During recent years, there has been a trend in education to create more student-led classes and learning environments. Teachers are able to play with different seating arrangements and furniture styles to create a more relaxed learning environment that suits individual learning styles and personalities. Traditional lecturing has been traded for more hands on learning approaches. Differentiated learning is pushed by educational institutions as a standard pillar of good teaching. As music is an active group activity which enhances creativity naturally, it would seem logical for music teachers to easily embrace student-led activities in their music lessons. This article will explore some options for music teachers to empower students through incorporating student-led activities in their music lessons.
What are the Benefits of Student-led Activities For Music Students?
- Increased Student Motivation – Students are more motivated to learn if they are actively participating in learning. Student-led activities increases classroom participation.
- Confidence – As students accomplish student-led activities, they build confidence in themselves and in their knowledge of the concepts being taught.
- Deeper Understanding of Material – Teaching music concepts internalizes music ideas and helps students make real connections that traditional testing methods can’t offer.
- Fosters Creativity – Two minds are better than one. The creativity set in motion by student-led activities allows students to include their own experiences and knowledge, enabling a more original and creative outcome.
- Builds Social Skills – Giving students opportunities to interact with other classmates helps to build social skills.
How to Incorporate Student-led Activities in Your Music Classroom
- Student-Led Teaching – Give students opportunities to teach music concepts, lead music games, or teach songs. There are several ways you can incorporate this as a standard practice in your music classroom. You can make it an earned reward, for example, teacher for the day. Plan ahead of time a lesson that the individual student will be able to accomplish, have fun, and still continue your class goals. For example, they can conduct the concert songs if you are getting ready for a performance or quiz students on their lyric memorization. You can also create an assignment throughout the year where students research a certain topic and then present it to the class. Topics may include dynamics, breath control, or other music related topics. Students can do a five minute presentation to the class to introduce the topic and then you can take the lesson from there. Another great way to empower students in the music classroom is to assign tasks for students to do. You can change the teacher helpers every month. Tasks may include passing out sheet music or other things, assisting the teacher in demonstrating movement, rhythms, etc., or be a line leader or door holder.
- Composition – Assign compositional small group projects allowing students to come together and create music. Specify the parameters such as topic, how many measures to notate, time signature, or other important musical concepts. The possibilities are endless.
- Improvisation – Give students opportunities to make music and explore improvisation. Depending on student age, this can be anything from circle songs with call and response where students respond using improvisational rhythms and words to teaching high school students to improvise on their instruments over chord progressions.
- Student Choices – Allow students to choose concert themes, songs, and other class activities. Give the class a choice at the beginning of class between two different planned activities. This simple act empowers students and invests them to participate.
- Self-assessment – Give music students the opportunity to write down or verbalize how they feel they did during a performance. Help build vocabulary that they can use to self-assess themselves musically. Ask questions like, “How do you feel you did?” or “What are three positive things we did as a class when we sang that song?”
The Challenge of Student-led Activities
At first, it may be difficult to incorporate these student-led activities into your lesson plan. Set a goal to try to include one new thing every month. Set clear expectations so students still understand that you are controlling the activity. Foster positivity and a safe learning environment, so students can feel emboldened to stand up and lead. Check-in with yourself and ask yourself how you can do better to offer student-led activities. Be honest with how the class is reacting to your lessons and be ready to make changes.
In conclusion, student-led activities help students feel confident, motivated to participate, fosters differentiated learning, and is a fun way to give students a deeper understanding of the class material. Let me know in the comments below how you incorporate student-led activities in your class.