March 2017: Apps for Teaching: Make It Stick with Quizlet
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
Quizlet is an app that generates flash cards. These are not the traditional, last-century, paper flash cards. Once you set up an account, you can create customized sets of virtual flashcards with engaging study modes, and access them on laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Most students are familiar with Quizlet because...
March/April 2017: Questions and Answers
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
Q: I’ve heard that you use films as source material for pedagogy classes. Would you share an example and discuss how and why you do this? A: Great films capture human experience in a myriad of ways and can be very effective as teaching tools because...
March 2017: Winds of Change
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
Change has been on our minds a lot lately. When I coined the name of this column in 2009, I had no idea how prescient it was (some of these recent changes would have been hard to predict even a year ago). With the future certain...
Another World
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
I recently had the privilege of attending the Winter meeting of the National Association for Music Merchants (NAMM) in Anaheim, California. This is one of the two biggest music industry trade shows in the world, and it was quite a spectacle. The Anaheim Convention Center covers...
Piano Teaching Programs Reviews: Practicia
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
Overview Price: Free for now. Subscription pricing will take effect when beta period ends, date and price to be determined. Technical Requirements: High-speed internet connections, iPhone or iPad. Android and desktop versions currently under development. Website: practicia.com Customer support: Excellent communication via Facebook @PRACTICIA User Group. Pros Works with all instruments, ages, private lessons, or group classes...
Developing Sound Expectations: Does the Sound Match the Picture?
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
How do we develop a student’s sense of musical awareness in performance? So often the wonderfully phrased and dynamically diverse musical performance in a lesson becomes a lifeless memory of its former glory when presented in public. How do we help our students develop the ability...
Understanding Bar Lines: A Brief History
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
In Western notation, the vertical bar line through the musical staff first came into usage at a point in history when polyphonic textured music (two or more melodies simultaneously) evolved from monophonic textured music (one melody only; no accompaniment). The principal purpose of employing bar lines...
March 2017: Create and Motivate: Rhythm boxes, part III
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
My last two columns introduced the placement of Xs in boxes to help beginning students understand rhythms better. Now, I’ll wrap up this series with ideas about how to use rhythm boxes to practice more complex rhythmic concepts. Start by using a word processor to make...
So You Have Been Asked to Play the Organ: A Guide for Pianists
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
It is likely that, sometime during a pianist’s career, he or she will be asked to play the organfor a wedding, funeral, or a Sunday service. This can be daunting for pianists who have little or no organ experience. Looking at the organ, pianists might...
Organ Music for Manuals Only (mostly)
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
The following list is selective, and it is by no means exhaustive. It represents music (for mostly manuals only and with some minimal pedal) composed for organ, representing all periods and styles from the seventeenth century to the current day. Even the experienced, well-trained organist might...
Are Your Marketing Strategies Deep Enough? Part II
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
In Part 1 of “Are your marketing strategies deep enough?” (Jan/Feb 2017), we talked about the first four frequently overlooked principles of marketing: 1. We must know what our clients really want. 2. We must make sure we have a product or service that they want. 3. Regardless...
Rethinking the Master Class
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
Recently, my husband Louie and I presented a joint master class at the Mississippi Music Teachers Association State Conference. We have developed a different format for these educational, and sometimes intimidating, sessions where a student performs before an audience of peers and teachers, and an invited...
March 2017: Pupil Saver: Elephant Stomp! by Kevin Olson
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
If you are looking for music for students who can’t sit still during lessons, or who bypass rests like they don’t exist, Kevin Olson’s late-elementary solo Elephant Stomp (FJH) might be just the thing. This clever piece uses two hands, two feet, and the vast imagination of the...
Immersion
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
My bookbag struck the floor with a thud as I closed the door to my house. I made my way over to the piano and slumped down on the piano bench. Another exhausting day of tests had drained my energy, yet again. Practicing piano would be strenuously...
March/April 2017: Poetry Corner
March 2017; Vol. 9, No. 2
On Hearing Couperin’s “Rossignol en amour” Played on the Harpsichord by Ruth Dyson For an hour or more you had talked, Wittily, knowledgably; about your harpsichord, About conventions of ornamentation, about Aufführungspraxis – leaving your listeners Much better informed, relaxed and amused, Better people in...