Color In My Piano » piano teaching

Piano Student End-Of-The-Year Assessments

joy (admin) — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:39:52 +0000

I’m back! I ended up taking two weeks off instead of one, I know. :) But it felt great. It feels great to be back too.

At the MTNA National Conference in NYC this year, one of the sessions I attended encouraged teachers to do yearly or quarterly assessments/evaluations of their students. Some teachers accompany these assessments with a parent-teacher-student conference. A few of the session’s attendees raised their hands to comment on their method of assessment and the benefits they’ve seen. I was quite intrigued with the idea, and decided I wanted to give it a try this year.

The only time when I’ve done something similar to this is when I was worked at a summer music camp in my hometown. I was the Theory & Composition Instructor, and the camp director asked each of us instructors to create some kind of assessment that we could send home with the students for the teachers and parents to be able to see what the student learned at camp. These assessments were very short and sweet, since we had only had contact with the student for four classes over four days.

I started looking around the internet for ideas, and eventually formed a template I’m pretty happy with. This assessment is not designed to do that same thing that standardized music testing is supposed to do. It’s much more general. It’s about communicating to the student and parent about the progress the student is making in various areas and the goals that I have in mind for them in upcoming months. It is a bit like a report card, but with no actual grades.

Once I created the template, my goal was to be able to complete each one in about 10 minutes. After all, doing assessments needs to be feasible even for teachers who might have 30 or 40+ students! I didn’t quite make the 10 minute mark, though. I averaged more like 20 minutes each, although I did get faster at the end.

Here’s a peek at a sample assessment. I used a fun, handwriting font to help distinguish my comments from the template.

page 2:

Do you do some kind of evaluation or assessment? What kinds of things do you include?

If you’d like to download my template, visit the Printables > Studio Business page and scroll down to the S’s for “Student Assessment Sheet.”

[Visit Piano Student End-Of-The-Year Assessments to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

Blogging Break

joy (admin) — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:43:40 +0000

Just a quick post to let you know that I will be taking the week off from blogging. My brother is getting married this weekend, so my husband and I will be staying in Michigan with my family for a few days. And the early part of this week is going to be busy with the usual teaching in addition to the packing and preparations.

I hope you’ll miss me while I’m away! :) See you all next week.

[Visit Blogging Break to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

Music Motor Match – A Rhythm Matching Game

joy (admin) — Fri, 04 May 2012 12:21:07 +0000

A large percentage of my studio right now is beginner/early elementary students. I like having simple and short games to play with them at the end of the lesson that reinforce concepts we are learning in their books. Motor Music Match is a game that I created with these things in mind. Take a look:

The point of the game is to match each car and sign to its proper place on the road where the rhythm value’s names are. It’s a great game that only takes a minute or two, so it’s perfect for the end of the lesson where you have a little bit of extra time. It would also work well to keep a copy of this game in your studio’s waiting room area.

When I first tested out this game with a student, he said, “There should be another level where it’s harder.” That’s when I added the street signs. :) So, to follow his suggestion, first ask your student to match the cars. When they are able to do that successfully, clear the road and add the signs to make the game a little harder.

To download the pdf for this game, visit the Printables > Games page and scroll down to the M’s for “Music Motor Match.” Enjoy!

[Visit Music Motor Match – A Rhythm Matching Game to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

Spring Recital Details

joy (admin) — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:36:36 +0000

As I mentioned yesterday, our Spring Recital was Saturday! Here’s how it went down:

It was held at the local library. They have an atrium with a Steinway baby grand piano. In the past, I’ve always held recitals at churches (and once at a school). I look for churches with grand pianos that can be moved to the center of the sanctuary. Being new in town, I haven’t yet discovered which churches have this kind of set-up (plus they have to be affordable). Two of my students suggested using the library, so we did. It costs $50 to rent and it’s a nice location with high ceilings and lots of natural light. I was happy with it!
I always play something at my students’ recitals. This year, I asked my friend, a violinist for whom I’m accompanying for her semester juries at my local university, to play her jury piece with me. She was thrilled to be asked — but she needed to be first on the program so she could leave early for another event she had in the afternoon. I wish I could let you hear the piece — but I forgot to start the video camera before we played the piece! (I’m still kicking myself.) Anyway, here’s Itzhak Perlman playing it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKI9uoNfC18

After the violin piece, my students played. I had 10 out of my 16 students play at the recital (the others are adult students, new 4-year-old students, or had a schedule conflict). I knew it would be a short and sweet recital, but I still feel recitals are beneficial enough that it was worth doing anyway!
After playing, my students stood in the front for a group photo, and I gave them each a rose for their performance. It’s a tradition I’ve been doing for a few years now, although my students in my new town, of course, have not experienced it yet.
Afterwards, we had a little reception with cupcakes, a Kit Kat piano (a la Pinterest), and cheese n’ crackers.

I don’t think I can share video of the recital since the pieces performed are under copyright, but I hope to share a photo slideshow soon!

Do you all have Spring Recitals coming up? I like holding mine early in the Spring because May and June are such a busy months.

[Visit Spring Recital Details to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

Listening Sheet for Young Students

joy (admin) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:24:28 +0000

As I mentioned last week, during my recent Piano Party/recital rehearsal I gave a listening sheet to my young beginners to complete as they listened to their fellow students perform. Here’s what it looked like:

I put each sheet in a plastic sheet protector and gave them a dry erase marker with a piece of felt so they could re-use the sheet for each piece they heard. It worked pretty well — my students were very attentive and really liked telling me about what they circled between pieces!

This worksheet would also work well for private lessons or group classes with beginner students to use while listening to recordings — like Carnival of the Animals, or whatever.

I do wish the sheet protector cleaned off a little better. The ones I used have kind of a matte surface…maybe I need to get some of the thicker, shiny ones? Or try laminating?

Anyway, my students really enjoyed this listening sheet! I found the clip art on some various public domain clip art sites. You could easily design your own the same way. Or if you’d like to download mine, visit the Printables > Worksheets page and scroll down to the L’s for “Listening Sheet for Young Students.”

P.S.: As requested, I added a page to the Rhythm Value Cards pdf: three beamed eighth note cards for use in compound time signatures. (Thanks for catching that, Bee!)

[Visit Listening Sheet for Young Students to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

Review: Daniel McFarlane’s Repertoire for Students

joy (admin) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:11:04 +0000

Australian composer Daniel McFarlane has composed a number of student-level repertoire books which are available on his website. Daniel was kind enough to send me digital copies of his books so I could review them here.

In appearance, all of Daniel’s books have easy-to-read scores with no illustrations. The titles of each piece are in fun fonts depending on the subject of each piece.

All of Daniel’s books can be purchased in hard copies or as digital copies (be careful that you’ve selected the right one when you check-out! The digital ones clearly say “Digital Edition” in the title, and allow for one print-out of the book). The prices for the music of Daniel’s website are in Australian dollars. Daniel assured me that when you check-out, the conversion to your currency would be made properly. The current rate of AUD compared to USD is about 1:1.

Soundscapes Book 1

The pieces in Sounscapes Book 1 have a pop-ish and almost rock music sound to them, while retaining elements of classical music and good educational writing for students. The pieces feature repetitive patterns and chord progressions, catchy tunes, lyrical RH melodies, syncopated rhythms, and repeated LH notes.

I would use this book with an early intermediate student (probably no younger than age 9) who has good technique and an excellent sense of rhythm. It could also be a great option for teenagers or adult students at that level of playing. The pieces are very appealing in sound and would be a great option for boy students.

As you read this review, open another window and listen to the pieces here.

Soundscapes Book 2

The 12 pieces in this book are longer and more advanced than Soundscapes Book 1. Daniel gives all of his pieces exciting descriptive titles that will appeal to the student, such as Predator, Night Flyer, The Dominator, Steppin’ Out, and Light Up My Life.

The pieces require things like an octave reach, more advanced fingering stretches, more syncopation, and ledger line reading. As in the previous book, many of the pieces sound a bit like rock pieces — but there are also some calmer “ballades” in this book too. They are exciting and appealing pieces.

Listen to the pieces here.

Soundwaves

The pieces in the Soundwaves book are more virtuosic and mellow than those in the Soundscape books. Soundwaves contains a 3-movement piece called “The Lake” and a 4-movement set entitled “Lost,” and a single piece called “Monsoon.”

These pieces would make wonderful pieces for an advancing student for a recital or other performance. I think most students would find these pieces ”cool-sounding” and advanced-sounding.

Listen to the pieces here.

Supersonics Book 1

The pieces in the Soundsonics Book 1 are at an early intermediate level.

The 19 pieces in this collection are short and fun. Many of them are in the pop/rock style, but there are other varieties too. These are not your typical pedagogical pieces with simple tonic and dominant harmonies. It’s wonderful to expose our student’s ears to interesting harmonies and modes as those used in Daniel’s pieces!

My favorite piece in this book is called “Coconutty.”

Listen to the pieces here.

Supersonics Book 2

The pieces in Soundsonics Book 2 are slightly more advanced than the previous book. The book contains pieces with the same driving rhythms and pop feel as his other books, but there are also some lovely contrasting pieces such as “Lullaby” and “Reflections.”

A few of the pieces require pedaling. There are 14 pieces in this collection.

My favorite piece in this book is called “Funky Chicken.”

Listen to the pieces here.

Supersonics Book 3

The 12 pieces in Soundsonics Book 3 are more advanced than the pieces in the previous book. My favorite pieces in this book are Fairytale and Autumn Mood.

Another great piece is “Jingle Jangle,” which is a fun theme and variations of Jingle Bells. I hope Daniel plans to write more Christmas arrangements in the future, because I think Jingle Jangle is a something great and very different from the typical Christmas arrangements out there!

Listen to the pieces here.

Please take a moment to check out Daniel’s website here!

[Visit Review: Daniel McFarlane’s Repertoire for Students to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

Rhythm Value Cards for Dictation and More

joy (admin) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:03:01 +0000

Here they are…the rhythm value cards I mentioned in my post yesterday!

My favorite part about these cards is that their sizes are appropriate to show the number of beats each kind of note receives.

I printed my cards on colored cardstock so they are color-coded: green = 1 beat, pink = 1.5 beats, blue = 2 beats, orange = three beats, red = four beats, and yellow = 1/2 beat. I printed the barlines and time signatures on white cardstock. I printed and cut enough cards for two complete sets, since I wanted to play a game with two teams at my group lesson. I also laminated all the cards — which was VERY time consuming, but worth it because I plan to use these a lot in future years!

The pdf contains many advanced rhythms, including sixteenth notes, dotted-eighth sixteenths, eighth note with two sixteenths, etc. There’s even eighth note triplets and quarter note triplets. I recommend giving students only the cards they’ll need for the activity you have planned. I keep the advanced cards in a separate zipper bag from the basic rhythms to make things easier.

These cards have many uses, but here are two quick ideas to get you thinking:

The team-based rhythm dictation game I described in this post. I’ve done this activity with my homeschool music class too, but with no teams or points. The students simply work together to notate the rhythms they hear.
In the private lesson, have students create their own rhythms using the cards and then clap/tap them to see how they sound. When a student is learning a new rhythm, sometimes the best thing to do is get them away from the piece and focus completely on rhythm!

To download this free pdf, visit the Printables > Games page and scroll down to the R’s for “Rhythm Value Cards for Dictation and More.”

Enjoy, and please let me know what creative ways you find to use these cards!

[Visit Rhythm Value Cards for Dictation and More to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

Piano Party Success!

joy (admin) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:22:14 +0000

On Saturday, I held a Piano Party for my students. It was basically a group lesson and rehearsal for our Spring Recital which is coming up in a few weeks. Most of my students have never met each other, so this was a good opportunity for them to learn a little about each other and to share their pieces. I’d like to hold group lessons more regularly now that I have enough students to do so…..so this was a good start!

Here’s what we did:

We started by introducing ourselves to each other. Then I expressed how excited I was for them all to be here. (My philosophy is that if you want your students to be excited about being there, than you’d better show some enthusiasm yourself too!) :)
Together, we completed the Performing at the Piano worksheet which discusses performance etiquette and more.
Then, each student played their recital piece. I had arranged all the chairs closely in a circle around the piano, to make it seem like more of a group sharing event and less of an formal performance. I placed each performer’s score on a music stand where the rest of the students could watch and follow along if they liked. I made comments between pieces — asking the performer to share something specific about their piece, how much they practice each day, or how long they’ve been playing piano. I wanted it to be interactive and exciting, so I tried to make sure everyone learned something about either each performer or each piece. We also made sure every student bowed properly. :)
To make it easier for the younger students to pay attention as the others play (I have a lot of 5 and 6 years olds), I created a listening sheet for them to complete with a dry erase marker. I’ll be sharing the pdf soon.
After the recital rehearsal, we had snacktime. A couple of the parents generously offered to bring goodies, so we had a wonderful spread of fruit with yogurt dip, a veggie platter, and some cookies.
With only about 10 minutes left, we only had time for one music game. Out of the games I had prepared, I chose a rhythm dictation game. We moved to the carpet squares on the living room floor and I divided the students into two teams. Each team received a set of rhythm value cards (I’ll share the pdf later this week) and a bell. (I got the bells from a couple of games I found for $2 each at Goodwill: Bunco and Pit.) I announced the time signature, clapped a 2-4 measure phrase, and then the teams worked together to notate the rhythm they heard. When they felt they had it correct, they rang their bell, and I checked their work. If they didn’t have it right, both teams continued trying until one of them got it correct. I checked not only for correct rhythms, but also for the barlines, the double barline, and the time signature to be in their proper places. I kept points for each team. It was great to see the older and younger students work together as a team, and my students LOVED this game!
Before they left, my students unanimously agreed that our next Piano Party should be an hour-and-a-half instead of just an hour, so we can have time for more music games!

I am quite pleased with how our Piano Party went! I wish I had photos to share, but although I had my camera ready nearby I didn’t once think to take any pictures! I was too busy having fun and being the teacher. Next time, maybe I’ll ask my husband to come out from hiding and take some photos for me. :)

[Visit Piano Party Success! to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

Music Worksheet: Identifying Space Notes on the Staff

joy (admin) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:00:26 +0000

Here’s a new free music worksheet that I just added to the Printables page:

This worksheet introduces the idea of identifying the space notes on the staff using the mnemonics FACE and All Cows Eat Grass. These are the only two mnemonics I use. I don’t teach separate mnemonics for the line notes anymore (like Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge or Great Big Dogs Fight Animals) because it’s simply too much to try to keep 4 different mnemonics straight! I have found that it’s easier for students to remember just two mnemonics and then learn to jump up a step from the nearest space note to identify a line note.

To download, visit the Printables > Worksheets page and scroll down to the I’s for “Identifying Space Notes on the Staff.” Enjoy!

[Visit Music Worksheet: Identifying Space Notes on the Staff to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

Forum Q&A | Attending Conferences

joy (admin) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:04:15 +0000

The last Forum Q&A post was about assignment notebooks/pages for students. It was wonderful to read all the great responses! Click here to read the comments, and click here to read my follow-up where I share my method of tracking assignments.

Being able to attend state and national-level conferences is one of the many benefits of being a member of MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) and other professional music organizations. I am a firm believer in the importance of ongoing professional development for piano teachers (and any teachers, for that matter). So, today’s Forum Q&A is all about conferences!

To you, what is the most valuable part of attending conferences? What tips do you have for making conference attendance more affordable and feasible? If you haven’t attended conferences regularly/before, what’s holding you back?

Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below!

[Visit Forum Q&A | Attending Conferences to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

Color In My Piano » piano teaching

Piano Student End-Of-The-Year Assessments

Related Posts:

Blogging Break

Related Posts:

Music Motor Match – A Rhythm Matching Game

Related Posts:

Spring Recital Details

Related Posts:

Listening Sheet for Young Students

Related Posts:

Review: Daniel McFarlane’s Repertoire for Students

Soundscapes Book 1

Soundscapes Book 2

Soundwaves

Supersonics Book 1

Supersonics Book 2

Supersonics Book 3

Related Posts:

Rhythm Value Cards for Dictation and More

Related Posts:

Piano Party Success!

Related Posts:

Music Worksheet: Identifying Space Notes on the Staff

Related Posts:

Forum Q&A | Attending Conferences

Related Posts: