Composition

Composing in the Piano Lesson with Beginner & Elementary Students

Joy Morin

Mack T - The DinosaurFor the past six months, I have been working on a new resource to help piano teachers compose and improvise with their students.  I am going to give you the full scoop on the new resource soon, but I wanted to introduce the resource with this article discussing how composition can be used in the private piano lesson.  Update: the new “Composition & Improvisation Prompts for Piano” eBook is now available here in the Shop!  

There are many challenges to having piano students compose.  For example, teachers might feel that:

  • I don’t have time in the lesson to teach composition.
  • I don’t know how to teach composition.
  • I don’t know how to give a composition assignment.
  • My students don’t understand how to compose a good melody.
  • My students are overwhelmed at the idea of composing their own music.

Despite these challenges (yes, I feel them too), I have enjoyed having my students compose their own pieces for many years now.  Here is how I incorporate composition in my lessons: Continue reading “Composing in the Piano Lesson with Beginner & Elementary Students” →

Professional Development

Music Advocacy and the Independent Music Teacher

Joy Morin

6687987361_ea4f077ae3Classroom music educators are taught and encouraged to be music advocates, especially when music programs are in danger of being cut due to budget restraints.  Regardless of your stance on the inclusion of music education in public schools, Independent Music Teachers are certainly advocates of music in general, and perhaps also for the rest of the arts.

On nearly a daily basis, I see articles coming through my facebook feed or Pinterest feed about how “music makes you smarter.”  And I have often seen “Why Study Music?” lists on piano studio websites, listing research articles that suggest that music study can improve your cognitive and social skills.

Why do piano teachers tout these articles before parents, suggesting that these are the reasons children should take piano lessons?

Let’s get real.  Is that why YOU took piano lessons as a child?  Because you wanted to get smarter?  Is this why YOU teach piano lessons?  To make children smarter?

Even if it may be true that studying music makes you “smarter,” it is not a very good reason to take lessons or encourage others to take lessons.  If we are really in search of the activity that will make us or our children the smarter, then someone should do a research study to discover which activities are the best for brain development.  And guess what — music might not win.  Who knows — maybe chess or tennis is better for your brain.  Or yoga or karate or computer programming.

The problem here is that we are confusing the VALUE of music with the SIDE BENEFITS of music study.

Yes, music study can impart important life skills such as creativity, concentration, dedication, diligence, and perseverance.  But this is not why I love music.  And this is certainly not why I am a piano teacher. Continue reading “Music Advocacy and the Independent Music Teacher” →

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” →

Conferences

2013 OhioMTA Conference (1) – Improvising Is For Everyone, by Bradley Sowash

Joy Morin

Sowash21Improvising Is For Everyone, by Bradley Sowash

Last weekend, I attended the 2013 conference of the Ohio Music Teachers Association.  This year, it was held in Cincinnati at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.  I carpooled with three other teachers from my area.  We had a lot of fun!

The first session was held by Bradley Sowash, a jazz musician and piano teacher located in Columbus, OH.

For a number of years now, Mr. Sowash has been encouraging teachers to include creative skills (improvisation and composition) in their lessons.  For many years, teachers would respond to Mr. Sowash’s message saying they were certainly not interested in doing so.  However, things are changing: in recent years, teachers have begun agreeing with the premise that teaching off the page is just as important as teaching on the page.  Now, teachers are asking for information about HOW to do so.  Today’s presentation addresses this question about HOW to teach the skills for improvisation.

To begin, Mr. Sowash discussed 5 myths about improvising/playing by ear.  Many people believe that you must be born with a good ear in order to improvise or play by ear, but it simply isn’t true: it comes through practice and study just like traditional musical skills.

Next, Mr. Sowash described the process of teaching scales and chords to students in preparation for being able to improvise using them.  He called this section, “Scaling the Chords.”  The goal here is to teach scales more creatively, teach chord fluency, and understand pop/jazz chord symbols properly.  Continue reading “2013 OhioMTA Conference (1) – Improvising Is For Everyone, by Bradley Sowash” →

Conferences

OhioMTA Conference 2013 – This Weekend

Joy Morin

Hello readers,

This weekend is the OhioMTA (affiliated with MTNA) State Conference, taking place in Cincinnati this year.  I am looking forward to connecting and re-connecting with other piano teachers in Ohio and, of course, learning a lot from the sessions on the schedule.  If you will be at the conference and I haven’t met you before, I hope we will have the chance to meet in person!

I am bringing my iPad Mini along and plan to take and blog conference notes.  🙂  Stay tuned!

Technique

Freebie: 2008 Technical Requirements Charts for RCM/MDP Practical Exams

Joy Morin

UPDATE: Please visit this post for the latest 2022 RCM Piano Syllabus version.

Today, I’m sharing a project that I have been working on extensively for the past three weeks.  I am very excited to have this project complete and be able to share it with you!

MDP-Technical-Requirements-image

For the last two years, I have entered a couple of students in the Royal Conservatory’s Music Development Program (previously known as The Achievement Program and the National Music Certificate Program in the U.S.).  It is an excellent program that I hope to continue to use with my students.  Preparing for the practical exams has been a positive experience for my students.

As a newcomer to the MDP, I found it challenging to keep track of the technical requirements with my students.  I found myself pulling out the MDP Piano Syllabus at every single lesson in order to clarify something or check if we were doing things right.  And writing out the technical requirements on my students’ assignment sheets each week was time consuming, especially since I expected my students to review each previous weeks’ material.   Continue reading “Freebie: 2008 Technical Requirements Charts for RCM/MDP Practical Exams” →