Curriculum
Busy teen student and critical music teacher
My 15-year-old student started school band last September playing vibraphone and has been very consumed with rehearsals, competitions, and a critical band teacher who wonders “what kind of piano teacher did not teach her to sight-read”. Her practice time if infrequent (mainly due to band)…
Playing songs at the correct tempo
One of my adult students is in a valley (or plateau) because even though she can do Alma Mater Blues very well super slowly, she is impatient with herself and she said “I will NEVER be able to play it as quickly as Neil Moore…
Senior student and pacing
In working with different seniors, I’m routinely finding they want fewer songs on their list (to manage), but more advanced pieces. Has anyone else encountered this? I had a discussion with a lady I teach who is in Level 4, that this is typically the…
Parental expectations of reading
I received this email from a parent. Does anyone have any advice I can share with her? This student has completed Time for More Music and plays beautifully. She is just finishing Level 8. This mother is of the opinion that traditionally trained students can…
Fur Elise – Order and B section
Recital Question for Fur Elise (Level 9): Would you rather have the student just play one time in the beginning, or have it repeated like what it says in the music? It’s a lot of repeats to listen to. All the repeats is how it…
Using words to learn rhythms
Does anyone use words for reading rhythm streams instead of buh-buhs? I’ve always used it as a fun variation. But recently I had one student who was a bit stuck at the rhythm-into-fingers phase. And I realized he was stuck because he couldn’t make sense…
Foundation Duets books
A recent post elicited a good solution to managing group classes with more duet stimulation. I just contacted Elizabeth Gaikwad to tease it out a bit more. She said I could post the following in case it helps anyone else. It was a good reminder…
Prospective student only wants to learn Accompaniment
I have a prospective student who sent me a video of a woman accompanying a singer with the question, “Can you teach me to play like this?” I say yes, accompaniment is included in the program, and told her about the different genres. She says…
Reading Rhythm: Processing ties
Has anyone found a creative way to teach the concept of ties to a student who has trouble grasping abstract concepts? I love the idea presented earlier here about using “London Bridge” as a natural way to teach dotted quarters, but I need a new…
Lead Me to Light rhythm
Please help me with the rhythm of Lead Me to Light. I can’t feel it, and my most advanced group is ready to learn it next week. I’m getting it with counting, but I need to teach it playing-based. I sometimes will sing a lyric…