March 8, 2025: Saturday Remix
Teachers and Staff: Happy Saturday!
Teaching Strategies: Sequencing Instruction
Another important thing we can do as teachers in music lessons to help students learn and develop musical skills is to properly sequence instruction.
When students struggle to learn, or to develop a skill, there are almost always several factors at play. As part of our studio philosophy, we assert that if a student is not learning or developing skills, here are the places we should look for answers:
Are we going too fast?
Have we adequately assessed prior knowledge?
Have we properly sequenced instruction?
Have we appropriately chunked the learning and practice?
Is there a meaningful context to the learning?
Is the content or skill relevant to this student?
Is it all just tedious work, or does the learning and practice bring satisfaction, joy, and short-term rewards to this student?
Today, I’ll discuss sequencing instruction.
Sequencing instruction means teaching skills and concepts in the right order, and in small enough increments - “baby steps.” An order that helps students master skills and concepts one step at a time, and in small enough increments that the steps feel easy. Steps that ultimately lead to achieving more difficult and complex challenges, without being overwhelmed or feeling hopeless.
Each step in a learning sequence should feel easy. Each step should build upon mastery of the previous step (prior knowledge and skill).
Teachers should teach each step to students in the music lesson, and use guided practice to help the student master the step(s) in the lesson. Teachers should never “assign” learning to students to tackle on their own and bring back to the lesson. Strategies such as this are antithetical to our studio teaching and learning philosophies. (There will be exceptions with advanced students who are tackling enormous volumes of repertoire and college-level music theory and musicianship skills. There may also be an exception if a student wants to work on something extra in a non-traditional way, such as by watching online videos, or playing by ear).
Sometimes extra-small baby steps can be extremely useful for students. For example, some beginner piano students struggle with the idea of playing hands together. Anxiety increases when they imagine playing a whole song or piece. You can help a student more quickly overcome this anxiety with well-sequenced instruction. For example,
Step 1: Play any note on the piano with your right hand.
Step 2: Play any note on the piano with your left hand.
Step 3: Play any notes on the piano with your right and left hand at the same time (any notes).
Step 4: Play any notes on the piano with your right hand and left hand a bunch of times (repeat).
Step 5: Play the two notes I select with your right hand and left hand at the same time. (Select two easy notes to play at the same time, moving around the piano keyboard.)
Step 6. Play two notes at the same time with your right hand.
Step 7. Play two notes at the same time with your left hand.
Step 8. Play two notes at the same time with both hands at the same time.
Step 9. Plat two notes at the same time with both hands together a bunch of times (repeat).
Step 10: Play the four notes I select with your right hand (two notes) and left hand (two notes) at the same time. (Select two easy notes to play at the same time, moving around the piano keyboard.)
Step 11: Use the first notes from Hot Cross Buns (LH = F# and A#, RH = A#). Don’t play the song, just play the opening chord. Repeat many times.
Step 12: Use the second notes from Hot Cross Buns (LH = F and B, RH = G#). Don’t play the song, just play this chord. Repeat many times…
You can see two things. One, done well, this process will feel very easy for a student. Two, if you keep going in this direction, you will have the student playing an actual song hands together pretty soon.
Proper sequencing also involves the order in which we do things. As music educators, we may have learned some bad habits regarding the best order to do things for music learning. Much of the learning sequence that is popular today evolved from method books from 50-100 years ago that were designed to help inexperienced teachers teach students (including parents). Publishers were trying to make it easy, since pianos were so popular back then, for anyone to learn to play the piano. They were (and still are) gimmick-heavy, conceptual, and unmusical. It became unnecessary for students to learn music, they could simply learn to play the piano, like a typewriter.
For example, many teachers insist that a student should not listen to the music they are learning. We believe that students should listen to many varieties of the music they are learning, by many performers and in multiple styles if available. Many teachers take a “sight before sound” approach to learning music notation. For example, a teacher may point to a rhythmic sequence of notes and work out the math with the student to understand the rhythm. We believe that students should hear the rhythm first, and master it, and then analyze how it is notated. Sequencing learning in this way instills an understanding of music prior to the concepts. Some call this approach “sound before sight.”
Our culture is in some ways a frantic one, and so many want to get places fast - both physically and learning-wise. This can become problematic when students and teachers try to go too fast, cut corners, skip steps, use gimmicks rather than real knowledge and mastery, etc. Sequencing includes pacing. Pacing should be appropriate to each student’s needs, desires, and abilities.
So many people ask, “How long should this learning take?” We want students to learn at a pace that feels rewarding. The pace will be different for each student. But what should be consistent is that the pace is right for each student. Not too slow, not too fast. Not frantic. Not guilt-laden. Not anxiety-inducing. Some students can move very slowly, and make very incremental progress. We need to be okay with that. If they keep at it, one day they will be playing Mozart and Chopin. Let it take the time it needs. Help them experience the joys and rewards of every accomplishment, every achievement, every big step, every little step, every baby step.
Office Supplies in the Lesson Rooms
Each lesson room should have a variety of office supplies, including things like pencils, pens, highlighters, post-it notes, page tabs, stickers, and the like. Please use these items in the lesson rooms. They are intended for teachers to use in the lesson rooms. Please do not give them away, or take them, or move them somewhere else. The next teacher needs access to them, too.
If you need office supplies, or if your students need something, please send an email to office@dennisfrayne.com. Please do not take the items from the lesson rooms.
Computers & Technology in Lesson Rooms
Every teacher and staff should be able to login to the computer in every lesson room. In those lesson rooms that have separate TVs or displays, you should be able to connect and cast to the TV/display from the computer. Some lesson rooms also have soundbars that should provide enhanced sound.
If you are unable to login, or do not know your login ID, or have any other questions or problems with the technology, or can’t get something to work, please email office@dennisfrayne.com and let us know.
p.s. Please put the remote controls back in their proper homes after each use.
Student Names in Music Books
Be sure to have your students write their names in all their music books!
Theme Recital Update (Friday, March 14, 2025)
Please look out for emails showing students who are performing, and let me know their repertoire. Please work with them to prepare for the recital, including playing from memory to the extent possible, and performance practice (such as bowing).
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Q. Do we tell the parents to get the student’s music books?
A. No. We supply each student’s music books and materials. If you need a music book for your student, please send an email to office@dennisfrayne.com. We will get it for you. (There may be some exceptions, but ask us first and then we will let you and the student/parents know.)
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Thank you, everyone, for all that you do!
Have a magical Saturday, a musical weekend, and a safe and healthy coming week.
Thank you,
Dennis Frayne
"Dr. Dennis"
Laguna Niguel School of Music
Dennis Frayne Music Studios
30110 Crown Valley Pkwy, Suites 105/107/108
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 844-9051 (office cell)
(949) 468-8040 (personal cell)
www.lagunaniguelschoolofmusic.com
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