My first ever “proper” job was teaching music theory to other music students. Whilst I learned a lot of teaching skills, and it really reinforced all my theory knowledge, I also discovered a deep-seated aversion to the traditional classroom setting of teaching theory. I didn’t like teaching music theory sitting at a table with everyone filling in ABRSM theory workbooks.
The real wake up call came when I was teaching a lady who took drum lessons. She needed to pass Grade 5 theory in order to continue with her drum exams. I vividly remember having to teach her music theory concepts that didn’t apply to the drums she played! And there was no spare Piano we could use so I could show her how the music theory worked in practice.
I fully believe that learning theory is a useful skill for our students to have. But I think it should be taught in a practical way, and we should show our students in the moment how the theoretical knowledge works in practice.
Here are a few ways that I do this:
- include lots of active listening in lessons & assign listening tasks for homework
- hands on practice e.g. when learning compound time for the first time – what it looks like, feels like, sounds like
- practice writing scales on manuscript paper as each scale is being learnt on the piano
If you need help with teaching theory to your students, keep your eyes peeled for something new coming very soon!