Assignments for Month-Long Break
Found in: Accompaniment, Composition & Improvisation, Curriculum, Supplemental Programs
Corinne S., Georgia
Would it work, when there is a month-long break from teaching, to suggest that dedicated students (at the appropriate level) work through Tune Toolkit and The Chord Drill on their own? I have the vaguest recollection from the training on those that “students can work through this on their own”, but don’t have time to chase it down in the training materials. Suggestions, please? (Mark S. Meritt, Elizabeth Gaikwad)
Any other suggestions for filling the time–in addition to keeping repetiore alive, working on leadsheets and doing improvisation on their own?
Mark M., New York
While the Tune Toolkit SHM were designed so that in theory a student could self-study, it’s not formally recommended when using the program as part of the overall curriculum in ongoing lessons. However, there absolutely is endless possibility for using Tune Toolkit in this kind of situation even without having students go ahead into things without you. See the Volume 1 TTM chapters on Teaching Techniques, in particular the Enhancing Assignments section. Lots of opportunities to create many new projects out of tools you’ve already covered with them. The benefit of novelty comes along with the benefit of deepening their skills.
Leeanne I., Australia
Composition projects, I find my students need a lot of time to work on compositions, so break time is an ideal time to do them.
Elizabeth G., Australia
The Chord Drill is designed to be used along side the Accompaniment 1 program…. so if your students are on their way through it’s a great way for them to practice their chord shapes! If they have completed the Accompaniment 1 program the Chord Drill Challenges will definitely keep them busy…. it gives rhythmic variations … and moves them into inversions of their chords.
Another project could be to assign the Foundation Duets and Variations … Volume 1 covers pieces from Foundation 1 & 2, Volume 2 Foundation 3 & 4. There are step by step audio tracks of how to do both the lower part Accompaniment, and where applicable the Variation on the upper part.
Original discussions started July 24, 2018