Is there any such thing as readiness in the Simply Music process? I am teaching a very bright little girl who is 6, but she is struggling even with the five fingers over five notes after 6 lessons. She can play the right hand of songs, but is struggling to even understand the concept of putting left and right hand together. Opinions vary - but I think 6 is…
How would you answer this question from a parent? "Why does the way we learn 7th chords only have 3 notes? To make a F#m7, isn't that an A chord?" I'm very comfortable with the practical application of the voicing idea between the notes over both hands, but I was surprised that they thought it was cheating. It's not cheating at all. The "whole" chord from a music theory standpoint is…
In this webinar, Laurie discusses some tips for managing several different streams in the curriculum and answers teacher questions. Topics include: Introduction & Purpose (0:05) When to Teach Variations & Arrangements (1:05) Expected Level of Mastery (07:25) Planning Your Training (11:03) Teacher Questions: Comp & Improv; TFMM; Jazz Clues (14:16) Determining Order of Programs/Songs (16:55) Keeping Arrangements Alive (19:01) Managing Multiple Streams in Class (28:45) Managing Repertoire Review; Planning Lessons (40:42) Click through the video to hear Laurie discuss the…
The Introductory Session has always been a successful marketing tool for Simply Music teachers. However, we live in a different world now than when the FIS was first created. We now have the opportunity to share how learning with the Simply Music method can equip students with ‘critical neurological nutrition’ to help them thrive in an unpredictable and ever-changing world. Every Simply Music teacher can benefit by incorporating this dialogue into their lives. Background of FIS Format (00:05) Why a…
I have an adult, private student who came to me already reading. She is near the end of Foundation Level 6, has completed Reading Rhythm and Reading Notes, and is working her way through Read n Play. I'm realizing I've procrastinated on introducing Time for More Music because it's so much easier than the reading projects that she continues to work on outside of lessons. I know she would beieft from focusing on playing-based strategies with…
In many SM pieces, learning by the playing-based strategies, I very quickly see chords. For example, Dark Blue starts with an A flat chord plus G. Lullaby has C, F, and G chords all over the right hand part. It's almost like my brain sorts the music into groups of chords. I have a couple of questions: Is this (seeing the music in groups of chords) a common experience for SM teachers and students? Would it…
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 white keys are longer than the black ones, coming all the way out toward us, while the black ones end further away from us? So…
When do you record your students' playing? I'm at a point where I should be able to become certified, but I haven't been good at doing the student recordings because I feel like it's unfair to them to take up their class time with recording them for my purposes. I also don't necessarily want to submit recordings of every student I have in any particular group. At the end of every…
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 the Foundation 2 version as he is already playing a more advanced version. What would you do? Foundation 1 and 2 strategies are more important than…
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 notes or fingers you will use How to do: what rhythm, expression, tempo you will play these notes/fingers "What to do"…
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