I'm a multi tasking music teacher and these are just a few of the resources that I love to tap into to get through my morning workout walking the neighborhood or folding laundry on my exercise bike while I jot down notes from time to time, or prop up my phone to wash one more sink full of dishes that didn't get done the night before. Since covid prevents me from weight lifting at the gym and attending music teacher workshops at least I can exercise my mind and body at the same time as pursuing my piano passion!
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Saturday, May 2, 2020
Piano Teaching Tips for Beginners - Book of Mormon Stories
Book of Mormon Stories and Beyond with Beginning Piano Students
Playing Familiar Music is Fun
The upbeat rhythmic drumbeat of the bass in this song makes it a requested favorite for young children who often follow along with hand motions representing the words as they sing this song. This is typically a song that my students who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints are eager to learn because they've grown up singing it often.
Early intermediate students can handle the traditional version of this song, but I also make this accessible to my younger students who are more likely to appreciate it by using these simpler versions. Following are a few ideas on how to introduce the simplified version highlighting various concepts in the song with success.
Traditional Music for Book of Mormon Stories
Traditional Music for Book of Mormon Stories
I Spy Intervals
For a student who is still new to the concept of skips on the staff, I like to hand over the pencil and have students spy all of the skips in this song and connect them with colored lines to make them extra salient.
Major vs Minor
Often too many beginning songs center around middle C and can encourage the faulty notion in beginning students that finger numbers correlate to specific keys on the piano (C is 1, D is 2, E is 3 etc.) This song in the key of d minor shifts students away from the erroneous "C-centric" thinking and can also make a great introduction to recognizing the difference between the major and minor pentascale patterns and most students love the steady drum beat sounds in the bass.
Buddy Bass Duet
For buddy lessons with beginners, having one student play the split hand melody in the treble clef and another student (or teacher) play the bass "drumming" part an octave lower than notated encourages better listening skills and allows them to enjoy the rich harmony of the song even if they aren't physically coordinated enough to play both parts together yet.
Borrow with Rhythmic Improvisation
The rhythmic simplicity of this song provides a perfect palette for further exploration. In addition to learning the song, students could use the structure as a springboard to improvise their own melody that mimics the rhythm of the song as they change up the order of the notes of the d minor scale. For a little more challenge, students could use the Bass Harmony pattern as their backdrop instead and then just add a d minor pentascale melody with the right hand.
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Tonic Tutor Melody Game Tips
The studio contest for TonicTutor.com for May is Melody. Here are some quick game instructions with a few hints.
Mystery Note-Click the 2 notes at the top and listen for the note in the pattern that is the same pitch as the single note played.
Mushrooms-As you listen to the melody choose the last note your hear. Hint: Follow along with by pointing to the first note played and moving your finger in the direction you hear the notes played.
Robot- Challenge! Listen to the melody and play the key that you hear last. The first note is colored on the keyboard. Hint: Hover your finger or mouse over the first note as you hear the melody and then move in the direction you hear it move (left lower, right higher).
Magnets - Move the notes up or down with the magnets above or below the staff to match the melody you hear. Hint: Check to make sure notes on the staff that repeat later sound the same before clicking "Done." Remember to check the direction (up and down) and distance (how far up or down) of the notes that change.
Related Posts:
Tonic Tutor Rhythm Game Tips
Tonic Tutor Review and Discount Code
Aural-Melody
Stick People- Choose the picture that matches the shape of the melody you heard. Hint: Steps look like a staircase.Mystery Note-Click the 2 notes at the top and listen for the note in the pattern that is the same pitch as the single note played.
Mushrooms-As you listen to the melody choose the last note your hear. Hint: Follow along with by pointing to the first note played and moving your finger in the direction you hear the notes played.
Robot- Challenge! Listen to the melody and play the key that you hear last. The first note is colored on the keyboard. Hint: Hover your finger or mouse over the first note as you hear the melody and then move in the direction you hear it move (left lower, right higher).
Aural-Melodic Dictation
Eggs - Listen to the melody and choose the egg that is not in the write place on the staff. Hint: It helps to follow along with your cursor or finger as the notes are being played.Magnets - Move the notes up or down with the magnets above or below the staff to match the melody you hear. Hint: Check to make sure notes on the staff that repeat later sound the same before clicking "Done." Remember to check the direction (up and down) and distance (how far up or down) of the notes that change.
Related Posts:
Tonic Tutor Rhythm Game Tips
Tonic Tutor Review and Discount Code
Unforgettable Tempo Term Songs
Singing is a fabulous mnemonic device. After discovering these helpful Tempo Term Posters from the Colourful Keys blog that I display on my music bulletin board I added these new lyrics to familiar folk songs to make the tempo terms stick even more.
A Pecking Fun Rote Piece for Teaching Staccato
You've probably heard this famous piece before... but not quite in this way!
1. Watch Beethoven's Wig My Little Chicken as you tap your hand to the beat on a closed piano fallboard with a hen pecking motion.
2. Watch as teacher demonstrates on the keyboard What are the first 2 repeating intervals played?
(As I demonstrate this song I sing memory cues to help students remember the patterns)
Start play- ing sec-onds then
Step to the thirds then you
Leap peck peck peck, to the C's
Back to the
2nds then
3rds then
Leap peck peck peck to the C's
Chorus:
Step down down down then
Leap up then Leap up then Leap up, etc.
Free Sheet Music for Chopsticks
1. Watch Beethoven's Wig My Little Chicken as you tap your hand to the beat on a closed piano fallboard with a hen pecking motion.
2. Watch as teacher demonstrates on the keyboard What are the first 2 repeating intervals played?
(As I demonstrate this song I sing memory cues to help students remember the patterns)
Start play- ing sec-onds then
Step to the thirds then you
Leap peck peck peck, to the C's
Back to the
2nds then
3rds then
Leap peck peck peck to the C's
Chorus:
Step down down down then
Leap up then Leap up then Leap up, etc.
Free Sheet Music for Chopsticks
Monday, April 27, 2020
An Engaging Way to Start Online Music Lessons for Kids
This week I'm trying something different to start out online piano lessons. While I typically start out with a game from my piano game resource list or a quick duet improvisation, those activities don't work as well for virtual lessons. So instead I'm screen sharing some of these music concept videos from Plank Road Publishings Music Theory Concept Video Playlist.
Zoom Instructions
1. Before lessons begin, navigate to Youtube Plank Road Publishing Music Theory Concept Video Playlist.
2. Open Zoom, click share screen and be sure to select share computer audio at the bottom.
1. Before lessons begin, navigate to Youtube Plank Road Publishing Music Theory Concept Video Playlist.
2. Open Zoom, click share screen and be sure to select share computer audio at the bottom.
Do you have any other favorite music teaching video clips that would make great lesson starters?
Friday, April 24, 2020
Piano Adventures Lesson Book Level 1 Unit 1 Assignments and Supplementary Activities
Lesson Plans for Teaching Staccato and Legato Articulation
Now that I am teaching piano online, I've been streamlining my lesson plans by sending customized lesson assignment instructions via google docs to my students. I like how this new format allows me to embed links with videos and supplementary activities for flipped learning at home that were previously done during lab time.
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