Making connections in the violin studio
Building appreciation for art, culture, composers, and creativity
Teaching music is more than learning to play notes on a page. The study of music lends itself to exploring art, culture, history, and geography. A well-rounded music education can include all these components with careful planning and a willingness to explore and expand horizons.
My state music teacher association sponsors a program called World of Music. According to the Texas Music Teachers Association website, "The purpose of the World of Music is to introduce students to music history through the study of composer's music, their life, and composition styles." There are twelve levels of the program that correspond to the student's grade in school, and the student can begin the program at any point in their musical journey. Each spring, students are tested over the World of Music curriculum material and earn a medal if they score 90% or above on the exam.
Since this program is in addition to the TMTA theory testing some of my students participate in, covering the material requires extra planning and creativity. I assign some activities for homework, such as reading a passage and answering questions, watching a video on YouTube, or playing an online review game. Other material needs more explanation, so we cover it in bite-size bits during our lessons throughout the year.
Even if there is no similar program where you live, I believe it is essential to expose our students to all the ways playing the violin can be expressed: as a folk music tradition, as part of an orchestra, accompanying an opera or ballet, and playing the music of many cultures, times, and places.
So what are some ways you can broaden your students' horizons and contribute to a well-rounded lesson at the same time?
Choose a varied repertoire. Talk about the background of pieces the student is learning: the composer, country of origin, and what kind of instrument or ensemble the composer intended. There are excellent resources for free kid-friendly material for teaching composers on MakingMusicFun.net.
Choose themes for each month, semester, unit, or year. I decorate one wall of my studio on a different composer or music topic each month. So far, I've done Bach, Dvorak, and Schubert this year. Students participate in some decorating projects, and I assign themed music to students in need of bonus pieces or a change of pace. You can get great ideas for monthly themes, plus monthly themed sheet music and goodies by subscribing to KidString Box.
Use cross-curricular activities to check all your boxes. Use theory and music analysis activities to explore new repertoire or old favorites, such as an upcoming recital piece. Turn information you want your students to know into note spelling exercises, like this free printable that combines learning the definition of ballet with reviewing notes that appear in Twinkle.
It's a great activity to pair with further studies on The Nutcracker or Tchaikovsky. Watch live or recorded performances to tie visuals into the repertoire the student is learning, especially pieces from ballet, opera, or folk dance traditions.
Games! Mix up music theory games by adding in music history and appreciation. Composer bingo, instrument matching, or Blooket or Quizlet tournaments are all fun ideas that are never a waste of time.
Plan a summer camp or group class in-depth on a specific topic. I host a camp based on Theory Time's outstanding Summer Camp curriculum packets each year. We have explored musical stories and suites, great composers, music theory, Ancient Egypt, pop music of the 20th century, and Cinderella, to name a few. My students love creating art and writing projects, learning new music, and putting on a show.
What other fun ideas do you have for integrative lessons? What kind of games or materials would you like to see to help you bring more creative activities into your studio? Let me know in the comments!