Recent years in music pedagogy have given rise to discussions on injury prevention. Janet Horvath, author of the recently-revised book, Playing (Less) Hurt, makes note of this in one of her introductory statements: “Only in recent years, though, have we begun to acknowledge perhaps the biggest challenge of all: the very real obstacle of physical […]
Teaching
Monday Mailbag – Setting Up a Website for Students
Can you talk more about your “Studio Splog” website? I’ve been so intrigued the few times I went on and saw the variety and interest that your students showed in postings on it! How can you set something like that up and what guidelines have you given them? Sure! It’s a website I started last […]
Free Curriculum – Musical Travels for Children
I just downloaded a 161-page free curriculum called, “Musical Travels for Children“! The course was created by Catherine Schmidt Jones and includes units on Europe, Asia, Africa, Americas, and Australia. Each unit is comprised of practical teaching ideas, printed music from the various continents, and additional notes and resource links. This would be fabulous as […]
Six Ways to Enjoy Detailed Practice
Gerald Klickstein, author of The Musician’s Way, posted this excellent and practical list of six ways to enjoy detailed practice: Bring meaning to every gesture. Isolate problem spots in context. Take pleasure in excellence. Listen deeply. Seek variety. Shift perspectives. Visit the original post for the expanded version with specific ideas on how to implement […]
Monday Mailbag – Age Appropriate Practice Incentives
I love your incentive ideas! Just wondering if you use them with your entire studio, or only up to a certain age. I have always felt uncertain about students perhaps outgrowing incentives, and have generally phased them out by high school. Yes, I use my practice incentive themes with the whole studio. It’s definitely a […]
Checking Your Pulse
One of the areas that I am constantly aware of need for improvement in my studio is playing with a sense of pulse. We’ve spent an entire month highlighting just this aspect of playing, but I realize that it needs to be a part of every lesson. Instrumental students definitely have an advantage in learning […]
