Are you looking for some fun Christmas-themed games and activities to use in lessons and group classes this month? Or something new and different to keep your student engaged and motivated through these last few weeks of the semester? Over the last couple of years, I’ve posted a number of Christmas games, worksheets and resources. You have to do a bit of hunting through … Continue reading
Bring on the school year! All of my new studio incentive materials are back from the printer and ready to find their way into the hands of my students. For any of you looking for incentive ideas, here’s a look at what we’re doing this year: This new studio incentive is a little bit “Mission: Impossible” and a little bit “Amazing Race.” Each student … Continue reading
It’s group week again in our studio! Many of my students will be taking theory exams later this spring, so we’ve been doing LOTS of theory review this month in preparation. One of the skills my elementary students are required to demonstrate on their exams is proper stem placement. We usually don’t spend much time covering that particular objective (other than an explanation and … Continue reading
Rehearsals and recitals and auditions, oh my! Between a full calendar of student activities this month (and another exciting project I’m looking forward to sharing soon), blogging has taken a backseat the last couple of weeks. My plan is to play catch-up this week and post some odds and ends from last month’s group lessons… before this months groups roll around! I’ve added two … Continue reading
This past summer brought a whole group of new beginning students to my studio. It’s been a while since my schedule has been heavy on the beginner side, and it’s been a refreshing change! It has made me realize, however, that I’m a little tired of some of the games that have been in my closet for a while. Even though they are new to … 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
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
Several years ago I adapted a Twister game to use in my studio. Since then, it’s become a yearly tradition to play it at the last group lesson of the year. This year, we used it to drill interval recognition. To make the game music friendly, I add small strips of painter’s tape to each of the dots on the mat. For this … Continue reading
As I’ve been prepping students for theory exams this spring, one of my goals as a teacher has been to find a “hands-on” way to work on each concept. This week many of my students were working on identifying and building major and minor scales, so I created a set of manipulative cards to help us: First, I asked students to lay out the scale … Continue reading
I’ve added a couple of new music symbol worksheets to my website. They’re a colorful way to make sure your students really understand everything on a page of music (or practice for upcoming theory exams, as is the case in my studio!). I’ve made two levels so far. Level 1 drills these symbols: treble clef, bass clef, time signature, repeat sign, bar lines, forte, piano, … Continue reading