Witnessing the process of music learning is a thrill, and we can learn a great deal from children about all dimensions of the process of music learning. The more we study what to look for, the more we see, and the more we can uncover the process of music learning in our own classrooms. Musical potential is there in every child, just waiting to be released.

So should we follow the lead of the children, and go where they take us, or follow our lesson plans to take the children where we feel is most appropriate? A good argument can made for either choice, and that choice might be different in different situations or different classes. You will find that your classes will run most smoothly when you make decisions that serve musicality and energy management. For example, you are attempting Rhythm Dialogue with toy telephones, one child at a time. A three year old pulls out his mother’s cellphone and dialogues with that. You might play right into it with your own cellphone and continue, literally, without dropping a beat.  The musical narrative is still dominating the activity. On the other hand, if you respond to a three year old’s interruption of, “my mother has a cellphone,” you will have at least four other children wanting to report that their dad, aunt, or grandma has a cellphone. Once children start talking, musicality goes out the window, not to mention stopping energy flow. The “seamless children’s play” discourages verbal input, serving musicality and energy management.

A three year old picks up a rhythm stick and uses it like a microphone, chanting “bah bah”. You take the child’s cue and use your hand or another rhythm stick to establish a meter and engage in Rhythm Dialogue with a group of children ready for such activity. Energy and musicality move forward. On the other hand, a three year old does the same thing in a class of beginners, ages 0-5. Interaction with one child is going to break the momentum and musicality that are necessary to keep a group of beginners going. In this case, the class is better served if you nod to the child, acknowledging his prowess, and move on with your lesson plan. Perhaps you can engage with Rhythm Dialogue with that child after class.

An eight month old in a beginning class of babies spontaneously goes “eh” on the resting tone. You go “eh” back to him on the resting tone and break both energy and musicality for the rest of the children. Yes, it may be surprising to hear such a young child spontaneously utter the resting tone, such that you would like to respond, but your responding with the unmusical, imitated “eh” or “uh” destroys musicality, even if it is on the resting tone. The musical narrative must dominate the activity, not the spontaneous utterance. Further, letting go of the ongoing musical narrative to respond to an individual spontaneous child, changes the energy totally, risking losing not only musicality, but losing the class. Your planned Tonal Activity would be far more musical and better propel and sustain momentum.  Energy management is crucial to maintaining not only energy, but also musicality.

Keeping the priorities of musicality and energy management prime, you will find your way in knowing whether or not to follow children’s lead in any given situation. Sometimes, children will point you to where you need to go. Sometimes, they will teach you how to move with a particular song or activity, or how to engage more imaginatively with a particular prop. Sometimes, children will respond with far more sophisticated dialogue than you might have expected, cueing you that they are ready for more difficult content. There is much to be learned by observing children that we can incorporate into our teaching—now, or in another class session. There is also much to be lost, when we resort to verbal conversation, unmusical imitations of spontaneous utterances, or the disregard of a well-designed lesson plan. The musical narrative carries musicality and energy—the magic that defines our music classes.