When To Introduce Certain Musical Instruments and Why

When reading in our text, "Using Music," on the portion for Inside The Music: The Basic Elements of Music Chapter 3 I ended up likening this to a previous class that I have taken this year: Elementary Physical Education. The reason why is much like in P.E. when it is important to start at the ground level of introductory movements and then work up to more proficient movements it is just the same in musical education. Students just learning music, rhythm, and tone, etc. cannot just be handed a recorder, or woodwind instrument and be asked to play something. Students just being introduced to playing an instrument must start out with the basic elements of music.

The instruments we have been asked to discuss on when to introduce them are: Recorder, xylophone, rhythm sticks, finger cymbals, and kazoo.

The first instrument that I believe should be introduced when reading Chapter 3 in the text should be:
rhythm sticks. I think that this is so because students being taught the basic fundamentals of rhythm with a very simple instrument is a great foundation laid down for the rest following. The next instrument that I think should be introduced is finger cymbals because this takes the rhythm aspect one step further. This could work great when asking students to play the cymbals at certain points in a song or at a steady beat. I then think after these two instruments are being performed proficiently one could then bring in the kazoo where not only rhythm could again be emphasized but pitch, and breathing could be practiced as well. The kazoo is a great lead in for the next instrument the recorder. I believe that this is the biggest step up of all of these instruments from one to another here because of the introduction of notation. More time could be spent on this instrument learning notation and sheet music. Again, though, rhythm, pitch, and breathing are also able to be worked on with the recorder. Then finally, I believe that after notation, and being able to read sheet music has been learning one could then introduce the xylophone. After building up to this as student should be able to correlate what they are reading on sheet music with what is being asked to be played on the xylophone in correct rhythm, and timing because of all of the steps leading up to it.

I think that each instrument should be introduced in this order because each one acts as a stepping stone to the next. Once students are to the point of the xylophone introduction and mastery they would then have a huge chunk of what will be needed to play well on any other instrument.