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 […]
Teaching
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 […]
Fun Rhythm Game!
We just finished up a 5-week session focusing on rhythm and sight-reading in my studio, so at our group event last Thursday I decided to play a game related to rhythm. I grabbed my rhythm chart, cut slips of paper into squares with numbers 1-9 written on each card (I wrote each number on four […]
Recital Prep: The Three M’s
No doubt many of you also have student recitals approaching. Here’s a helpful article by Joshua Nemith on preparing students for a good performance. In a nutshell, “Have it Mastered, Memorized, and Moving!” Sounds good to me! HT: The Collaborative Piano Blog
