Students Struggling to Play Night Storm BH
Found in: Foundation Songs
Rebecca G., Colorado
I seem to be having increasing numbers of students struggling to put Night Storm together in the correct order between the lesson at which I teach it and the next lesson. I’ve had people coming back who play the whole first section 2 times and then the tailpiece or who play the first section once and then go directly into the tailpiece, for example.
Have others had this problem, and what’s your strategy to overcome it? I watched the final SHM chapter again and do see that the order really only gets played, not explained, which I think is what’s causing difficulties.
Rochelle G., California
Are they tying the lyrics of the song in? I find it helps with the order of a song if you put the lyrics to it as you play. Something I say with Night Storm if necessary is “the first set of twos, the second set of twos, the third set of two’s, and end on 2. Then we to do that again: the first set of twos, the second set of two’s, but there is no third set of twos we go right to the five steps of sound (or tailpiece). I actually haven’t had too many problems with order if we are singing:)
Kathleen C.
I also like to tie it in with the “secret of this song – 2”. Ie, on the second time, only play 2 sets of twos then play the tailpiece.
Rebecca G., Colorado
I liked the way you explained that, Rochelle. Actually, the most recent student who had problems like this WAS using the lyrics – she was trying to sing both of the last lines of the song and made her playing fit with those… so she played all 3 sets of 2’s twice and then ended with the tailpiece!
Mark M., New York
I use the same approach as Kathleen, saying that in the 2nd half, only do 2 groups of 2. I think the alternate last line may actually be a devious trick on Neil’s part. Why would he do that, why put that there, and not do it with any other song? Why make it so that it’s too easy to follow the words and do the entire first half and then still have words left on the page to fill up the tailpiece, and even have those words in parentheses, set off from the rest, the same way the tailpiece is musically set off from the rest? I think he does it on purpose — precisely to see how well students are paying attention to the teacher and the video.
If they’re really paying attention, they should get it right. I’ve had many who don’t get it right. So be it. It’s a teachable moment — and I even may tell them that I think Neil put it in there for the reason I mention, so we get to really hammer home the idea of the importance of mindfully following instructions.