Curriculum
Teaching Dreams Come True
In my initial lesson with adult students, I often will introduce the Basics followed by Dreams Come True. It has become a common theme that people really don’t understand that diagram; I am considering starting with the right hand of Ode to Joy. Sadly I…
Webinar Series: 02/06/2018 – Piano – Becoming a Self-Generative Teacher
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…
Songs for Christmas chord inversions
The variations in Songs for Christmas use inversions that my Level 4 students have not yet learned. However, they’re beyond the basic C F & G chords of the simple versions. Should I teach the variations using root position chords, or find a way to…
I, IV, V and minor keys
Here’s a theory question from a student that has me stumped: are songs in minor keys (like Scarborough Fair) still built on a I, IV, V foundation? Which major chords would one expect to find in a minor key, and why? Intuitively, it seems like…
Fur Elise 3+3 fingering
One of my Foundation 2 students was wondering re: Fur Elise if she could use just the RH (no LH) for the 3+3 (after the 9 E’s). She said she feels that may be simpler or easier. She did not argue as such, she was…
Understanding Chord Structure – Laurie Richards (Webinar)
In this interactive teacher webinar, Laurie walks through the ‘rules’ of how chords are built. Using slides for visual reinforcement of the concepts, the following topics are clearly covered: Major Scale How Triads are Built Other Chord Tones 7th Chords Extended Chords Chord Voicing Chord…
Helping Students Sing on Key
Can you please give ideas for helping students learn to sing on pitch? My student is seven years old and in Level 2. She loves to sing, and her singing is very off pitch. Are there ways that I can help her? Are there other resources you…
Getting Students to Sing in Class
I found a way that seems to be working fairly well to get students to sing in class. I have added another topic to my checklist of songs, pedaling, etc. to teach them. I call it Instrument Balance. I start by asking them what they…
Using music books starting in Level 7
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…
Difficulty in forming chords with young students
I just started Simply Music with my 6-year-old son. 5 steps of sound and making a chord was extremely difficult for him. I have taught a couple of young students before, but my previous method didn’t have them playing chords for a year or more.…