This is kind of a “duh!” idea, but when I attended our local music teachers association Mid-Winter Retreat two weekends ago, the guest speaker was sharing about how she introduces new pieces to her students. She said, “Of course I always start out by having them make a list of all the terms in their […]
Avoiding the Plateau Effect as a Teacher
Another e-mail newsletter I subscribe to is “Get Ready to Lead!” by Dr. Jeff Myers of Passing the Baton, an international organization founded for the purpose of “equip[ping] adults to personally mentor and coach the next generation of culture-shaping leaders.” The newsletter is both inspiring and practical, offering specific tips that teachers can apply in […]
Memorizing the Order of Sharps and Flats with Scale Blocks
In September of last year I made several sets of scale blocks. I’ve been using them periodically during lessons, but I decided to make more of a concerted effort to use them as a teaching and reinforcement tool with my students. Joey just finished learning all of his major scales, thanks to the aid and […]
Profitable Showers
Economist Gary North wrote the following in his e-mail newsletter this week. I always appreciate the bits of advice he shares at the beginning of each newsletter and have found it both practical and helpful on many occasions. You can sign up for his Tip of the Week E-mail Newsletter on the home page of […]
Music Matters Blog Launches Merchandise Shop!
It is with great excitement that I announce the official launch of the Music Matters Blog Shop! As many of you know, in addition to teaching music I love to do design work. So I thought I’d have some fun creating music-themed designs and selling a line of merchandise. So far I’ve only got one […]
About Natalie Page Posted
Thanks to the suggestion of Mike Sansone, Business Blog Guru (who, incidentally, decided to learn to play the piano this year!), I posted a page about myself, along with a picture, for those blog readers who are curious to know a little more about me. I’m also working on some new ideas for Music Matters […]
