Check out these digital flashcards! You can find note names, key signatures, intervals, triads, piano note names, reading piano notes, guitar note names and reading guitar notes – all at the click of a mouse! You can even set specific parameters in most of the categories so that it is appropriate for the level of […]
Teaching
Listing Musical Terms
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 […]
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 […]
