Laurie Richards

The 12 year old son of an adult student of mine would love to take piano lessons. He can already play the violin and has a great ear, able to figure out how to play songs he hears on the piano. However, due to a…

• Last updated 4 years ago
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First, how do you teach all the complex chords beyond the last Danny Boy piece in Accompaniment Book 1? Do you choose other lead sheets? Work on exercises with the other chords? Second, after Accompaniment Book 1, when is a student ready for Accompaniment Level…

• Last updated 4 years ago
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Could someone explain the “mapping” strategy? I’ve noticed it a few times in the TTM, but I’d like to make sure I understand it completely. Here is an official definition: Observing any section or piece of music as a series of shapes, and assembling those…

• Last updated 4 years ago
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Question for Elizabeth Gaikwad about Chord Drill: Is there an easier way to vocalize ALL the chords when going through the drill? We get tongue-tied saying this out loud – “C# major, C# minor, C# major, C# suspended, C# major, C# major7, etc. etc. Some…

• Last updated 4 years ago
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Two questions: 1) How do practice requirements change through the foundation levels? Level one is 15-20 minutes, but as their repertoire grows, it would seem they need more time to keep everything alive and also with the addition of multiple streams and songs getting more complicated. 2)…

• Last updated 4 years ago
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A parent asked me tonight “when will my daughter be able to hear a song, and just know how to play it with all the chords and in the right key?” I was unsure how to answer this, so of course I told the truth,…

• Last updated 4 years ago
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I’m sensing my own impatience lately with some of my adult students! I also feel like I’ve been getting lots of “I’m nervous” and “it was perfect at home” from them. Maybe it’s just me… I’m not quite sure what’s going on. I’m just feeling…

• Last updated 4 years ago
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Right now I have several students who are simultaneously going through RR and Accompaniment Variations. As such, it *seems* like a logical step to start including swing rhythm as a variation when learning to read 8th notes (doubles). However, there is not a single discussion…

• Last updated 4 years ago
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Is the idea with the 3-note comp/improv exercise that the students are to play three consecutive white notes in the RH or can they be any three notes, black or white? I get them to pick any 3 white notes without telling them about the…

• Last updated 4 years ago
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How would I decide whether a student would learn reasonably well using the classic Simply Music approach, or whether he & I should invest in the Gateway program? I don’t think you can really know until you start. It’s always safe to start with Gateway.…

• Last updated 4 years ago
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