John Hay Music - What We're Working On

Teaching with piano, guitar, and recorded tracks:

I try to achieve a balance between accompanying the students on piano, guitar, recorded instrument/vocal tracks, and singing without accompaniment.

Singing without accompaniment is the best choice for development of the student’s ability to hear and match pitch.  Sometimes, loud accompaniment can make it challenging or even impossible for the children to hear themselves.  

Some people are not crazy about recorded tracks.  I felt the same way until I located high quality materials.  I have come to believe that recorded tracks are an important tool for a number of reasons:

1)  The children like them.  If music isn’t enjoyable, why do it?

2)  Small children more effectively match pitch with other treble voices, rather than a man’s lower register. High quality recorded educational music is performed by children or women.  Some male music educators are able to sing using a high ‘teaching falsetto’ voice.  Mine sounds like Spongebob Squarepants.

3)  The children have the opportunity to perform and consistently be exposed to different instrumentations, styles of music. (jazz, samba, funk, Celtic, Asian, classical, strings, brass, drums and bass)  Quality recordings can expose the students to different sounds, instrumental textures, performances and musical feels beyond that of a solo piano or guitar.  

4)   Too many music educators wind up behind the piano during performances when they should be in front of the students, conducting.  The children need the experience of following a conductor and unless there is an accompanist, recorded tracks make this a possibility.

Balance is the key.  Acoustic is best. Recordings are invaluable teaching tools.

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