Ward Method Implementation and Pacing
  • rvisser
    Posts: 62
    I teach music at a K-8 Classical Catholic school. I have students 2x per week for 45 minutes for Grades 1-8, but Kindergarten is 2x per week for 30 minutes. Additionally, I teach a high school schola for 90 minutes 1x per week.
    This is my first year at this particular school, and first year implementing Ward method across the board (I taught high school previously). I have only gone to training for Ward Level 1.
    My question is this - how much of Book 1 can you reasonably expect to get through in a school year? I teach exclusively liturgical music. We chant the Mass parts in Latin, the whole school (Kindergarten included) chants the Marian antiphons at Mass daily. We sing English hymns, motets in parts for Grades 5 and up, and I incorporate Ward lessons for 15 minutes or so each class period. I use solfege A LOT in my teaching.
    But...we have only made it to Chapter 8 of Ward Book 1. Grades K-1 struggle a bit with the dictation exercises (there is a range from totally lost to those who completely get it). Grade 3 and up do very well with dictation exercises and staff notation (do clef), but Chapter 8 is where the skip from 1-3 gets introduced and I feel like we are just stuck.
    Is my pacing reasonable? What have you experienced with your students?
    Thanks!
    Thanked by 1LauraKaz
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,728
    It is designed for small bits daily with grade school kids and kindergartners…and even middle-school language kids in French, Spanish, etc. should be changing activities every five to ten minutes as a best practice, so you can see why 30 minutes with five year-olds is a challenge. (I’ve never done it myself, but I know people who have had to adapt it to not meeting daily, to not being in school but rather parish choirs…)
    Thanked by 1rvisser
  • rvisser
    Posts: 62
    @MatthewRoth The 30 minutes is not the challenging part, as we do many activities, music games, singing, movement, etc...during that time period. If anything, I have less time with the students than Ward method intends, because I only see them twice a week, and a smaller amount of time 5x a week is more effective than more time 2x a week. I am teaching them much more than just Ward method, though.
    Maybe I was naive in thinking that Book 1 = Year 1? Even with my older students, I can't see how I would get through all that material in a year.
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,728
    Yeah, that’s what I mean. You really want a small chunk every day, in the main classroom, not traveling to the music teacher’s room if possible. But even in the best of cases, 30 minutes is a lot of time to fill…

  • Bri
    Posts: 124
    We just started a youth choir at our parish. We have rehearsal right before RE class on Saturday mornings (3 Saturdays per month) for 20 minutes. (I'd love to make rehearsal longer, but I'm nervous that if we start before 9 am on a Saturday, the numbers may drop.)

    Students range from grades 1-8, but most are in the younger grades. There are currently 21 students in the group.

    Most of our time is spent on Ward, and a smaller amount of time is spent preparing repertoire. (The choir primarily sings for special devotions so we don't have to prepare large amounts of music.) We completed the Book 1 Ward lessons through chapter 7.

    For next year, I'm thinking we will review a few chapters and then pick up with chapter 8.

    When I used Ward with 3rd and 4th graders in a school setting, we devoted about 20 minutes two periods per week. We didn't even get to chapter 7 in a year; the pace seemed much slower. The slower pace could have been because the students didn't have as much musical background as much current students (many of whom take piano lessons or are in band or orchestra) or may have been due to my limited experience using Ward.
    Thanked by 1rvisser
  • rvisser
    Posts: 62
    @Bri - It sounds like you made it further than I did. My students did not have a strong music foundation before this year so I have been going slower to get everyone on the same page. I think next year will make faster progress next year.
    I have been really pleased with my students' ability to do the dictation exercises. My hope is that they will develop strong aural skills that will allow them to be excellent sight readers. Thankfully, I get the same students K-12 so I will have many years to work with them.
  • Bri
    Posts: 124
    It may be a situation where you "go slow to go fast." If the students gain a strong foundation in the first few years, they will be able to progress more quickly in the future.
    Thanked by 2rvisser CHGiffen
  • AnimaVocis
    Posts: 174
    Slow is smooth and smooth is fast...
    Thanked by 2rvisser CHGiffen
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