Compose a group song on the piano

It is possible to compose a song with a group of piano students! It’s even better if you have students of varying abilities.

My students have been working through our Music for Little Learners kits #1 and #2.   Because of this even my youngest students can play the first six scales C,G,D,A,E,B. They also know the major chords and arpeggios. This is the foundation of our group composition.

So, now that students have the proper foundation, we can start composing.

Group Composition Lesson #1

I LOVE these little roll-up pianos for group lessons. Obviously they are inadequate for every-day piano lessons. But, they are the best tools for creating an exciting group composition lesson.

You can do this with up to three students. You should sit at a piano as well. You are chair #1.

Each student is assigned a chair. When you give instructions it is to their chair. Students love this.

For example: “Chair #2 please play the C scale for me.”

then, “Chair #3 please tell us what three notes make up the C chord.”

“Yes, C/E/and G/”

“Today we are going to create a song together using only the three notes of the C chord. Listen….”  Teacher plays a simple two measure song in four four time using only C/E/G.

“Chair #4 what can you create with C/E/G?”   -Ask the student to play it twice.  Go around the table and have each student create their own two measures using the same perameters.

“Now we are ready to put it all together! I am going to play my song and chair #2 you need to watch carefully and start your song as soon as mine is done. Then Chair #3 plays and then #4. Ready everyone! Try to play the same thing you played before.”

My students were absolutely beaming as we finished our first group composition. I took it to the next step and moved to the key of D. We used the new notes of D/F#/A.  Each student put on their headphones and had a minute to create their own two measure song with the new notes. I was thrilled to see some using arpeggios, solid chords, broken chords and even inversions…all a result of our Music for Little Learners Curriculum.

I am planning a composition camp for this summer. I can’t wait to hear what my student’s come up with. I promise to post pictures, ideas and maybe even a little video of our composition concert.  So, there you have it! Group Composition Lesson #1.  Easy Peasey!

Simply Teach Rhythm

This lesson is so simple I almost hesitate to post it. But, I know we just need something simple sometimes to inspire us again as teachers so here’s a little something to boost you this week.

Charlie was having the worst time holding her half notes. Nothing seemed to work. She and I were getting frustrated. So, I took my advice and got up from the piano and said, “Let’s go play a game!”

“Yay!” said Charlie.

We moved to the table where I instructed her to draw me a quarter note on one of my bright pink post-it notes. “Oh, I know that one it gets one beat,” she said.

“Great job! Now write a one under it to show it get’s one beat!”

I then asked Charlie to draw a half note. She made a face and said, “That one bugs me! I can’t hold it right.”

“That’s okay,” I said. “Let’s draw it and see if we can’t get it to quit bugging you.”

“Wonderful! Now write a big #1 and a small #2 to show that it starts on beat one but holds through beat two.”

We then drew another quarter note as well.  I asked Charlie to put all the notes in a row. Then I said, “If we were counting these notes in four-four-time what number would go under the first quarter note?”

“One, of course,” said Charlie.

“Great! What number goes under the second quarter note?”

“Two”

“Yes, and now here’s our half note it gets the last two numbers. What are they?”

“UMmmm, 3 and 4?”

“Yes, exactly. Let’s write those on post it notes.”

We then tapped on each number and said, One, Two, Three Four. We held our four as it was the second beat of the half note. We did this tapping several times before I said, “Okay, so what if we mixed these notes up and put the half note first?” We numbered the beats and then tapped together. This time holding down beat two.

Finally we moved the half note in between the two quarter notes, wrote the beats and tapped.“Okay Charlie,” I said, “Now you’ve got it. let’s see if we can hold down our half notes in the song you’ve been playing.”

“I think I can do it now!” Charlie exclaimed. Jumping up ,she ran to the piano.

I smiled as she played her song and held her half notes down every time. Once again, I was reminded of how important getting away from the piano and teaching something in a different way can be.

How have you simply taught your student lately? I’d love to hear your stories and ideas as well.

Group Lessons Rock!

Summer is coming. At New Song Music Studios that means group lessons.  Families have busy summer schedules and often need to take a break from piano lessons. New Song has discovered that holding piano camp is a great way to provide concentrated lessons in a group setting. Parents love the flexibility and students get to experience the joy of making music with their peers.

If you live near me please contact me to sign-up your kiddos’.  If you follow me from afar, seek out piano camps and teachers seeking to offer short term group lessons.  If you are a teacher then you need our Music 4 Little Learners Kits to make your group lessons the best ever!

Also, here’s an example of my piano camp flyer. Feel free to use it, copy it, share it!

group lessons

Note Stems: UP or DOWN?

One of the questions my young students frequently ask me is, “How do you know if a stem should go up or down on the staff?”

The answer may seem simple to those of us with musical experience but to a youngster just figuring out this new language it is much like trying to decide where the apostrophe goes on our english contractions.  Also, there are exceptions to the rule that will have to be saved for another lesson. Beginners, however will do well to learn this basic concept.

So here’s my lesson on note stems for you.

Step One: Create the staff on colorful paper (just because kids love color)

Step Two: Use your staff notes in your music for little learners kit or create your own (You can buy a pack of black notes for 3.00 plus shipping and handling in my shop. www.newsongmusicstudios.com)

Step three: Have student place the tiles from your Music for Little Learners kit on each of the five lines.

Step four: Identify line three and trace it using a highlighter

Step five: Place a note on line three and say, “Any notes on line three or above have their stems pointing down.”

Step six: Direct student to place notes, stem down on line four and line five. Say, “If you think of line three as the water mark or the ocean, notes on line 3,4,and5 are keeping their heads above water.”

Step seven: Place a note stem up on line 2. Say, “These note is below line three, therefore it’s stem is pointing up. You could think of the notes below line three as scuba divers. The stem is their snorkle.”  Direct student to place a note on line 1, stem up.

Step eight: Now place the number tiles on each of the four spaces. Direct student to place a note in each space with stems going in the correct direction.”

Step nine: Student should take all the notes off the staff and return them to their correct positions.

Step ten: Direct student to glue notes onto the staff in their correct positions. As you are gluing together say the rule over several times together.

Rule: “Notes on line three or above keep their heads above the water and their stems down. Notes below line three dive down and put their snorkles up above the water.”  If you’d like to, write the rules out on the paper staff.

Studio Teacher Helps!

Being a full-time music teacher is the best job in the world.

Unfortunately it also comes with paper work! UGH, I hate paper work. Thanks goodness I married a super organized guy who has helped me figure out some easy ways to keep the paper to a minimum.  Even Tax season doesn’t freak me out the way it used to because of these useful charts and tools we’ve created together. Thanks Hon! You are the best!

So I have a binder that I carry in my car. I keep track of student’s cancellations/payment and book fees. I have a mileage chart and then a student progress chart for my reference.

#1 Student Schedule and Payment Sheet

#2 Mileage Chart   Since i travel to my student’s homes I needed a way to keep track of my miles for tax purposes. The little mileage book always seemed to get lost. But now that the chart is in my binder, keeping track is easy.

#3 Student Progress Chart  Even though every student receives one of these every year, I  keep one in my binder for reference. I sometimes show the categories to students to let them know what we are striving for. It’s sort of like a report card on wheels! My students start to get used to seeing it and always know what level they are working towards achieving.

I hope these tools will make your life easier. Thanks for dropping by!

Paper Sack Music Games!

Here are two paper sack music games you can play with your students!

Game #1 Paper Sack Games

Many of these games can be found in our Music 4 Little Learners kit #1. However you can put whatever games you choose. Here’s a few to get you started:

Copy Me: Teacher plays 3-5 notes and student copies. For example if teacher plays CCDDE then student will repeat that pattern. Depending on your student’s proficiency you can ask student to play and say the note names or play and count the rhythm. So, I may play CCDDE put the rhythm I play may be 1,2, 3 &, 4.   If student is really doing well with this you can say, “play what I play but play it backwards!”

Pass the Beat: Simply tap your knees or tap on a table or piano closed lid. Step one: Teacher taps a simple rhythm 1,2,3,4, and student copies. Step two: Teacher taps the same rhythm but this time taps student’s knee or hand on beat four. So, 1,2,3, tap knee on beat 4.  Student returns with 1,2,3, taps teachers knee on beat 4.  You can increase the speed or create a more difficult rhythm. Be ready for some giggles though as this gets fun!

Chart & Draw: See my previous blog post on my Taking it Further page. 

Game #2 Chords & Rules

So as the song from Sound of Music goes…“let’s start at the very beginning it’s a very nice place to start.” 

This activity assumes your student already knows the six major scales from our Music 4 Little Learners kit. Those six scales are CGDAE and B.

Your beginner student will fill this bag with: the rule for major chords and slips of paper that simply have the letter of each major chord on it.

The rule for major chords is: Play the first (root), third and fifth note of the major scale. When you play all three of these notes simultaneously you have played a major chord. So, the C major chord is made up of C, E, and G. 

You should also have a good scales book. I prefer this book. Page 39 lists all the chords and how they look on the staff.

Shop for bastien scales chords and arpeg… on Google

Scales, Chords & Arpeggios $5.95 - Sheet Music Plus 1000s of Methods In Stock & Ready To Ship!

Once your student is proficient at stating the rule for major chords and playing each major chord on the piano you can move on to minors. I wrote the rules for each type of chord on the back of my paper sack. These rules are based on the foundation of the major chord. If your student forgets the rules they may peek at the back of the sack.  I find students are most engaged with this activity if they create the slips of papers, and write the rules out themselves.  Also, students are considered proficient when they can play all the chords before my 3 min. timer expires. This is pretty easy when only major chords are involved. The excitement builds as each new set of chords is introduced to the bag.  Once all the chord types are in the bag, you may want to give your student 6 mins to play them all.

Here’s another picture for you:

 

Well that’s it for now. I hope you’ll try these games and inspire your students. Nothing spices up a piano lesson like a little paper sack game!

Go to our store and website to order our kits! www.newsongmusicstudios.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Music 4 Little Learners?

Music 4 Little Learners kit #1 contains 35 lessons and six creative elements.  Kit #2 contains bean bags to teach scales, chords and more. Even if you have zero piano experience you can teach your little learner how to read notes, play songs and understand scales.  Here are just a few reasons WHY Music 4 Little Learners makes sense for you:

Inspire your child with our white “piano” gloves and “buttons”.  (kit #1)

Laugh together as you play  ”hop to it” or “”pass the tap”. (kit #1)

Delight in your newfound ability to read notes on the  staff.(kit #1)Be amazed at your ability to not only teach but also play six of the twelve major scales and understand their patterns. (kit #2)…and thrill over the way our kits integrate with other subjects in your homeschool.

There are so many reason to check out our Music 4 Little Learners kits. Go to our website at: http://www.newsongmusicstudios.com to buy your kits today!

http://www.newsongmusicstudios.com

Crossing between worlds

Crossing between worlds.

via Crossing between worlds.

Why an on-line homeschool Expo is best!

Okay, okay! I know we all love to rub shoulders with other home schoolers at live conventions. We love to walk the brightly colored vendor isles, drool over products and make our lists.  So let me be clear. I love home school conventions!  In fact hearing Tim Hawkins live and meeting the Duggar family at a recent convention were highlights for me.

However, the painful truth hit home when I tallied up my expenses.  Hotel: $120.00 per night  Food for my family of five: $100.00 per day. Gas to and from: $120.00  Starbucks on the go (for me!) $8.00 x a few!

So over a two-day span I spent close to $600.00 on living and travel expenses. That’s a ton of money that could have gone to curriculum!

Now, I was also a vendor at that same show so booth costs were a huge expense.  Oh yes, and the rental of a U-haul to move our product. Oh, and the need to make a banner for our product..that too. Oh dear, I better stop thinking!

Here’s a picture of me at that event. It was a blast but the cost in time and energy wore me out!

We came home from the convention with one pressing thought, “there must be an easier and cheaper way to do this.”   Enter The Old School house on-line Expo! 

When I first found about the Expo and the idea of an online place to view products from the comfort of my couch, I was excited!

So I sat down with my $8.00 Starbucks treats in hand and got ready to listen. I loved being able to see all the other attendees responses on the right hand side of my screen. I liked being able to click vendor buttons and see what their websites were all about without leaving the session I was listening to. I enjoyed the friendly interactions between Expo Hosts and Speakers. And I thoroughly enjoyed my coffee and my comfy couch!

So why do I think The Old School House on-line Expo is the best?

#1 You will have more money to spend on product and curriculum

#2 You will hear about products in detail and not have to worry if your kids are okay in the childcare room.

#3 You will save time! One evening on the couch is way easier to make happen than a whole weekend.

#4 When it is all over you’ll have $600.00 in travel expenses still in your pocket-book and a boatload of ideas and curriculum to look forward to.

As a vendor in the upcoming November Expo, I am happy all over again! I get to concentrate on sharing my product with all of you. I’ll have my coffee in hand and time to just chat with you about how Music for Little Learners kits can bring the joy of music into your home.

Order your kit in advance and you will have a front row seat to seeing how remarkable this product is! I’ll be walking you through several lessons and engaging with each item in the kit. So, come join me at The Old School House Expo and order your Music for Little Learners kit at www.newsongmusicstudios.com today!

Why music should be fun!

My mouth dropped when she told me. I couldn’t believe it. He’s only seven years old. How on earth could this be true.

 

“You are my sons third teacher. The last teacher said she would not waste her time with a child who does not sit still or listen.”

 

 

 

I sat down at the piano with this darling boy and immediately realized he couldn’t sit still because so many things were distracting him. His Legos on the floor, his paper, pencils, crayons and paint on the table, his shelf full of musical instruments, wooden mazes, and logic games.

 

Hmm… 

 

Instead of sitting at the piano for 1/2 hr, we found ways to integrate some of  Seth’s interests into our lesson. We used lego blocks to mark the C scale notes on the piano. We traced his hands on craft paper and identified each finger number. We used his drum sticks to beat out a four four time rhythm. and then we placed our hands on the piano and took turns copying key patterns. I played CDCDCDE and he copied. I played GCGCGCC and he copied.  At the end of our first lesson Seth was beaming and his mother’s worried face crinkled into a huge smile!

 

I won’t make out that every lesson with Seth was sunshine and roses! Sometimes even my best efforts were derailed. But we were together for three years before I had to sadly move out-of-state.   At the end of three years Seth’s ability on the piano amazed not only his mother but me as well. Though there were times it looked like all we were doing was playing with the stuff around the room, Seth learned.  In fact he learned so well that his mother commented on how difficult it seemed to be to get him off the piano. “It’s all he wants to do!” she told me enthusiastically.

 

Seth is one of the students who inspired Music for Little Learners kit #1. Though, there are no legos, there are square tiles, white gloves with letter and number buttons and so much more! I believe there are many children just like Seth who just need a curriculum that inspires them and lends itself to creativity. Music for Little Learners is the answer!  If you’ve been wondering if this music kit is right for you, you can find out more at The Old School house Expo on Thursday, November 29th. http://schoolhouseexpo.com/