Joplin The Entertainer Lab Assignment

Joplin The Entertainer

Divide your music into small sections and add a label above each section that fits the "act" of the entertainer.

For example during the first few phrases, I imagine...
Grand Entrance Cart Wheels
Juggling - "Toss-up, Toss-up, Toss-up"
Tumbler - and then he's "Tumbling around on the floor"
Juggling - "Toss-up, Toss-up, Toss-up"
Tumbler - Now he's "Tumbling around a little more"
etc.

The Rhythm Trainer Online Flash Game

Thanks to pinterest, I discovered another useful resource today for practicing rhythmic dictation skills during piano lab.  At http://www.therhythmtrainer.com/ .  I like how there are options for fast and slow speed.  You can also customize what combination of note values to practice with including different combinations of eighth and sixteenth notes and rests.
Another useful feature is the 2 mode options.  For mode A, students listen to a one measure rhythm pattern (in 4/4 Time) and then construct it by clicking on rhythm values in the correct order.  In Mode B you can see the rhythm pattern and then select from multiple choice audio samples to select the pattern that matches the rhythm that you see. This will definitely be added to my link list of online piano lab activities.

Piano Practice and Grace

 "Why do I need to practice?"  That's what I've been hearing lately around my house a lot from my son who doesn't catch the vision of what piano practice can do for him.  I  listened to a speech this morning while exercising that totally resonated with me.  I love all of the "piano practicing" analogies that relate to improving ourselves spiritually in this life.  Following is the link to the full speech:
 "His Grace is Sufficient" by Brad Wilcox


If the child sees Mom’s requirement of practice as being too overbearing (“Gosh, Mom, why do I need to practice? None of the other kids have to practice! I’m just going to be a professional baseball player anyway!”), perhaps it is because he doesn’t yet see with mom’s eyes. He doesn’t see how much better his life could be if he would choose to live on a higher plane.

 This quote reminds me of conversation I had earlier this week with my son who wanted to rush out the door to play before completing piano practice because "its too hard."  We discussed the character traits that develop through doing hard things, after a little moaning and groaning, he finally got it done.  I thought this quote by Richard G. Scott expresses what I wanted to convey to him perfectly.

"The bedrock of character is integrity. Worthy character will strengthen your capacity to recognize the direction of the Spirit and be obedient to it. Strong character is more important than what you own, what you have learned, or what goals you have accomplished." (from Living a Life of Peace, Joy and Purpose. Ensign February 2014).

And a few more of my favorite excerpts from Brad Wilcox's speech:
“But Brother Wilcox, don’t you realize how hard it is to practice? I’m just not very good at the piano. I hit a lot of wrong notes. It takes me forever to get it right.” Now wait. Isn’t that all part of the learning process? When a young pianist hits a wrong note, we don’t say he is not worthy to keep practicing. We don’t expect him to be flawless. We just expect him to keep trying. Perfection may be his ultimate goal, but for now we can be content with progress in the right direction. Why is this perspective so easy to see in the context of learning piano but so hard to see in the context of learning heaven?

When learning the piano, are the only options performing at Carnegie Hall or quitting? No. Growth and development take time. Learning takes time. When we understand grace, we understand that God is long-suffering, that change is a process, and that repentance is a pattern in our lives.

Piano Lab Online Activities - Level 5

Online Piano Lab Activities Level 5

Browse the links below to find online activities organized by topic for intermediate-level piano students to complete during piano lab or at home. 

Piano Lab Online Activities - Level 3

Following are online activities for Level 3 (Hal Leonard or Faber 2B) organized by concept.
Technique

            Piano Adventures Technique Secrets
            Piano Adventures Artistry Pieces

Eighth Notes/Rests Review Visual

Theta Rhythm Puzzles Level 1

Tonic Tutor Piggybank

New Piano Lab Find : Online Music Activities by Phil Tulga

Today, a fellow music teacher referred me to Phil Tulga's music activities site.  This fun resource
allows students to create melodies and rhythm patterns using a variety of sounds.  The tools that I am excited to add to my music lab activities are:
Unifix Cube Drum Machine - a fun way to help students hear and visualize syncopation or practice tapping and counting 2 handed rhythm patterns
Counting Music - Choose from 2/4, 3/4 & 4/4, and build customized rhythms from whole to sixteenth notes and rests to practice counting or mastering tricky rhythms in their music
Musical Fraction Bars - Compose 2 measure melodies on "rhythm rulers"
Virtual Fraction Tubes - Introduce the pentatonic scale.  Great ideas for melodies to teach by rote using the black keys
Fraction Pies - Reinforce the relationship of notes and their durations using "pizza" fractions
Sequencing with Simon - Improve aural memory by playing back melodies on a virtual Simon game using notes from the C major arpeggio

Music of Thanksgiving and Gratitude

 It seems like the stores skip straight from Halloween to Christmas and don't place a lot of emphasis on Thanksgiving, yet I love the yearly reminder of giving thanks and want to cultivate an attitude of gratitude within my children, as it is so easy for us to forget our many blessings.  Following are a few songs that I have used in my piano studio and home approaching the Thanksgiving Season.
For Health and Strength  - a short one line round perfect for siblings to practice in duet or round form
I remember singing this song often at church as a young child.  It was probably my first exposure to singing in a round.  One evening as I was gathered in the bathroom with several of my siblings to brush our teeth, someone broke into song.  We had a memorable and jovial impromptu choir practice in front of the bathroom mirror as we practiced conducting with exaggerated motions to cue each new part and sing this song with multiple rounds.  Now when I hear this song it makes me think of the blessing it was to grow up in a home full of siblings (there were 6 of us) surrounded by love.  I am thankful for parents who took me to church regularly and filled my life with music that helps me remember the Lord.  Following are a few of my favorites.
My Heavenly Father Loves Me I love the soothing melody line in this song!
Thanks to Our Father - Haydn + Robert Louis Stevenson
Family Prayer     Sometimes we use this as an attention getter to gather our own 6 squirmy children for prayer.
 Children All Over the World  As a child I was intrigued by the challenge of learning to say thank you in many different languages when I was taught to sing this song.
Hymn of Grateful Praise and  various arrangements by Sally Deford
This year I accompanied my daughter this year as she sang her first solo in church - "Come Thou Fount".  One of my piano students who was in the congregation called me afterward and asked what the name of the song was because she loved it so much.  The level of difficulty was beyond her reach, but since she was so enthused about learning it, after she mastered the melody line, I had her identify the chords in the harmony and showed her some tricks for improvising it to her level.
All Things Bright and Beautiful - simple arrangement by Susan Paradis
This week I was asked to give a short talk (sermon) on the topic of gratitude.  It was the perfect topic for me because its something that I need to work on.  It is easy for me to be honest, to be obedient, but being grateful and optimistic is a continual challenge.  I want to be more like Job who after having most of his temporal blessings stripped from him was still able to say

·       " Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly."

I I love the reminder in this short video of a simple daily exercise that can help me live in thanksgiving daily... not just as I approach Thanksgiving.

I

As I watch "My New Life," the story of Stephanie Nielsen, a young mother who survived a plane crash, it chokes me up almost everytime.  Maybe its because I'm still in the phase of life with precious little children at home to care for who have many needs and yet who are the joy and delight of my life.  The background music is beautiful and it reminds me of the amazing husband I am privileged to share this life together with.