5 Ways to Incorporate “Do-Before-Explain” Into Your Music Class

Time and time again, “do-before-explain,” or “D-Before-E,” is the part of Music Will’s pedagogy that has the biggest impact for teachers and is also the hardest to adopt. It’s easy enough to understand — engage in music-making first, save the talking for later. In practice, however, teachers are often trained to do the opposite. In the spirit of D-Before-E, let’s jump into an example and break it down afterward!

D-Before-E with Ukulele

We’ve all seen it (and probably done it). The day has arrived, and we are playing ukuleles for the first time! The teacher grabs an instrument, holds it up to the class and … talks. It may be an interesting talk, engaging even!

They ask, “Does anybody know what this is called?” “Can anyone tell me the parts of the instrument?” Maybe the teacher strums chords to a song the students know to show what the ukulele sounds like. Or, they play a video of a uke master.

When students finally get a ukulele in their hands, there is then an explanation of how to hold it. Basic hand position, naming the strings (and playing them one at a time), then learning our first chord. By the end of class, we’re finally playing but it’s all a bit laborious, and there are already 20 things we have to do “right.”

D-Before-E flips this scenario on its head. Let’s look at a brief outline:

• The teacher holds up a ukulele and gives a 10-second essential instrument primer. When the day came for my elementary students, I would say, “Hold your ukulele gently against your body. We are not going to be touching these four knobs today. I’ll point to students who are showing me that they’re ready to walk to get their instrument!”
• With instruments in hand, students have a simple job — strum! The teacher puts on a drum beat in a style the students like and walks around, giving quick tips and encouragement. The teacher might also point out some students who are doing a great job of holding their instruments, strumming on the beat and having fun. They are already playing an Am7 chord!
• We’re five minutes in, and it’s time to use our left hand! All the ukuleles have colored stickers on the fretboard for our first four chords — C, G, Am and F. The students start with C together. Questions might come up — “Which finger do I use?” “Do I reach over or under?” or even the dreaded “My fingers are starting to hurt!” This is where the teacher stops to do a brief explanation or ask students to experiment and answer each other’s questions.
• Once everybody is ready to go, the class strums quarter notes and sings “I Want Candy” (one of many great one-chord songs).
• Now, students get to choose a color. They can stay on C or move to a different color. The teacher places a color-coded chart on the board — C, Am, F. There are chord diagrams, but they are not discussed (yet). The teacher points to each color, and students play the chords four times! Now, a whole world of three-chord songs is open to the class, and they spend more time jamming.
• For the last 10 minutes of the class, the class talks about where the ukulele comes from, watches some example players and discusses what questions students still have about the instrument.

This tactic is a part of the “Music as a Second Language Approach” from Music Will’s founder, Dave Wish. It has connections to the work of many philosophers, educators and music-makers worldwide, notably in sound-before-sight approaches like Orff-Schulwerk and Kodály, the concept of “grappling” from EL Education and Stephen Krashen’s “Second Language Acquisition” theories. The approach can be used in written and oral learning and in any type of ensemble or genre.

D-Before-E serves several important functions.

• It prioritizes active, creative music-making.
• It removes stigma or fear around essential musical skills that may intimidate students.
• It allows students time and space to be curious, an essential disposition for a life-long music-maker.
• It promotes scaffolds that support all students and their various needs.

Let’s take a look at four more examples of how D-Before-E can manifest in various subjects in the music room.

Example 1: Songwriting with Chord Scramble

The activity: Chord Scramble — “Here are 4 chords, mix them up and see what happens!” Works with any ensemble, using tech if needed for easy chords.

The learning: Students learn to experiment and use their ears, rather than chord theory, as a basis for writing. They discuss emotional and/or aesthetic qualities of various progressions to emphasize the impact of their decisions.

The explanation: The ideas of chord qualities and even number/Roman numeral relationships are introduced, and we start to look for patterns in the covers we are learning.

What we avoid: Getting bogged down in theory and analysis, which there is a lot of in songwriting. Form, chord qualities, the circle of fifths, etc. These are all tools that can help us refine and expand students’ skills, but they are not the most helpful starting places for learning.

Example 2: Arranging with DJ Concert Band

The activity: DJ Concert Band — choose a section of music where the entire band plays. The conductor/facilitator “DJ,” who could also be a student, points to different sections of the band to “switch on/off” their part. The DJ can also request different dynamics and articulations, change the speed, etc. (Side note: This works with any kind of ensemble, but “DJ Concert Band” is objectively the most fun title.)

The learning: Students learn how orchestration and other arranging skills affect musical output and feeling. This could be paired very effectively with a digital audio workstation (DAW) like Cubase or Soundtrap, which also allows students to easily play with loops and texture. Students can brainstorm some of the most interesting, fun or effective ways of changing the feeling of a song, then use those techniques to create arrangements of a song that they know.

The explanation: On top of all the musical elements, the class could learn about all the ways musical arrangers make careers (sync, musical directing, school ensemble arranging, etc.).

What we avoid: Instant overwhelm of song form terminology, voicings, chord qualities, etc. When we can see that arranging is as easy as flipping a switch, it gives us an inroad to play. Then, as students have questions, further knowledge supports their curiosity.

Example 3: Improvisation with DJ Jam Session

The activity: DJ Jam Session — Build on the arrangement activity with your created loop. Different instruments/sections take turns improvising a pentatonic scale over the top! The scale can be introduced one note at a time, starting with just one or two notes, to increase accessibility.

The learning: Students explore collective and individual improvisation in any ensemble. The conductor/facilitator also leads the ensemble in dynamic changes and can change the loop live by bringing voices in and out.

The explanation: The class essentially just ran a “jam session.” We can also discuss how to use improvised ideas to create new melodies for a song. This could lead to discussion of contrafacts, remixes, or parodies!

What we avoid: Lots of pre-requisite theory knowledge. Collective improvisation is also less “on the spot” for students approaching it for the first time or trying new things.

Example 4: Musical Concepts with Body Drumming

The activity: Body drumming! Regardless of what the instrumentation of the ensemble is, we can body drum to learn subdivision. We start simple — the whole class plays alternating bass drum (foot) and snare drum (hand) to a metronome. The teacher then plays the hi-hat — starting with eighth notes, then switching to triplets! Depending on skill level, students could then take turns being the hi-hat for the class or even break into groups to practice.

The learning: Students learn to feel a technical concept before it is explained. The inevitable “failures” happen collectively and on nobody’s primary instrument, and they can even be funny and cool! The teacher not only gets the opportunity to teach subdivision, but they can also emphasize good learning habits like persistence and curiosity.

The explanation: The teacher can show diagrams (grid notation can be helpful here!) of the different beats. The class listens to music in different subdivisions — maybe even one that mixes meters!

What we avoid: By having all students stick to the “big beat” and follow a metronome, they can feel subdivision without immediately having to play it. They also all simultaneously get to experience it feeling weird during the meter change, and that collective feeling helps students avoid the thought that they are not understanding something that they “should.”

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I imagine that none of these examples feels particularly earth-shattering. My challenge to music educators is to look at a handful of your recent or future lesson plans. Note any places where time to grapple, play or simply just jump in could be added or even switched with explanations that are planned.

Another great tool is filming one’s teaching. Note how often you speak and for how long (a painful process, I apologize). Are there times when fewer (or no) words would work? Are there places where visual cues like stickers and color-coded charts would help students get to playing faster and support students who might be struggling?

Just like music, the simplest concepts in teaching are the ones we spend years practicing and perfecting. D-Before-E is a simple concept, but one that can fundamentally change the tone of our classrooms. But, enough explanation — go out there and do it!