Monthly Archives: May 2011

Monday Mailbag – Free Scale Chart and Tips for Making Your Own Progress Charts!

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I am searching everywhere for a template for individual progress charts and a master to keep in the studio so all my students can see how everyone stands up. Any ideas?

Probably one of the most valuable skills I have learned on the computer is how to use tables to create forms and worksheets of all shapes and sizes. Whether it’s fully-customized assignment books (like I create for all the practice incentive themes), piano scale fingering diagrams, or simple charts (like these key signature charts), a good working knowledge of tables will help you get the job done!

Here’s a free scale and chord progress chart that you can download for use in your studio.

For those who are interested in having an editable template to start with to create their own charts, you can download the MS Word version of the scale and chord progress chart. The symbols may not render correctly (unless you have the Bach Musicological font installed on your computer), but it will at least give you a start with the table layout. Here are a few tips to help you along the way (for PC users):

  • To merge multiple cells into one cell, just highlight all the cells, right click the mouse, and select the “merge cells” option.
  • To change the type or thickness of the border (or to remove the border) around specific cells, highlight the cell, right click the mouse, and select the Borders and Shading option.
  • To change the size of the cells, just hover the mouse above the line you want to move until it has the double arrows and then click the left mouse button and drag the line to make the cell/row/column as big or small as you want it. You can also specify exact dimensions using the Table Properties option when you right click the mouse while hovering over the highlighted cells.
  • All of the table options are also accessible by clicking on the Table option at the top of the screen when you have highlighted the table or a portion of the table. Experimentation is often the best way to figure out how to best utilize all the options!

If you’ve never worked with tables before, there’s a bit of a learning curve, but every minute you spend to experiment, learn, and create, is well worth it. Consider it an investment with guaranteed returns as you find yourself creating all sorts of great-looking and well-designed materials for use in your studio!

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!

10 Ways to Avoid Plateauing

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Professional film and visual media composer Benjamin Botkin recently posted an insightful list of 10 Ways to Avoid Plateauing. Even though he writes as a composer to other composers (or aspiring composers), his thoughts are equally relevant for all musicians. I love the way he defines a plateau, “reach[ing] a position in your skill where you always make the same errors and are not getting any better.” And his number 4 point was especially insightful and relevant for music students:

4. Never compare yourself to your peers – …Don’t ever think “I’m pretty good for my age” or “I’m pretty good considering my circumstances,” think… “How can I be better than the best?” Compare yourself to the greats, and you will always see something to improve on…

Check out the complete list for some other tips to pass on to students (or apply yourself!).

Piano Students in the Real World

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Last December I posted about Students Performing Without Teacher Knowledge. As I mentioned then, I whole-heartedly believe in the importance of letting students use their musical skills in lots of various outlets. My students usually fill me in on events and opportunities before they happen, but either way, I think it’s great for them to be musically involved in the community. As I was thinking back over the spring semester and wondering why I felt worn out trying to keep up with my students, I began compiling a list of special opportunities or situations that my students had this year that have required extra work on both of our parts to locate, acquire, and prepare the necessary music.

I’m thinking this also helps explain why I don’t do weekly lesson planning :-) (there are always new and exciting things popping up and we like having the freedom to adapt within the structure of our yearly practice incentive theme). The more things I listed out, the more excited I got! This is what makes music so much more than just a personal endeavor. This is how we take the talents God has given us and invest and multiply them (Matthew 25:14-30). This is piano students in the real world…

  • asked to compose and play several pieces for a special event.
  • young friend wants to learn to play piano, so student began teaching them the basics.
  • received request to start accompanying the praise band at church, playing from lead sheets.
  • wants to be in upcoming competition; needs flashy piece that can be learned quickly. Oh, and asked to play for brother’s wedding, so needs a collection of wedding songs to learn as well.
  • invited to play for special church service; must learn hymn and several praise songs by following week.
  • heard a cool song on YouTube; wants help tracking down sheet music and learning it.
  • needs two contrasting pieces to learn and memorize for a competition in a couple months.
  • will be playing background music at a community event; needs 10-15 minutes worth of appropriate music.
  • dad signed student up to play special music at church; need to learn several songs and arrange them so that they fill the allotted time frame.
  • getting bored with beginner songs and parent requests some variety to add challenge and excitement.
  • excited about upcoming studio recital and requests a specific style of piece to learn for the occasion.
  • asked to play other instrument parts on keyboard with an ensemble group.
  • church is preparing for an upcoming program and music director asks student to be the pianist; must learn a dozen songs in less than a month.
  • parents request that student be given more hymns to learn and play for the family.
  • found simplified arrangement of Fur Elise and starts working on it, even though it’s a harder level than current repertoire.
  • assigned to play offertory at church in several weeks; needs to have an arrangement learned and ready quickly.
  • friend is getting married and asks student to play for prelude, processional, recessional, and postlude; specific music arrangements written for string and piano ensemble must be learned in two weeks.
  • wants to compile a collection of original pieces and needs help notating and preparing for publication.
  • suffers broken wrist from an accident and must learn to play music for one hand alone.
  • asked by vocalist to accompany for contest next week.
  • wants to participate in school talent show; audition is next week.
  • asked by friend to play duet in upcoming community festival; need to select and prepare music.
  • requested to perform special music for a large convention.
  • encouraged to put together a compilation CD as a special gift for Grandma.

These are the kinds of things that truly make teaching an adventure. And even though it does require a lot of extra time and work that wasn’t part of the original plan, it is so worth it!

Review and Giveaway of The Color Collection by Rebekah Maxner

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If there is one thing I love it’s color! My studio is full of color, and I can’t think of a more exciting collection of pieces than this one Rebekah Maxner (composer of the fabulous Old MacDonald Had the Blues piano book) has put together devoted just to color! Let me introduce you to…The Color Collection!

With titles like Orange Juice, Green Shade, Gray Day, Rainbow Swirl, and more, these intermediate level pieces are sure to grab the imagination of lots of piano students. And, what’s really cool is that Rebekah has recorded herself playing each of the pieces in the collection so that students can watch and listen to an incredibly musical performance. How inspiring to get to hear a composer perform her own works! Visit Rebekah’s Notekidds YouTube channel to see the entire collection (btw, notice how her shirt matches whatever piece she is playing! :-) ).


This Green Shade piece is probably my favorite so far.

Now, for the best part…Rebekah has offered to giveaway a copy of The Color Collection to one special Music Matters Blog Reader! Just leave a comment below to be entered in the drawing to win your own copy of the colorful book. The winner will be drawn using a random number generator on Thursday, May 19, at noon (CST).

Monday Mailbag – Starting a Beginning Student Without a Method Book

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I hear about a lot of instrumental teachers just opening the method book and getting right down to the nitty-gritty, if you will, but I’ve begun to think about what might happen if a piano teacher began a bit like a general music teacher would begin; with singing simple songs with students, having them echo tonal and rhythm patterns, keep steady beats with small rhythm instruments, exploring the piano by ear, doing their best to plunk out the little songs we’ve sung… and then open up the method book. What do you think of this idea?

I love it! When I first started teaching (and had no clue what I was doing!), I was a strictly by-the-book teacher. If it wasn’t on the page, I didn’t know what else to do. Now, thanks to some excellent training and many wonderful workshops at state and national conferences, I have gained many practical ideas that can be used with beginning students. I use many of the ideas that I shared in this interview on Fun and Easy Musical Activities for Young Children. And I’m always on the lookout for other new ideas to use to help beginning students get off to a good musical start! Here are a few fun activities that are great for working with students outside of a method book:

It’s so much fun to enjoy music activities together without feeling chained to a method book. There are some fabulous method books on the market today that are wonderful tools, but in and of themselves they will not turn out a well-rounded musical student. As I mentioned in my interview with Easy Ear Training, students usually begin lessons because they love music and they are very aurally aware of the sounds. An over-emphasis by us teachers on reading music in the beginning stages can often knock this out of them. I know I have often been guilty of this! So, we have to be constantly looking for and developing creative activities and approaches to keep students in touch with the music itself – not just the visual representation of it on a piece of paper.

This can be a challenge, so I would love to compile a better list of musical activities to use with my beginning students. If you have any suggestions, please share! Do you have any favorite activities that you use with beginning students that are done apart from a method book?

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!

Free Major and Minor Arpeggio Keyboard Fingering Diagrams

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Sarah, over at the Piano Discoveries Blog, recently posted some fabulous Major and Minor Arpeggio Keyboard Fingering Diagrams! Ever since I started using the scale fingering diagrams with my students (which we use very extensively now!), I’ve been thinking about designing something similar for arpeggios. However, I am thrilled that Sarah has done just that, and I plan to utilize these diagrams with my students!

Another of Sarah’s resources that I just discovered are these wonderful FACE Flashcards for Treble and Bass Clef. I can guarantee that these will get lots of use in my studio!

Who Says Movie Music Can’t Be Virtuosic?!

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A friend of mine posted this on Facebook the other day, and it is SO cool!

I’ve watched it multiple times already and have had fun exploring Jarrod Radnich’s website. I also found a link to an interview with Jarrod that I’m looking forward to listening to soon!

I sent the link to the video right away to one of my students who I hope will learn this arrangement. He likes to learn by watching videos like this, but in case he needs it, we can also order the sheet music from the web store. What fun!

Monday Mailbag – Structuring Recitals

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In the past I’ve done the recital where we start with the simplest pieces and work to the most complex. That has worked out pretty much following ages, with the exception of a few younger really gifted kids who make it to the older age group. But now I have some older beginners who will be playing some simple pieces, so I was thinking of creating different “sections” to the recital, like a “show tune” section, a “classics” section, etc. That way I can mix up the ages a little better, more naturally…But I was wondering what others do in this situation?

Growing up, my teachers always followed this method to structuring recitals, too – the earliest level pieces to the most advanced. But for some reason, I’ve never been a fan of that approach. One of my biggest priorities with recitals has always been to plan an event that people will want to attend over and over again. (You can read the post, 7 Tips for Enjoyable Recitals, for a bit more on this topic!) So the idea of a systematic easiest-to-hardest-piece program doesn’t appeal to me at all.

For our annual Christmas recital, I usually include some sort of narration, theme, or special guest musicians, so the program is planned around that. I try to mix up the levels and ages of the students, in addition to developing a flow throughout the whole program. When we did a big patriotic dinner and music program one spring, I used a similar approach with narration transitioning from one piece to the next.

Sometimes we do other random things like drawing numbers out of a basket, going in order of birthdays, alphabetical order by students’ first name, alphabetical by composers last name, etc. The “sections” idea is great, too! I’m all for changing it up to keep things exciting…and to keep everybody wanting to come back to see what new ideas the recital will hold each time!

I would love to hear any other creative approaches to structuring recitals! Do you use a systematic approach? Or what other approaches have you tried that you and your students like?

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!