Teaching the Groove

Two related sites on the internet present valuable resources and reading for music teachers. These are both creations of a veteran music educator and ethnomusicologist, Charles Keil, who worked for a long time in the Buffalo NY schools system, and now lives in Connecticut. Music Grooves describes itself as “an adventure in scholarly and personal dialogue.” Born to Groove is a full-length on-line book by Charles Keil and Patricia Campbell, with accompanying discussions.

Do not be put off by terms such as “groovology” or chapter titles like “From Wombdrum to Earthdance”: the book contains a great deal of very valuable material for teachers.

Some of the chapters in Born to Groove (which open as printable PDF pages on your computer) are heavy in philosophy and statements about the power of music and dance to heal the world’s wrongs. But if you are look specifically for teaching methods, you won’t be disappointed by “Section 4: Show Me How to Do Like You Do.”

Both sites are linked above and also on the right-hand column of the Elementary School Music home page.

Keil and and his colleagues have worked extensively on the concept of the “groove” and on ways to teach salsa and samba rhythms to young people. The two websites contain a great deal of reading as well as audio, video and teaching resources, along with the discussion forums.

In Buffalo, Keil was a founder of an organization called Musicians United for Superior Education (MUSE), which (inevitably) also has a website.