I’ve been fascinated by a new blog by Elissa Milne lately. One of her most recent posts, Scales as a Form of Propoganda, Elissa asks what musical value comes from having our students learn scales. Of course, we often cite […]
Tools for Composing: Moving Scales Out of the 18th Century Read More »
Here is the 3rd question from the end of the session Composition for Kids Do you have your beginning students use notation programs? No. I’m not saying its a bad thing, but here are some things to consider about notation
Question #3: Students Using Notation Programs Read More »
I got this idea from Brent Hugh’s practice page. It’s a bit of a variation on Brent’s idea, so I’m going to outline it for my students here.  This is a wonderful way to practice those difficult sections because it forces you
Three Pencil Practice (but use m&ms for better results!) Read More »
Here is the 2nd question at the end of the Composition for Kids session. See the 1st question here. How do you get students to compose outside the key of C? When students come to a lesson with a piece
Question #2: Composing Outside C Major Read More »
I recently read an excellent article on “Teaching the Overstretched Student” in the July/August Clavier Companion. In the article, Sheila Vail and E. L. Lancaster both had good, practical advice for all teachers but I was struck by a couple
Teaching the Overstretched Student Read More »
Here is the first question that was asked after the lecture, Composition for Kids. When do you have your students begin to write down their compositions? Not too soon! Just as we teach our children to form sentences before they
Question #1: Students Writing Down Compositions Read More »
This is the final topic in Composition for Kids: Time Saving Ways to Encourage Composition in Your Studio. In this segment, I discuss what to do with the student who brings in an already completed piece. You know, the student who comes
Composition for Kids: Part 5 Budding Composers Read More »
Since I blogged about incentives, there has been quite a bit of discussion in emails, comments, and other forums about what kinds of things teachers use to award their students. Many teachers want to make sure that the awards incentivize
Buying Incentives and Gifts Read More »
Many teachers have asked where they can get the Composer Bucks or Music Money that I referenced in my post about my 2009 incentive. Here are a couple of resources: Free Music Money – Susan Paradis has a wonderful site
Free “Music Money” Read More »
I’m very excited about the incentive program I started for my students this year. My goal was to encourage them to actually “make music” this year instead of just playing the notes, rhythms, and details correctly. You know the difference!
Incentive for 2009 Read More »
The Great Fuzzy Event of 2026!
You will not believe what we released at this premier event! Four new Fuzzies solos, a new and FREE incentive program, summer ideas, new resources and so much more! Even the replay is super fun!
