Divisi But Equal

Music Performance VS Appreciation

So I have this guitar class with two students in it... yup, a half hour block with only two fifth graders in their second year of playing guitar. Lucky kids! Anyway, one of the students has had some medical issues recently, plus a couple family related absences, which means that the other student is basically getting a private lesson twice a week. Consequently, he is waaaaaaaay ahead of his peer on our performance material for the Spring concert at the end of April. Yesterday was, surprise, another "private" lesson! So I gave him a choice: polish the songs we have, or help me find some more material to work on. Naturally he chose to help me search for new songs! Online we went, navigating to various sites I know of (ones that don't contain negative comments he shouldn't be reading) with him calling out names of songs. Most of what we found were songs he listens to on the radio which, to his amazement, only contain three or four chords. After several such songs (he just wrote down the chords on a sticky note and we moved on) he was ready to play them, so I opened Band in a Box (awesome program!), typed in the chords, chose a rhythm section style, and hit play. By the end of the lesson he knew four new songs!

Now, judging from the level of enthusiasm and energy in this impromptu lesson, how do I judge where the line is between the need to teach them fundamentals and keeping them interested enough in the songs to continue to learn outside of school?

I am currently lobbying to get Band in a Box put on a few machines in the computer lab in order to introduce students to it and, because it is a relatively inexpensive program ($129), I am hoping that some of the parents might consider buying it for their kiddos too. This is a great practice tool, and can be fun for composition too, that can create an entire rhythm section for them to play with rather than practicing all by themselves.


Sites I used:
http://www.chordie.com/chord.pere/www.bag.org/im_yours.chopro
http://www.e-chords.com/chords/daughtry/its-not-over
http://www.pgmusic.com/

Can someone learn to play an instrument entirely through online instruction? With the advent of youtube videos and communication tools like Skype, students can learn rudimentary skills on a variety of instruments, but how far can a student realistically progress before hitting a wall? Instruments like violin and flute are notoriously difficult to begin, requiring constant critique on a variety of levels in order to progress. I have found a few online resources I think are adequate, but I am hesitant to say they could completely replace traditional teacher/student interaction.
Violin: http://www.youtube.com/user/professorV?blend=1&ob=0
Flute: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7e4hqPJz8I

And Away We Go!

First! Blog! EVER! This is part of my master's degree program for UMUC, EDTC 625 specifically. The degree is in education technology, and even though I teach band and orchestra I believe I can find many uses for tech in my own teaching. Already I have experimented with a class website for posting information for the coming week, and I am looking forward to experimenting with blogs this semester.