Teaching Beginner Music by Ear Certificate
3 Courses
36 Hours
Online
Program Description
The Teaching Beginner Music by Ear certificate will provide teachers with general principles that have immediate application in the classroom and/or studio. Through the three courses, students will learn how to implement a language-learning model for teaching music, how to construct lesson plans using small, achievable steps, how to help students become independent learners to reach their own goals, and how to nurture a supportive learning environment. The certificate will examine popular teaching methods that are based on aural learning from the start, and connect participants with resources to follow up for more information and training in these methods.
Just as learning to hear and speak a new language enables learners to communicate naturally from the start, learning music by ear helps musicians develop musical flow, phrasing, and expression beyond what can be achieved by reading notation alone. Throughout the certificate, you will explore practical, hands-on strategies for developing and teaching these skills. Each course provides immediately applicable techniques that can be incorporated into your own teaching and musical practice.
Questions? Please contact our program team: augmusic@ualberta.ca
Who Will Benefit?
The Teaching Beginner Music by Ear certificate is designed for educators and musicians who want to develop practical strategies for teaching and learning music by ear. It is particularly beneficial for:
- 🗸Beginning studio and classroom teachers seeking the skills and confidence to create engaging lesson plans that encourage students to make music from the very first lesson.
- 🗸Experienced music teachers who want to incorporate audiation skills into their teaching and strengthen students' musical understanding from the start of instruction.
- 🗸Musicians who wish to build confidence playing by ear, move beyond reliance on written notation, and expand their creativity and musicianship.
- 🗸Teachers in regional, rural, remote, or international communities who have limited access to professional development and are looking for flexible, online learning opportunities to enhance their teaching practice.
What You'll Learn
Through this certificate, you will learn how to:
- 🗸Implement a language learning model to teach music.
- 🗸Construct lesson plans in small, achievable steps.
- 🗸Help students become independent learners.
- 🗸Nurture a supportive learning environment.
- 🗸Use observational learning by analyzing student responses to instruction.
- 🗸Self-evaluate the delivery of the material.
- 🗸Teach effective practice techniques.
- 🗸Teach students strong aural skills to recognize and create beautiful tone on their instrument.
- 🗸Implement embodied learning to develop efficient techniques and a comfortable posture.
- 🗸Use games to encourage the development of good practice habits.
What You'll Earn
- 🗸 After completing each course, learners will receive a digital badge. Once all certificate requirements are met, learners will be awarded a digital parchment. Both digital badge and parchment are securely delivered through MyCreds.
- 🗸 Upon completing the program, you will earn a certificate in Teaching Beginner Music by Ear, which will highlight your ability to provide an elite level of music education grounded in strong aural skills and a language-learning model of teaching.
- This certificate is offered entirely online with three additional hours of asynchronous work in some courses.
- Because the course focuses on learning music through aural skills, it is strongly recommended that you have either good headphones or a speaker, along with a decent-quality microphone, to participate.
- Each course is designed to be a stand-alone entity and can be taken in any order to complete the certificate.
- Creating the Learning Environment and Experiencing the Learning Environment are theoretical courses and, as such, do not require you to have your own instrument.
- For Learning with the Instruments, students are required to provide their own instrument.
- Please note that continuing education classes are not eligible for student loans.
- If you're seeking financial assistance for these courses, please explore the scholarship, bursaries and funding opportunities specifically designated for continuing education students.
- Approximate cost of the program: $825 CAD plus recourse materials.
- Flexible payment options: register and pay for all courses at once or pay course-by-course as you go.
- Courses are GST-exempt.
- International Students are welcome to enroll and pay the same course fees as local students.
- Proficiency in English and a stable internet connection are needed to participate and succeed in our courses.
- Please note that non-credit programming does not qualify for a study permit, therefore, this program cannot be used for immigration to Canada. For more information, please contact University of Alberta International Student Services.