Blog

  • Teaching Music: Tips, Tools & Why We Do It

    Check out some resources and content you might have missed around the DSMusic space recently. Resource Round-Up The Importance of Music Education Although all things music literacy and language of music are key here at DSMusic, we’re also big fans of terrific advocacy material. While we as music teachers and students understand the importance of […]


  • How Eilish & Holst can help you Decode Sound!

    Check out some resources and content you might have missed around the DSMusic space recently. Resource Round-Up Build Better Performers! DSMusic has everything you need to digitally decode character, comparison, tempo, articulation, tone colour and more! Decoding Sound: Analysis for the Secondary School is a fully interactive way for students to build word lists and […]


  • Tone Ladders (What are they & how do I use them?)

    What are Tone Ladders? Tone Ladders are a great way ofvisually representing pitch in anintervallically accurate way –that is so long as the intervalsbetween the notes are representedaccurately on the tone ladder. For example, if a tone ladder looks like this:  or this:  it is NOT representative  of the different intervals between the notes e.g. of […]


  • The Three “Ps” (Preparation, Present, Practice) Kodály Fundamentals

    What ARE the Three “Ps” One of the first things an aspiring Kodály teacher is taught when embarking upon any Kodály course are the Three Ps – Prepare, Present and Practice. These three things form the basis of the process we use to teach ANY and EVERY element of music. Our belief is that students […]


  • FAVOURITE QUOTES ABOUT MUSIC and MUSIC EDUCATION

    Often, when asked to speak at various conferences or workshops on a particular topic, I like to find a quote that reinforces what I am talking about.   Over the years I have put together quite a list which I thought I would share with you. Of course there are many more great quotes out […]


  • What is DSMusic?

    Deborah Smith has taught music in many classrooms, ran Music Departments in schools and now helps students and educators to keep making wonderful music through DSMusic. She is active in the Kodály space – lecturing, advocating and creating content that supports this comprehensive music literacy approach. DSMusic is built from understanding the realities of the classroom […]