When it comes to teaching pop, sometimes the best approach is to learn it aurally. Working out a pop song by ear gives you more opportunities to teach your students theory, and creates a much more musical experience.

In this episode I take you through step-by-step how you can teach your students a pop song by ear. I take the song Mockingbird by Eminem and break it apart just like I would with a student in a lesson.

You don’t need to write off rap or hip hop songs like this – sometimes they can make great teaching material. Take a listen if you’re curious about this different approach to teaching pop.

Transcript

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If you want to try teaching pop by ear but you’re finding it hard getting started, you need this cheat sheet.

In this episode, you’ll learn

• How to get a student started with a new pop song
• The most important questions to ask when teaching pop
• How to use pop as a valuable aural exercise
• Why you need to get your students singing when playing by ear
• What this can teach your students about key signatures
• How to combine the chords, bass line and melody to create an arrangement
• Why I don’t teach pop songs unless a student brings it to me

Repertoire Rap Video

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Just make sure you try out some of the ideas before they get lost in the business of your next lessons!

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Do you ever teach music completely by ear?

Have you been nervous to try this kind of teaching? What’s holding you back from teaching your students to play by ear?