Group Classes are a mainstay of my teaching. I appreciate how bringing students together once a month fosters a vibrant, collaborative environment that complements our weekly individual lessons. These sessions provide opportunity to dive into a wide range of activities, but there’s one activity that stands out more than any other. It’s an activity I make certain to include EVERY time around for its longstanding consistent impact.
The Inspiration behind Student Peer Teaching
It all started many years ago when my student Janey told me about something that happened at her school. You see, that week Janey became famous across her school for her piano ability. To be more to the point, Janey became famous because she could teach any student in the school how to play the Star Wars Theme. First it was teaching one student, then another, and before she knew it, she had this amazing reputation. Her ability to teach the Star Wars Theme gave her an unprecedented social currency. Inspired by Janey’s story, I decided to incorporate Student Peer Teaching into my monthly group classes.
"Teach Your Own Song"
Meet my students: Alex (12), Rita (10), Lynn (13), Trina (11), and Adele (10) who have had anywhere from two months to six years of lessons. At our most recent group class (similar to previous group classes), they participated in an activity I call - "Teach Your Own Song" with the following repertoire of their own choices: Habanera by Bizet, River Flows in You by Yiruma, Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars, My Neighbour Totoro by Hisaishi, and Celebration by Robbins. Each student brought their sheet music, demonstrated and taught the other students how to play the first line. It was amazing to watch as this eclectic group shared their knowledge and musical interests.
All Levels and Ages
I include variations of this activity depending on levels and ages with all my student group classes. I include Student Peer Teaching with all my students for several fundamental reasons. Firstly because of the way it reinforces students’ own musical connections. With the emphasis on showcasing repertoire that’s meaningful for themselves, not pieces I’ve chosen for them, students make public confirmations of their relationship with music making. Secondly, I appreciate the way this activity puts students in charge of their own knowledge and expertise outside of their regular lessons. I’ve seen how students sharing info with their peers differs from the conversations they have with me on a weekly basis. It puts them on the spot. Words that might come easily during their private lessons might be buried deeper than we thought.
And of course, the musical knowledge that students explore in such activities is huge. Delving into the technical and compositional aspects, the above students discovered that this time around - all the selections, despite their diversity, were grounded in major or minor chords - and with the Celebration selection we encountered the bold C7 chord over and over again. This realization tied their individual pieces together and confirmed the meaningful language we use to talk about music.
Deepening Understanding
Through activities like Student PeerTeaching, it’s always inspiring for me to watch as students deepen their understanding of music and gain confidence and pride in their abilities. Observing students take the lead, share their unique perspectives, and connect with one another reminds me why peer activities are such an essential part for today’s music teaching environments. Activities like “Teach Your Own Song” are more than just an opportunity to explore students’ musical background. Such activities foster a sense of community, encourage creativity, and provide an environment where students can inspire and learn from one another. It’s moments like these that reaffirm the joy and power of collaborative learning.
What about your group classes?
Do you include group activities like in your music studio?
How do you feel about activities like “Teach Your Own Song"?
