Louise, who wrote to me last week about the Musikopoly incentive, passed on an idea for a great listening game and gave me permission to share it here. This is a musical version of the game “Hunt the Thimble” (I’ve also heard this children’s game called “Hot and Cold”). Here is her description of how it is played: “I had my dad make … Continue reading
I had a request from an English reader this week for a version of the Musikopoly incentive that used pounds instead of dollars. She came up with the idea of using “Purcell Pounds” in place of the American Bach Bucks: I think I might be more fond of the Purcell picture than good old Bach! Just in case anyone else would find the new … Continue reading
Has anyone else discovered Wikki Stix??? I ran across these at my local teacher supply store last week and had to get a pack! These are bendable sticks made of a special wax-dipped yarn. They’ll stick to themselves, or other smooth surfaces, and then come off cleanly. They come in lots of bright colors: I’m always looking for creative tools to help … Continue reading
Every good pedagogy student and music teacher knows that it’s important to teach more than repertoire. There’s lots of extra “stuff” that goes into a well-balanced piano curriculum. Stuff like theory… and sightreading… and rhythm, technique, ear training, music history, improv, composing… and the list goes on! During the month of July, I often find that my desk is buried under piles of … Continue reading
It’s been a super hot week here in Kansas City, so I’ve been hanging out inside in the air conditioning catching up on lesson planning for the upcoming school year! I’m attempting to get everything ready for fall before I take a few weeks vacation at the beginning of August. That way everything is ready and waiting for the new year when I get … Continue reading
I’ve been taking advantage of some summer down-time to work on studio planning for the upcoming school year. My big project this week was putting together a new studio incentive program to kick-off in the fall. This year, I really wanted to do something with music money. (Thanks to Cecilly and Susan on the Piano Teacher Resources site for a great post … Continue reading
During the summer months, my lesson plans tend to be a little lighter on theory than during the year. But… I like to pull out games every couple of weeks just to make sure that students don’t forget all that they learned during the previous school year! A couple of weeks ago, I came up with this new game to review symbols: We … Continue reading