Students are slacking on playlist
Found in: Practicing & Playlists
Sandy B., California
I need someone to touch base with. Most of my students are coming to the end of level 2 and are in the middle of the accompaniment book (I added this during the summer) and can do easy improv. That blues scale goes a long long way! But now that Level 3 is coming along I feel I need to be sure I’m doing things in the right way. I’m feeling frustrated that a few students are slacking in their playlists. I check often.
Stephen R., California
Did you see the previous thread of touching all the streams? I understand the feeling of frustration with students and playlist. I’m sure we all face this as teachers of this program, sooner or later. Staying on top of the playlist is one of the highest priorities and if that means having some tough and real conversations with the students and parents, then you need to do that. Keeping songs alive doesn’t mean having to play them ten times a day every day, it means often enough to keep them alive. I typically bring up the subject of “retiring” songs after they have at least 40 in their list or sometime in Level 4. Students are building a varied, diversified musical vocabulary. You may even mention to students and parents that you as the teacher have a huge playlist, from Dreams to your furthest student. Talking about maintaining the playlist needs to happen early and often. I’m trying to do better myself these days.
I start Reading Rhythm early in Level 3 and do doses every week. There are a lot of projects in rhythm, so it takes time and I like to get it underway. I want students to have finished Level 2 before I start that. When I mention we will begin the reading process soon, often students are ready and excited. Have a set up conversation about that and be clear that learning to read is its own ongoing journey. Regarding Foundation 3, some songs are completed: Light Blue, Minuet, Star Spangled Banner. Take your time with Greensleeves since that begins fragmenting, more fully explored in Level 4. Hopefully, most students will have composed at least one or two songs by Level 3. Encourage students to explore over an existing left hand from a piece. There are lots of ideas in the program: sentences, patterns, order, sections, chords, tailpieces. Hope this helps!
David F., Nebraska
That sounds about right on time, for playlists to begin slipping away, at least in my experience. Stay on top of it, claim your territory! I’ve also found that old songs stay more alive if I resist my own urge to deliver too much of a dose of the newer material.
Stephen R., California
Also Sandy, I’d have dedicated playlist days every couple months or so where you don’t start anything new and just hear playlist.
Jacqui G., Canada
I have an adult student who was about to start Level 4. She had to take a break after Level 3, so before we began the new book I suggested we run through her playlist. What a shock – she was making mistakes in nearly every song! From now on I intend to have a “playlist lesson” once every month or so.
Stephen R., California
I tend to operate with my gut instincts with students. I told a student last week “It’s really important to keep the songs alive and we’re only going to move forward if I feel we’re ready to move forward!” We as teachers understand the program, how it builds, and why it’s important to maintain the playlist.
I hear this a lot too: “I can play it perfectly at home” or “I practice all the time”. I think some students want to tell us what they think we want to hear sometimes.
Regarding making mistakes at the lessons…it’s going to happen. I tell students to relax and to realize this is a learning environment, not a performance, and it’s not about being perfect.
Laurie Richards, Nebraska
I highly recommend listening to the section of the Foundation Session about the playlist. It’s in the Curriculum section of the Library. The playlist conversation starts at 30:25. Neil talks about WHY the playlist is so important.
