Curriculum
Notating Compositions
I’m having my students compose and notate a piece. Of course notating rhythm is a challenge for some, but a wonderful way to have them ‘self generate’ as best they can. We do a ‘back in forth’ where I help them tweak it so it…
Teaching Pedal Online
Has anyone taught The Pedal on line? How did you do it? I have several students ready for this mini project and I don’t know if it can work? Do you have the TWS Program on Using the Pedal? If not, I highly recommend it.…
Accompaniment Workshops
I would like to arrange for an accompaniment event for my students to play with a small band (drummer, bass, guitar, singer). It seems that at least one teacher has paved the way with this type of event, and I’m open to suggestions as to…
Accompaniment Performance ‘Workshop’
Carry Madison and I hosted an Accompaniment ‘Workshop’ at our studio yesterday and we wanted to share because it was so wonderful! A few months ago I started playing on the Worship Team at my church and had such a great time that I realized…
Hands Separately with Audio
This past month, I started making a point of assigning students to both LISTEN to the audio tracks and practice playing along with audio tracks HANDS SEPARATELY. Specifically, I’ve started directing students to try playing one hand alone with the audio tracks on a routine…
Electronic Accompaniment in Tune Toolkit
Mark S. Meritt, I’m studying I, IV, V progressions in Tune Toolkit 1 right now. In one of the subvideos, you recommend student play along with an electronic accompaniment that changes its chord accompaniment based on what you play in your left hand (like what…
When to Introduce Outside Pieces
When Neil says, “. . . once a student has ventured far enough into the syllabus, we routinely begin dealing with the full array of pieces from any typical classical repertoire, Moonlight Sonata included”, does “far enough into the syllabus” mean once students are somewhat…
Outside Music from School
I have a class of 5 middle-schoolers who love music, and are trying to do every musical activity available to them. They are in Level 3. A couple of them are in the school band (actually an orchestra), and a couple of them are joining…
Reading from a Hymn Book
I have a very motivated adult student who has nearly finished Time for More Music. She is able to figure out what most any piece of music says given enough time. She has a good grasp of intervals and knows what many of the notes…
Teaching Diminished 7th Chords
Is there an easy way to teach diminished 7th chords? Is it a 4-note chord? I’m thinking in terms of the way we teach chords with half and whole steps related to the triangle. Good question. The accompaniment program chord diagrams are intended to teach…