Philosophy of

Music
Education
 A philosophy of music education refers to

the value of music, the value of teaching

music, and how to practically utilize those

values in the music classroom.

As an educator, our role is to provide a safe

and welcoming environment for students

to learn and grow. It is important for

learning to take place in such an

environment so that students are not only

free to be themselves, but free to make

mistakes.
 This way, mistakes happen in a safe, forgiving
environment where students can learn from them before
they have to learn those lessons in the real world. It is of
upmost importance that educators prepare students to

be high-functioning members of society

when they leave the sheltered environment of school,
regardless of what their roles or vocations may be.
 Music Education
Music education is a field of practice in which

educators are trained for careers

as elementary or secondary music teachers, school

or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music

education is also a research area in which scholars

do original research on ways

of teaching and learning music. Music education

touches on all learning domains, including the

psychomotor domain (the development of skills), the

cognitive domain (the acquisition of knowledge), and,

in particular and the affective domain (the learner's

willingness to receive, internalize, and share what is

learned), including music appreciation and sensitivity.

During the 20th century, many distinctive approaches were developed or further refined for the
teaching of music, some of which have had widespread impact.

-The Dalcroze method (eurhythmics) was developed in the early 20th century
by Swiss musician and educator Émil Jaques-Dalcroze. It is a process for awakening,
developing, and refining innate musicality through rhythmic movement (often
called eurhythmics), ear-training, and improvisation.

-The Kodály Method emphasizes the benefits of physical instruction and response to music. It
is a music teaching approach that uses singing, hand signs, and other techniques to help
students develop musical skills.

-The Orff Schulwerk approach to music education leads students to develop their music abilities
in a way that parallels the development of western music. The Orff Schulwerk method is a music
education approach that uses instruments, movement, singing, and speech to help children
develop musical skills.

- The Suzuki Approach to music education that was introduced in Japan and later reached the
United States during the 1960s. The Suzuki method is a music curriculum that teaches
children to play instruments through listening, repetition, and structured practice.
 DALCROZE METHOD
Dalcroze Education is a playful, experiential approach to
teaching and learning music. It is a process for awakening,
developing, and refining innate musicality through rhythmic
movement (often called eurhythmics), ear-training, and
improvisation.
Dalcroze Education is divided into three main categories:
- Eurhythmics engages the body in rhythmic movement and
active listening
- Solfège develops internal melody and harmony, along with a
holistic response to musical notation
- Improvisation brings out the creative spirit with the voice,
an instrument, or the body
How it works
•Movement: Students learn music through
full-body movements, such as walking,
running, and leaping.
•Improvisation: Students are encouraged
to improvise based on their intuitive
knowledge of rhythm.
•Ear-training: Students learn to train their
ears through solfege (sight singing).

Benefits
•Develops physical awareness and
kinesthetic sense
•Helps students feel, express, and master
the flow of music
•Engages logical thinking, communication,
feeling, and empathy
 KODALY METHOD
The Kodály method is an approach to music education rooted
in the idea that music should be a social and cultural
experience. The Kodály approach to teaching music asserts
that musical concepts, creativity, and collaboration are best
taught in group music lessons, particularly for young children
According to the method, music teachers should emphasize
musical material that is connected to their students' culture
and heritage..
 5 Principles of the Kodály Method
Proper instruction of the Kodály method involves adhering to a series of
key principles.
• 1. Learning by singing: According to Kodály, the human voice is the
fundamental instrument, and it should be central to musical training.
Students should gain musical literacy through sung solfège (also known
as solfa), using a moveable-do system.
• 2. Hand signs: Solfège and sight-singing can be supplemented by hand
signs, as developed by the English pedagogue John Curwen, who was
an influence on Kodály.
• 3. Rhythmic proficiency: The sight-reading of rhythmic patterns
(including whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth
notes, and various tuplets) must be taught alongside tonal solfège.
• 4. Collaboration: Kodály believed that creativity and collaboration are
essential to a musical education and can be brought out in group music
lessons. Music students should collaborate with one another in exercises
ranging from clapping to choral singing to instrumental accompaniment.
• 5. Cultural connections: Music teachers should emphasize folk music
(even pop songs) in a student's mother tongue to create a visceral
connection to music.
How it works

•Solfège: Uses movable-do syllables (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti) to represent scale
degrees and pitch relationships
•Singing: Uses songs, folk music, and sight-singing exercises to help students
understand interval and tonality
•Hand signs: Uses special nicknames for notes and rhythms
•Rhythm: Uses simple syllables to represent key rhythms

Benefits

•Makes music learning engaging and enjoyable

•Helps students develop a deep understanding of musical concepts
•Helps students develop a strong musical ear
•Helps students develop skills like reading notation
 ORFF SCHULWERK

• Orff approach is a method of teaching children about music that engages

their mind and body through a mixture of singing, dancing, acting and the

use of percussion instruments. For instance, the Orff method often uses

instruments like xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels.

• A key characteristic of this approach is that lessons are presented with an

element of play, which helps the children learn at their own level of

understanding.

• The Orff approach is a way of introducing and teaching children about music on

a level that they can easily comprehend.

• Musical concepts are learned through singing, chanting, dance, movement,

drama and the playing of percussion instruments. Improvisation, composition

and a child's natural sense of play are encouraged.

• Lessons are presented with an element of play helping the children
to learn at their own level of understanding while emphasizing arts
integrations with stories, poetry, movement, and drama.
• The least methodical of the four approaches, the Orff method
teaches music in four stages: imitation, exploration, improvisation,
and composition.
• There is a natural progression to the method before getting to
instruments. The voice comes first through singing songs and
creating poems, then comes body percussion, like clapping,
stomping, and snaps. Last comes ​an instrument, which is viewed as
an activity that extends the body.
How it works
•Lessons are presented with an element of play
•Students learn through singing, dancing, acting, and playing percussion
instruments
•The approach emphasizes arts integration, including language,
movement, and drama
•The goal is to develop confidence and competence in simple group music
and movement making

The stages of learning

•Imitation: Students imitate a musical model provided by the teacher
•Exploration: Students play with sounds and movements to create their own ideas
•Literacy: Students label what they have learned in the imitation and exploration
stages
•Improvisation: Students sing, move, or play using their own ideas
 SUZUKI METHOD

• Suzuki based his approach on the belief that Musical ability is not an inborn

talent but an ability which can be developed. Any child who is properly

trained can develop musical ability, just as all children develop the ability to

speak their mother tongue. The potential of every child is unlimited.

• The Suzuki method of teaching piano is based on the “mother tongue”

approach. With this approach, children are taught music as if they were being

immersed in a foreign language. Children are exposed to music, learning to

listen to the piece before any attempt at reproducing the song is made.

• Suzuki Talent Education or Suzuki Method is based on a philosophy which

embraces the total development of the child. Dr Suzuki's guiding principle was

“Character first, ability second”.

Through listening, repetition, memorization, building vocabulary—like language,
music becomes part of the child. In this method, parental involvement is helpful to a
child's success through motivation, encouragement, and support. This mirrors the
same type of parental involvement that helps a child learn the fundamentals of their
native language.

Parents often learn the instrument along with the child, acting as musical role
models, and maintaining a positive learning atmosphere for the child to succeed.
How it works

•Listening: Children listen to recordings of pieces many times to become familiar

with them.
•Repetition: Children practice regularly to develop good habits.
•Memorization: Children memorize pieces.
•Group classes: Children play in groups to learn to interact with others and develop
their musical ear.
•Performances: Children perform in concerts to overcome performance anxiety.

Features
•The Suzuki method uses carefully selected and ordered repertoires of songs.
•The method emphasizes watching and listening first.
•Music reading is postponed until children have established good aural and
instrumental skills.
•Children are encouraged and praised for their efforts.