Comments on: Practice Problems and Strategies or Why I Don’t Just Give You Answers! http://musicmattersblog.com/2009/09/09/practice-problems-and-strategies-or-why-i-don%e2%80%99t-just-give-you-answers/ inspiring creativity in music education Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:39:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Nikki http://musicmattersblog.com/2009/09/09/practice-problems-and-strategies-or-why-i-don%e2%80%99t-just-give-you-answers/comment-page-1/#comment-95202 Nikki Sat, 12 Sep 2009 09:55:20 +0000 http://musicmattersblog.com/?p=951#comment-95202 This is a important topic and I'm glad you have made it a point of discussion. As teachers, we need to constantly step back and evaluate ourselves. Your post reminds us to check our habitual responses and critiques of our student performances ... it is so much more meaningful for our students that we be facilitators who help them discover there own areas of need, helping them to take ownership in solving problems and discovering ways to improve themselves. The questions we ask students often become more important than statements we speak. This is a important topic and I’m glad you have made it a point of discussion. As teachers, we need to constantly step back and evaluate ourselves. Your post reminds us to check our habitual responses and critiques of our student performances … it is so much more meaningful for our students that we be facilitators who help them discover there own areas of need, helping them to take ownership in solving problems and discovering ways to improve themselves.

The questions we ask students often become more important than statements we speak.

]]> By: Dana http://musicmattersblog.com/2009/09/09/practice-problems-and-strategies-or-why-i-don%e2%80%99t-just-give-you-answers/comment-page-1/#comment-95119 Dana Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:05:46 +0000 http://musicmattersblog.com/?p=951#comment-95119 Here's a couple ideas I "push" on my students that seem to work: For finding notes: Draw a dashed line between the staffs that represents the Middle C, then count up or down to the note by saying "Line, space, line, space," etc. following with the pointer finger on the keyboard. For finding sharps & flats: Start on the scale's NAME note and say, "Tonic, whole, whole, half, whole" for the pentascale (my students are real familiar with the basic pentascale from the first year), and continue on up, hoping the ear takes over for the rest of the "Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do" sound (which we sing frequently). The ear usually does -- that Leading Tone on the second-to-the-last step of the scale is ingrained into the Western ear, I believe! Here’s a couple ideas I “push” on my students that seem to work:

For finding notes:

Draw a dashed line between the staffs that represents the Middle C, then count up or down to the note by saying “Line, space, line, space,” etc. following with the pointer finger on the keyboard.

For finding sharps & flats:

Start on the scale’s NAME note and say, “Tonic, whole, whole, half, whole” for the pentascale (my students are real familiar with the basic pentascale from the first year), and continue on up, hoping the ear takes over for the rest of the “Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do” sound (which we sing frequently). The ear usually does — that Leading Tone on the second-to-the-last step of the scale is ingrained into the Western ear, I believe!

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