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Music Camp - Day 2
We have just finished our 2nd day of Jammin' with the Basics. I am trying to remind myself of why I thought I wanted to be in a room with 16 children banging on drums and things!It is going...
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Ending with a Bang! Music Camp - Day 3
Our summer music camp ended up with a "real bang"! We put together a trash can band and the students loved it without exception! We were even successful at getting the beginners to perform dotted...
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Music Camp Goals
Bradd (our band director) and I began to plan by considering what skills we thought needed the most attention. Bradd was very definite about wanting to spend a large portion of time working on...
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Rhythm!
After the first day of camp we were able to do more activities rather than so much instruction.The second day began with a short review of note values for our beginners and then added more emphasis on...
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Music Terms and Symbols
Trying to find different ways of presenting and reinforcing music terms and symbols in an exciting way, proved to be a little more difficult. Our beginner group had very little knowledge of this...
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Note Names
Our introduction to note names began with the grand staff and an expanded explanation as to why some of the campers use only one clef for their instruments. Note naming exercises were done as a group...
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Scoring
Points were given for each activity in our camp. We had thought of using music money but my problem with that is that I did not want them equating their progress with money. We decided to use pony...
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Charter School
I have the opportunity to set up the music lab for a new charter school and am really excited about doing the research that will be required. Since I am on the governance board for the new charter...
View ArticleMusings of a Beginner
Our guest blogger is Emma Veers. She graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee, WI, in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in Educational Studies and minors in piano pedagogy and...
View ArticleNot What, WHO
“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” As all college graduates should know, networking is the key to success in today’s job market. This is especially true for piano teachers trying to build a...
View ArticleLooking Back
With a few months of teaching experience under my belt, I think it’s time to do a little reflecting on my experiences so far. Not only have I been teaching piano lessons, I am also in charge of the...
View ArticleRecital Management . . . for over 80 students!
.....from Sally's Studio I hold 4 different recitals each year to keep them each to a manageable length. The first (for the advanced students) is on a Friday evening. Much to my distress, I have...
View ArticleContemporary Composer Recital Theme
.....from Sally's StudioOften we concentrate on the “old masters” when it comes to performance-worthy songs. I have recently begun to have recitals that instead highlight the music of current...
View ArticleClassical Music......something you hear every day
...from Sally's StudioOne particularly fun recital theme I have used was based on a book titled “Classical Music for People Who Hate Classical Music”. Many people don’t even know that they have heard,...
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Sharon's Picks - March!
Don't know about you, but when I was a kid (and my own children confirm that it is still this way), on St. Patrick's Day it was always wise to wear something green to school to avoid getting pinched....
View ArticleMusical Shout it Out
. . . from Sally's StudioIn 2010 I had posted a number of entries about our Summer Music Camp (check out our the blog archive links in the right-hand column to find the series). Since then, I have had...
View ArticleWhen Books Fail Me . . .
from Emma's StudioAll throughout my time as a piano student, my teachers have seemed to know exactly what books to use with me. I never questioned their judgment, because everything they did worked. I...
View ArticlePatriotic Theme Recital
....from Sally's Studio In 2002, my students really wanted to do Patriotic music. We had a screen placed on one side in front of the stage and the students chose pictures that portrayed the music they...
View ArticleA Little History . . .
from Emma's StudioMost people, once they graduate from college, do not find themselves willingly sitting down to write a research paper. However, two weeks ago I found myself spending many hours at the...
View ArticlePutting Together a Recital: Part 1
. . . . . . . . . from Emma's studioAt the beginning of May, I had the opportunity to participate in my first piano recital as a piano teacher. One of my colleagues was generous enough to allow a few...
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