By Alyssa Cowell An argument for encouraging music students to develop their vocabulary skills. As musicians, we understand the importance of expression when it comes to interpreting a piece. As teachers, we want to help our students develop technical skills that will allow him/her to perform in a manner that touches an audience. In order to decide what techniques to apply, however, a musician has to have...
Read MoreBy Jamey Mann Last week a promising young student came in for his lesson somewhat down and despondent. A sophomore in high school, we are beginning to talk about his options for college and subjects he may want to study. Naturally, being a talented student I suggested studying music as an option and we discussed several different majors and other possibilities. The student was intrigued so...
Read MoreBy Jamey Mann This July I had the privilege of studying with Andrea Cannon for my Suzuki Book 1 certification for guitar. The training is a humbling experience which made me realize how much more I have to learn and how the techniques used in Suzuki can be applied to not just the very young but with older students as well. One central aspect of the...
Read Moreby Sarah Haughton The imitation of recordings has long been demonized in the music education community. Viewed as a form of creative impotence, teachers tend to discourage their students from copying recordings. To the contrary, I believe we should encourage our students to copy and imitate quality recordings as much as possible. I acknowledge there is some risk associated with having a student imitate someone else’s interpretation,...
Read MoreBy Patrick Fritz I have a repetition tool that I consistently use with my students. It is simple, small, sturdy, and novel enough that elementary and middle school students are always curious about how it works. But it is not so complex that it derails a lesson. I call it a “bead counter” but the product name is “Golf Abacus.” I keep various sizes and colors...
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