In education, fostering connections is crucial for creating an enriching and supportive environment for your students to learn in. This is especially true when it comes to music education. Music is one of the world’s universal languages. It has the unique ability to bring people together regardless of their culture or background and music education shouldn’t be any different.
Whether they’re playing a piece together, singing in harmony, or just appreciating a song, there are many opportunities for music students to create lasting connections with each other. In this blog, we’ll explore some of the ways you can foster connections in your music class and encourage collaboration, communication and camaraderie among your students.
The Importance of Fostering Connections
In the moment, having students collaborate may just seem like a fun way for them to put their musical skills into practice, but in reality, it goes beyond that. Teaching students to collaborate and work together helps impart valuable life skills that they can use in both music and their everyday lives.
Communication
Communication is a huge benefit of this collaboration. Whether your students become professional musicians or pursue another type of career, solid communication is a skill they’ll be glad to have at their disposal. If you’re looking to boost your communication with parents, Jackrabbit Class is here to help!
Open-Mindedness
Your students may not have much in common with one another outside of the song they are working on but whether they realize it or not, they’ve just found common ground. Music brings people together from all sorts of backgrounds supporting a diverse and inclusive classroom. Many students will internalize the ability to connect with others and take it with them beyond your class.
Encouraging an open-minded classroom can also lead to breakthroughs for shy students when it comes to performances or creating their own music. If they feel that they are in a safe, supportive environment, you may see them come out of their shell, excel and encourage others to do the same.
Networking and Friendships
If your students are assigned to work on projects together, chances are that by the end of the assignment, someone will walk away with a new friend. This can help students realize that connections are just waiting to be made in the world. Whether they’re looking for a group to play music or sing with, or they’re on their first day at a new job several years from now, they can enter the situation with a positive attitude and a friendly demeanor that just might help them achieve their goals.
Ways to Foster Connections
Collaborative Activities
Encourage your students to break into groups to accomplish certain activities you’ve created for them. If it’s a music theory exercise, have your students work together to identify the right answers to your questions, or if they’re working on sight reading, have them break up the provided piece into sections and then play them together as a team. By working together towards a shared goal, students learn to communicate, compromise and support one another. All skills that are invaluable in both music and life.
Connections in a Group
Another great way to foster connections is through group settings. This can range from group composition challenges and performances to full ensembles, choirs, or even summer camps. To really get the conversation going between your students, start with a fun icebreaker game like “Two Truths and a Lie”. This will help students relax a little and get them comfortable with their classmates before getting to work on their assignments or projects.
Depending on the age groups and class composition you have, slightly larger groups offer a great opportunity to create a peer-to-peer mentorship program, allowing students to help other students learn while making some new friends along the way.
Technology-Based Connections
Technology can be a powerful tool for fostering new connections especially if you teach your lessons virtually or individually. In an increasingly digital world, technology offers an abundance of opportunities for collaboration. Whether it’s through virtual ensemble performances, online composition projects, or interactive music-making apps, technology can help students connect with one another in a variety of ways.
Fostering connections in music classes makes music education so much more than the notes and rhythms. By embracing collaboration, communication and creativity, you can create an environment where students can thrive both musically and personally, and gain skills, connections and friendships that they’ll take with them throughout their life.
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