Mood:  silly

Wow! I haven't written in a while. I've just been 'going with the flow' with teaching Music Moves. It's definitely getting much easier. However, I am finding myself a bit stretched for time, as I now have 35 students, about half of which are Music Moves. I don't remember if I mentioned this, but more than half of my students are also boys! Makes for an exciting, if not exhausting week!!

 My Music Moves students are playing so well!!! I currently do have a few 'traditional stream' beginners, and I do notice a big difference between how the MM and the trad. students play. The MM students are so very confident with their playing, which is rhythmic and played with a relaxed, tension-free technique.

One trick I'm using to get my students to remember to chant the RP while playing is the 'Easy Button'. This is a red button that, when pressed, says, "That was easy." I purchased it at Staples for about $6 CND. Each time a student chants while they play, they get to press the Easy Button. Oftentimes, a student will forget to chant, and go to press the button, and I stop them, telling them that they didn't chant... they promptly play their piece again, just so they can press the Easy Button.

 Some successes I've had recently with MM:

• Today, a group of grade 1 students (in the Prep. book) was able to listen to a 4-macrobeat Triple Meter RP played on one key, chant the pattern back using rhythm syllables, and play it back correctly (while chanting) on a key.
• More and more, I'm finding that my students are opening up to, and thoroughly enjoying, the movement activities (even those 10 year old boys I so love to write about!!)
• Students are confident playing duets with other kids in their class.
• The story ideas, improvisations and compositional ideas coming from these kids are AMAZING! They're really getting the hang of creating a RP, and using it to improvise. Their ideas are all so creative and unique.
• The students are so eager to practice, play and perform. The positive feelings generated by their musical learning experiences will hopefully last a lifetime!!

I'll be honest: I sometimes feel a bit overworked as I'm learning to teach MM. I've taken it upon myself to do lesson plans and homework sheets for all of the classes, so I really know what's going on. I do this more for the Keyboard Games and Prep book kids, though. I'm finding the Teacher's Lesson Plans for Book 1 is really well laid out, and I'm much more comfortable with it. I'm doing a little less prep work for my book 1 kids than for the younger groups.

Every once in a while, a teacher whose interested in learning how to teach MMP will contact me and ask a bunch of questions. Just the other day, a lovely teacher from Toronto called me on the phone (long distance!!) to find out my impressions of the MMP program. Of course, I told her how much I love it. We both agreed that we would LOVE to have a DVD of Marilyn teaching. (Hey Marilyn... once you've made a clone of yourself, and have 48 hours in the day, I'm sure a lot of us would pay good money to watch you teach!!! LOL)

Posted by creativekeys at 4:44 PM

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Mood:  special

I was recently asked by a teacher how I teach Music Moves using just one piano. Of the 6 MM classes I'm teaching, 5 of them have 3 students, and one has 2 students. In my studio, I have one upright and a 61-key keyboard. I use only the piano.

I thought I'd give an overveiw of a typical class, to give you a better idea. The following is a general outline of what I did with my Monday night class (this is my only class with 2 kids). These kids just started unit 3 in Book 1.

I spend about the first 15-20 minutes on audiation activities. We did the Watch Please Game and Song to Sing activities as outlined on p. 19 of the Teacher's Lesson Plans (LP) book. We also spent time doing triple meter activities, as well as the Performance pieces (where I play a piece, and the kids move to it in different ways.... always a hit with the kids, and an essential part of "Music MOVES" (emphasis mine LOL).

After about the first 20 minutes or so, we moved on to Keyboard Geography and technique activities. This we spent about 10-15 minutes doing. We started with off-bench activities to increase physical awareness (shoulder, forearm, joints). Again, I pretty much followed the activities in the LP on p. 20.  For the on-bench activities, I sat at the piano, demonstrated the activity while the kids watched, and they each took turns. Each activity took a few seconds for the kids to do.

I tell the kids that they're teachers too, and to watch the other students, as they can learn from them.

We then spent a few minutes working on Exploration/Creativity activities. Each student, in turn, went up to the piano and created a two-macrobeat pattern on the black keys. The rest of us formed the audience.

(An idea here: I didn't do this, but must remember it for next time... after the first student created her idea, the second student could echo/copy it... what a great way to reinforce audiation! The second student would really have to be listening!!)

After creativity activities, the kids performed the pieces they were working on from last lesson. They each performed 'Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater'. While one student was performing, the other was drawing notes on my white board (note to self: get some individual slates for the kids to write on when there is more than 2 kids in the class... a piece of laminated white card stock would do!) Each student played the piece in a connected style. Then, I played it for them again, this time in a separated style and asked them what was different (they identified that it was in sep. style). Then, each student choose a style (separated or connected), and played the piece again, and we had to guess which style they chose.

We ended the class with teaching Flute and Bassoon and LIzards. These pieces are very much like Popcorn and Indian Dance, and allowed the students to use their "Musical Thinkers" (as I called it!). After watching me play it once, they both said, "Hey that's easy!!", sat down at the keys and played it on the first try. They were both able to play the pieces with me playing the duet. While one student played, the other watched. I think that this watching part is vital, and it really helps the 'watcher' learn. It also puts a bit of (good) pressure on the player to focus and do a good job, because they're 'helping me teach the piece'.

We weren't able to play "Falling Leaves" today, but I expected that (I have yet to be able to get through unit 3 in one class!) Next week, I will have a "Performance Class", where the kids play their pieces for me, and I teach them the duets. We will also learn Falling Leaves, do a LOT of exploration/creativity activities, and some more work on Triple Meter (as one of the kids isn't really feeling it yet).

Posted by creativekeys at 5:43 PM

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Mood:  lucky

Wow. Oh wow. My class went SO well tonight. This is the group of grade 4/5 boys that I've been struggling with... I don't want to drag things along, but I don't want to miss anything, either. I asked Marilyn for some advice, and, among other things, she reminded me to keep the pace quick. This 'forces' the kids to keep thinking about the music.

Guess what? It worked!!! They had a blast! For the first time, they willingly participated in the movement activities (and were actually quite creative when I gave them creative control of their movements!) They played SO well tonight!!

These boys have now completed Unit 4, but haven't yet done all of the duets from the previous levels. They did do the duet for Hide and Seek today, and did a fantastic job. I also taught them 'The Ghost' from Keyboard Games B, seeing as we're getting ready for the annual Halloween Piano Party, and I thought it would be fun if they had a 'spooky' piece to play.

In tonight's Exploration/Creativity/Improvisation, we used the suggestions for making a 'sound description' of an animal. I was expecting a typical 'boy' animal (cheetah, jaguar etc) from these boys. Instead, I was suprised by a burst of creativity! One boy selected a mythical creature from Star Wars (and promptly made a very accurate sound with his voice!)  and the other invented his own imaginary animal. It was SO cool!!! They were SO into making sound descriptions tonight, I really could have spent the entire lesson on that activity alone!

I have to admit, up until tonight, I had been feeling a bit unsure if Music Moves was the right decision for these older boys. While I'm having wonderful success with the little kids, I really didn't know how well it was working with these older boys (10 year old boys are strange creatures!) After tonight, I am now feeling much more positive about my decision.

A side note about my own personal 'audiation' skills (full disclosure: I love to sight read. I sight read Bach Fugues for fun!). Tonight, while one boy was experimenting with a RP on one key, I wasn't sitting right at the piano, so I couldn't see what key he was playing. For some reason, I just knew he was playing an F. I've never had 'perfect pitch' before, and, quite frankly, really sucked big time with my ear training exams on my RCM tests (I actually failed grade 8 ear training!). But, I just knew it was an F. Weird. :)

Posted by creativekeys at 5:06 PM

Updated: Thursday, 12 October 2006 5:23 PM

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Mood:  incredulous

Today, I had a group of grade 1 students, and, at the end of lessons there was a bit of extra time. SO, I invited the students to share anything they wanted at the piano (suggesting that they play a favourite piece, or create something at the keys).

One little boy sat down at the keys, and promtly played a 4-macrobeat melody on the black keys, which he then repeated, thus creating a lovely little 8-macrobeat composition. His rhythm was perfect :)

Now, this boy doesn't have the best home life (from what I can gather), and his Aunt (a friend of mine) is the one who put him in lessons. She's a wonderful woman, and does all she can to give this little boy some stability and normalcy in his life. To see him sit down and improvise such a wonderful piece (much more complex than the pieces we've been learning), and do it with confidence was wonderful! To know that I'm able to help this little boy find something he can feel good about is such an honour!!

Posted by creativekeys at 8:52 AM

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Mood:  bright

Tonight was my 'older boy' class. Three boys, ages 9, 10 and 10. They were visibly getting bored by the pieces in units 1-3, so we skipped all the unit 3 pieces (but did do the audiation activities and the improvisation stuff). Moved on to Hide and Seek.

I came across some FUN activities to work on rhythm: Boomwhackers! We chanted our RPs using Boomwackers tonight, and the boys LOVED it!! The nice thing about the Boomwackers is that it uses large motor movements.

I've been really having a hard to get these boys to do a lot of the movement activities... they think they're too 'cool' to do them. I'm guessing that with the addition of Boomwhackers, these boys will more readily do movement activites.

One of the resources I purchased recently is a book/CD of activities to do with the Boomwhackers. Tonight, the boys and I did this one activity where there was a 4-part movement pattern that they did with the tubes.

Basically, we sat in a circle, each with a tube at our right knee. The pattern went like this:

1. Right (pick up the tube with your right hand)
2. Left (whack the tube into your LH)
3. Rest
4. Down (whack the tube on the ground on your left side)

The pattern continued like that, always starting with a new tube (the one that the person next to you just put down on his left side)

Then, we turned on the CD, which had a catchy little tune in triple meter. It was great! The kids were having to remember a pattern, keep the rhythm going (continuity), they were moving to a rhythm (a 4-macro beat pattern in triple meter), and they were experiencing triple meter.

Plus...they had FUN! Which, really, is way more important then them actually learning anything LOL

Posted by creativekeys at 5:49 PM

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Mood:  bright

Don't you just love it, when you're teaching, and you get one of those "Light Bulb" moments from a student.

 I have this wonderful young lady that I've been teaching for a couple of years now. She recently completed her grade 1 RCM exam with First Class Honours, and is now working on grade 3.

She struggles with fingering, always has, and, quite frankly, it has been hampering her ability. I've been nagging for SO long. In lessons, she'll get it, but come back the next week with the fingering all wrong again.

I've been reading "The Practice Revolution" by Philip Johnston, and one thing really stuck out the other day. He talks about "Cutting wood with a spoon" - that is, using the wrong tools for th job.

Tonight, it hit me: she has been using the wrong tools for the job during her practicing. And, then what happens is that her practice sessions aren't successful (because she can't play the passage properly, and it shows!), so she feels frustrated... which isn't the type of feeling that fosters a love of practicing!

So, at this evening's lesson, we talked about ways of fixing fingering. That is, I gave her the tools she needs to fix the fingering at home (and wrote them down in her homework book!!)

Here's the tools I gave her:

1. Identify the tricky spots and work out logical fingering (we're currently working on fingering rules)
2. Play the offending passage HS, saying the fingering out loud.
3. Play the passage without looking at your hands/fingers
4. Play the passage in as many different octaves as possible!
5. Play the pagges HT very slow with correct fingering

I also told her about the pitfalls of incorrect practicing, and how it actually creates more work if you learn a passage incorrectly.

We worked through this process in one of her pieces, and she played it successfully. Then, we moved on to another piece. She was struggling with it a bit. While she was able to play the passage HT without stopping, it was a bit shakey at the end.

I was about to show her how to fix it, and she grabbed my pencil out of my hand and said, "I know what I'm doing wrong!! If I put finger one HERE (and she wrote it in), then I'll have enough fingers to get down over HERE!"

I have a feeling she will have a great week practicing!

Posted by creativekeys at 6:56 PM

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Mood:  cool

This whole 'audiation' thing is really cool. It's only been a month, but I'm already beginning to see the benefits in my students. They are playing with such a strong rhythmic sense!

My latest achievement was teaching "The Green Caterpillar", which I was a bit hesitant about. But, thanks to the wonderful advice Marilyn gave me, my students not only learned it, but played it SO successfully. They really grasped the whole triple meter thing so well.

One thing I had my Prep book kids doing this week was playing all the groups of three black keys, chanting Du-da-di Du-da-di as they played. They did this going up and down the keyboard (or "this way" then "The other way"). I had to make sure that they weren't going to fast, otherwise it began to turn over into duple meter (that " one two threeeeee type playing that a lot of my traditional students have done in the past). That really helped them get the feel for triple meter (as did all the movement activities I did with them!!)

 The other "new" concept that I introduced this week to my Book 1 kids was articulation (separated and connected touch). In the past, this is something that was left at least until the second book of a method, when the child could already play some pretty nifty pieces.

But, I think Marilyn is really on to something here. Teaching articulation right from the second lesson makes sense. Playing one or two keys separated or connected instead of trying to play a whole song that way. The students were able to experience how the two different articulations feel in a way that was easy and simple (thus allowing the student to feel successful right off the bat).

I'll give you an idea of how it happened in my studio tonight...

I talked to my students about the 'different touches' on the piano, and then performed two pieces (in my repertoire) with different articulation. (Note: I believe that it's really important for a teacher to play for her students on a regular basis... and not just easy stuff!! That 'meat and potatoes' repertoire that you worked on in college!!)

So, first they heard a couple of good examples. Then, we did the activites in the student book, especially the one where they say "Go Go" with different articulation. Then, they practiced playing octaves in both of the touches.

After that, we left behind the whole articulation thing, and moved on to learning their performance pieces. They both played "Indian Dance". After they played, I asked them, "Was that connected or separated?" One girl said, "I don't know", so I suggested that she play it again, and this time listen to herself. After she played, I asked her again, and she was better able to answer. Then, I asked her if she could play it the opposite way, and she did. She was SO excited that we were able to check off both styles of touch on the check list!

Now, I bet that will be a student who goes home and tries out her new pieces right away!

But, look what happened here: a student learned how different articulations sound, how they feel, and how to LISTEN for them in her own playing. She's making choices as she plays ("Should I play this separated or connected?") and taking these skills into her improvisations.

I'm beginning to see that audiation isn't only about thinking skills... it's about being aware of the sound you make.

Posted by creativekeys at 5:55 PM

Updated: Monday, 2 October 2006 6:53 PM

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Mood:  lyrical

I'm finding it quite easy to assign kids homework in MMP... I made a homework sheet that has the different things they're to do each week down the side, and a column for each day so that the students can check off their work as they do it. This is a generic sheet that I can use from week to week, and it's just a reminder for the students to practice their assignment, listen to the CDs and create at the keys. Then, I simply use a date stamp to indicate which pages in the lesson book are to be worked on.

In the Preparatory and Keyboard Games books, where the contents are only the pieces to be played, I'm making weekly assignment sheets that have more specific details on them. Here's an example from my Friday 3:30 class (Preparatory Book):

1. Keyboard Technique: play all the groups of 3 blacks keys, one note at a time, using your middle finger. Rememer not to use 'pokey fingers'!! Chant "Du-da-di Du-da-di" as you play.
2. Listening Assignment: Listen daily to tracks 1,2,3 and 4 on the CD.
3. Review Pieces: Keep playing "The Woodpeckers" and "The Apple and the Worm", chanting the rhythm pattern as you play.
4. The Green Caterpillar: Listen to the CD (#3). Chant "Du-da-di Du-da-di Read-y Play" before you start. Play with a relaxed arm drop, keeping your fingers together
5. Creativity: Play the "Du-da-di Du-da-di" rhythm pattern on groups of 3 black keys, all over the piano. Try playing the rhythm pattern fast, then slow.

Posted by creativekeys at 11:00 AM

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Mood:  rushed

My grade 1 prep book students did a fantastic job today. The were learning "The Apple and the Worm" this week. To prepare them for this, I had them play all the groups of two, using their middle finger, one note at a time. Some of the kids still need guidance about how to play a key ("No pokey fingers, please!").

 Before doing this activity, we engaged in some body awareness activities, and focused on arm weight. I was pleased to see these kids using arm weight as they played the groups of two.

 I really like the notion of doing body awareness activities away from the keyboard. This prepares them for the feeling of good technique when they're at the keyboard.

Even though I've only been teaching MM for less than a month now, I am beginning to see the benefits with my students. I can really see how, through using this approach, my MM students will develop a lovely technical ability.

Posted by creativekeys at 1:10 PM

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Mood:  bright

My 10 year old son is in one of my MMP classes. Today, without being asked, he went down to the piano studio to practice. I didn't say anything, but quietly listened from the kitchen where I was making lunch.

A few minutes into his practicing, he rushed upstairs and begged me to come and hear him. He played his new piece (Popcorn) for me, and proudly proclaimed, "Look! I can play it from memory. You always need your book in front of you to play, mom!"

He played so confidently and with such pride. I just hope the rest of my students are experiencing the same thing. Learning to teach in a completely different way does take a bit more effort than plunking down the same-old-same-old method book on the music rack and mindlessly teaching. However, after today's experience with my son, I know that it's worth it!!

Posted by creativekeys at 7:52 PM

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