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From Groans to Grins:
A Play-Based Approach to
Teaching Music Literacy
S ALEEL ADARKAR MENON
horal music educators continually seek enjoyable and motivating. By reimagining sight-
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effective methods to engage students reading and other literacy exercises through the
Cin music literacy, a fundamental lens of play, educators can create a dynamic
component of musical development. Traditional learning environment that encourages active
approaches to teaching sight-reading and participation, reduces performance anxiety, and
literacy may elicit resistance from students, nurtures a lifelong appreciation for music.
yet many believe these skills are essential for Musical play leverages the natural joy and
well-rounded musicianship. These traditional social interaction that arise from shared mu-
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approaches might look like teachers using sic-making experiences, transforming other-
methods books to rehearse exercises as if wise routine literacy exercises into compelling
they were repertoire. Instead, researchers and activities. In a choral classroom, musical play
practicing teachers increasingly support the can take many forms, from rhythmic games
integration of musical play as an alternative and call-and-response exercises to improvi-
approach to teaching music literacy. Musical sational singing and collaborative composi-
play comprises structured, interactive activities tion tasks. These activities allow students to
that foster creativity and collaboration. These explore elements of music literacy—such as
activities enhance student engagement while rhythm, pitch, dynamics, and phrasing—in a
supporting skill acquisition in ways that feel low-stakes, supportive setting.
Saleel Adarkar Menon
Assistant Professor of Music
Rutgers University
saleel.menon@rutgers.edu
6 CHORAL JOURNAL October 2025 Volume 66 Number 3
