Lesson Planning ideas for teaching Music History

Teaching Music History does not have to be as complicated as it first seems. Here are a few ideas to get you started with planning a lesson on Music History.

1. Firstly, consider your students. How old are they, and what interest do they have for the subject. it might just be that you’ve just said “not much” if you are thinking you have junior high school kids who play rock guitar, and you’re about to try and teach them about Beethoven!. The trick is to get them to relate to the subject matter, and have them understand and enjoy the subject at a deep, emotional level.
2. Next, think about ways you can relate what is in the lesson with what else was happening in the world at that time. Talking about the historical context of music will be very interesting to students, if approached in the right way. The Napoleonic wars and the effect that it had on the music of Beethoven is one such example. Getting students to understand and see the effects of historical events in music is very interesting. The 1812 Overture is a great chance for students to learn about history and music together
3. Talk about the evolution of technology, and what little technology was around during the time of composition of some of the greatest works in history. It will be amazing for students of today to learn about the absolute lack of any recording devices in the classical music era, and how all music had to be live. You can also talk about the fact that copyists used to frantically scribble out parts to Mozart's symphonies prior to the performances.
4. Find a way to relate the composers and their music to today's lifestyle. What would it be like if Beethoven was around today? What would he write? Could there have been a cure for his deafness? What would have happened if he could have heard - would he have written such wonderful music?
5. Let music history mingle with music theory, as you discover the music of Mozart, why not do some simply analysis to discover the genius of his music, and the harmony concepts that are so common these days discovered in his music.
6. Finally Have enthusiasm for the subject! If you do this you’ll find that teaching music history will become super easy. Listen to and Love the music you are teaching, and you’ll find that the ideas will flow easily and will be sure to be easy to enjoy and learn from.

Hopefully these ideas will give you a starting point for teaching music history in the general music class. Refer to the resources given below for further information on this topic.