Adolescent Development
For the past few months, I have had the privilege to work with a program called Arts without Boundaries (AWB); where the kids get free music lessons and the college students get free teaching experience. I learned a lot about myself, teaching, and about adolescent development and learning.
Socio-Emotional
When fifth and sixth graders first choose an instrument to play for band or orchestra, there are many different factors. Some factors that influence the decision include: if any family members played an instrument, what instrument their friends have decided on playing, and what instrument they think is really cool. I made the decision to play the saxophone in the fifth grade and that is now my major in college. That decision was obviously fairly profound in shaping what my life has become today. I was able to teach two young girls through the AWB organization who had also made the choice to begin playing the saxophone. These girls have begun to explore who they are and what they like through this decision. They may not be …show more content…
We used the mnemonic device Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge to learn the note names on the lines of the staff and FACE for the spaces of the staff. When we would be working through their music for band class, I would ask them what note I was pointing to. If they answered correctly, praise would be given but if not, I’d ask why they think that and refer back to our mnemonic device so that they can figure out the right answer on their own. Besides the mnemonic devices, we also used their motor skills (prefrontal cortex) to learn because playing musical instruments is a very physical task! At the beginning of every lesson, we would pick up the different pieces of the saxophone and I would have the girls name them as we put it together. This way, they were able to focus on it physically, piece by piece, and know how things fit
For the past few months, I have had the privilege to work with a program called Arts without Boundaries (AWB); where the kids get free music lessons and the college students get free teaching experience. I learned a lot about myself, teaching, and about adolescent development and learning.
Socio-Emotional
When fifth and sixth graders first choose an instrument to play for band or orchestra, there are many different factors. Some factors that influence the decision include: if any family members played an instrument, what instrument their friends have decided on playing, and what instrument they think is really cool. I made the decision to play the saxophone in the fifth grade and that is now my major in college. That decision was obviously fairly profound in shaping what my life has become today. I was able to teach two young girls through the AWB organization who had also made the choice to begin playing the saxophone. These girls have begun to explore who they are and what they like through this decision. They may not be …show more content…
We used the mnemonic device Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge to learn the note names on the lines of the staff and FACE for the spaces of the staff. When we would be working through their music for band class, I would ask them what note I was pointing to. If they answered correctly, praise would be given but if not, I’d ask why they think that and refer back to our mnemonic device so that they can figure out the right answer on their own. Besides the mnemonic devices, we also used their motor skills (prefrontal cortex) to learn because playing musical instruments is a very physical task! At the beginning of every lesson, we would pick up the different pieces of the saxophone and I would have the girls name them as we put it together. This way, they were able to focus on it physically, piece by piece, and know how things fit