I have not met many students who love playing their scales. Scales are the green vegetables that are left on the plate and passed off to the dog under the dinner table. Here are some quick tips to help inspire your students to enjoy their scales: Change up the rhythm: If one of my students has trouble with the fingering of a scale, I like to...
Read More As a student and performer of music, it’s crucial to put the physical time into practicing your craft. We’ve all heard the old adage “Practice makes perfect” and that in order to master something you have to practice it for 10,000 hours. Well, those sayings aren’t quite true. Practice alone doesn’t actually make you a perfect player and 10,000 hours of practice won’t make you...
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Don’t break your musical growth during Summer Break! Keep on track during the summer months through music lessons. By Robert Fisher, CSM Music Teacher Ask any school age student this time of year how many weeks and days until summer break and many can give you a calculated up-to-the day (or hour!) countdown until the final bell of the school year rings and Summer Break officially begins....
Read Moreby Jamey Mann During normal music instruction, I feel there are some important topics that are often overlooked. These topics include basic organizational skills, how to be prepared for a gig, and possibly most important of all is being safe when performing. Many view music as a benign activity. In general, practicing at home or coming to lessons is possibly one of the safest things a person...
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by Alyssa Cowell Engaging students with new music is a great way to broaden their understanding of musical genres. Sometimes, students are resistant to devote time to styles of music that aren’t trendy or familiar. I like to assign listening assignments, and look for ways to make technically challenging, historically significant music more appealing to the new listener. One strategy is to find a way to...
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