Simpedia

Sue K., Australia

An idea which sprung to mind at our last conference in Melbourne was having a large keyboard – a white sheet with keys spray painted onto it. Or even painted directly onto the floor – and having the students walking or dancing the steps on the keyboard.

I haven’t actually done this as I don’t really have room, but there is potential for a lot of fun. Two students, one “playing” each hand, chord shapes and all sorts of things.

Judy M., Arizona

I think of these, in the hands, on the practice pads, volunteer at the piano & ’round robin’ as the basic learning tools of group lessons. They give a very solid “what’s next” to students, the exact next step in the learning process. When a part of a piece, or even the whole piece, is difficult for a student we have shown them, week after week, exactly what to do to break it down into smaller pieces. These are the basic tools in the toolbox we are filling.

I have found that putting the music into my hands has been invaluable as I progress. When something is particularly difficult for me that is my very first action. It helps tremendously. I sit with the practice pad in my lap as I watch the video. I stop the video and play on the practice pad. My playing has greatly improved as I began to do these very simple steps with every new bit I learn. I encourage my students to do the same.

Volunteer at the piano gives all a chance to go through the struggle of being the first to learn with me, a sort of one on one with others there, but really, focused attention for a brief period of time during a shared lesson.

And the Round Robin? Hey, they get to get up and move and often laugh a lot because it is fun.

These are the “what I can count on” as we throw them curves with the new material. Kind of like you need to have the baseball field always the same in order to play baseball.

Elisa J., New York

You can also play duets with your students with “round robin.” I do this frequently with my students even if the part I’m playing isn’t what I’m going to teach but it shows them where they’re heading. I think one teacher mentioned something about playing the rhythm of the song on a toy drum. I guess if you don’t have one and you’re in a home studio pots and pans would work just as well. Plus I bet the looks on their faces will probably be priceless if you come in with pots and pans. Might be a little loud though. At the school where I teach we’ve pounded on the long table together to do rhythm. Other ideas, more on the normal, clapping hands, on laps, etc. As far as being boring, see below, looks familiar? It’s part of your signature.

“It is possible that God says every morning, `Do it again’ to the sun; and every evening, ‘Do it again’ to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes all daisies separately, but has never gotten tired of making them.”  ~ G.K. Chesterton

I wonder what it would be like if all of a sudden God thought making daisies became boring. There’s this saying where if you hear it enough you’ll believe it, something like that. Anyway, if you think or tell yourself it’s boring then I guess it will be for you and your students. I recently started bartering piano lessons for nutritional guidance. One week I told her, “I was bad this week. I had 2 cookies.” and her reply was, “why don’t you just turn that into something positive like, ‘I did great, this week. I only had 2 cookies (as oppose to 1or 2 per day)!” It’s all about mindset when it comes to most things in our lives and what we do, feel about, SM is no different. I’ve been teaching since Nov 2010 and there are still some things I don’t understand but believe that I will in time.

Amber B., Michigan

I love, love , love teaching shared lessons. I don’t think the classes get boring but instead humans are predictable and we thrive on repetition.

Just this last week I had a group of three students using Reading Notes to read intervals. The boy was sitting in the middle and was playing the piano but I told him he had to do, no thinking because each of the girls would tell him what the next note would be. The first girl spoke the up or down and the other girl would tell him the distance /interval. All three were engaged and paying attention to their part. Homework was to review the same page at home before the next lesson.

I have learned many games at Simply Music teacher gatherings. I won’t take credit for any of these but I routinely use games to keep the lessons fun and students engaged. A favorite is to start out a duet in class with a student and even a parent. Maybe we practice the blues right hand improv using blues scale and the students switch between playing Jackson Blues in the lower registry and the other using right hand playing in upper registry. After several duets, I challenge the kids to play both parts at home and be their own duet. This can also work with Honey Dew playing the RH chords in the LH to explore a readymade composition using random note in RH. First we start out in class in duet mode and then challenge students to play both parts without a partner either in class or at home. Another favorite is to play girls versus boys or students versus parents in playing songs, finding positions on practice pads or random trivia like who wrote each song.

A mainstay of all my lessons is to first hear last week’s song, answer any questions about last week’s lesson material, review playlist using popsicle sticks, deliver new materials or video/work song. Have students or myself write notes on board and finish with special program materials or more playlist review.