One of the other activities at our Travel Tour last Thursday night was a Rhythm Ensemble. This was our first activity of the evening, so as students arrived I let them look through the stack of seven parts and select the one that they felt most confident being able to accurately play. Each of the […]
Monday Mailbag – Recital Programs Designed by Students
I think you posted the idea once to have your students design the end of the year recital program covers. If so, did you judge as a studio which one would be chosen? I’m concerned about the ramifications of best friends choosing each other or if I choose there might be hurt feelings. Any suggestions? […]
The 1-Minute Documentary Project
For Travel Tour (a.k.a. Group Class) #5 last night, one of our activities was what I dubbed, “The 1-Minute Documentary Project.” The idea was inspired by the fabulous Videolicious App, and it turned out to be a lot of fun! I started by coming up with a handful of music-related topics, like a composer or […]
Inspiration from Russia
It’s been quite a few years since I first became familiar with 20th Century Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, but I was re-reading his Templeton Address recently and was struck by this observation he makes concerning art: “In the East art has collapsed because it has been knocked down and trampled upon, but in the West […]
What if Your Student Could Compose a Piece and Have it Performed by a Professional Musician?
That is exactly the vision behind Music-COMP (formerly the Vermont Midi Project). The organization began in 1995 with the purpose of “encourage[ing] and support[ing] students in composing and arranging music.” This is accomplished via “A community of professional composers, teachers, pre-service educators, and students engage in mentoring and online discussion of student work.” I had […]
Monday Mailbag – Year End Achievement Awards
“I am curious about student achievement awards. I am wondering what you and other teachers do. Do you give out awards based on years in lessons (i.e. 3 year award) or perhaps awards based on level of achievement (i.e. completed Faber level 2A etc.)? Maybe some teachers simply give out a participation certificate. This will […]
