Color
The archive contains posts about using color to teach music.
Color in Teaching
How does color help to teach music? Many studies have shown using pigment is a good teaching tool. For instance, Berry found that tinted charts helped college students effectively learn the parts of the heart. Likewise, Chute stated that grade school students scored higher after viewing a color film versus a black-and-white film.
Many other sources found pigmented materials a helpful teaching aid:
- Gattegno (1963)
- Pollock (1965)
- Goldenberg (1970)
- Papy and Papy (1970)
- Green (1970)
- Bradford (1974)
- Burns (1975)
- Ewbank and Ginther (1975)
Likewise, a number of subjects in school use it, such as:
- Early readers, leveled readers, and some early chapter books
- Language arts, writing, phonics, and spelling books
- Math books
- Science books
- Geography books
- History books
- Music books
- And, of course, art books
Using pigmented materials, even without color coding, remains helpful for holding a student’s attention, because it makes learning fun and engaging.
However, the true power of color happens when using color coding, because it makes the relationships in the teaching materials clearer.
In music, Rogers stated that students preferred working with pigmented music notes over unpigmented notes. This is because the students found it simpler to read. “… 65% of all subjects favored the color coded notation as easier to play” (72).
This remained true for rhythmic notation as well. “…nearly 80% of the students preferred the experimental [pigmented] notation” (23).
The following posts talk about how to color code notes (for distance teaching), rhythms, and much, much more.
© 2021 Geoffrey Keith
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Does your child have dyspraxia and wants to learn to play piano? Are you a music teacher of a “clumsy” student? Because dyspraxia affects motor skills, it can have a huge impact on music lessons. However, with the correct teaching strategies, students with dyspraxia can successfully learn to play the piano. Keep reading “What Exactly Is Dyspraxia and Its Impact on Learning Piano?” to find out what it is and how to deal with it. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Do you get confused when you look at sheet music? Do you want to know what the music symbols mean? The visual-score-guides paired with quick explanations will help you understand the music notation. Keep reading “50 Essential Music Symbols Explained in Less Than 5 Minutes” to find the symbols listed by notation category. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Do you need advice on how to teach a music student with Down syndrome? Teaching a Down syndrome (DS) kid an instrument can be a special, heartwarming experience. However, to be truly effective, you need to have effective teaching methods. Keep reading “How Easy Is it to Teach a Down Syndrome Child an Instrument?” to learn how to be effective. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Do you have a student who has a problem keeping the steady beat? Does your child struggle with rhythmic concepts? Color coding combined with physicalizing the beat makes for a powerful teaching aid. Keep reading “How to Color Code Music to Optimize the Steady Beat” to learn how it works. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Do you have a child or a student who struggles to read alto clef? Are you confused about how it works? Why is the alto staff so elusive for most musicians? Because instruments rarely use it. In fact, only one instrument reads from it regularly. Even the closely related tenor clef is used by more instruments (sort of). Keep reading to learn how to color code the elusive alto clef. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
“What is the precise meaning of scaffolding in teaching?” Scaffolding is an effective teaching method that’s designed to help students in the early phases of learning. It helps them close the distance between what they can do now and where they need to be in the future. Keep reading to learn more. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Do you have a musical prodigy on your hands? Do you need information about how your musical child or student learns? Musical giftedness can emerge as early as one to two years old and usually appears before age six. It’s characterized by a rage to learn. Keep reading “What Does Prodigy Mean and Do They Have Elite Musical Talent?” to get examples of this shocking musical ability. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
Do you naturally problem solve intuitively? Do you want to understand how insight problem solving works? Whether you’re in science, engineering, the arts, or business, those “eureka” moments can be game changers. Keep reading “Insight Meaning and Examples of Insight Problem Solving” to learn how it works. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Does your child want to learn how to play the piano? Do you want to know the best way to teach piano hand placement? Finger placement on the piano keyboard is an important skill that should be taught at the earliest stages of learning. Keep reading “How to Play Piano (Kid’s Color Coded Piano Hand Placement)” to learn how it works. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Have you ever wondered if you’re gifted and dyslexic? Or are you a parent of a child who’s gifted and dyslexic and want more information. Sometimes it can be difficult to recognize giftedness. Ronald Davis states, “This would commonly be recognized as daydreaming or simply not paying attention. The student is actually paying attention but has shifted to an imaginary world that is more interesting” (“The Gift of Learning” 38). How is this a sign of giftedness? Keep reading “The Gifted Dyslexic and Insight Learning” to learn about the last of our four dyslexic strengths. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
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