There are some things in life that are achievable in multiple ways. I can get to my parent’s house by taking the backroads or the highway. I can cut an onion by chopping or slicing. I can take a test on a book by reading the book or by reading the cliff notes version 🙂 …
Category: Adaptive Piano Lessons
Day 9: Say and Play
We have arrived at Day 9 (can you believe how quickly December is flying by?), and today I am simply sharing an idea. Some of you may feel validated because you already implement this idea into your curriculum. Others may find this so simple they can’t believe they’ve never thought to do it. Keep reading …
Day 8: Timed Tests
Have you ever sat down and thought through exactly what it takes to read music? There is so much more than simply naming a string of notes. A piano studio must be able to -recognize if the note is in treble or bass clef, and understand which hand plays which clef -identify whether they are …
Day 7: Music Literacy
***GIVEAWAY DAY*** I am so incredibly excited about today's post! My sister-in-law started a new job teaching second grade at a classical style (private) school this year. A couple of months in I asked her how things were going. She had glowing reviews of the curriculum, her staff, and her students. But the one thing …
Day 4: Note Sorting
Day 4 is here, and today’s activity will help your students with not only their note reading, but also their fine motor skills! Piano playing in general helps with fine motor movement, but some students need extra practice. Note sorting can be done in a variety of ways, but is always a good activity to …
Day 2: Kinesthetic Learning
It’s December 2nd, and today we’re getting our students off the bench and moving! Some of my students sit like perfect angels for a whole lesson. Others can’t sit for hardly five minutes. Either way, it’s important to engage our student’s whole bodies in their learning from time to time! Your kinesthetic/tactile students learn concepts …
12 Days of Note-Reading Christmas
Have you been on social media lately? It seems that everywhere I looked, Christmas had arrived long before thanksgiving. Why? Because it’s 2020, and we are all ready for some Christmas cheer! And one month of it just won’t do when living through a pandemic. I love decking my own halls and putting out old …
When Life Gives You Lemons…
Right about now is usually the time when my studio is in transition. The spring recital is ending, school is out or close to it, and I’m announcing fun summer plans. This year I have realized that although the transition looks quite a bit different, we are still in transition as we navigate what this …
Adaptive Piano Lessons Domain: Physical
We have arrived at the end of our Adaptive Piano Journey! (For now … this is truly a journey that once you begin, never ends!). We have explored creative ways to foster excitement and creativity at the piano when you have students showing deficiencies in the cognitive, communication, socio-emotional, and behavioral domains. My earnest desire …
Adaptive Piano Lessons Domain: Behavioral
“Nearly all academic and social activities require interpersonal interactions; therefore, a behavioral disorder can affect every area of a student’s development: intellectual, educational, and social.”* Please read that again, and let it sink in a little deeper. What’s being said is that a behavioral disorder literally affects every aspect of a child’s life. I don’t …
