When it comes to inspiring learning in music class, I tend to reflect on my own teaching practices often. I think about the music lessons that were successful along with the ones that flopped. My current teaching approach is the direct result of trial, error, and constant reflection. Even so, I am realizing more and more that learning in music class is less about teaching and more about setting a stage to allow learning to happen naturally. Let me tell you more about what I mean.

Influence of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi

When I was an undergrad, I learned about the theory of great education philosophers like Plato, Socrates, and Maria Montessori. Likewise, I also studied the influence of Zoltan Kodály, Carl Orff, and Émile Jaques-Dalcroze on modern music education. I incorporated many of their ideas into my own teaching practice, in an effort to create the best possible learning experience for my students. And as I was uncovering who I was as a music teacher, I stumbled upon the principles of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi. His educational approach resonated so profoundly that I referenced many of his ideas within my own music education philosophy statement.

A Few Significant Pestalozzi Teaching Principles:

• Active learning and concrete experiences over lectures and memorization
• The teacher’s role is to guide—not dictate
• Create a safe environment where meaningful learning can take place
• Start with what students already know
• Learning should build gradually and cumulatively
• Student-centered learning and development at a child’s own pace
• Connect learning to real-life experiences

And while Pestalozzi wasn’t a music education philosopher per se, his ideas shifted my focus from that of a music director to that of a facilitator. As someone who needed to create rich musical experiences for students to explore, I began to view my role in the music classroom differently.

What this looks like when I teach

• Letting students explore and improvise with musical instruments
• Allowing students to listen before explaining
• Creating space for “think time” before immediately revealing the answer
• Giving students the freedom to make their own musical choices
• Valuing musical growth over a perfect performance
• Building a classroom community where students take ownership of their learning.

For these teaching principles to work, it meant stepping back and letting students take the lead (within reason, of course). This wasn’t a perfect practice when I first started teaching. In fact, I initially felt an internal push to orchestrate every lesson and activity with the pressure of submitting my lesson plans in advance. I’ll admit I felt like it was necessary to “stick to the plan” at first. But over time, I started to recognize that I didn’t have to be perfect for learning to take place in music class.

Why Less is Sometimes More

When it comes down to it, all of our music lessons are structured around a concept or essential question outlined within the standards or our preferred music curriculum. While these concepts may seem rigid and absolute, it doesn’t mean the teaching has to be. Teaching as a profession naturally requires patience and flexibility. In turn, that should mean that there is more than one approach for learning in music class.

Suppose I wanted to teach my students about binary form. I could start by lecturing about the definition of binary form, drawing visual diagrams on the board. Or I could simply hand out manipulatives like scarves or ribbon wands and ask the students to demonstrate the changes they hear in a selected excerpt of music.

It also might mean having students reflect on their own concert performances by watching the video footage or challenging them to create their own notation system for a basic song before introducing standard notation.

Through this process, learning in music class becomes more impactful because the students are actively involved in the learning process. They are thinking, listening, moving, and making their own musical decisions.

While my role as a music teacher is somewhat passive, once my students are ready to make sense of whatever concept they’re exploring, I continue to provide the necessary guidance and support. I feel this helps students build confidence and a stronger understanding. It also helps my students learn to trust their own musical instincts and problem-solve effectively.

This doesn’t mean I’ve lowered my expectations. It just means I resist the urge to dictate every moment in the lesson, and in doing so, the students have more room to engage. It also means allowing students time to think, make their own mistakes, and learn to recover.

Some of the Challenges of “Less Teaching”

I’ll be honest, this teaching approach has challenges like any other. Relinquishing control of the lesson can be stressful when you have time restraints, pressure from admin, or classroom management concerns. I’ve felt a lot of these challenges myself. Something that I’ve realized the longer that I teach is that exploration time is never wasted. Learning in music class can be adapted to the pace of the students, even if the lesson spills into another week. I’m usually pleasantly surprised by how much information my students are able to retain from their own experiences in the music classroom. It makes transitioning into a follow-up lesson smooth and natural.

When I feel stressed out or pressured to push ahead, I always step back and remind myself that exploration isn’t wasted class time. It’s often the approach that results in deep musical understanding.

My Mindset Shift for “Less Teaching”

As I mentioned earlier, this teaching approach did not come naturally at first. It required me to shift my mindset significantly while letting go of my need for constant perfectionism. Here are some of the specific strategies I adapted:

• Productive struggle is okay—not every classroom moment requires an immediate answer
• Structure and freedom can co-exist in a music classroom
• Trusting the process instead of expecting immediate results

When students are learning in music class, I celebrate all of their unexpected connections. I encourage curiosity and taking creative risks. There is no shame or failure in making a mistake in my classroom. Mistakes are evidence of effort and musical growth, and I remind them of this often. 

Learning in music class does not have to mean getting everything right in every lesson. It also doesn’t have to mean less care or preparation on my end. It means trusting the capabilities of my students and recognizing when to step in or step back. Some of my most successful lessons were the ones where students were making sense of music by themselves. In these lessons, I could see real musical thinking taking place. I watched students collaborate together and learn how to deliver productive feedback to their peers. Perhaps it’s less teaching, but it certainly isn’t less learning.

Final Thoughts About Learning in Music Class

Using a “less is more” teaching approach has made music learning feel authentic. These days, I no longer feel like a dictator as a music teacher. Instead, I feel like a contributor or a guide. Learning feels like a partnership with my students and families. If you’re looking to transform your teaching approach, I recommend giving it a try!

One critical fundamental I think Pestalozzi understood was that children aren’t wired to passively absorb information. True learning takes time and patience. It means letting experience and discovery take the lead.

So yes, I truly do believe that “less teaching” can equal more learning in music class. Musical learning is a process, not a performance. Stepping back may seem scary at first, but it might be the answer you need to help your students step forward. Ask yourself: Do I trust my students enough to let them show me what they’re capable of?

Even if your answer is no, that doesn’t mean you can’t change your approach later on. Teaching is flexible for a reason, and I encourage you to try different approaches until you find what works for you.

If you do try this approach, I’d love to hear how it resonates with your students. Share your experience in the comments. Learning in music class is more effective when we learn from our colleagues.

Looking for more music teaching strategies? Check out my posts The Power of Positive Feedback in Music Class or How to Differentiate Instruction in Elementary Music next!

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