At the beginning of each lesson, I’ve started having my students draw a popsicle stick from a container on the piano. Each popsicle stick has one of the following written on it: 1. Chords 2. Rhythmic Dictation 3. Rhythm and Pulse 4. Vocabulary 5. Melodic Dictation 6. Sight-read 7. Play A Game 8. Written Theory […]
Resources
Black Key Songs
Here’s a helpful list of songs that can be played using only the black keys on the piano. From almost the very first lesson, I like to have students working on picking out songs by ear. This will be a great list to keep on hand!
Images In Music
Want a dose of inspiration as you start your New Year? Head over to Mario’s Piano Podcast to watch “Images in Music” – a podcast produced by one of his students. It is excellent!
Easy Note Identification Game
Go check out The Piano Player at Funbrain. It’s a super simple note identification game. Just watch a note appear on the staff and then identify it on the keyboard below. Easy enough for any student to understand and drill their note identification skills!
SibeliusMusic.com
So…a while back I had a brilliant idea. I was sure it would be a hit. The idea came to me one day as I was working on a Christmas arrangement for several of my students. Six of my students wanted to play on ensemble for the Christmas recital. They had played a Patriotic ensemble […]
European and American Music and Christianity
[Natalie’s Note: Mike Ellis is at it again – researching and writing on facets of music that often go unexplored by music teachers. In this article, he discusses some interesting correlations and raises some thought-provoking questions. If you haven’t checked out his Know Chords website, I highly recommend it. Mike has a way of presenting […]
