Music education

obligatory courses

The aim of the course is to prepare students for creative use of songs and music in teaching english to young children.

While performing their own musical activities: movements with music, playing the percussion instruments, singing, listening to and creating the elementary music (Orff methods) the students will be able to acquaint themselves with music both as listeners and performers. Their acquired experience and skills will allow for deeper understanding problems connected with music and its performing. The musical knowledge will also be discussed in the context of musical development of a child. The repertoire learned during the classes students will be able to use in their work with children.

1. The role of songs and music in early language teaching.

2. World of sounds - notion of music. Music and noise, sound and silence. What is music.

3. Body as a source of sound and movement. Searching for various sounds in surrounding: different sound colours and duration.

4. Features of a sound ( colour, pitch, duration, volume ) - way of communication, feelings and emotions expression. Formation of ideas concerning some of music elements like melody, rhythm, volume, colour, tempo and measure. Relationship between music elements and way of moving. Feeling the pulse of music and accents, recognition of measure. Timing. Relation between tempo and sound duration. Performing the rhythm against pulse with movement or sounds.

5. Rhythm in speech. Finding ordered rhythmic groups in chants; rhythm notation simplified and classic. Beat-boxing of texts of proverbs and poetry paying attention to the stress of the speech, emotions, genre. Creating sound improvisations to illustrate a poem, a story, a picture.

6. Sound registers and melody. Simplified way of sound notation, introduction to classic way of notation.

7. Learning and singing children songs using relative method. Voice and performance abilities of children at different age. Child’s voice range. Matching songs with voice capabilities.

8. Learning to play children instruments ( Orff instruments). Sound - movement and instrumental accompaniments to children songs and plays. Ways of accompaniment for plays and kinetic exercises. Solo performance on an instrument matched to the individual skills. Using percussion instruments of defined and undefined sound height. Playing the chromatic glockenspiel (simple songs for children).

9. Improvisation in motion with sounds and on instruments. Free and with limited latitude. Experiencing satisfaction and joy from movement improvisations to the music of different kinds.

10.. Creative movement. Performing simple dances and activities with different music, singing or instrumental accompaniment. Discovering personal possibilities and psycho-physical reactions in contact with movement, music and dancing. Psycho-kinetic capabilities of young children. Kinetic improvisations: free and with restricted choice. The sequence of introducing and methods of teaching movement patterns.

11. Active and receptive listening to the music.

12. Setting a scenario for music classes basing on knowledge about the general and musical development of a child.

Conn Beal P., .Hagen Nipp S. , " Wee Sing And Play",

Conn Beal P., Hagen Nipp S., Wee Sing And Play Around The World .

Snyder J., 100 Songs For Early Childhood.

The student knows:

- basic music vocabulary and notions,

- the stages of musical child’s development (generally),

- forms, methods and aims of musical education as well as their applied value in work with young children,

- musical repertoire matching criteria for young children.

The student can:

- is able to teach a song from children’s repertoire unassisted,

- create and perform a simple accompaniment on percussion instruments for selected songs,

- play the chromatic glockenspiel (simple songs for children),

- properly formulates instructions to direct children towards selected musical elements,

- plan a scenario for music activity for selected age group unassisted,

- recognize his personal music opportunities, develop and improve them individually,

- recognize the form-creative rules of contrast, similarity and identity within the heard music,

- moving in accordance with the music pulse and in various tempos,

- realize by movement and tataisation the rhythms in various tempos,

- reproduce on percussion instruments from the notes the rhythms within two, three and four -meter,

- compose a simple rhythmic accompaniment to songs,

- select the songs to be learned and listened by children, motor games and dances, music pieces to listen and miniatures for

children’s improvisations, relevantly to the general and musical child’s development,.

Evaluation methods and criteria:

- active participation in classes,

- writing short lesson scenario/plan including two music activities and realise with a group.

In order to pass this course student will be expected to submit :

1. an essay " Meaning music as a teaching tool in education of young children ( teaching languages.)" ,

2. short lesson scenario/plan including two music activities.