Teaching Music

Paper Summary:

The paper explains that if we develop a clear idea of how the mind develops and operates, we can potentially learn to affect any change necessary for a child to perform desired tasks. The paper discusses how this idea has profound and exciting implications for the field of education, especially music. The paper examines the article "The Movie in Your Head" by Christof Koch. Koch shows how perception is not simultaneous when it comes to multiple stimuli and when presented with similar information in quick succession, the mind will tend to "mask" one object or sensation with the one that immediately followed it. The paper also discusses how altering the learning environment of students can help to improve performance.

From the Paper:

"The implication and application of the vast amounts of knowledge that has been collected about the human processes behind learning is nearly infinite. Though the brain is a far more complicated organ than any piece of machinery, the ideas of basic structural integrity can still be applied. Essentially, if you understand how and why a machine works, then the potential for you to manipulate that machine knows no bounds. Even if the machine is not inherently capable of doing something that you would like it to do, if you know the fundamental principles as well as the mechanical operations of the machine, then you know what to add, take away, or change a little in order for the machine to work in the manner in which you would like it to."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Koch, Christof. "The Movie in Your Head." Scientific American. (October 2005).
• Ratey, John J. A Users Guide to the Brain: Perception, Attention, and the Four Theaters of the Brain. (New York: Pantheon Books, 2001) Auditory System Diagram.
• Ten Things Every Child Needs for the Best Start in Life. DVD. Consumervision, 1999.

More papers on Teaching Music:

• Essay # 46888 : "Teaching Music to the Blind"
• Term Paper # 109601 : "Music Education"
• Research Paper # 60264 : "Choral Music Education"

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