Elements of Music in Education

Rhythm:
There is no music without rhythm. Likewise, timing in teaching can be critical. Not allowing enough time means having to continue a lesson the next day or prolonging a lesson, which can tax younger students. Moving too quickly means having unstructured time remaining in which many students exhibit misbehavior. Pace can be important as well. Allowing time for students to comprehend and then practice the content of the lesson is important to the learning process.

Melody:
There is nothing so calming or comforting as a familiar tune. In the classroom, predictable expectations, fairness, and shared responsibility create a safe and cooperative environment.

Harmony:
Certain musical pitches, when combined just the right way, sound pleasing to the ear. Add flavor to your lessons. Read poetry and picture books (whatever the grade level you are teaching), play music that reinforces the lesson, incorporate art, go outside and explore the natural world, take a field trip (providing there are resources), make something, out of words, or paper, or technology, or popsicle sticks, or empty shoe boxes.

Movement:
Our body responds to music. We tap our foot, nod our head, shake, rattle, and roll. We dance. Students will respond to the educational process when it is infused with a sufficient degree of motion. That is to say, lessons that involve them and engage them, that get them out of their seats, that require them to think rather than simply process information.