piano teaching – Page 17 – Color In My Piano

Note: As you can tell, this week I’ve been playing catch-up with a few apps I’ve been wanting to share! Hope you don’t mind all of the reviews/giveaways this week. 🙂

Bobclass ($19.99) — iPad only.

I’m so excited to share my review of this studio management app with you today! Let me begin by sharing Bobclass’ description:

“Bobclass is an all-in-one productivity app for instructors, tutors, trainers, coaches and other independent professionals. It offers appointment scheduling, client tracking, progress monitoring and payment tracking from your iPad so you can get rid of separate agendas, clipboards and spreadsheets. With a fast & friendly user interface and a fully functional offline database you can do your client administration in the gym, class room, studio or park.”

I think Bobclass it is an outstanding studio management option for independent music teachers. Here’s how it works:

First, visit the settings to set-up your basic information for you and your teaching.

Continue reading “App Review & Giveaway: Bobclass for Studio Management” →

Reviews, Technology

App Review & Giveaway: Music Flash Class

16 December 201416 December 2014 Joy Morin

Music Flash Class ($3.99) — for iPhone/iPad.

Music Flash Class is an app developed by a piano teacher Henry Flurry. It has been around for a couple of years now, but an update for iOS 8 was recently released. The new layout looks good!

Music Flash Class is an interactive note identification app. The settings offer a myriad of options to customize the experience. I love that you can chose to show or hide the timer. And that you to choose a particular range of notes to practice. Teachers can even customize and save their own “decks” of notes. Continue reading “App Review & Giveaway: Music Flash Class” →

Reviews

App Review — MusicNotes Deck: Music Flash Cards

15 December 201417 December 2014 Joy Morin

MusicNotes Deck: Music Flash Cards (FREE) — for iPad or iPhone.

This free app comes from the folks behind MusicNotes.com, which by the way, is an excellent website for purchasing arrangements of pop music at various levels for students.

The MusicNotes Deck app provides three decks of flash cards: (1) 50 music symbols/terms, (2) two octaves of treble clef note identification, and (3) two octaves of bass clef note identification.

Please note that this app is NOT a game nor does it automatically correct answers in any way. Instead, the app shows flashcard and allows the user to “turn over the flashcard” to see the answer on the back. The app also can pronounce each term with either American or British pronunciation.

The flashcards are shuffled into a random order each time the app is loaded.

This app is a great way to study musical terms and symbols as well as practice note identification. The graphics are gorgeous, too!

View it in the iTunes store here.

Announcements

Winter Course Offering: Intro to Piano Teaching

8 December 20148 December 2014 Joy Morin

I just sent out an email today to my mailing list for the Piano Teacher Institute online courses. Below are the details to announce that I am preparing another session of the “Intro To Piano Teaching” course. The dates for this online course will be January 5 through February 16.

This 6-week course is intended for piano teachers seeking to learn more about business topics, piano methods, pedagogy, and much more. The ideal registrant is an individual with the willingness to spend at least 4-5 hours each week reading/studying the weekly topics and interacting with other registrants in forums and videochat discussions. This highly intensive course is the perfect crash course for the new piano teacher or a great refresher for the experienced piano teacher.

Here are the weekly topics covered during the course:

Business Sense — business structures, bookkeeping, taxes, marketing, and more.
On Teaching and Learning — teaching objectives, learning styles, and developmental stages.
Developing Music Literacy in Students — music literacy, music education philosophies, a history and overview of current piano methods.
Piano Technique for Beginners — developing posture, hand shape, fingering, pedaling, and more.
Finding and Choosing Repertoire — leveling, publishers, anthologies, editions and more.
Lesson/Curriculum Planning — leading the lesson, making assignment sheets, effective practicing, and planning long-term for students.

You can learn more about the course and read testimonials by visiting institute.joymorin.com.

Registration will open on Monday, December 15 at 9am Eastern time, one week from today. Registration will automatically close after the first ten teachers have registered. Registration usually fills within 24 hours, so if you are determined to take the course I would advise that you mark your calendar and be timely about watching the registration page.

After the Winter 2015 offering, I anticipate that the next course offering will occur Summer 2015.

Thanks for your interest, friends!

Announcements

Studio Project: Musical Christmas Paper Chain

5 December 20149 November 2015 Joy Morin

I love Christmastime for many reasons.

As a piano teacher, I love that it gives students the opportunity to play a variety of familiar tunes. Playing tunes that are already in their ears really helps build their music reading skills.

I keep a lending library of Christmas books and loan them out to students each year. I give students a book that is at or slightly below their current playing level so that they can quickly and easily learn a few selections from their book.

This year, I added a new tradition: When students complete a piece, they get to sign their autograph and write “2014” in the Christmas book. It will be fun for students to see the names of students who learned the pieces in previous years.

Last year, we started a different tradition: a studio-wide project to build a paper chain to decorate the studio. The idea is that when a student learns a Christmas piece, they get to add a paper strip to the chain. It is a fun collaborative, inclusive project that allows the entire studio to participate.

[Credit: I gained both of these ideas from a Facebook forum for piano teachers.]

This year, I created this simple PDF sign to explain the project.

Feel free to download this PDF on the Printables > Other Resources page (near the M’s as “Musical Christmas Chain project.”), or here:

Musical Christmas Chain Project (155.5 KiB, 4,822 hits)

Learning all those Christmas pieces during December will be useful for the January Piano Party, when students will each perform a holiday piece. As students perform for each other, we will play “Name That Tune.” Students keep track of their guesses on this worksheet and mark the stars for each correct answer at the end.

Click here to read more about the January Piano Party from 2013.

You can download the Name-That-Tune worksheet by visiting the Printables > Games page and scrolling down to “Name-That-Tune – Christmas Edition”, or here:

Name-That-Tune - Christmas Edition (45.6 KiB, 6,351 hits)

I hope you and your students are enjoying the holiday season!

Technology

CD Lending Library

14 November 201414 November 2014 Joy Morin

This is my CD collection. It is not particularly large or impressive, but I realized that it was a shame that these CD’s are sitting around barely being used. I have my favorite ones ripped onto my computer’s iTunes library.

Continue reading “CD Lending Library” →

improving as a teacher, Professional Development, Technology

Clavier Companion Nov/Dec issue: The Future of Piano Teaching

10 November 201410 November 2014 Joy Morin

Have you seen the latest issue of Clavier Companion magazine?

The Nov/Dec 2014 issue marks the beginning of a series called “The Future of Piano Teaching.” In this issue, you’ll find twelve short musings written by various pedagogues about their thoughts on the future of piano teaching. These short musings will be followed by a series of longer, more in-depth articles in future issues.

I was proud to submit one of those short musings (you’ll find it on page 29) alongside my colleagues, including fellow bloggers Leila Viss, Mario Ajero, Jennifer Foxx, and Wendy Stevens. My longer, follow-up article will be published in a future issue.

Not subscribed to Clavier Companion? It is an outstanding, forward-thinking magazine for piano teachers. Tell your family you would like to receive a subscription as a Christmas gift. Request access to an issue free here.

Videos

Piano Lesson Video: Introducing a New Piece

23 October 201423 October 2014 Joy Morin

I’m currently working on the projects required for becoming a NCTM (Nationally Certified Teacher of Music) through MTNA. Of the required projects for piano, I think the video project is the most time consuming — so that is the project I’ve been focusing on first. As recommended by piano teacher profile projects workbook, I started recording some of my student’s lessons for a time just to experiment with camera options and camera angle. I think I finally found the camera location that works the best, so I thought I’d show you a little clip from a recent piano lesson with my student, Liz.

There is an art to introducing a new piece to a student in a way that sets them up for success. For example, we cannot assume that a beginner student will notice the time signature until we have taught them to check it with each new piece. We cannot expect the student to learn a piece well unless we have properly prepared the student’s experience for the rhythms, sounds, techniques, and reading that the piece requires.

In Liz’s case, she has been taking lessons for a year and she already has a pretty good handle on time signatures, rhythm, and note reading. We are still working on developing technique for playing various types of articulations, becoming a fluid sight-reader, and playing expressively. Liz is a faithful practicer and has been making very steady progress.

Many of you will recognize the piece in the video: It is the Russian Sailer Dance from the Level 1 Lesson Book from the Faber Piano Adventures. In the video below, I provide Liz with a brief introduction to the piece and then ask her to sight-read the piece. Then, we talk a little bit more about the technique for getting a nice staccato sound and how she can shape the repeated notes to add interest.

Sorry about the low volume in this video! Next time, I will boost the volume before I upload.

This NCTM video project has already changed my teaching. As I watch my videos, I find myself realizing how I could have introduced a concept better, or could have been more concise with my conversation in favor of having the student DO things besides listening to me. Of course, hindsight is always 20:20. We do the best that we can in the time and circumstances we are given. But I am a big believer in striving for self-improvement, so I’m going to keep watching my teaching videos and learning! Observing my own teaching is already causing me to make subtle changes to my teaching that will make it more effective.

I would encourage each of you to get permission from a student or two to record their lessons so that you can afterwards evaluate your own teaching. It’s very valuable!

Tech specs for anyone interested: I encountered many technical difficulties with the camcorder I borrowed from my parents and I found most point-and-shoot cameras have a 20 minute limit for video clip length. I finally decided to settle with using my iPhone 5C due to the convenience and ease-of-use. Nowadays, the quality of the iPhone’s camera actually rivals what a typical point-and-shoot camera can do.

Conferences, Technology

OhioMTA 2014 State Conference

21 October 201427 August 2017 Joy Morin

Last weekend, I attended the state conference of Ohio Music Teachers Association (affiliated with MTNA). Since moving to Ohio three years ago, I’ve attended the OhioMTA conference every year — and I have to say that this one was the most sensational!

The setting this year was Wilmington College, which has a small and beautiful campus with facilities that were perfect for our conference. It was wonderful to be able to walk in the cool, Fall weather between sessions. Around 120 teachers attended the conference this year.

Our conference schedule was chock full of great sessions! Some highlights: “Music Alive! Sounds that Move, Pictures that Sing” by Clinton Pratt, “Creative Sightreading” by Dr. Cole Burger, “Developing Sound Expectations: Does the Sound Match the Picture” by Scott Donald, “Piano Music for Left Hand Alone” by Jerry Wong, and many others.

I was also extremely honored to have the opportunity to present a session: “Albums for the Young: A History & Overview of the Genre.” I can’t tell you what it meant to me to be able to share my research for this distinguished organization. My topic explored the influence of Robert Schumann’s Album for the Young, Op. 68 and the wealth of children’s music that followed by other composers.

Continue reading “OhioMTA 2014 State Conference” →

Games

New in the Shop: Ice Cream Intervals Extension Pack

15 October 201415 October 2014 Joy Morin

I know it’s been quiet around the blog lately! Last summer was one of those summers where I said “yes” to too many commitments and over-extended myself. I’m actually quite relieved to be in a “normal” Fall teaching schedule. Recently, I’ve been wrapping up a few projects which I hope will allow me to blog on a somewhat more regular basis!

This weekend, I found a little bit of time for a little project suggested by a reader. She requested that I create an “extension pack” for the Ice Cream Intervals game that would provide harmonic (blocked) intervals to add to the original melodic (broken) intervals. Why didn’t I think of that?! What a great idea! (Thanks, Morgan!)

So, here is a peek:

It’s important for students to become fluent at recognizing relationships between notes whether the intervals are harmonic or melodic, because that is what happens in the music they are learning. With the addition of the new harmonic cards, my students’ favorite game just became even more beneficial for them. 😉

For $4, you can purchase the extension pack which nearly doubles the amount of ice cream scoops by providing 48 harmonic (blocked) intervals to add the original melodic (broken) intervals. The intervals in the Extension Pack range from “2nd” to “octave.” (Please note that no cones are provided in the Extension Pack, so you won’t want to purchase it unless you also have the original Ice Cream Intervals game. ) Remember, all the items in my shop are digital products — meaning, you are buying the PDF so that you can print and assemble it yourself.

For more info, visit the Ice Cream Intervals Game page in the Shop.

Studio Business

PDF Updated for 2014-15: Record of Lesson Attendance & Payment

11 July 201415 January 2021 Joy Morin

I have just finished updating one of the studio business forms from the Printables page for the 2014-15 school year. It is called the Record of Lesson Attendance & Payment pdf. I don’t currently use this form myself anymore, but I have received a couple of requests from teachers who used it last year so I was happy to update it again this year!

In case you haven’t seen this, here is how the form works: Write your students’ names in the first column. Each week, write the lesson date (in a month / date format) in the column for that week. This is how you can track attendance. The small circles in each cell are where you can write checkmarks indicating tuition payments. Whether you charge by-the-week or by-the-month, you can place a checkmark by each paid lesson date.

In case you are curious, the form I currently use for tracking tuition payments each month is this one:

Record of Payments Received

This form works great if you charge a flat monthly rate. I print one of these sheets every month and put it into my 3-ring binder. I write the month/year in the blank at the top and then fill in all of my students’ names. As I receive monthly tuition payments from each student, I record the date, amount, and check number. Under “reason,” I write “September tuition” or whatever the case may be. Later, I enter these payments into a separate Excel spreadsheet along with my expenses for the month.

To download, visit the Printables > Studio Business page and scroll down to the R’s for “Record of Lesson Attendance & Payment.”

To read a little bit more about business-related topics, check out last year’s post here.

Reviews, Technology

App Review: SproutBeat for iPad

10 June 201410 June 2014 Joy Morin

A fantastic new iPad app was recently released. I am so pumped about this one!

I am a huge fan of Eik Siang Mar’s website, FunAndLearnMusic.com. She has a huge variety of free music worksheets that are both visually attractive and educationally effective. I have some of my favorite worksheets downloaded on my iPad. I like to be able to print them from my iPad during the lesson to send home with students, targeting a new concept we just learned. And, once in a while, I ask students to complete the worksheet digitally during the lesson on my iPad by “writing” on the worksheet.

Now, this process is about to get a whole lot easier! FunAndLearnMusic has released a companion iPad app called SproutBeat. The app allows view to all the worksheets from FunAndLearnMusic, organized by category.

The free version of the app allows you to download 25 of the worksheets. Purchasing the full version of the app for $19.99 gives you access to ALL of the worksheets, plus any worksheets released in the future. Eik generally adds new worksheets every Tuesday.

Continue reading “App Review: SproutBeat for iPad” →