Wacky Wednesday Fun Link #5
This week's fun link is Name that Instrument. Listen to the audio clip and identify the instrument that made the sound...if you can.
Enjoy!
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
Musing about Music Improvisation
Earlier this month, one of my junior intermediate students attended the Young Composers' Workshop. The clinician, Robert Rosen, was wonderful with the students. He took them on a "soundwalk" and asked them to describe several sounds using music, such as an alarm bell, a water fountain and a door slamming. They did remarkably well.
There's a close relationship between composing and improvising. Mr. Rosen said that the first step to composing is improvisation, while one student described composing as "improvising with an eraser".
I eagerly employed some of the activities used at the workshop. I told my students two things: "do not be afraid to use more than one note at a time" and "do not be afraid to use different parts of the piano". This week, I have been treated to some witty improvisations about puppies playing, kittens fighting over a toy, someone rollerblading down a hill, a creepy walk through a haunted house, a lazy summer day, a child snoring and dramatic thunderstorms.
Here are some interesting articles about improvising:
Happy exploring!
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
Wacky Wednesday Fun Link #4
Kids - check out this cool site with 751 FREE games. It's called: Uptoten.com. I've already tried the Write Your Music game and came up with a short Christmas carol. There's tons of music games as well as non-music games.
This educational site is for kids aged 0 - 10 years.
Enjoy.
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
"The Parent's Music Room" - A Resource for Parents of Young Musicians
I recently wandered onto BBC's music website - The Parent's Music Room. What a fountain of knowledge and support for music parents! Some of the useful articles I perused are:
Happy exploring!
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
Friday Fun Link #30
Things have just been so hectic that I haven't gotten around to Friday Fun Links in a long time.
Check out See Sawing Note Rhythms. A boy and a girl are on a see saw. You need to decide which side has the most beats.
Happy playing!
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
Music Teachers Helper
Lord knows we teachers need all the help we can get. Private music teachers have anywhere from five students to over 60. That means we need to keep track of each student's curriculum, payments, etc. etc. Some families require more communication than others. Some are more technologically savvy than others. I've got my trusty Quickbooks, Palm Pilot, website and e-mail that I use for communicating with my students' families and keeping track of things.
But for those teachers who don't have these resources, Music Teachers Helper can assist with scheduling, invoicing, bookkeeping and more.
There is even a blog for teachers.
Thanks to my colleague Heidi for this link.
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
On Surviving September
Ahhhhhh! Where did September go?
The students and I are back into the swing of things. The days are long. I typically begin teaching at 3:30 and go till 9 pm. I do have a few day students on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. I've even managed to stay on top of reshelving the books used each day and getting some regular practicing in. My former teacher would be pleased that I've pulled out some senior repertoire to muck around with (mixed in with some jazz, improvising and JPop of course). With more intermediate and senior students this year, I need to stay on top of things.
Now if only I could get in the swing of things with my paperwork. I'm behind on my bookkeeping (surprise, surprise) and other admin related work.
I am so excited to have such a great bunch of students this year. Actually, I should say "families" since being able to have a good relationship with the family is fundamental to making the year go well. For the most part, the students are doing well with their practice journals, although a few haven't been keeping track as well as I'd like (or practicing as much as their parents and I would like them to). Overall though, the practice journals seem to be working. The kids are using the forms to ask insightful questions, share what they enjoyed most out of their homework and alert me to what they need help with.
Even Maestro is maturing into his role as "canine teaching assistant". He rests quietly in his "room" (his kennel) most of the time and hasn't tried to steal any stickers. Prizes though, are another story. He bonked his head on the prize drawer a couple of times while trying to steal a peek.
A few students have simply blown me away with their compositions. A few were inspired by a tune they heard, while others have come up with something unlike anything I've heard before.
Students, parents and fellow teachers, feel free to share your feelings on your year so far. As for me, I better go practice...
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
