The Sight-Reading Challenge

One of the presenters at the CFMTA "Music Inspires" Teachers' Convention, Alessandra DeCienzo, gave an inspiring presentation called, "Love at First Sight". She shared several ideas and activities that she has used in her studio to improve sight-reading.

One of the ideas was a year-round sight-reading challenge. Each week, students would have a sight-reading assignment. Exam students participated in a less strenuous variation of this, completing their sight-reading assignments at their leisure.

I decided to do a variation of her weekly challenge this year. Instead of running it year-round, I have set four stages, which take place in October, December, February and April. That gives all of us a one-month reprieve to explore other areas.

All of us (yes, me too!) have a pin on my game board:

How the Sight-Reading Challenge Works

We all are starting approximately four levels below our current playing level. It is my hope that my students will be able to comfortably sight-read music at their current playing level by April, or get to one level below it. In the process, I also hope that my slower readers will be able to "level up".

This month, I have been assigning spooky music for sight-reading. My students have the option to officially learn the music once they've "cleared" the sight-reading challenge for a piece. Like Alessandra DiCienzo's students, my students are to play the piece once per practice, without any pauses or corrections.

If they can do that at their next lesson, then they've cleared the challenge of the week and move onto the next one. Some of my students are still on the first challenge, while others are already working on a bonus challenge.

As for incentives, they are working for treats. If they clear only one assignment in the month, they get a small candy. If they complete their four and choose up to three extra songs to do for the bonus challenge, they will the equivalent of a giant chocolate bar.

Repertoire Selection for the Sight-Reading Challenge

Selecting the pieces for the sight-reading challenge has been an adventure and a chore. Thankfully, Alessandra shared some excellent links. Plus I have a growing list of online music teaching resources to draw from. Here are some of them: IMSLP Petrucci Music Library, Wikifonia, Susan Paradis Piano Teaching Resources, G Major Music Theory and Debbie Dee. I keep track of my selections on a spreadsheet saved on Google Drive, complete with the URL's.

In December, we will explore seasonal music: Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. We'll either do romantic or wintry music in February and spring-themed music in April.

I have found that this is a great way to introduce students to different styles of music, cultures and different notation (i.e., standard versus a lead sheet or a sheet of chords). In this way, I hope that my students learn that sight-reading doesn't have to be a chore. It can be an exciting adventure.

Calgary Jazz Orchestra 2013/14 Concert Preview and Schedule

Get ready to groove, bop and swing with the Calgary Jazz Orchestra when the group kicks off the 2013/14 season later this month. The upcoming season promises a diverse mix of jazz and popular music to engage and entertain music buffs of all walks.

2013/14 Calgary Jazz Orchestra Season Highlights

The CJO kicks off its 2013/14 season on Sunday, October 20, 2013 with "Video Game Music Live | Duke Ellington's Peer Gynt Suite". Some of the popular VG themes that will be featured include music from the Super Mario Bros, Zelda, Halo, Fallout 3 and EarthBound. Also known as Swinging Suites or Sweet Thursday, the Duke's big band interpretation of Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite is also a tribute to John Steinbeck's Sweet Thursday.

The CJO gets into the Christmas spirit with "A Perfectly Frank Christmas" on Sunday, December 22, 2013. Popular Christmas hits made famous by Frank Sinatra, such as I'll Be Home for Christmas and Oh Holy Night. This concert tends to sell out, so patrons are advised to purchase their concert tickets in advance.

The Calgary Jazz Orchestra warms up the winter with "Romance" on Sunday, February 16, 2014. R'n'B classics, along with jazz and pop ballads will be on tap. In previous seasons, music made famous by Billie Holliday, Chet Baker and Ella Fitzgerald have be featured in this love-filled evening.

The CJO wraps up its 2013/14 season on Sunday, April 13, 2014 with "The Music of Science Fiction | New Orleans Funk". Programme details will be announced later in the season, although Star Wars and Star Trek are two definite possibilities.

About the Calgary Jazz Orchestra

The Calgary Jazz Orchestra was founded in 2004 by trumpeter, vocalist, composer/arranger Johnny Summers. The CJO is comprised of 16 musicians who are performers and dedicated music teachers. The orchestra performs arrangements by Johnny Summers, Gerry Hebert, Shane Statz, Carsten Rubeling, Greg Baker, as well as guest arrangers.

The CJO has performed at the Canada Day Celebrations in Calgary, the Calgary Jazz Festival, and the Red Handed Campaign for the United Way and the Alberta Centennial celebrations. Various members of the Calgary Jazz Orchestra perform frequently locally and abroad at jazz clubs and festivals such as the Calgary International Blues Festival.

Attending a CJO Performance

All concert season performances by the Calgary Jazz Orchestra are scheduled to take place at River Park Church on 3818 - 14A Street SW Calgary, Alberta. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. while all performances commence at 7:00 p.m.

Single concert tickets are on sale for $25 each ($15 for students), while season passes are available for $95 each ($55 for students). Tickets can be purchased through the Calgary Jazz Orchestra's website.

Concert tickets can also be purchased at the door by cash or cheque. The Calgary Jazz Orchestra opens their 2013/14 season on Sunday, October 20, 2013. The season promises to entertain music aficionados of all walks with varied programming filled with memorable tunes.

On Note-Tab Reminders in Music Lessons

I'm sure that I'm not the only music teacher out there to bemoan the fact that many of their students do not read their assignment books. Or, that they do but only just before their lesson. Post-it flags work as bookmarks for songs, but I've had limited success with regular post-it notes. Until now.

Last week, I found Post-it Note Tabs at Staples. I decided to try them with students who do not check their homework book (the ones who don't check off their goal list to show what they worked on).

When I showed them to my Monday and Tuesday students, they got a bit excited. "That's really neat!" one said. "Yeah, that should work," said another.

I've started writing short phrases to jog their memory. If the student writes quickly enough, I ask them to write the reminders. We post it on one of their pieces that they are sure to practice. The little tab sticking out says, "Reminders", so it's hard to miss.

Seeing as they don't read their assignment books often, I simply jot down the song or exercise titles. Fingers crossed that this works!

Maestro's First Canine Acupuncture Treatment

It has been approximately four months since Maestro was diagnosed with osteoarthritis and Inter-vertebral Disc Disease. His arthritis medication has been helping with the inflammation and pain management. The laser and infrared therapy have prevented things from getting worse. However, Maestro still has a pronounced limp due to his back issues and frankly, I don't like the idea of him taking barbiturates. I couldn't help but feel that we could do better. Dr. Maya at the Bridlewood Veterinary Clinic had mentioned a while back that Maestro would be a good candidate for veterinary acupuncture. Our first appointment was last week with Dr. Mark, Maestro's first vet (lucky guy, he has three).

The first thing Dr. Mark said is that Maestro needs to come off the medications. No argument from me! The pain inhibitors in Western medicine contravene the effects of the acupuncture, he explained. Since he recently had a dose of medication, the effects would be minimal this time round.

Well, Maestro was prancing around my students and I for two days afterward and moving like a puppy. He was more alert than he has been since being on the medication. If that's "minimal", I look forward to seeing how he does once I've weaned him completely off the Western medication.

The limp is more pronounced again, so I can see what the vet meant about the Western medication clashing with this ancient Eastern treatment. Maestro is alert enough to refuse his usual dose of Gabapentin. It's as if he's telling me to speed up the weaning process.

A Look at a Canine Acupuncture Treatment

Dr. Mark first examined Maestro from head to tail. He asked me some questions about what happens when the medication wears off. There were probably a few more questions, but that was the main one.

Next, he brought out the acupuncture needles. They were inside little straws. With a quick little movement, they were inserted at specific points, starting with one on his neck and one along his lower spine:

In the above photo, you can tell that there's some tension in his back with the way he's curved. Through it all, Maestro didn't flinch. Oh, he was frightened when we first arrived, but he didn't whimper, shudder, flinch or stink (dogs really do smell when they are frightened).

Now, I am in the process of weaning him off the medication so that he can fully reap the benefits of future acupuncture treatments. He will continue to take his Robaxin, but the anti-inflammatory and pain medications will be replaced by acupuncture and natural supplements and herbs.

First, he will have weekly appointments. These will gradually decrease in frequency to tune-ups on an ad-hoc basis. Dr Mark informed me that the end result is that Maestro will be pain free, alert, feeling better and "more puppy like". Healthier than he's been in years, I'm sure.

About Canine Acupunture

It may seem like a new concept, but it really isn't. In their article, "Acupuncture for Dogs Gaining Acceptance", Dr. Susan Thorpe-Vargas and John. C. Gargill report that the first animal to be treated using acupuncture was an elephant in India approximately 3,000 years ago.

Veterinary acupuncture was used more extensively up until the 1940s, when people turned to prescription medication to treat their ailments and those of their pets. This jives with my question to Dr. Mark about whether he treats many pets using acupuncture. He told me that more pet owners get prescription medication for their pets' ailments because it's easier.

There is a lot of information available on acupuncture and how it works. To paraphrase, I'd say that it's a complementary therapy that involves inserting small needles at specific acupuncture points to stimulate the central nervous system. The result is that the treatment kick-starts the body's ability to heal and restores the ying and yang of the patient.

Here's a neat news clip that I found, in which a vet goes into more detail about how canine veterinary acupuncture works and the various conditions it can treat:

You can also check out these sites and articles: Animal Acupuncture, Acupuncture Overview and The International Veterinary Acupuncture Society.

If Maestro's first experience is any indication, that one acupuncture treatment did more to treat his limp caused by his back issues than everything we've done up to this point. The laser therapy prevented things from degenerating, but I feel that now, we will see an improvement in his condition.

I firmly believe that it's the arthritis medication that's keeping him in stasis. My students and I want to see him improve. Never mind that, I'm sure Maestro wants to continue going on many more adventures - without the aid of medication or a doggie stroller.

Using Practicing Personalities in Music Lessons

When I was at the CFMTA Convention this summer, I spied Practice Personalities: What's Your Type? by Thornton Cline in Long & McQuade's trade show booth. The idea of determining students' practice type and working with that sounded intriguing.

About Practice Personalities: What's Your Type?

Mr. Cline identifies nine practice personalities:

1. The Perfectionistic Type Student

2. The Not-So-Detailed Type Student

3. The Unmotivated Type Student

4. The Fragile, Easily Discouraged Type of Student

5. The Overscheduled Way-Too-Busy Type of Student

6. The Dramatic Type of Student

7. The Exucse Making, Blaming Type Student

8. The Over-Exhuberant, Highly Confident Type of Student

9. Build Your Own Personatily Type of Student

Cline introduces each type before going into more detail for each practice type. Next, he gives a brief (too brief!) chapter with some teaching suggestions for each type. Interspersed throughout the book are interviews with a variety of music educators.

He also dedicates a chapter to motivational rewards and prizes. There is even a chapter on motivational games. Finally, there is a CD in the back, which outlines some of the practice strategies Cline recommends. The back of the book has a handy assessment chart for music teachers to use.

Music Teaching with Practice Personalities

I actually didn't need a full month to complete my assessment. All of my students are a combination of two or more types. To help keep me organized my teaching approaches, I've kept track of how many students are in each group:

1. The Perfectionist Type Student: 36%

2. The Not-So-Detailed Type Student: 52%

3. The Unmotivated Type Student: 24%

4. The Fragile, Easily Discouraged Type of Student: 24%

5. The Overscheduled Way-Too-Busy Type of Student: 40%

6. The Dramatic Type of Student: 20%

7. The Exucse Making, Blaming Type Student: 16%

8. The Over-Exhuberant, Highly Confident Type of Student: 20%

I decided to tackle one strategy at a time.

First off: showing students various practice drills to help them fix trouble spots more quickly. To do that, I simply asked my students to pull out their Bag of Tricks and have them choose a couple of appropriate drills to use from their deck, based on what needed to be fixed.

Many of my students have commented that it's fun to pull out their Bag of Tricks that I made for them. I spent the first two to three weeks doing that just to help reinforce how to practice, but also to appeal to everyone's state of busy-ness. "You want to fix this as quickly as you can so you can move onto other stuff, right?" I'd ask.

With the majority of my students being some combination of the Not-So-Detailed, I decided to increase the frequency of doing Record & Review. You can read about that experience in my post on Active Listening.

This week, I'm employing another technique that's good for several practice types, but especially for the Dramatic and the Not-So-Detailed: roleplaying with a bit of dramatic exaggeration thrown in. This tests my aural memory, let me tell you!

I try to play back what they played incorrectly and ask them to tell me what I did wrong. A few students get it right away, "You didn't hold that note long enough," or "You sped up in that line." My reply is, "Well, that's what I heard you do. Now you show me that you can play it better than me."

The other thing I've launched this week is a Sight-Reading Challenge (more on that later). In addition to increasing my students' music literacy, it's also an exercise to challenge my Perfectionist students.

I'll give my students some time to get get used to these approaches. Then, I'll tackle the Excuse-Making and Blaming Students Fragile, Easily Discouraged ones.

It's a neat book. Mr. Cline is a strong writer and the CD is useful.

However, I was disappointed with how few strategies he offered. Let me re-phrase that: I was disappointed in how little new information I gleaned from it. The majority of the strategies are ones that I've already employed.

In short, I'd say that Practice Personalities: What's Your Type? is ideal for a music teacher just starting out. It would also be good for a teacher just looking for some fresh ideas, especially if they don't already use technology in the studio.

Mr. Cline's suggestions simply reinforced for me some of the strategies that I'm already using in my teaching. The main difference is that now that I know which practice type my students are, I can switch strategies more quickly. When combined with knowing my students' VARK learning preferences, it's a powerful combination.

Practice Personalities Publication Details

Author: Thornton Cline

Title: Practice Personalities: What's Your Type

Paperback: 88 pages

Publisher: Centerstream

Publication Date: July 1, 2012

ISBN-10: 1574242814

ISBN-13: 978-1574242812

Price Range: $16.62 - $27.95 CAD

I purchased my copy from Long & McQuade. You may need to special order this book through your local bookstore. Practice Personalies: What's Your Type? is also available online on Amazon, Alibris and Sheetmusicplus.