Self-Paced vs. whole group recorder lessons: which is better? I’ve taught recorders in a few different ways (you can read about how I teach recorders here), from whole-group to self-paced lessons.
They both have pros and cons, and in this post, we’ll dive into which might work best for you and your students.
Benefits of whole group lessons
Whole group lessons are easy to plan for. Students will all go at the same pace and you get to determine the class’s speed. You can base your lessons on the majority of the class and go by the 80% rule- if 80% of your class understands the concept, you can feel comfortable moving on.
If you want to make sure that students get through the material, whole group lessons are a good way to do that. You have more control over pacing and can therefore make sure that your students are all covering the concepts and standards that you need to cover.
Drawbacks to whole group lessons
Unfortunately, whole group lessons have drawbacks. While students are all going at the same pace, the flip side to that is that you may lose students who are struggling with the basics and may fall further behind every class. If a student struggles to remember the first couple of notes, whether it’s because they have a hard time reading the music or remembering the fingerings, adding more notes will be even more confusing and frustrating.
On the flip side of that, you will have students who are ready to go faster than the rest of the class will be. These students may be bored while they are waiting for everyone else to catch up. This could cause disengagement, less motivation to learn, or even disrupting behaviors.
Another drawback to whole group lessons is that I found it was harder to hear individual students while also maintaining student interest. You could have students work on a song in partners while you walk around and listen to individuals, but once a group knows the song, they’re likely to get distracted and start talking. I don’t know about you, but I have a very limited amount of time with my students each week, so I want to make the most of it! While I love to give students time to connect with their friends, I also want to make sure that we’re moving forward and not wasting too much time.
Benefits of Self-Paced Units
Individual lessons, whether that be through centers or a self-paced plan, allow students to go at their own pace and achieve mastery before moving on. The students who need to take more time to learn the basics are able to. Meanwhile, the students who are able to move quickly can do that, too. This prevents boredom, anxiety, and behavior disruptions that can stem from both of these feelings.
Another benefit of centers or self-paced learning is that you are able to cover more topics. I found that when I was teaching the whole group, I didn’t have as much time as I wanted to teach theory, listening or other concepts. With centers and independent learning activities, I was able to cover any concepts I wanted through videos, worksheets (printable or digital), and other means.
Teaching this way also teaches students important lessons outside of just music. This way of teaching allows students to learn time management skills. While we may only see our students for a short amount of time compared to classroom teachers, we still need to be teaching them life skills, too. I think that helping students learn time management and intrinsic motivation, and helping them take ownership of their learning are some of the best lessons we can give them.
Drawbacks to Self-Paced Units
More individualized learning has its drawbacks compared to whole group lessons. For one, I find that my room is more chaotic during centers or self-paced learning. Students are all doing different things at any given moment and it can be tricky to manage that (though, in my workshop about creating a self-paced unit I give you tips and tricks to managing the chaos!) Students may need you more often than if you were teaching in a whole group style.
Individualized learning or centers may also be more work for you. Rather than setting a stopping point for the whole class and seeing where the class leads you as you teach them, you’ll need to have everything prepared ahead of time. Between choosing what activities students will do and putting it somewhere they can access it (like your learning management system or a Google Slides presentation you share with them), I found that it took more prep work.
Other considerations
Please think critically about what you are sending home as homework. When I get home from work, I don’t want to do more work (although, yes, sometimes I have to!) I try not to assign homework in music class because 1) they already get plenty of it from their general classroom and 2) they’ve already been at school for a full workday. I want them to play and be kids on their off time!
It is also important to remember that some students cannot practice their recorders at home due to other responsibilities. I have students that are taking care of younger siblings, cooking for the family, or living in a situation where they can’t have live instruments. I find that, oftentimes, my most struggling students would love to practice at home but can’t for reasons outside their control.
Which is better?
So which is better for you? That depends on your situation. If you have very limited planning time or don’t have the mental capacity to take on more work right now, group work might be best for you right now. If you feel comfortable taking on something new this year or don’t love how you’re teaching recorders currently, maybe it’s time to try something new. I’m in the self-paced unit camp, but it might not be right for you if you already feel overwhelmed with planning and staying ahead of your classes.
If you’re interested in trying out a self-paced recorder unit, you can check out my free guide to creating a self-paced recorder unit. Or, to get a walkthrough plus a workbook to guide you and templates to make creating your unit even easier, I’ve got a workshop available. Whatever you choose, I would love to hear how you run your recorder unit! If you don’t already follow me on Instagram (@caffeinated.j), I would love to connect with you over there!
