Millennials were born into a world full of electronics and gadgets. They have no memory of a world without the Internet, smartphones, and laptops. Many of them have been plugged into an electronic device since they were toddlers. Surrounded by an overwhelming amount of stimuli, millenials often have a very short attention span.
The generational divide between many music instructors and the millenial generation can pose considerable challenges. Millennials are frequently described as privileged, always looking for fun in work, and valuing friends and lifestyle. Many of them also place an emphasis on collaborative learning experiences like shared work assignments. As instructors, we need to be able to adapt to their learning style and needs in order to stimulate their interest in music learning.
1. Using Technology to Enhance Interest
Since Millennials are avid users of gadgets, it is important to integrate technology as a learning tool. This provides a perception of “playing a game” instead of a mundane learning class.
At Alternate Tone Music School we use the latest musical technology for classes and conduct musical workshop that provide music exposure to kids of all ages. One example is our featured innovative kit. This kit allows students to expand their world of imagination, creativity, and invention.
The innovative kit transforms every day objects into touchpads and combines them with the internet. For example, we plug fruits and vegetables into the device and convert them into piano keys where each piece of fruit or vegetable represents a specific key on the piano. For a fun challenge, you can even try to use items that begin with the same letter as the key name, like this:
C – Carrot
D – Dragon Fruit
E – Elderberry
At the end of the day, not only will they recognize the different key sounds, but they will also remember the layout of the piano keys.
2. Develop Collaborative Courses or Workshops
Millennials enjoy working in groups, so at Alternate Tone Music School most of our programs encourage group learning.
While individual lessons allow the instruction to be tailored to the student’s learning style and goals, group classes can be more fun and interactive, spurring a student’s interest for music or reigniting their passion for learning. Collaborative learning sessions are a great way for students to meet other like-minded musicians.
At Alternate Tone Music School, we provide jamming sessions with our students in addition to their regular classes. This helps build their confidence as they perform and play with their peers. Occasionally, we also have special music-related workshops like song composition skills to broaden their knowledge about music and how they can explore it further.
3. Promote creativity
Our school systems are said to be killing creativity in our children. Kids are often punished for making mistakes and are discouraged from thinking or acting differently. They are taught how to follow instructions and replicate what their teachers do. However, these practices do little to encourage creativity. Children who are restricted to such frameworks are less capable of coming up with new solutions and engaging in self-expression.
Alternate Tone’s core belief is that it is the responsibility of us instructors to help promote creativity in our students. Using another fun innovative music-making kit, students explore their creativity by using everyday objects such as toilet paper rolls, paper, sticks, cardboard, water etc. to build a structure that makes music.
Here are some examples of our students’ musical creations:
In the words of Frank Fitzpatrick from the Huffington Post, “Imagination is the wellspring of creativity, for it is our audacity to imagine that pushes the boundaries of possibility.”
A successful music instructor has experience and knowledge, is adaptable, and is a source of inspiration for his students.
Alternate Tone Music School is the latest advertiser here at Music Matters Blog. They specialize in providing piano lessons and guitar lessons in Singapore. Contact them for workshop and teaching opportunities. We are grateful for their support of the online music education community! If you are interested in finding out more about how you can promote your company, event, or product, just send us an e-mail and we will let you know about our advertising packages.
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