What Is Rote Learning?

What is Rote Learning?
- Rote learning is a method of instruction based on imitation and

repetition. This is useful for things like multiplication tables and the
ABCs, but it’s also beneficial for learning a new language and yes,
learning music. And in a day and age when we’re doing more online
teaching, this is especially important.
The Benefits of Rote Learning

1. It builds musical understanding.
• Teaching a song or piece by rote helps children develop an
awareness and understanding of musical patterns, or meaningful
groups of notes.
2. It broadens awareness of musical styles and sounds.
• When learning a language, children are able to imitate much more
complex words and phrases than they are able to read on their own.
The same is true in music. Children are able to listen and respond to
music that is much more complex than they are able to sing or play
with notation. As such, this provides an opportunity to expose them
to a wider variety of musical styles and sounds.
3. It develops listening skills.
• As I mentioned before, music is an aural art. Though we often think
of the visual components of music-learning, it involves both the ear
and the eye. Creating opportunities to focus solely on listening skills
is a valuable part of the learning process, especially at the beginning.
It’s important to separate these two experiences (aural and visual)
and develop them individually.
How to Incorporate Rote Learning Into Your Teaching
Sequence
• Since rote learning is based on repetition, it's important to think

about ways to prepare, introduce, and reinforce new musical
concepts over the course of several weeks.
• Spend some time studying the music you plan to teach — you'll be
able to teach much more effectively if you know the material really
well. Remember, since children aren't looking at the music when
they’re learning by rote, they'll be focused on you. You'll be able to
keep them engaged and teach more effectively if you don’t have to
keep looking at the score, so I suggest having the rote piece
memorized or mostly memorized.
• Think about ways to prepare new concepts such as melodic or

rhythmic patterns, dynamics, meter, etc. in advance. Can you work
them into warm-ups somehow? Can you incorporate a new rhythm
pattern or two into a group gathering activity?
• Prepare new concepts without drawing too much attention to what
they are, initially. Simply have children experience the new meter,
echo the rhythm or melodic pattern, explore the dynamic changes in
some way.
• This way, by the time you introduce the rote song or anthem a week
or two later, some elements will already be familiar to them.
Here are a few quick and easy strategies for teaching a song or
anthem by rote
1. USE THE WHOLE-PART-WHOLE SEQUENCE

• Sing or play the song or piece in its entirety (from memory, if
possible) before breaking it into patterns and individual phrases.
Edwin Gordon observed, "A class may need to hear a song four to six
times before most students are able to sing it accurately. Keep them
actively involved in the listening process by adding a new task to
each repetition”.
Another useful approach is to ask a series of thoughtful questions

to guide learners in listening each time. Ask the question,
demonstrate the song or piece again as they listen, then discuss
the answer. Here are some questions I ask my students:
• What dynamics do you hear?

• What types of notes do you hear? (e.g. long, short)
• Are there any rests in this song?
• Do you hear any patterns that are repeated?
• Do you hear any repeated notes?
• Do the notes in this phrase go up or down?
• Do the notes in this phrase move by step or skip?
For piano students, you might ask more specific questions like:
• Does this piece begin with LH or RH?
• Which finger plays first?
• How many times do you hear Middle C? Treble G?
• Is the sound smooth and connected or short and separated? Or
both?
2. CHANT THE RHYTHM

• Keep a steady beat on your lap and have children imitate. Chant the
rhythm, phrase by phrase, on a neutral syllable such as "bah" or
rhythm syllables such as "ta" and "ti-ti," if you've introduced them,
and have children echo you for each phrase. Repeat as needed. Talk
about patterns that are the same and different.
3. SING ON A NEUTRAL SYLLABLE
• If teaching a song by rote, establish tonality on the piano (play a I-
IV-V7-I sequence in the key you are singing in) or by singing a
broken triad: 1-3-5-3-1. When first introducing parts of the song, sing
on a neutral syllable such as "doo" or "bum" or solfege, if you've
introduced it. Start with 2-measure patterns, call and response, then
work up to 4-bar phrases. Repeat as needed. Use visuals to help with
intervals, direction of the lines, phrasing, etc.
4. CHANT THE TEXT

• Chant the text in rhythm, phrase by phrase, and have the students
echo back. Point out words that we sing differently than we speak
(e.g. "ever" vs. "ev-ah"). Spend a few minutes talking about what the
text means and explaining any words that may be unfamiliar.
5. SING WITH TEXT

• Once you've introduced the musical phrases (rhythm and melody
separately) and read through the text, sing a phrase or part of a
phrase with text and have children echo back, call-and-response
style. Start with 2-measure patterns or 4-bar phrases and work up to
longer sections. Repeat as needed until children can sing the phrases
on their own.

What Is Rote Learning?

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What Is Rote Learning?

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What is Rote Learning?

- Rote learning is a method of instruction based on imitation and

The Benefits of Rote Learning

• Since rote learning is based on repetition, it's important to think

• Think about ways to prepare new concepts such as melodic or

1. USE THE WHOLE-PART-WHOLE SEQUENCE

Another useful approach is to ask a series of thoughtful questions

• What dynamics do you hear?

2. CHANT THE RHYTHM

4. CHANT THE TEXT

5. SING WITH TEXT

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