Austin Music Teacher

Flash card races will take place this week and next. Each student is timed for one minute, both saying and playing the note presented on flash cards. They can “pass” if taking too long.The goal is to recognize notes as quickly as possible.

I take the better score from two tries and give a prize to the winner of each of three categories: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.

The “races” seem to make the students spend more time on the cards and increase their instant recognition of notes. And it’s fun to have a contest with rewards.

There are 11 students from my studio participating in the National Guild of Piano Teachers Auditions. This began in the 1920′s all over America. It is an opportunity for a competition with one’s self and an effort to achieve one’s best effort in memory and performance. Judges are kind and accommodating, not wishing to intimidate but rather further musical curiosity and achievement through encouragement and a critique to enlighten the student’s awareness of improvement. The certificate of participation, award pin and critique are all helpful and supportive of the achievement of each student. I believe it is a benefit to both my students and myself. I always ask for an evaluation from the judge. I tell my students, “If you don’t ask someone how you can improve, how can you know how to improve?”

I note hand positions and respond something like, “Those are pancake hands. That’s for breakfast, not for piano playing.” It’s funny but makes a point.

We are anticipating two great recitals to celebrate performance accomplishments this spring. They will both be held on Sunday, May 20 at the Bachus Conservatory, the first at 1:30 and the second at 3:00pm. Numerous duets are included in the program, performed by friends, siblings and family members. The repertoire is varied and entertaining. Any guests are welcome.

Yesterday the students presented two great recitals featuring mostly seasonal music. It was festive and fun, with a reception following. The gift of music is always appreciated.
A big thanks to all the talented students

Our first Halloween Recital was a spooktacular hit. Forty-eight performers and their teacher were all in costume. Everyone enjoyed the treats and party favors. This will probably become a tradition.

Scroll Down to the bottom of this post to see the 2nd part of the recital video!

The Austin District Music Teachers’ Association offers membership to students each fall, and again in the spring. Membership enables students to take the state theory test each semester and participate in various performance festivals throughout the year. These include: Jazz/Pop/Rock, Duet, Hymn, Baroque/Classical, and Romantic Festivals.

Deadline for the fall’s membership is September 19th. I will facilitate joining through my studio.

The first two events are the State Theory Test and Jazz/Pop/Rock Festival. The deadline for signing up for either or both of these events is September 26.

Two recitals were held on May 22, 2011 at the First Baptist Church at 9th and Trinity. A total of 60 students performed carefully chosen solos, as well as various duets with parents, siblings and friends. There were no duplications so the programs were varied and entertaining.

Awards were given for Consistency of Practice, April Flash Card races,  and recognition was given to those  who participated in the ADMTA theory tests.  Those students receiving theory awards are Evan, John and Aubrey. There was a 3-way tie for  First Place Practice Awards:  Saira, Zayd and Tucker.  All three received personalized trophies.  Flash card races were in 3 catagories: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Sophie won the Beginner; for Intermediate, there was a tie between Tucker and Elena, and Holly won the Advanced. These students received wooden plaques with brass inset.

Eighteen students who participated in the Guild Auditions on May 17th  and 24th  were recognized and presented pins, critique sheets and certificates. The following students played 2  memorized pieces for a judge: Luke, Ella, Madison, Elena, Malli, Evan, Camille, Vivienne, Nitin, Kalyani, and Avery.  These played 3 or 4 memorized pieces: Chinmay, Maggie, Aubrey, Boomer, and Tucker. One student, Noah, played 10 pieces. Every score was a Superior Minus or better. A job well done.

Photos and videos of the Recital will be posted soon.

Parents, if you would like to purchase a professional DVD of your child’s performance, see the links below.

DVD:    http://www.dvfilmstore.com/recitaldvd.html
BluRay: http://www.dvfilmstore.com/recitalbluray.html

Here is an example of how the video will look:

The fall after school schedule is completely full. There are openings Saturday afternoons between 2:30 and 4:30. I have a small waiting list as well. I would consider the idea of teaching before school and mornings for preschoolers and adults.

For the first time, the studio will present a Halloween Recital in costume with treats, no tricks! It will be held on Sunday, October 30th  at 4:00pm and will be optional. The students are already excited about it.

I am pleased to have almost all my old students back and some very enthusiastic new ones as well. We are looking forward to a very productive fall.

1.Hanon Exercises: The repetitive patterns are learned, then played from memory with increasing speed. They can be done almost by rote in a short time, accessing a part of the brain that uses predictability and pattern recognition.

1a.Schmitt: These are simply 5-finger patterns that change with every measure, being repeated only once, and move in subtle differences of interval and fingering. The brain is constantly engaged in note reading , at the same time focusing on controlled, increased  speed.

The two exercises are contradictory and complimentary at the same time and should be used within the practice format.

2. White keys: When teaching the early elementary student to know the white keys, I use a couple of poems.  I always have them find “D” first, and have them repeat, “Hey Diddle Diddle, D’s in the middle.”  Then they find and play all of the D’s on the keyboard. They pick this up quickly and then I ask, “Who is D’s neighbor going up?” They find all of the E’s. I ask, “Who is D’s neighbor going down?” C…and they find all of the C’s. Then I ask them to find the groups of C-D-E’s. Depending upon the age and ability, I go on to F-G-A-B in the same manner, or I wait until the next lesson to cover the 4 remaining keys. I also use this poem for naming the MUSICAL ALPHABET going up and back down.

        Seven Little Keys Are We…. A B C D E F G

        Down We Go Now Let Us Say…G F E D C B A

 
3.Lesson on how to read groups of notes or chords. Read the example below and then the suggestions afterward.
Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

This example of reading groups of letters and making sense of them is the same concept as reading groups of notes, either in a measure, a chord or a phrase. Use this same process to read more effectively while keeping the eyes ahead of the hands. You will become a faster, more accurate reader and a better musician.

4.Playing Scales:  When students are playing scales, I have a deck of cards handy. Why? When the thumb turns under or the crossing fingers go over, the wrist sometimes turns as well, causing the elbow to rise. A deck of cards placed on the hand will not allow twisting, or it falls off. The students think it is funny and it really does help form the correct habits.

To remind of the correct hand and finger position, I say, “No flying fingers,” or “Keep those fingers on their home keys.”

5. Repeat and Remember! I always recommend that each piece be played 5 times. The first time there will be mistakes. The second time those mistake will hopefully be fixed. The third, fourth and fifth times will solidify the corrections and then next practice session will reflect the memory of the corrections.

In the case of a difficult passage, isolating and repeating a measure or a phrase is the key to solving the problem. Then add the next few notes or phrase, and if successful, add the previous few notes or phrase. Continue to repeat the larger section until confident and muscle memory is acheived.

6. More on Chords: See chords as words. Spell the chord – root, third, fifth. Play solid chord, broken chord. Invert in three (or four for 7ths) positions, continuing to spell the letters. This is like reading a word instead of letters.

7. Computer Music Games and Worksheets: A particularly diversified and helpful site is:http://www.musictechteacher.com/musicquizzes.htm  Try the worksheets and games. They are all good but I recommend Flash Piano Games, Fabulous 4, How is your Timing and lots of othere fun games.

Check back for new sites and ideas for learning with fun.

8. Warm-Up Workout:  This is a 6-part workout for dexterity, fluency and speed. First choose a key signature, such as C Major.  Do the 2 or 4 octave arpeggios in the key, then the 5-finger scale with 3rds and chord at the end. Next the chord progression I-IV-I-V or V7-I chords. Intermediate students may do the inversions as well.  The 1 or 2 octave scale is next, followed by a Hanon exercise and then a Schmitt exercise.

The purposed of Hanon and Schmitt are different. Hanon requires memorization of a pattern which is sequential up the keys and enables one to focus on speed and control without reading notes. Schmitt, on the other hand, is dependent upon note reading as each measure changes slightly in pattern and requires speed reading and playing. The eyes must always be ahead of the hands and therefore fosters that same reading approach to repertoire.

This warm-up should be used in all major and minor keys.