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 […]
Teaching
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 […]
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 […]
Student Saver Pieces
Yesterday, one of our local music teachers associations held a Mid-Winter Retreat for music teachers. We had a fabulous time and I came home with lots of great ideas that I need to mull over and try to incorporate into my teaching. Suzanne Tirk, a clarinet professor, was our featured speaker. She discussed “Ten Steps […]
Free Games and Resources
Have you seen D’Net’s new website? It is loaded with all sorts of free downloadable worksheets and game ideas and now that she has her new site up, everything is categorized and easy to find. You must check it out!