Color In My Piano » resources / links http://colorinmypiano.com ...a place to exchange ideas and resources for piano teaching Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:27:33 +0000 en hourly 1 January Blog Roundup http://colorinmypiano.com/2012/01/10/january-blog-roundup/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2012/01/10/january-blog-roundup/#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:07:29 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=5165 Today, I’ve got some blog links to share!  Here’s what I’ve stumbled upon recently…

Leah’s “For Love of Piano” blog has moved, gotten a facelift, and a new name!  You will now found her blog at MyPianoPlayground.com.

Tim Topham is an Australian pianist & teacher who has a very nice blog at timtopham.com.

Tara is both a piano teacher and a adjunct professor teaching classes in neuroanatomy!  Her “Training the Musical Brain” blog provides an interesting, scientific perspective on many issues related to teaching and learning music.

At the Teaching Children Music blog, Tamsyn shares printables and other projects:

Natalie’s Music Matters Blog has also gotten a complete redesign!  Check it out the new look if you haven’t already.

 

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]]> http://colorinmypiano.com/2012/01/10/january-blog-roundup/feed/ 1 Recent Purchases: Scale Blocks & A Technique Monkey http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/11/03/recent-studio-purchases-scale-blocks-a-technique-monkey/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/11/03/recent-studio-purchases-scale-blocks-a-technique-monkey/#comments Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:19:14 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=5171 I don’t know about you, but I’m always on the lookout for creative and inexpensive items for my teaching.  The dollar store is one of my favorite places to go!

In the craft aisle at Dollar Tree right now, there are packages of foam cubes, as shown in the picture.  I’ve always wanted to make scale blocks like Natalie Wickham’s, but have never got around to buying the wood blocks and paint.  These foam cubes seem like a pretty good alternative, although they may not last as long I suppose.  On the upside, it doesn’t take long to write the alphabet letters on these little cubes with a marker!  I am going to go back to buy a couple more packages, so I can make a nice set of scale blocks using the orange colored cubes.  

With the rest of the colors, I am going to make rhythm dice, Major/minor/augmented/dimished dice, time signature dice, and whatever else I can come up with.  I’m sure they will be useful for games down the road!

Now, you may be wondering about the “technique monkey” mentioned in the title of this post.  Well, I can’t claim this idea as my own either.  Irina Gorin uses a similar monkey with her students, to teach them about arm weight.

This little friend (yes, also from the dollar store) has velcro on his paws, so you can wrap the monkey around the student’s wrist and have them swing the monkey for a ride with loose, weighty arms.  I always find teaching basic piano technique to young ages pretty challenging, so I’m happy to have any kind of prop that may help!  Once the student has experienced an awareness of arm weight away from the piano, they can hopefully begin to transfer the same feeling over to when they are at the piano.  :)

 

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]]> http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/11/03/recent-studio-purchases-scale-blocks-a-technique-monkey/feed/ 15 September Blog Roundup http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/10/06/september-blog-roundup/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/10/06/september-blog-roundup/#comments Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:44:17 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=4871 It’s not September anymore, but here’s a list of what’s new to me around the blogosphere!

  • PianoMother.com blog | Yoke Wong asked me to include her blog, too – she blogs about tips and advice for self-learning adult students, and more:

  • An Eclectic Piano Teaching Experience | Dustin sent me an email recently with the link to his new piano teaching blog. In his own words, it’s “a site designed to break the mold of the conservative piano instructor.”

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]]> http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/10/06/september-blog-roundup/feed/ 2 August Blog Roundup http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/08/22/august-blog-roundup/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/08/22/august-blog-roundup/#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:04:42 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=4558 Here’s what’s new to me in the blogosphere!  I’m always amazed at how many resources there are on the web.  What would we ever do without the internet?!

  • Repertoire Review blog & podcast |  Luke D. Bartolomeo reviews repertoire books and talks/writes about them on his website.  What a great resource!  It’s a great way to become familiar with various supplemental materials for students.
  • Notes About Music Notes blog | Lesa blogs about music among her other interests, and shares lots of nice photos too.
  • 3-D Piano with Frank Karphoff blog | The 3-D Piano with Frank Karphoff dvd is a great resource which won the 2011 MTNA Frances Clark Keyboard Pedagogy Award.  Their webpage includes a blog with well-written articles you may be interested in checking out!

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]]> http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/08/22/august-blog-roundup/feed/ 6 MiniMusic Kit for Early Childhood Music Classes http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/08/11/minimusic-kit-for-early-childhood-music-classes/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/08/11/minimusic-kit-for-early-childhood-music-classes/#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2011 02:36:08 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=4686 In my last post, I mentioned the MiniMusic kit by Paula Manwaring (Kjos Publishing) that I purchased while I was at the NCKP conference.  The photos and description of this curriculum on the Kjos Publishing website do not do it justice!  So I decided to show you some photos I took myself.  I think many of the materials included in the kit are great resources for group lessons and games with students of ANY age.

Here’s a list of what is included: 

  • Teacher Handbook with 9 months worth of weekly lesson plans.
  • Student Workbook (you can buy these individually for your students from the Kjos website)
  • Staff/keyboard scarf
  • Music notes printed on transparency sheets (to be cut out and used on the scarf staff)
  • 2-sided Bingo sheets: music symbols or musical instruments.
  • Plastic markers for the staff and the Bingo sheets
  • Puppet friends (to be cut out and glued on wooden craft sticks)
  • 6 different kinds of flashcards, all printed on card stock paper and laminated.

Here’s a peek at what the Teacher Handbook and Student Workbook look like inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here’s a close-up of the two-sided staff/keyboard scarf.  It’s machine washable!

Here’s a picture of all the flashcards.  They are all printed on card stock and laminated.

  • Rhythm Cards
  • Interval Cards
  • Key Cards
  • Note/Rest Value Cards
  • Instrument Cards
  • Musical Alphabet Cards

What sold me is that this is a flexible curriculum.  I chatted with Paula at the Kjos booth after the showcase that morning, and she encouraged me to modify the lesson plans in any way I choose.  As is, the lesson plans are quite theory-heavy, and personally I’d like to begin with plenty of movement and listening activities before jumping into the theory right off the bat.  But, to be far, I haven’t looked at the lesson plans in great detail yet.  I’m just so pleased to have found a curriculum that I can completely customize to my teaching style, needs, and goals!  I’m really looking forward to seeing how this works with my students.  :)

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]]> http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/08/11/minimusic-kit-for-early-childhood-music-classes/feed/ 9 July Blog Roundup http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/07/26/july-blog-roundup/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/07/26/july-blog-roundup/#comments Tue, 26 Jul 2011 11:18:40 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=4463 Here’s what’s new (to me) in the blogosphere this month!

  • Pianimation | Jennifer Fink has moved her previous jenspianostudio.wordpress.com to pianimation.com!  Now you can find her posts and printables all in one place!
  • Piano and Life | a blog by Edelir Garza, a piano instructor in Texas who is recently getting his studio set up in a new commercial location.
Happy reading!

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]]> http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/07/26/july-blog-roundup/feed/ 0 May 2011 Blog Roundup http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/05/11/may-2011-blog-roundup/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/05/11/may-2011-blog-roundup/#comments Thu, 12 May 2011 03:09:36 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=3968 In the last month, a bunch of blogs have come to my attention — and I’d like to share them all with you here today!  Check these out.
  • Piano Escapades | Wendy Chan is a creative piano teacher who posts colorful printables and shares ideas.  This is a must see.

  • Miss Luba’s blog | Luba has a great writing style that is straightforward and down-to-earth.  Her posts are a real pleasure to read!

  • Music With Miss Leslie blog | With blog is directed to both parents and other teachers, Leslie shares her thoughts on piano teaching and early childhood music.

  • Miss Dorla’s blog | Dorla is an early childhood music teacher and piano teacher.  In February, she challenged herself (and other teachers) to a 30 day practice challenge!  Read more here.

  • The Piano Chambers blog | Melanie’s blog is just taking off — but I can tell already she has some great things to say!

  • Keys to Notes blog | Shauna Leavitt is another passionate piano teacher excited to share ideas and thoughts on teaching.  Check it out!

  • Piano Perfect blog | Brayden Walters is a young piano teacher with lots to say about piano pedagogy!

  • The Sound Post | This is a newsy blog with important updates about what’s happening in the world of music.  I’ve been looking for something like this for a long time!

Have a blog link to share?  Leave me a comment or send me an email (admin[at]colorinmypiano.com) for consideration for next month’s blog feature!

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]]> http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/05/11/may-2011-blog-roundup/feed/ 7 April 2011 Blog Roundup http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/04/11/april-2011-blog-roundup/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/04/11/april-2011-blog-roundup/#comments Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:10:25 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=3831 Once again, some fabulous new-to-me blogs have come to my attention!  Check these out:

  • For Love of Piano blog | You may already know Leah from her other blog, Drops From My Cup.  She recently began For Love of Piano so that her music-related posts have their own home!  She has recently shared some great game ideas that are definitely worth checking out.

  • Music Memos blog | Theresa Chen is a piano teacher and early childhood music specialist who blogs at MusicMemos.com.  Browse through her archives to find some excellent, well-written posts about teaching.

  • Living Pianos blog | On his Living Pianos blog, pianist and expert Robert Estrin offers videos about buying and caring for pianos.  There is a lot of great information to be found here, which I was thrilled to find since I am going to be buying a piano over the summer!

Do you have a new music blog?  Leave a comment — I’d love to check it out!

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    ]]>     http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/04/11/april-2011-blog-roundup/feed/ 6     2011 MTNA Conference, Here I Come! http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/03/25/2011-mtna-conference-here-i-come/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/03/25/2011-mtna-conference-here-i-come/#comments Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:26:44 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=3866 I am so excited to be attending the MTNA National Conference for the first time ever!  Because I have to accompany for a recital this weekend, I will only be there for about 24 hours but I am just thrilled to be able to go at all.

    In preparation, I’ve been reading up on what other more experienced conference-goers advise to bring along.  Check it out!

    What tips can you offer a first-time national conference goer?  =D

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    ]]>     http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/03/25/2011-mtna-conference-here-i-come/feed/ 2     7 New and Not-So-New Blogs To Check Out http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/03/07/7-new-and-not-so-new-blogs-to-check-out/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/03/07/7-new-and-not-so-new-blogs-to-check-out/#comments Mon, 07 Mar 2011 13:44:18 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=3522 I’m always on the prowl for new piano teaching blogs to follow via my Google RSS Reader.  If you’ve started a blog or have discovered a gem of a blog lately, please let me know!  Here are a few I’ve stumbled upon recently:

    1. Discoveries Piano Studio blog by Sarah Lantz | a new blog that is a joy to read. Sarah has a wonderful writing style that is both easy and enjoyable to read.
    2. Cerebroom by Chad Twedt | a fascinating blog with very thought-provoking articles about music, piano, and more.
    3. Nickel Notes blog by Nicole Risinger | another piano teaching blog by a teacher with passion! 
    4. Rachel’s Piano Studio blog by Rachel Thomas | another great blog about piano teaching.
    5. LaDona’s Music Studio blog by LaDona | a new blog about piano teaching and other music-related topics.  A wonderful read!
    6. Music Worksheets blog | a new blog containing free pdfs of a variety of different music worksheets. And they take requests!
    7. Shirley Kirsten’s blog | a blog that often posts videos about teaching classical repertoire.

    I hope you’ll take a few minutes to check out these wonderful sources for ideas and inspiration!

    Have you stumbled upon any great blogs recently?  Please share!

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