Perhaps you will forgive me for neglecting my blog over the last several weeks since I’ve been out of the country celebrating Christmas and welcoming the New Year. Can you tell where I’ve been? 🙂 If you guessed Austria, you are correct! This is a picture from the house where Mozart was born in Salzburg, […]
Teaching
MTNA Certification Renewal
After a year of just dumping various items I thought I might need when it comes time to renew my certification into a folder, I finally decided it was time to get organized! I firmly believe that taking the time up front to develop good organizational systems saves a lot of time and stress in […]
Mystery Song Game
A while back I started instituting this Mystery Song Game idea and it’s been a ton of fun! When a student finishes one of their method books I give them one week to prepare for the game. The following week we take turns with one of us playing a song and the other one turning […]
Free Recital Program Template
Click here to download a free template that you can use when designing your own recital program. This template was created using tables in Microsoft Word. I made everything generic for this template, but usually use two contrasting fonts for the title of the pieces and the students’ names. You can adjust the spacing allowed […]
Updated Scale Chart
This year I included this scale chart (this is slightly updated from the chart I posted here – I removed the chord inversions and included more tempo markings for arpeggios) in the front of each student’s assignment book. What a tremendous tool it has been! We have gotten through so many more scales than we […]
Review of Practiceopedia: The Music Student’s Illustrated Guide to Practicing
The moment it arrived, I was captivated by this full-color mammoth guide to practicing – Practiceopedia:The Music Student’s Illustrated Guide to Practicing. The 376 pages are chock-full of creative ideas to help students learn to practice effectively and conquer those tough spots in their pieces. I found myself reading through page after page, unable to […]
