Music Staff Simon

How can Simon help you learn music faster?

Simon Nibbles a Note

Have you ever played the game of Simon which tests your musical memory skills in a fun way? I think this would be a fun game to keep in the waiting area of my music studio. But today I'm sharing a new way to use the concept of Simon in music lessons.

Wunderkeys Pop 2: Saorla Rising and Changing Clefs

This lesson plan includes practice tips for the Saorla Rising in B Minor in Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book by Andrea and Trevor Dow. 

Practice Tips

Listen to the performance as you tap the repeating syncopated rhythms in the left hand.

Watch out for the double Bass, Transfer to your left "sit bones" without scooting on the bench.

Supplementary Music with Changing Clefs

Tolling Bells by Stephen Heller

Wunderkeys Pop 2 Lesson Plans

 Choose the link below for lesson plans and activities that correlate with pieces in Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book by Andrea and Trevor Dow.

The theory, improvisation, and music and movement activities can be done in private lessons, group lessons, piano lab, or assigned for at-home practice.

Piano Practice Challenge, Levels and Tips

 

More about the nightmares later...

First let's talk about focused practice!

Practicing the piano with specific goals in mind is significantly more effective than simply measuring the time spent and calling it good. This month, for my studio challenge, I'm inviting students to level up their practice by using focused practice strategy games during their practice. Obviously, effective practice includes spending time at the piano bench, but practicing with purpose not only helps the time pass quickly, it also helps students to be more productive so that progress happens in less time.

Gamified Piano Practice

I've seen the power of gamified practice during piano lab, where students just don't want to stop their practice until they've completed the next level of Rhythm Swing or earned 3 stars to unlock the next level on Piano Maestro. That same excitement of flow and achievement that comes from video games and music apps can also happen on the bench when students approach learning new pieces with gamified strategies using practice game cards.

As a college student, my practice was definitely more focused and enjoyable when I paired it with chocolate chips and "3 in a Row" (or Cross the River) practice. 

Boss Mode Practice

Overall piano practice success can also be compared to video game levels. I love this analogy shared by Nicola Cantan at the recent Piano Teacher Turboboost I attended!

Level 0 -Tutorial Mode (No Practice)

Level 1 - 1-3 Days per Week

Level 2 - 4-6 Days per Week

Level 3 - Add 3x Repetitions to your Level 2 Practice

Level 4 - Use practice card strategies for Focused Practice Sessions 

Level 5 - BOSS MODE - Pair clear and specific goals with your practice card games and record your progress for each practice session.

 While we might not achieve BOSS MODE every week, TUTORIAL MODE can kill the fun if students are stuck in it week after week. 

The challenge goal is to look at what level you are currently practicing at and make personal improvements to LEVEL UP!

Baby Piano Hands

I enjoyed many delightful moments teaching my own six children piano when they were young. In fact, piano preschool with 2 of them and a few neighbor children was the thing that prompted me to start this blog over 15 years ago. Now, most of them have moved out or moved on to their own favorite hobbies, which don't include piano. 

At first, I was sad about letting my dreams go of helping them reach new levels of proficiency in piano and felt I failed in some regard since they insisted on quitting to move on to athletics instead. But I love how Nicola Cantan described in her recent Teacher Turboboost the different archetypes of piano... appreciator, jammer, chamberist, unwinder, performer, teacher. Many students may be like my own children and music lessons will help them become mostly music appreciators (although it was fun to see a couple of my daughters teach young beginners for a short time).

I'm hoping my new granddaughter will live close enough when she's older that I can create some piano memories with her too. Can't help but dream of that when I see her perfect little, long, slender fingers! 

Teaching Tempo Terms with Songs

Several years ago, I posted some free printables and songs that I use to really help my students remember their tempo terms. Today, I revisited that tempo terms post to prepare for our group lesson on sightreading tips and added one more Lento tempo term poster to the mix. 

Sometimes it's so tempting to jump into new music at a fast pace, but practicing at the speed of no mistakes is super important so that muscle memory is paved in your brain with correct notes instead of errors. 

Sight Reading Challenge and Tips

This month at group lessons we will focus on sight reading strategies For the studio challenge, I invite students to level up their sight-reading skills by choosing a challenge to complete below. 

Sight Reading Challenges

• New Beginners: 90% Piano Key Names on Tonic Tutor & Flashnote Derby Landmarks
• Play PedaPlus Notes or PedaPlus Intervals 5 minutes a day for 15 days.
• Sightread new music 5 minutes a day for fifteen days in a row. (Students can choose a new book for sight reading each week from my library).
• Play Piano Maestro Journey Mode until you complete the next "10" level (10, 20, 30, 40, 50).
• Sight-read 50 measures in a row with accuracy at lessons with your teacher. You choose the speed. Slow is better!

Wunderkeys Pop 2: The Renewal

 

This lesson plan includes practice tips for the The Renewal in G minor in Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book by Andrea and Trevor Dow.

Rubato is an expressive way of playing by pushing and pulling the tempo but still keeping an underlying feeling of large beats in the music. Watch this video from Living Pianos about how to play rubato effectively.

Tap along with the beat as you listen to the 2 performers play this piece. Which person plays with more rubato?

Technique Tips 

Left Hand Stride (large leaps) can require a greater sense of body awareness and can become easier as you apply these practice tips for accurate jumps to the left hand part of The Renewal.

Ear Training Challenge Activity Links

For this month students can complete Tonic Tutor.com games or choose activities from the links below to strengthen their ear training skills to prepare to complete this month's ear training challenge of their choice.

Free Printable Expert Ears Challenge Sheet

Rhythm Challenge You Be the Teacher

Every month I invite my students to complete a musical challenge. The online resources below include some options for this month's Rhythm Challenge.

You Be the Teacher Videos

Choose a video below to watch and prepare to teach a 1-minute lesson about the musical concept at the group lesson. You can create a poster, a short game, or explain the concepts in a memorable way.

Rhythm Group Lesson Activities

You Be The Teacher

One option for this month's rhythm challenge is to watch a rhythm concept video below and come prepared to teach a mini-lesson (about 1 minute) to the other students during group lessons. Students could create a poster or game, use examples from music, or just explain it the concept in a memorable way.

Elementary Rhythm Concepts

• Basic Note Values Video QHDW

Piano Pedaling Tutorials by the Piano Prof

I recently discovered The Piano Prof YouTube channel hosted by piano professor Kate Boyd and am loving so many of her tutorial videos related to intermediate level music! She explains with such clarity and includes music samples demonstrating the concepts. I love using flipped learning and her helpful explanations are a great resource for my piano lab time lesson plans that correlate with method book pieces. 

Pedaling Tutorial Videos

Pedaling Basics

Intermediate Technique Tip Videos

Following are some intermediate technique concepts we cover in intermediate piano group lessons about technique. The videos provide helpful demonstrations and more detailed explanations. 

 How to play scales more evenly and quickly?

Watch starting at 6:00-6:30

Free Piano Teaching Game: V Chord Family Reunion

I love to introduce the concept of chord symbols early on to my piano students. The freedom of playing from lead sheets not only allows them to play more interesting music early on with basic primary chord progressions, but it also opens the door for them to create and improvise using different left-hand patterns. 

Remembering all of the traditional chord symbols can be a bit overwhelming for younger students.

I created this Free Printable V Chord Family Reunion Game to help my piano students solidify their knowledge of triad and seventh chord inversion symbols that are introduced in Piano Pronto Movement 2.  It can be played with a music teacher and student for a quick lesson opener or be played with a larger group at group lessons. If you were choosing the family reunion fun would you rather parachute or hike? In this game you get to do both!

V Family Reunion Gameboard