Curriculum
Keeping Accompaniments Alive
With regard to questions about keeping the accompaniment process alive, my approach to students who have finished the accompaniment level one book is:- 1. They have to be working on an accompaniment piece at all times 2. They get to choose the song they learn…
Keeping Accompaniment Pieces Alive
Do any other teachers have any ideas on how to keep accompaniment pieces alive and fresh on a student’s playlist? They seem to be given the least attention at home, because there’s no “tune”! I give students several suggestions: singing along if able and willing,…
Finding I, IV, V in Minor Keys (N.Moore)
Some of my students want to know how to quickly find I, IV, and V in the minor keys. They want to know if the same shortcut (from the Accompaniment Program), works. Well the answer is good news, and absolutely the ’shortcut’ works. The I,…
Creating Introductions for Accompaniment Pieces
I’m just beginning to teach the accompaniment track to some of my students. I am wondering if I should deal at all with having the student work out an introduction to lead the singers into an accompaniment piece. As a long-time church accompanist, I know…
Accompaniment, Boys & Singing
I have a group of six boys (three families) in a lesson, and I have been having a time getting them to sing with accompaniments during practice time at home. They’re a pretty quiet group (and two are my little brothers, which can really make…
Accompaniment 1 – Root Chords
My query is on the subject of Accompaniment. Half my studio have just started Acc1 and everyone is wanting to learn a song of their choice. I notice with a lot of popular music that there are full of chord inversions and we have only…
Processing Chords
What strategies and games have people developed to help students process chords beyond the major triads? My class is at a point where we can find I IV V, so I have multiple strategies for processing and really getting students to nail the major chords,…
Is Accompaniment Optional
Today a mother sent me an email, asking if the Accompaniment Program is a requirement in the Simply Music curriculum. Her 10-year-old son has gotten to upside down triangles and Danny Boy in Db. He has been quite resistant the whole way so far, even though…
Flats vs minors
I’ve noticed at certain points in the curriculum students struggle, slow down, or “hit walls”. A lot might have to do with difficulty fluctuating throughout. I haven’t started Level 4 yet, but this probably continues in later levels. With average beginners, I think it really…
Chord Fingering
I’ve occasionally had students finger their major (and other similar) chords as 1-2-5. I’m inclined to correct them and usually do. But if they do this consistently for all their chords, I’m not sure that it’s a problem. I have personally found that the 1-3-5…