Ghana

Music Teacher

By admin on Nov 24, 2015 in Africa , Ghana , Nigeria , US - 0 Comments

A day on the job for a Learn Afro Music BeatsMusic Teacher involves meeting with several pupils to play music, refine their technique, and teach everything from fundamentals like scales and chords to more advanced music theory. Music Teachers at Elementary, Middle, and High School often also teach Choir, Orchestra or Band, as well. Private Music Teacherscan either work out of a rented studio at a music school or out of their own homes. Depending on the client and the hourly rate charged, some teachers will also travel to students’ homes.

School Music Teachers usually work off of a lesson plan and curriculum, whereasPrivate Music Teachers must adapt their lessons to individual student’s interests and area that need improvement. Piano Teacher Margie Balter says that the most important part of her work is “helping them get fired up to learn stuff” and that the skills taught in her lessons are essential “for life as well as music.”

Advancement

As their experience and reputation grows, a Music Teacher who gives private lessons can start charging more. He or she can also open their own music school. For Music Teachers in the K-12 system, advancement usually means accepting a position as a Department Head.

Education & Training

Most employers require Music Teachers to hold at least a BA in Music or Music Education. They must be proficient in at least one instrument, with a solid foundation in Music Theory.

Experience & Skills

A Music Teacher must have proficiency in at least one musical instrument, be able to read music, and have some experience teaching. The level of experience necessary will vary according to the position, but teaching a sibling or friend definitely counts as teaching experience. A performance background is also helpful for Music Teachers. The number one skill a Music Teacher needs is the ability to make learning fun. Balter says her main priority is giving students “a bigger picture of music is about. It’s more than melody.” She adds, “It can get really dry and stiff” if the Teacher is solely focused on the student learning notes and time signatures, so using intuition, kindness, and humor to engage the student are also important skills to have.

Personality

Above all, Music Teachers must be enthusiastic and understanding. “If they don’t get it, it’s on me,” says Balter. Music Teachers must “take full responsibility, be willing to help, and try new tactics.” She adds, “Patience and enthusiasm equal progress.” A love of learning is also essential for Music Teachers, as is a desire to help others grow. A sense of humor is also important, which goes back to Balter’s point about new tactics. “I use a lot of comedy, because people respond to it,” she says. “I say and do outlandish things to make a point.”

Lifestyle

First of all, for a Music Teacher, there are “no normal days.” According to Balter, a Music Teacher must be an entrepreneur, an educator AND a Teacher who can “turn on a dime.” Flexibility is important, as students sometimes need to cancel or change their lesson times. The workload is up to the individual Music Teacher, who can take on as many students as he or she likes. For a K-12 Music Teacher, of course, there are defined school hours, time for after-school programs, and a few months off every year for summer vacation. In general, most Music Teachers work with other Educators, School Principals or store owners, and the students themselves (plus, if the pupils are children, their parents).

Employment

Teaching jobs in K-12 schools are often competitive, with many teachers gaining tenure and staying in their positions for years. Student teaching and college job placement services can lead to that first full-time teaching job. For Private Teachers, the outlook is somewhat better. Music Teachers who specialize in private lessons can charge their own fees and can accept as many pupils as they see fit. The main way of growing business as a Private Instructor is through word of mouth.

Earnings

Music Teachers in the K-12 system are usually salaried employees. Teachers who give individual lessons are paid by the students themselves, often receiving payment for a month at a time. Lesson times are generally 30 minutes to an hour, with the average hourly wage for Private Teachers around $50/hour.

Unions, Groups, Social Media, and Associations

K-12 teachers may be part of a union. There are also many professional groups to which they might belong, such as the National Association for Music Education. Private Music Teachers can also belong to organizations such as the Music Teachers National Association, which also provides certification for qualified professionals. Each state has several such local organizations, ranging from general music education to, for example, teachers of bluegrass music.

Getting Started

Margie Balter advises that aspiring Music Teachers find a place to post an ad near your home, noting that students further than forty minutes away from where you live probably just aren’t going to work out. She says, “find one student, do an amazing job with them, and they’ll do the rest for you” via word-of-mouth. Advertising can also help you land new pupils. Basically, just get the word out there that you’re a great Music Teacher, students like you and successfully learn from you, and that you’re available to take on more students!

Gem Questions
What is the single biggest suggestion you would give to someone wanting to get into this career?

“Remember, time is everyone’s most precious thing. You’re giving your time, so do it to the fullest. And they’re giving their time. Don’t spend any time complaining or not loving it.”

What’s the #1 mistake people make when trying to get into this career?

“Trying to use a specific method with every kid doesn’t work. Neither does trying to be on an agenda about the next step.” Another big mistake is “not being positive.” So how do you turn that around? Say things like “‘Here’s what to do’ versus ‘don’t do that.’ If they’re not practicing, help them understand why they should and work on something that doesn’t need it [practice]. Make a wild deal, joke, love them into it. Positivity is the key. Patience. Enthusiasm. Loving them into learning.” Oh, and “teach people you really like.”

What is the question people should ask about this career but rarely do?

According to Balter, people should ask about a teacher’s performance skills or history. “Most people who are teachers didn’t start out as teachers, but as performers,” she says.

What is one thing I should have asked which I didn’t?

“What are you wearing?” she jokes.

If you could describe in one word what makes you successful, what would it be?

“Enthusiasm,” she says, adding, “Positivity, loving people, being willing to work my buns off, flexibility.”

Extra Credit: The Beatles or Rolling Stones?

The Beatles!

African Music Beats Concepts

By admin on Nov 20, 2015 in Africa , Brazilian , Cuba , Ghana , Music Beats Makers , Nigeria - 0 Comments

The study of African musical systems holds an incredible wealth for the modern percussion educator and band director. In the average grade school band room, the band director often has to work with other sections of the band while the percussionists sit idle. When the percussion section is then asked to rejoin the ensemble they frequently have difficulty staying in time, keeping their place in parts that are very repetitious, or holding on to a groove where the bass drum, snare drum, and cymbals have non-unison parts. Specifically there are four African musical concepts that will help to foster and develop solid foundations of time, feel, groove and ensemble playing while improving listening and memory skills. These concepts are rote learning, repetition, hocketing and call and response.

Rote learning is the most commonly used teaching method in the non-Western world. It is an oral and aurally based system of learning that helps to develop a student’s critical listening and memory skills. Rote learning, in its truest form, exists without written notation. Each part is taught to the student by an elder musician who was taught by a master musician years before. Initially, the student listens as the teacher sings a part in onomatopoeic syllables and then responds by singing it back. For example, the jazz ride cymbal rhythm could be taught as “spang spang-a-lang spang-a-lang” or “door shut-the-door shut-the-door.” Eventually, he or she must listen as the teacher plays a part on the drum while watching the teacher’s hands in order to learn not only the rhythm but also the sticking and overall technique. The concept of rote learning is easily applied to the following three concepts as well as any other music in which the overall feel or groove cannot be displayed on the written page.

Hocketing is the process of combining simple interlocking parts in order to create a complex whole. The players of a hand bell choir and the bass drummers of a modern marching bass line create melodies through the process of hocketing. Each part played individually has no identifiable rhythmic or melodic meaning, but when put together in an ensemble the group can create melodies and complex grooves. The Oom-pah beat with the bass drum on beats one and three and the snare drum on beats two and four is a simple form of hocketing. Here are some examples (these should be taught using the rote method):


A great exercise for utilizing this concept is to have the students go clockwise in a circle, each clapping the next beat (in time).

At the heart of most African musical systems is the concept of repetition with only subtle variation. Upon first listening to a West African drumming ensemble or an Afro-Cuban rumba group, one is often struck with either the notion that the same parts are being played over and over again with no apparent change or that the entire groove is in a constant state of alteration and transition. After some critical listening, however, one notes that even as the groove is unfailing there are minute and subtle changes happening in nearly every part of the ensemble. These subtle changes have a profound effect on the overall feel or groove. A handful of simple rhythms, each with one simple variation, played for extended periods of time will help students begin to understand how a groove works. For example, using the rote method and noting the inherent hocketing of the patterns, one could teach students the following simple rhythms and corresponding variations. The teacher must stress that the main rhythms are the most important to the overall groove and the variations are merely additions.


For more advanced groups one could experiment with these rhythms and variations, taken from an Ewe style of drumming called “Gahu,” again noting the hocketing and utilizing the rote method to convey them to the students:


Arguably the most important of the African musical concepts is that of call and response. The most basic form of call and response is mimicry and is directly related to rote learning. The students respond to phrases of a determined length by mimicking the teacher’s call. By starting with one or two beat phrases and gradually working up to two and four bar mimicry, students will be working on critical listening skills while expanding short term memories.

A more complex form of call and response is the static response, wherein the students reply to the teacher’s ever changing call with one set response. The challenge here lies in the potential complexity of the teachers’ calls. If the teacher begins playing calls that banish the downbeat or are highly syncopated, the students must rely on their burgeoning internal clocks to insure timely entrances.


The most complex form of call and response utilizes a vocabulary of calls, each with its own set response. The student must play the appropriate response to each and every call.


The teacher can keep it exciting and challenging by increasing the overall vocabulary, increasing the length of the calls and responses, and by randomly choosing the order of calls. Brazilian Samba recordings are a great place to hear amazing examples of all three of the call and response varieties.

These African musical concepts have direct application for entire band programs as well as percussion sections. After all, each of these concepts has found its way into popular music. The music of Count Basie and James Brown are perfect examples of rote leaning, subtle variation, hocketing and call and response.