Planning with Purpose

The signals keep coming in that I’m far from done with teaching and still the vehicle for some pedagogical Muse. This little piece came to me fully formed in a dream last night. I was creating a greeting song whereby people sang and walked freely around the room and within the context of the song, stopped and shared their name with another and heard their name in response. After that activity, they did so again while playing the rhythm of their name on a percussion instrument. This time when they stopped in front of someone, each had to try to remember the other person’s name. If they did, they exchanged instruments and went on to someone else. If not, they kept their instruments. 

 

At the end, we sat down and shared four essential features of planning a lesson that could be found in that activity. (Note, I have never talked about or written about this before.). As follows:

 

• Practical: The activity has to speak to something essential in every music class. In this case, learning each other’s names and being introduced to a variety of percussion instruments. 

 

• Pedagogical: There should be some pedagogical context, something that shows they’re learning something important to the craft of music, both technical and theoretical. In this activity, the connection between speech and rhythm, singing while moving , playing in ensemble and re-orchestrating by the simple act of switching instruments. Also reinforcing the pedagogy that we learn about music by making music, immediately without any unnecessary fuss of “preparing” to make music.

 

• Social: The Orff approach to music-making is deeply connected to creating a community whereby people feel connected, seen, known and valued. The simple fact of this exchange between partners and constantly switching partners creates just the right atmosphere for group music-making.

 

• Musical: The result needs to sound good and the song that requires harmonic part-singing in canon, a bit of body percussion and polyrhythmic percussive ensemble playing fulfills that criteria.

 

Again, all of this came to me fully formed in a dream and all I had to do is wake up and write it down.  I guess I’m a teacher first and foremost. Still.