Music theory provides the building blocks for composition and improvisation. It covers subjects like scales, chord progressions, song or composition structures, intervals. These elements of the musical language allow students to get a greater understanding and appreciation of music, and open the door to a more informed approach to songwriting. We'll introduce music theory topics that will be relevant to the music that the students already like, so they can have a concrete example of how music theory works in action. Music theory and harmony can be a deep and complicated subject, but I'll do my best to make it fun! And probably the most fun use of the music theory comes in the next section below... ⬇️

As we progress through the scales and chords, we'll need a way to translate these theoretical concepts into actual music. We'll work on understanding how chord progressions and melodies can evoke a whole palette of feelings. Writing songs or composition is the best way to learn music theory, and have a lot of fun in the process.

I will help the students in giving a proper shape to the composition, so it can follow a structure, while they are free to explore different sounds and experiment. It can be very fulfilling for both the student and teacher to work on a song over a few classes, and have a well written piece in the end! 🎼

We can cover multiple genres of popular and classical music, depending on the students' and teachers' preferences. In the past I conducted classes focused on different eras in classical music, such as baroque, romanticism, impressionism, and others. I also did classes that focused on modern era genres, like jazz, RnB, hip-hop and rock music. 

We can find artists and composers to cover, whose music will align with the students interests and the school's vision! The primary categories of music creators we can consider are:

• Classical

• Jazz

• Pop music

We will also analyze the composition and look for music theory and harmony ideas. These ideas will serve as elements of the musical vocabulary that students can use while writing their own songs.

Absorbing the music of important composers and artists teaches music appreciation and provides context of how music evolved over time.

Working towards a recital is a great way of measuring our progress. It also makes students focus on accomplishing a goal, and keeps the motivation high! We'll select either original compositions, or covers of prominent artists. Each student will have a chance to sing or play a section of a song - for example I'll give the verse 1 of a song to one student, verse 2 to another one, and the choruses will be sung by all students. Rehearsing music this way helps students feel the responsibility for that one section that they perform as a soloist 🎤

Mindfulness is a great way to focus student's attention. We can incorporate breathing exercises, in which I'd guide the class through a short practice to focus on the breath and all sensations associated with the breath. Listening closely to sounds and chords can be a sort of mindfulness practice as well - we can pay attention to how different sounds affect our feelings. This practice will also expand students' musical sensitivity and taste in music.

An important aspect of the developmental psychology in music lessons is keeping the students engaged and interested. I like to find out what students are interested in already and tie the musical topics to that - be it musical artists, TV shows, video games, sports, or anything else that can have a musical element. If a student likes musicals, we'd arrange songs from Broadway or Disney shows, and write our own songs in a similar style. If they like video games, we can write music that fit the aesthetic of their games. As we do that I will be able to 'sneak in' elements of the music theory, like scales, intervals, chord progressions, rhythms, dynamics.