Music Articles and Reviews

Music history is an important subject for any musician or composer who hopes to perfect their craft and produce the best music possible. Not only can it help you get a better historical understanding of music and its purpose, but it can also help you understand the structure of musical systems and how they can be used. This is very important information for anyone looking to make a living or hobby out of making music, so it stands that a long-term study of music history should be undertaken. With this in mind, how should one go about structuring and motivating their study of music history?

If you are planning on learning how to sight read, there are a few key techniques to remember. One of the hardest parts of learning to read music is staying interested in it and keeping to a normal practice routine. Although this may seem easy at first, it’s also easy to take a few days off and then not get back into it for a while, and when this happens, it is easy to forget what you have learned. The key to sight reading is to practice it consistently, and this means doing a few different things to stay on top of it.

An effective syllabus is a commonly overlooked, but essential pillar of any K-12 music class. In these introductory statements, sometimes called disclosure documents, teachers set out the crucial information that they want students to know and be responsible for. As one of the first things that parents and students read, syllabi (the plural of syllabus) form a vital first impression, and the policies outlined therein can last the entire year—for better or for worse. Hence, any ambiguity, omissions, or even a simple miswording can result in heartache and confusion for everyone involved. Writing a good syllabus takes thought and experience, yet teachers receive little training in developing them. This article offers K-12 music educators some suggestions for composing quality syllabi.