. This allows students to

have the desire to get better and fosters “an attitude of generosity and cooperation” (Suzuki

Association of the Americas, 1). Repetition is essential to learning to play an instrument,

similarly as it is when learning to speak or read. The order of the learning process is also critical

to this method style. In the Suzuki method, “children become comfortable with the instrument

before learning to read music [and] technique is taught in the context of pieces rather than

through dry, technical exercises” (Suzuki Association of the Americas, 1). The Suzuki method is

typically used in the early years of the music education process as he believed that listening to

music should begin at birth and formal training should start around three to four years old.

Suzuki originally developed this method for the violin (his first instrument), but over time it has

been expanded to many other instruments and even voice.

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The Suzuki method is very methodical in the fact that teachers need to be certified Suzuki

educators to truly teach students in this style. Therefore, it cannot be replicated exactly in the

elementary school band setting. However, certain aspects and ideas can be incorporated into the

classroom. For example, it is so important to keep the parents/gaudrians involved in the music

learning process. When it comes time for students to start choosing instruments and deciding if

they want to join band, a great first step is having a meeting with both the parents/gaurdians and

the students who are interested. In this meeting the teacher can describe the many benefits of

joining band, but also make everyone aware of the expectations for both the students and their

guardians. A great way to convince parents of the importance of music is to remind them of the

“benefits of music education, such as brain growth, self esteem, listening and reading skills,

improved test scores, teamwork, self discipline, and more” (BandDirector, 1). If they know their

child will greatly benefit from this, then they will be more likely to support their child in their

music learning process. It is also key they know the importance of practice. “While educating

parents on the long-term investment of playing an instrument won’t solve problems in all

situations, it could help in some instances where parents are truly uniformed about all that is

involved to learn an instrument and play it well” (BandDirector, 1). Lastly, teachers should

provide parents with information on what good practicing looks like and remind them that

encouragement from them is just as important is praise from their teacher. Another way to

incorporate Suzuki methods into the classroom is to record students’ lessons. This will allow

students to hear themselves playing and remember the concepts that they went over in their

lessons. When students are able to recall new information, this increases the repetition process

and allows students to improve quickly.

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The Gordon Approach, also known as Music Learning Theory, was created by researcher

and teacher, Dr. Edwin E. Gordon (1927-2015). “Through extensive research, Professor Gordon

has made major contributions in the study of music aptitudes, audiation, music learning theory,

tonal and rhythm patterns, and music development in infants and very young children” (The

Gordon Institute for Music Learning, 1). This method “is a set of ideas about how humans learn

music through audiation. By breathing, moving, rhythm chanting, singing, and playing

instruments we develop audiation skills that allow us to give meaning to the combinations of

rhythm patterns and tonal patterns that make music a unique form of human communication”

(The Gordon Approach, 1). Gordon based his method on his extensive research in music aptitude

by creating six different aptitude tests. This method is ideally started from birth to around age

nine, however, some of the major principles can still be used in the middle school band setting.

For example, Gordon designed a macro beat and micro beat rhythmic solfege system. His macro

beats all start with the syllable “du.” For the micro beats, he breaks eighths into “du de,” triplets

into “du da di,” and sixteenths into “du ta de ta.” There are many more solfege syllables used in

this system, but these are the most commonly used. We were able to see a rhythmic solfege

system in action when observing Mrs. Brownson at Park Forest Middle School. During a group

trumpet lesson, her students were struggling with their rhythmic accuracy, so she had them write

in the rhythmic solfege above the notes and sang the rhythms with them. This allowed her

students to both visually and auditorily process each note’s rhythmic value.

Though each of these four styles teaches music in different ways, they all have one

pedagogical idea in common: the importance of music. All four creators of these methods

stressed how it is important to instill a love and passion for music into students before and during

the learning process. If students do not have the desire to make music, then what is the point in
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even teaching them? Music is all about expression and feeling; it is an art form. There are many

different ways to teach music to children and every style has its benefits and disadvantages. Also,

the success of each style is greatly dependent on each student. Different teaching methods work

for different people; every person learns in a different way and it is the teacher’s duty to

determine what that way is and how to incorporate it into the learning sessions with their

students.
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References

American Orff-Schulwerk Association. (2022, July 25). Retrieved November 27, 2022, from

http://www.aosa.org/

BandDirector. (2020, July 10). Band practice at home: How to involve parents for student

success. Band Directors Talk Shop. Retrieved December 11, 2022, from

https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/band-practice-at-home-how-to-involve-parents-for-stu

dent-success/

Frühauf, T. (n.d.). What is music pedagogy? EBSCO Information Services, Inc. Retrieved

December 2, 2022, from https://www.ebsco.com/blogs/ebscopost/what-

music-pedagogy-universality-education-sound-and-sound-education

Suzuki Association of the Americas. (n.d.). Retrieved December 27, 2022, from

https://suzukiassociation.org/

The Gordon Approach: Music learning theory. alliance amm. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2,

2022, from https://www.allianceamm.org/resources/gordon/

The Gordon Institute for Music Learning. GIML The Gordon Institute for Music Learning.

(n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2022, from http://giml.org/

Organization of American Kodály Educators. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2022, from

https://www.oake.org/