Laminating

An investment in a laminator happened! The studio has been a happening place lately - all kinds of fun new games and activities!
Here are a few favourites so far:

Note Value Practice

Theory Practice

Keyboard Printable!

Musical Meander!*

A HUGE thank-you from a great support group for ideas and printables!


**http://colourfulkeys.ie/musical-meander/

Note learning Game

This Game is fabulous! Learning their keys and the note values is so easy with this little gem!
Great work from Colorful Keys!!

 

Its also so great for group lessons! I have this in my student library as well as a game to take home.
Kids love to play and they don't even realize they are practicing!

Free Keyboard Printable!

Keyboard Printable

This printable comes in handy when beginner students are learning to find notes on the keyboard. The kids love to color and make it their own!

It also provides a nice visual for beginners when learning a new hand position. When using them in a lesson for hand positions, I usually have two options: laminated ones and a few paper ones. Students practice on the laminated and can erase their mistakes, and then get to take the paper ones home and remember easily where their hands need to be for each position.

Enjoy!

Daily notes!

 Sight reading notes is always a great way to freshen up on our notes with beginner and intermediate students. Here are a few games that make the memorizing that much easier! 

http://www.musictheory.net/exercises/note

http://www.readmusicfree.com/grandstaffdefender.html

Preschool Group Classes

Yesterday was the first preschool class of the year and what a treat it was! The kids were great and so eager to learn.  Here is a little glimpse of the activities! My own kidlets posed for me for the demonstration.

Aiming to create staff recognition, students observed the spaces and lines.
The students then took turns placing a pompom a space or line as directed.

When prompted with a flashcard, students placed a button on it's match.

Sight Reading Help!

 Music Tutor Free App:

If there is anything I love more than music, its free stuff! (Ask my family... they think I'm crazy!)

Need help with your sight reading? This app is for you!
Parents, if your kids need practice on their notes, this free app is just what your kids need! It even has settings for each musical clef and a note range, and has timer options making it totally beginner-friendly!

Music Tutor Free

The App has several challenge levels
and encourages quick thinking and accuracy.

Happy sight reading!!

Making Learning Fun!

As a teacher, I am always looking for new and exciting ways to teach musical concepts. I am so thankful for the support and ideas of a group of fellow teachers from "Piano Teacher FunMakers!" that I have recently come into contact with! They have some great games and ideas that make learning (and teaching!) so fun! I thought I would share a few recent ones I've found here!

Musical Jenga! How fun is that!?

Learning notes! I've also seen this done with smarties!

Learning the fingers! These will be so great to send home and for beginners practice!

I can't wait to try these out with my students!

A Study on Practicing Techniques!

I came across this study today and found it really interesting! How to practice effectively! Something we always try to pass on as the teacher, but comes down to the parent and student's dedication and effort in the daily practice. Enjoy the read!

8 Things Top Practicers Do Differently

Student Incentives

It's always good to have a little motivation for students to practice and try hard! In the past I have tended to use stickers as my only incentives, and it worked well.

I recently came into contact with a group of teachers and came across this idea, which I instantly fell in love with. It's similar to my previous method, but adds an extra prize element every month or two!

Student's who have mastered a piece, receive a sticker for the accomplishment. ...Even my adult students usually love to take one! ;) This also applies to each theory homework page completed.

I also love to reward hard work, so at the end of each lesson, if I can tell they have practiced well, the receive a sticker for their hard work!

I keep a small flip-book by the lesson area with a card for each student with their name on it. When a student has filled a card (30 stickers), they get to open the "treasure box" and pick a prize!!! I can't wait to try it out!

Feel free to leave a comment, I'd love to hear any other suggestions!

Practice Guidelines

This is an excerpt from my Studio Contract that outlines practice guidelines for students of different levels.

PRACTICING GUIDELINES

Practice is the key to success! It is essential for students to practice 5 days a week for them to learn and excel to their best ability. If that kind of practice cannot be maintained, the student will not advance as quickly. Practice may be split up into smaller segments (e.g. practice one song and then take a break) if that is better for the individual as concentration during practice is important. **Note to parents: Don’t expect to hear one selection in its entirety. The key to a good performance is to practice the tough spots until they become easy spots. Only then should the piece be played all the way through.
 
Practice guideline:
Beginners in the first six months require 5 to 10 minutes a day practicing with a parent or older sibling.
Beginners in the second half of their first year need about 15 minutes a day, sometimes with help.
Students with 30 minute lessons, 20-30 minutes, 5 times a week.
Students with 45 minute lessons (Gr 3&4),  40-45 minutes, 5 times a week.
Students with 60 minute lessons (Gr 5,6,7,8) 300 minutes weekly