Success Music Studio

Multisensory

 

multisensory teaching in music

 

The archive contains posts about teaching music using multisensory teaching methods.

 

A Brief Account of Multisensory Teaching

Do you want to know what multisensory teaching is and where it came from? Multisensory teaching became popular in the 1980s with Howard Gardener’s book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Originally written to discuss how the brain works, it instantly had an impact on the public-school teaching community.

 

The main idea? People come in different brain types:

  • Musical-rhythmic and harmonic
  • Bodily-kinesthetic
  • Visual-spatial
  • Verbal-linguistic
  • Logical-mathematical
  • Interpersonal
  • Intrapersonal.

 

Each brain type learns best through a different sense. (Other intelligences got added later.)

 

According to Gardener, a person may have more than one intelligence, but only one comes to the foreground. Prior to Frames of Mind, public school teachers focused on verbal teaching. However, the book opened a floodgate of ground-breaking teaching tactics.

 

Other theories exist of how the brain works, such as Linda K. Silverman’s visual-spatial versus verbal-sequential learners. There are also other multisensory teaching methods such as Orton and Gillingham and Ronald Davis.

 

However, all of the methods remain focused on teaching using more than one sense. Teaching via sight, touch, sound, and kinesthetic senses helps support the range of learning styles within a typical class room.

 

In my lessons, I have used manipulatives (such as a raised staff and plush toys) to convey musical ideas using the sense of touch. Likewise, color coding links into the sense of sight. Sound models (and not just for establishing the mental pitch template) for the sense hearing. Finally, clapping and movement games for the kinesthetic sense. (So far, I have not found a music application for the sense of smell or taste.)

 

Multisensory teaching methods make the difference between success and failure for special needs, LD, and ADD students.

 

Back to The Successful Music Student blogs.

 

© 2021 Geoffrey Keith 

 

Singing Shape Note Solfege Dorian Melodies - Chant Manuscript - Singing Shape Note Solfege Aeolian Melodies - Discover Early Music Via Beautiful Medieval Gregorian Chants

Singing Shape Note Solfege Dorian Melodies

Have you ever wanted to sing exotic music from long ago or far away? Do you have trouble performing modal music? Modes can create the feel of mysterious sounding mediaeval chants, some old timey folk and roots music, and exotic types of ethic and world music. Every other month we will explore a new mode. “Singing Shape Note Solfege Dorian Melodies” will start you down your path of discovery.
Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

Lego Rhythm Manipulatives - Lego Man on the Keyboard

Lego Rhythm Manipulatives

Do your students get the deer-in-the-headlights look when you quiz them on rhythm? Are you looking for a great way to engage your kids when working on clapping? Legos make a fun way to help your students get rhythm. All you need are Legos and a marker. Read more to learn about Lego rhythm manipulatives.
Estimated reading time 5 minutes.