Month: October 2013

Announcements

Workshops for Piano Teachers

Joy Morin

Good morning!

Yesterday, I blogged about a presentation I am giving at the 2014 MusicEdConnect.com Online Conference in February.  (If you haven’t entered the giveaway yet for FREE conference registration, be sure to leave a comment on yesterday’s post!)

Well — this morning, I am speaking for the Toledo Piano Teachers Association — an active group just a half-hour away from where I live.  My program is titled, “Building Awareness of Rhythm in Piano Students.”  It is a presentation that grew out of the rhythm article I wrote last May and the “I Got Rhythm” summer camp I taught last summer.

I have been really getting into this whole presentation thing!  I have other upcoming appearances in February and May, and I would love to schedule more.  If your local association is looking for programs, please take a peek at my workshop topics.  I live in Ohio, but am willing to travel to your association!

General, Giveaways

Don’t Miss the 2014 MusicEdConnect.com Online Conference

Joy Morin

Make Your Students Shine

Hello, readers!

I just wanted to help spread the word about a new online conference for music educators scheduled for February 5-8, 2014. MusicEdConnect.com has recently announced the lineup of speakers for the sessions and it looks great! Conference registrants can watch the sessions live online or they can check out the videos later, on-demand.

You can check out the full list of sessions here.  I excited to announce that I will be giving a session on February 6 called “Building Musicianship Through Games & Activities.”  During this session, I will talk about the value of teaching through games and how teachers can go about choosing or creating games that will teach the concepts they wish to reinforce in their students.  I will also be demonstrating some of the games that are available here on my blog.I just wanted to help spread the word about a new online conference for music educators scheduled for February 5-8, 2014.  MusicEdConnect.com has recently announced the lineup of speakers for the sessions and it looks great!  Conference registrants can watch the sessions live online or they can check out the videos later, on-demand.

Below is the official press release from the folks at MusicEdConnect.com.  Read it over and then check out their website and facebook page for more info.

Good news: MusicEdConnect.com is giving away one free conference registration to one lucky blog reader from Color In My Piano!  To enter, please leave a comment below this post describing one of your students’ favorite games (it can be a group game or an individual game).  The deadline to enter is Midnight EST on October 16, 2013.  The winner will be randomly selected the next day.  I can’t wait to read your comments!   Continue reading “Don’t Miss the 2014 MusicEdConnect.com Online Conference” →

Conferences

2013 OhioMTA Conference (4) — Summary

Joy Morin

As you know, this week I have been blogging some of my notes highlighting a few sessions from the 2013 OhioMTA Conference.  In addition to lectures, there were also some fantastic masterclasses and recitals.  For example:

  • A masterclass featuring elementary to intermediate level students, given by Dr. Michelle Conda.  This was fantastic!  It is not very often that we get to see how a master teacher would work with non-advanced students.
  • An fun, interactive session about Dalcroze Eurhythmics — a topic near and dear to my heart because of my experience taking two semesters of Eurhythmics during undergrad.  I was so impressed and inspired by the energy and enthusiasm of the presenter, Kristen Regester.
  • A session about promoting collaborative music for students let by our OhioMTA president, Dr. Richard Van Dyke.  At the beginning, the challenges and benefits of teaching collaborative music were discussed.  Then, we had the opportunity to hear performances by a few student chamber groups.  Among the performances, we heard “Serendipity” by Jennifer Linn (debuted at the 2013 MTNA conference), a Beethoven trio played by three woodwinds, and a piano trio (a movement from Beethoven’s Op. 11).
  • A masterclass featuring not just piano — but also voice and violin students.  It was so neat to hear how each master teacher worked with the student on his/her particular instrument to achieve the goal all musicians share: giving a musical performance.
  • An impressive solo piano recital given by Dr. Stephen Beus.
  • A chamber music recital by the James Tocco trio.  This concert was absolutely phenomenal.

It was great to get re-fueled and bring back some fresh ideas for my teaching!

The next conference I hope to attend will be the 2014 MTNA recital taking place in Chicago.  Start saving now!  🙂

Conferences

2013 OhioMTA Conference (3) — Technology on a Budget, by Andy Villemez

Joy Morin

281857_31f839ec763f8d27163830deb17bbcd9.jpg_512Technology on a Budget, by Andy Villemez and Dr. Michelle Conda

Andy Villemez gave a great session about some of the best free (or near-free) resources available on the internet.

1. Office Suites

Alternatives to the expensive Microsoft Office Suite:

  • LibreOffice 4.1 (top pick) – very similar to Microsoft Word
  • Apache OpenOffice (similar to LibreOffice)
  • Google Drive – only basic functionality, but is cloud-based. There are Google apps you can apply to Google Drive, too (Simplebooklet looks cool. Also, Concept Board — which lets you collaborate visually in the cloud.)

2. Music Notation Software

Alternatives to Finale or Sibelius:

3. Library Cataloguing Software

Caveat: these services are free only to a limit.

  • LibraryThing – online-based catalogue, free up to 200 books.  Designed to allow you to keep track of the books in your library.  You can even “check out” books when you want to loan them to students.
  • Delicious Library 3 – companion app can act as scanner.

4. Sheet music

5. Online Pedagogical Resources

  • Pianotools.com – keyboard visualizer and more.
  • Musictheory.net – great theory lessons and tools.  Here is even a customizable exercise maker.  App available.
Conferences

2013 OhioMTA Conference (2) — Solving Common Issues in Advanced Transfer Students, by Siok Lian Tan

Joy Morin

e_imagePractical Tips to Solve Common Issues in Teaching Advanced Transfer Students, by Siok Lian Tan

Dr. Siok Lian Tan serves as a professor of piano at Miami University in Oxford, OH.  During this session, Dr. Tan discussed how to help solve common issues in advanced transfer students.  The areas she discussed were reading, efficient practice, critical listening, memorization, and playing posture.  Below are some highlights from her session.

I. Reading Skills

Sometimes, we get students we could call “seasonal readers.”  They can play advanced music but cannot sight read simple pieces.

Strategies for sightreading: Just do it, and regularly.  Do it at home and at the beginning of the lesson.

Guide the student as they scan it over.  Give them reading steps they can do at home (e.g.: Set a pulse, count off, finger the piece silently, etc.).  Ask them for the meter and key signature. Look for patterns and sections, modulations, etc.  Make a game out of it: What can they notice about the piece in 10 seconds time?

Another strategy: Create situations where students must read a lot and learn quickly. Continue reading “2013 OhioMTA Conference (2) — Solving Common Issues in Advanced Transfer Students, by Siok Lian Tan” →