Teaching Done Differently
The season for recitals and concerts is creeping up and the time to prepare for them is now. Whether it’s your concert that you’re performing in or your student’s concert that you’re putting together, you’ll need to prepare for it. One of the first tasks that you should be thinking of is creating the concert […]
Read more
by Chrissy Ricker, NCTM www.chrissyricker.com I have a confession to make. Sight-reading doesn’t come easily for me. Growing up, I was always a diligent practicer. I worked hard to prepare for my lessons, and I learned how to use my time efficiently to break apart my music, and practice it well. However, being able to […]
Read more
If you want to play guitar faster, you’ve come to the right place! So many times, musicians get bogged down trying to build up speed when they play. The typical way to handle this is to start slowly, then gradually speed up as you master the music. This is a pretty universal and widely-accepted method, […]
Read more
With advances in technology, teaching online is becoming more and more relevant to today’s teachers. But what’s the best way to get started? Here is a guide for setting up your teaching space and helping your students be prepared for taking online lessons. How to get started: 1) Assess your equipment For teachers just starting […]
Read more
By. Chrissy Ricker, NCTM www.chrissyricker.com Will your students be participating in recitals, festivals, or competitions this year? If so, chances are that they will be required to memorize some, if not all, of their music for these events. Performing from memory is a relatively new practice in the history of music. Prior to […]
Read more
By. Chrissy Ricker, NCTM www.chrissyricker.com One of my goals as a piano teacher is to help my students learn how to practice both efficiently and independently. Since most of the work of learning to play an instrument happens outside of our weekly lessons, I want my students to have a full “toolbox” of practice […]
Read more
by Chrissy Ricker, NCTM www.chrissyricker.com Musical notation is a complex and elegant language. Using just lines and dots, the lovely sounds of our favorite works of music can be captured forever on the written page, to be learned and enjoyed by those of us fluent in the language of music. However, learning how to “decode” […]
Read more
In general, learning music is very hands-on, but of course, technology can and should enhance the learning and teaching experience for teachers, students, and parents. With the right online music education tools, education has no limits! The tools that we’re going to mention are great for both teachers and students when it comes to assigning […]
Read more
If you’ve ever had the urge to learn an instrument but haven’t had time, you might find life slows down as you get to 50 and actually have the time to seriously consider taking up a musical instrument. But you don’t want to spend years taking lessons before you can even feel you’re getting the […]
Read more
Engaging a child’s attention, concentration, and imagination for thirty minutes can be mighty challenging! Even though they are excited by the piano and the idea of making music, their age makes it hard for most of them to stay focused. Before you start a lesson, check that the child is sitting at the right height […]
Read more