Category: Resources

Resources

50 Piano Classics Album

Joy Morin

EMI Classics send me an email informing me about a special promotion going on right now.  They are currently offering an album of 50 classical piano pieces for just $0.99 (USD) on Amazon.com.  The artists include Martha Argerich, Andre Watts, Alexis Weissenberg, and many others!

I just downloaded the album and am looking forward to using it to introduce my students to the classics.  I like using various classical pieces with my preschool aged students and with my homeschool music class, for various movement and listening activities.

Check out this deal now by clicking here.

Conferences, Group Classes, Resources

Blickenstaff’s Performance Practice “Rules of Thumb”

Joy Morin

Last October, well-loved pedagogue Marvin Blickenstaff appeared at the Ohio Music Teachers Conference I attended.  I blogged a summary of my notes from a great session he gave called “Performance Practice Made Easy”, which was all about “Rules of Thumb” to give for students during group classes about playing musically.  If you would like more details about Marvin’s wonderful “Rules of Thumb,” check out the recent July/August issue of Clavier Companion magazine!  There’s an article on page 34 by Marvin with plenty of examples.  Be sure to check it out!

P.S.: If you are not already subscribed to Clavier Companion, I HIGHLY recommend it!  It’s my favorite magazine — I love getting inspired by all their great articles.  It’s very affordable, too — especially their new digital-only subscription option!

Resources

Sheet Music Washer Necklaces

Joy Morin

Remember back when I did a giveaway in March for this sheet music necklace?

Some of you asked about how I made those necklaces.  Well, I got the idea from a photo I saw on pinterest a long time ago.  I was planning to make a nice tutorial post about how to do it, but now I don’t have to — because yesterday I found a great tutorial that shows all the steps!  🙂  I made my washers double-sided, and used vintage sheet music on one side.  What you see in the photo above is from an ancient Shirmer’s edition of Bach Inventions.

Happy crafting!  🙂

Resources, Technology

Music Fonts: The Ultimate Guide

Joy Morin

I’ve been wanting to write a post about using music fonts for a long time.  Finally, here it is!  If you have been wondering how you can create your own music worksheets/resources, this guide will help you get started.

For my worksheets/materials, I use graphics exported from Finale about 30% of the time, and music fonts the other 70% of the time.  The great thing about using music fonts is that anyone can use them, without having to buy an expensive program like Finale.  However, using music fonts is a little more complicated than you might think.  This post will attempt to demystify the process and point you to some links and resources. Continue reading “Music Fonts: The Ultimate Guide” →

Resources, Studio Business

My New Laminator

Joy Morin

Just wanted to show off a picture of my new laminator today…

I bought it a couple of weeks ago for $15 at Aldi, believe it or not!  At that price, I figured it was worth trying out.  I’ve been so happy with it and have been laminating a lot of my games and flashcards.

I am off to NYC for the MTNA conference very soon!!  I am very excited.  I will be taking off from blogging for most of next week, but when I return I will have lots of conference notes and photos to share!  I’m also looking forward to meeting some of the other piano teacher bloggers who are going.

Happy weekend!

Announcements, Games, Group Classes, Music Theory, Resources, Teaching Piano, Technique

Recent Purchases: Scale Blocks & A Technique Monkey

Joy Morin

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.   Continue reading “Recent Purchases: Scale Blocks & A Technique Monkey” →