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 …
Category: Resource Roundup
Resource Roundup: Choosing the Best Christmas Music for Each Student
Christmas is here! Kind of. But I recently had the pleasure of one of my favorite store tasks of the year - sorting and organizing Christmas music! And because 2020 has been one crazy trip around the sun, I am definitely ready for the Christmas season and some hanging twinkle lights. My students don’t begin …
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Resource Roundup: Composition
It is time for a new resource roundup, and I am so excited about this one! This past summer I used Nicola Cantan’s “Fantastic Fiction Composing” project throughout my studio, and it was a huge hit among all ages! I generally weave in composition work throughout the year, but there is something exhilarating about the …
Resource Roundup: Practice Packs
Yesterday I taught 8 lessons. Of those 8 lessons I believe two students practiced this week. And I spent 15 minutes of one student’s lesson watching the student search the room for any trace of her books (we were online). Mom joined in the fun and was also unsuccessful in finding them. The lesson started …
Resource Roundup: Rote Learning
Why rote learning? There have been long time arguments about the validity of rote learning, and whether or not it is considered “cheating”. I have no intention of beating around the bush, and due to the fact that I’m writing a resource roundup on this, I will come right out and say that done correctly, …
Resource Roundup: Lead Sheets
Do you ever look back and realize how drastically your teaching has changed? One of the ways I see this in my own teaching is with lead sheets! I don’t remember ever being specifically taught lead sheets. The methods I grew up in didn’t make them a priority (and rarely do today’s methods). And they …
Resource Roundup: Improvisation
Do you use improvisation in your studio? I do … starting at lesson one! What I’ve learned from a lot of teachers is that improvisation is not something they were taught growing up, and it intimidates them quite a bit. I get it – new things are always intimidating! But we have to take a …
