“Prepare, Present, Practice”: Developing Music Skills in Grades 2 – 4

Submitted by Fiona Crawford, Music Teacher, Grades 2-5

If you were to walk by the music room here in Drapkin Hall, you’d be treated to a variety of sounds coming from our hard working musicians. You might hear soaring vocal warm ups, folk songs from around the world, glockenspiels ringing out, or you may even recognize a familiar hand-clapping game from your own playground days! 

At the heart of these activities there is a very specific, intentional approach to music education: the Kodály Method. Developed by the Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodály, this approach to teaching is rooted in the idea that music should be a social and cultural experience and that skills are developed in a logical, sequential manner. 

When planning lessons for Grades 2-4, the essential Kodály framework “Prepare, Present, Practice” is used. 

• Prepare: This is the “hidden learning” phase. Long before students see a note on the staff or rhythms written out, they experience them physically. Students play singing games, dance, and listen to folk songs that feature a specific rhythm or melody. For example, in 3rd grade, students have been playing a guessing game with the song “Biddy, Biddy” which is preparing the sixteenth note rhythm. 
• Present: This is the “Aha!” moment. Once the students have the sound in their ears and the feeling in their bodies, the formal musical concept is named. In the rock, paper, scissors style singing game “I Lost the Farmer’s Dairy Key” 4th grade students have discovered that the high note they have been singing is called “high do”, the eighth note in the major solfege scale. 
• Practice: Now that the concept has been made conscious, students undertake multiple activities that practice it, such as reading it in new songs, writing it on staff paper, and even improvising their own melodies. Games like “Poison Rhythm”, “Magic Solfege” and “Mixed Up Melodies” are student favorites for practicing new skills. 

Whether we are playing a high-energy game or focused on a quiet listening exercise, this three-step thread is always present. Our musicians look forward to sharing all that they’ve practiced this year at the Spring Concert in March!