Well, the controversial topic of playing from memory got a lot of reads in the last two weeks. I was excited that so many of you commented on the blog post: Controversial Things We Don’t Discuss: Memorizing. As a matter of fact, I feel that getting you to read the comments from others on that post is just as important if not […]
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Controversial Things We Don’t Discuss: Memorizing
Controversial Things We Don’t Discuss: Memorizing
Okay, I’ve been thinking and wrestling with a controversial idea for years now and have decided that I’m just going to have to confess what I decided. Now I know that I may risk harsh criticism from some, but I’m hoping that this will simply open up a healthy discussion. So here goes:
For the last two years, I have not required my students to […]
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My 2013 Teaching Aid Discovery
My 2013 Teaching Aid Discovery
It seems like every year I discover some kind of amazing new teaching tool. Last year it was the Eggspert. The year before that it was the erasable highlighters that really work!
As you know, I am an office-supply junkie and love to browse to see what’s new. Since Frixion made such a wonderful teaching tool in […]
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Studio Challenge: Six Seasonal Songs to Share
Studio Challenge: Six Seasonal Songs to Share
Every Christmas, I find myself retroactively wishing that my students would have:
- Learned more Christmas pieces
- Played more Christmas pieces for family, friends, and people in general
So this year, I decided I would be pro-active and challenge my students to prepare “Six Seasonal Songs to Share” with at least 6 different people in 6 different settings. I told them that I would give them some kind […]
Online Resources to Prepare for Music Progressions
At our KMTA conference this year, I was asked to present a short session about all the resources that are on the ComposeCreate blog for helping students prepare for the Kansas Music Progressions, the Washington Audition Examinations, and the North Idaho exams. I thought it would be helpful to provide a similar blog post so that you can just easily see where things are […]
Perfect Time for a Sight-reading Challenge
How would you like to motivate your students to sight-read every day during the month of May? What if you could do this AND give back to your community and those in need at the same time?
Sight-reading for Sight-saving
May is National Sight Saving Month and the perfect time for a sight-reading challenge. I got this idea from one of the editors in the MTNA […]
Holiday Sight Reading Challenge
On the goal setting form I had students fill out in August, many of my students expressed that they wanted to be better sight readers. In the past few months, my students have participated in a Sight Reading Challenge in which every day they practiced I said I would give a certain amount of money to a local charity. I am going to […]
Keeping Progressions, Inversions, and Arpeggios Straight
A few weekends ago, my students participated in the Kansas MTA musicianship exams called Music Progressions. One of my piano teacher friends and I were in the office commenting on how difficult it is for some students to remember the correct terms for the scale skills that they play. The students are usually able to play them, but if you ask them to name […]
Great idea from the April MTNA e-Journal
The April MTNA e-Journal is out and the first paragraph from the editor contains an excellent idea! Patricia Powell, e-Journal Committee Editor writes,
May is National Sight-Saving Month, and in my independent piano studio, we are gearing up for our annual sight-reading challenge. The parents and I […]
Sight-reading Skills: Developing Your Sense of Touch
by Kevin Costley
There are many times in life that being a fast sight-reader comes in handy. Although I believe sight-reading is a natural talent for some pianists, it is a skill that others have to work hard to achieve.
If you find that you continue to struggle with sight-reading, you might ask yourself the […]
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