Beginning instrumental students can struggle to perform notated rhythms accurately, confidently, and in time because instruction might separate steady beat, movement, and music literacy, potentially leading to longer-term issues performing rhythms precisely in time. This article focuses on beginning instrumentalists for whom early rhythmic experiences play a critical role in shaping long-term musical understanding and performance habits. I describe a sound-before-symbol approach to rhythm instruction that emphasizes experiencing the subdivision of pulse through speaking, moving, chanting, and playing. Central to this approach is the use of diagnostic assessment to determine students’ rhythmic readiness and to guide instructional sequencing. Practical classroom examples in the article drawn on my teaching experiences as well as research can be adapted across numerous instructional contexts. By foregrounding rhythmic performance as an embodied musical skill, the purpose of this article is to invite teachers to consider rhythmic instruction as more than counting beats on the page and support students’ development of “good rhythm” through sound, movement, and active music-making.
What if the real key to student success in music isn’t motivation but resilience? Although students’ motivation may fluctuate, educators can intentionally cultivate motivation alongside resilience—the ability to adapt, persevere, and rebound from setbacks—through thoughtful classroom culture and instructional design. Ginsburg and Jablow’s “seven C’s” (control, connection, competence, confidence, character, contribution, and coping) can help music educators to reframe common classroom challenges within a practical framework. This article presents concrete strategies and classroom-ready examples to help music teachers strengthen student engagement, foster resilience, and encourage young musicians to view challenges as opportunities for long-term growth.
Creativity is often viewed as an essential component of music learning and teaching, yet its relationship to personality remains underexplored in many classrooms. In this article, I examine the concept of the creative personality and how understanding students’ individual traits can enrich creative engagement in music education. Drawing from research in psychology, music education, and creativity studies, I synthesize theories from Feist, Csikszentmihalyi, Amabile, Webster, and others to illustrate how personality factors—particularly, openness, extraversion, and resilience—interact with musical growth. I propose practical classroom strategies for fostering creativity through improvisation, composition, and reflective practice. The article concludes with implications for teachers seeking to cultivate inclusive, risk-taking, and imaginative learning environments that support each student’s unique creative identity.
