YMCA Music Special
After working at the Brandywine YMCA summer camp for two years, I decided that I wanted to bring my passion for music to camp. Although there had never been a general music special at camp before, I was honored to be given the position of Music Specialist.
As the camp Music Specialist, I had the autonomy to design and teach my own program where campers internalized music theory through the learning of fundamental skills on instruments such as the guitar, bass, drums, ukulele, and voice. In my program, I was able to combine my love of teaching music with my deep rooted past as a singer-songwriter by taking a School-of-Rock-esque approach to music teaching. The way in which I chose to teach my curriculum is especially important to me. When students can learn music without the restrictions of unfamiliarity, nothing can stop their potential for knowledge and creativity. And although my special may have seemed like one big jam session, I was basing my curriculum off of Music Learning Theory. This is an explanation for music learning which emphasizes the use of audiation, or the comprehension of the music. Audiation is a way of internalizing and understanding music as opposed to reading notes on a page and "pushing buttons" on an instrument.
The youngest group of campers, ages four to eight, spent their time internalizing beat competency and tonality. In the video below, the youngest campers are practicing their ability to beat rhythm sticks along to the beat of the song, a challenging task for a four year old!
The older the group of campers, the more instruments they learned. My oldest group learned to play two drum rhythms as well as a bass line on the guitar, ukulele, and bass. However, they learned the bass line by listening to the song and audiating the bass line. They were not given music or a lead sheet. By the end of the program, my campers were playing covers as an ensemble and beginning to write songs together.
Needless to say, based on the outcome of my first year as a Music Specialist, I am very excited for the potential of the program!
As the camp Music Specialist, I had the autonomy to design and teach my own program where campers internalized music theory through the learning of fundamental skills on instruments such as the guitar, bass, drums, ukulele, and voice. In my program, I was able to combine my love of teaching music with my deep rooted past as a singer-songwriter by taking a School-of-Rock-esque approach to music teaching. The way in which I chose to teach my curriculum is especially important to me. When students can learn music without the restrictions of unfamiliarity, nothing can stop their potential for knowledge and creativity. And although my special may have seemed like one big jam session, I was basing my curriculum off of Music Learning Theory. This is an explanation for music learning which emphasizes the use of audiation, or the comprehension of the music. Audiation is a way of internalizing and understanding music as opposed to reading notes on a page and "pushing buttons" on an instrument.
The youngest group of campers, ages four to eight, spent their time internalizing beat competency and tonality. In the video below, the youngest campers are practicing their ability to beat rhythm sticks along to the beat of the song, a challenging task for a four year old!
The older the group of campers, the more instruments they learned. My oldest group learned to play two drum rhythms as well as a bass line on the guitar, ukulele, and bass. However, they learned the bass line by listening to the song and audiating the bass line. They were not given music or a lead sheet. By the end of the program, my campers were playing covers as an ensemble and beginning to write songs together.
Needless to say, based on the outcome of my first year as a Music Specialist, I am very excited for the potential of the program!
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