Thursday, March 19, 2015

Loved Lessons

Here's one from Eric Betthauser's Guitar class:

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It was several weeks ago that I saw this lesson, but I wanted to make sure I got a chance to write about some of the work that Eric Betthauser’s guitar students did this year.  I stopped by his classroom and students were paired up both in the room and out in the hallway to write their own blues songs.  They were learning some blues riffs on their guitars and were working together to develop lyrics and music to perform for their peers.  The kids I saw working together were having a great time and learning an incredible amount.  They were critiquing their own and their partners work, revising and improving their lyrics when something didn’t seem quite right, and writing music that was incredibly meaningful and personal to them.  This was one of those great lessons in which the teacher in the classroom really is just a facilitator of learning.  Eric had given the kids all of the tools they would need to create this music, and then he let them go.  If they hit a wall or didn’t understand how to do something, he was there to help, but for the most part they were on their own creating, analyzing, revising and performing their original works.  They were highly engaged in a lesson and were learning a skill that will stay with them forever.  Great lesson, Eric!

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