Music to my Ears: Guitar & the Music Curriculum
“All in all probably the best online course I have ever participated in and I would have no hesitation in doing a similar course again or recommending this one. Thank you very much.’” – Liam
Course Overview
Course Outline
Module 1 - Introduction & Wellbeing
Have you ever wanted to learn the basics of guitar? Do you need to brush up on your guitar knowledge? In this module you will:
- Explore each strand of the Music Curriculum & identify each of the musical elements
- Consider the relationship between music & wellbeing, with a focus on learning/playing instruments
- Become familiar with the acoustic guitar and explore the opportunities for using it within the Music Curriculum
Module 2 - Major Steps in Listening & Responding
In this module, you will explore strategies and resources which allow children to respond to music in a variety of engaging and innovative ways. Level 1 guitarists will learn their first full songs, while Level 2 guitarists will explore a variety of new strumming patterns:
- Enhance your knowledge, skills and confidence in teaching ‘Listening and Responding’
- Explore a variety of innovative resources that provide opportunities for curricular integration with other subjects
- Learn a basic guitar strum, and a variety of major chords of guitar
Module 3 - Minor Points for Performing
This module will empower participants to become confident in the teaching of songs, instruments and the use of notation. Your guitar repertoire will also be expanded on through the use of minor chords and more popular songs:
- Enhance your knowledge, skills and confidence in teaching ‘Performing’
- Gain confidence in supporting pupils to utilise a variety of percussion and melodic instruments in the classroom
- Develop participants’ guitar skills by introducing the minor chords and apply a new strum to a wide range of songs
Module 4 - Confident Composing in the Classroom
Module 4 explores the composing strand in detail and draws on the use of effective stimuli to inspire children to make and record music. In terms of guitar content, the final chords of the course are taught, as well as fingerstyle techniques for Level 2 participants:
- Enhance your knowledge, skills and confidence in teaching ‘Composing’
- Consider activities and resources to explore music composition and recording through graphic scores and/or notation
- Develop your guitar skills by learning the final chords of the course as well as new techniques such as fingerstyle
Module 5 - Digital Technology and SSE in Music
Digital technology and SSE can be used to enhance music teaching and learning at a whole school level. This module consolidates your guitar journey so far, as well as providing you with more songs to use in the classroom. In this module you will:
- Consider how digital technology can be utilised to enhance each strand of the Music Curriculum
- Review, identify and plan strategies for the improvement of music across the primary school as part of SSE
- Explore strategies to ‘work out’ the strumming patterns of ANY song
Course Details
Choosing the right level for you!
Here are the main points about our Level 1 course:
- Level 1 is aimed at ‘complete beginners’. Participants will learn exactly how to hold the guitar, how to hold the plectrum and all of the basics from the very start!
- This level is also perfect for guitarists who know a handful of chords, but haven’t picked it out of the attic in years!
- The course explores the first 8 essential guitar chords. These are practiced using a variety of strumming patterns, which are developed throughout the 5 modules
- The main focus of the course is to learn songs to play within the classroom and beyond!! Check out the lists of songs below for a more detailed look at the songs covered!
- Most songs will have a standard demo of how to play them, followed by examples of how to use these songs in the classroom to teach various musical elements!
Here are a few details about the Level 2 course:
- Level 2 is aimed at ‘advancing beginners’. All of the previous chords will be explored! However, there will be new chords, new strums, new riffs and much more!
- Most songs will have a standard demo of how to play them, followed by a more advanced method!
- Participants will learn a variety of fun, new techniques such as palm muting and fingerstyle!
- There will be a big emphasis in the last module on working out songs on your own, getting you ready to really make huge strides in your guitar journey!
- If you’re fairly rusty and haven’t picked up the guitar in years, fear not! There’s a refresher section before Module 1!
- Please note that this course mentions, but does not explicitly teach barre chords. They require a bit more time and effort!!
List of songs in each level
Level 1 includes:
- He’s got the whole world in his hands
- Three Little Birds
- Chasing Cars
- I Have a Dream
- Love me Do
- Lean on Me
- All these things that I’ve done
- Songbird
- I’m yours
- Zombie
- Viva la vida
- Stand by me
- Happy Birthday
- Blinding lights
- Dreams
- Oro sè do bheatha bhaile
- Huge list of nursery rhymes
- Hill an Gully rider
Level 2 includes:
- Wagon Wheel
- Stand by Me
- Somewhere Over the Rainbow
- One
- Grace
- Live Forever
- Riptide
- Fields of Athenry
- Time of Your Life
- All I Want is You
- Wonderwall
- Huge list of nursery rhymes
- Spancilhill
- Everybody hurts
- Perfect
- Happy Birthday
- Galway Girl
- Fix You
- Nancy Spain
We also have simple one string riffs such as Shape of You, Believer, Zombie, Pompeii and many more! By the end of the course, we hope that you will be able to enjoy and play many of the above songs!
Course Author
Denis Davoren
“I designed this course to enable other teachers to enrich their music lessons in a multitude of ways. My love of the guitar is clear from the course content. However, when it comes to playing the instrument, the greatest pleasure I get is teaching others how to play.”
Bio
Denis is a primary school teacher from CBS Primary, Mitchelstown, Co. Cork. He graduated from Mary Immaculate College with a first class honours degree in 2011. Over the last 11 years Denis has taught in multi-grade mainstream classes in county Clare and Cork. He is particularly interested in the curricular areas of Literacy and Music. Denis uses the guitar as a teaching tool in his classroom to promote learning and also accompanies the school choir at all school events. He has been teaching the instrument to children and adults, for the past 10 years.
What Participants Say About This Course
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