general music
the questions. I have students who start raising their hands as soon as we stop so they can tell me what they thought about what we just played or sang. The best part is that they are thinking while they are playing and singing. They aren’t waiting for me to tell them what I heard, they are ready to tell me what they heard. They can often provide solutions for the group. Of course, there are times when I am giving direct instruction. Basic knowledge is es- sential to be able to organize and verbalize their thinking about music. I try as often as possible to give them opportunities to do the thinking in my classroom.
If students cannot hear where their mistakes are, recording their playing or singing can give them an opportunity to reflect on their performance. We use Audacity (which can be found at http://
audacity.sourceforge.net/). Audacity is a user-friendly free sound recording and editing software. Students in my classes record themselves singing and playing instruments for their electronic “pro- cessfolio.” Before students listen to their recording, they listen to an anonymous performance of the same piece so they can practice evaluating it. Once they have
done that, they are ready to evaluate their own performance.
Critical thinking will help your students become better musicians and will last a lifetime if nurtured. As I wrote at the beginning of this article, it’s not about you or me. It’s about what students are learning and how they think about what they learn.
Karen Tordera teaches K-5 general music and choir in the Whitewater Unified School District. Email:
ktordera@wwusd.org
Be the Grand Champion of Summer at the Wisconsin State Fair
Be a part of the partnership between two Wisconsin traditions!
Wisconsin School Music Association and
Wisconsin State Fair Announce the
WSMA World Music Showcase
August 12, 2011 & Wisconsin School Musician
WSMA Marching Band Showcase
August 14, 2011 State Fair Park • West Allis, Wisconsin
For more information please visit the WSMA web site:
www.wsmamusic.org Or contact Tim Wurgler:
twurgler@wsmamusic.org
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