Playing-Based Methodology

I taught a student yesterday who had trouble understanding half-steps (introduced in order to learn Bishop Street Blues). She successfully learned the chords just by learning their geography, but I’d like to return to the concept from another angle. Any suggestions? You know how the…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• bishop street blues, foundation 1, half steps, Laurie Richards, teaching half steps

I have a very talented student who has a keyboard and he learns songs from the tutorials on the keyboard, i.e. Fur Elise. The version he has learned is more difficult than the Fur Elise in Foundation 2. I’m afraid he won’t want to learn…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• cross pollination, Foundation 2 Fur Elise, Fur Elise, learning strategies, playing-based, playing-based tools

Separating the “what to do” from the “how to do” – on a basic level, I see this as separating patterns of pitch from rhythm. But I know there is a better analogy for understanding this concept. Anyone have any insight? What to do: what…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• how to do, how to play, what to do, what to play

After learning Ode to Joy, mom said her son wasn’t able to “get it” with the counting, so she tapped his hand when he was supposed to change the LH chord so he was able to learn the hands together. This week he only practiced…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• counting Ode to Joy, diagrams, F1, foundation 1, learning strategies, learning tools, Ode, Ode to Joy, playing-based tools, self-generation

I need some advice and feedback regarding one of my adult students who is at the start of Foundation 3. His playlist is pretty solid but he sometimes has difficulty remembering the patterns of the old songs though he can play them fine. I have…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• diagrams, Laurie Richards, learning clues, muscle memory, patterns, playing-based strategies, remembering patterns

I have a student whose mom is a fourth grade teacher, and she made a comment last night that I didn’t quite know how to respond to. In referring to the white board on which I had written the notes, including assignments from Foundation Level…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• breadth vs depth, cross pollination, depth vs. breadth in knowledge, Laurie Richards, multiple streams, playing-based, SM big picture

In this webinar you will learn the importance of developing your own self-generative skills in supporting self-generative students. Practical steps are shared with regard to how to accomplish this. Topics include: Distinction Between Receptive & Generative Skills (00:00) Importance of Supporting Self-Generative Students (05:55) Developing…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• developing generative skills, development, generative, Long Term Relationship, LTR, managing content, Playlist, receptive, struggling students

Any other fun ideas for Halloween – like the spooky blues song? Or how you might use Halloween treats as incentives this week or next? An oldie but a goodie – having students write spooky lyrics to Chester. Honey Dew progression is Monster Mash. Just…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• games, Halloween, holidays, writing lyrics

Do your students who are Level 7 and above use the music books often to help them learn the pieces? They see Neil has the music book open in the videos, and Neil also approves that for rhythm tracking in the teacher training videos. I…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• mapping, playing-based, playing-based while reading, reverse engineering, using music book, using videos

One of my adult students is very dedicated and his playlist is in good shape overall, except he has quite a hard time with Minuet in G, especially the LH finger patterns. I have asked him to think about how to define those patterns in…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• F2, Foundation 2, Laurie Richards, Minuet in G, Minuet in G LH, Minuet patterns, patterns, playing-based strategies, teaching Minuet LH