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Performance

03 Oct

Tools for Independent Learning

by admin
in Performance, Program Development, teacher resourses, Teaching
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social-learning

“Give a person a fish, and he/she will eat for a day. Teach a person to fish and he/she will be satisfied for a lifetime.”

In my last blog, Igniting the Spark, I wrote about my goals for the year – empowering students to take responsibility for their own learning. Since then, I have experienced an amazing paradigm shift and as a result, am truly enjoying my teaching. I have always enjoyed teaching, but am easily frustrated when students arrive at lessons unprepared or “check out” in the lesson! The shift this year has been a conscious effort to give students the tools for independent learning, talking less and demonstrating more, and holding them accountable for each week’s assignments. I am feeling much more relaxed and students are working a lot harder, with less stress on my part. I have focused on three main areas:

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18 Sep

Listening Like a Maniac

by csmusic
in Performance
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By Patrick Fritz Almost all of my most successful motivational ideas are borrowed, stolen, or are a modified version of another teacher’s idea. “Listen Like a Maniac” is no exception. Michelle Horner and her daughter were practicing daily.  Together, they were carefully following the advice of her daughter’s violin teacher.  But even though Michelle is an accomplished guitar teacher, her daughter’s progress on the violin was slow...

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29 Aug

Review: Jazz Standards for Female Singers

by michellep
in Performance
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This is a review for Hal Leonard’s “Vocal Pro” Series “Jazz Standards for Female Singers, Volume 2.” First of all, I just love this book! I am even considering making it a required purchase for all incoming voice students this year. The songs are classic and fun. They are challenging, as the notes move up and down a lot, and quite unexpectedly, but at the same time, the keys are all friendly enough for the beginning singer. With that in mind, I will say the only downside is that these keys are not good for soprano singers. If your students are most comfortable in a high register, you may want to consider the male keys. 

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21 Aug

Igniting the Spark

by admin
in Performance, Program Development
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Spark

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. – William Arthur Ward

As summer draws to a close, I reflect on my studio goals for the coming year. September always provides an opportunity to begin anew! This year, I will strive to empower students to be accountable for their own learning. As the above quote states, the most effective teaching is that which inspires the learner. I would like to inspire my students to learn, not for me or for their parents, but for themselves. A tall order. For the students that already have a passion for music, this is easy. My job is simply to keep that flame glowing by assigning appropriate repertoire and challenges. For others, however, it can be difficult to ignite that spark.

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01 Aug

I Have G.A.S.

by csmusic
in Performance
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By Saleh Sabat My name is Saleh. I’m an Electric guitar player, and I have G.A.S. I’ve had it since I was 13 years old, and it seems to be getting worse as I age. Ok ok, now that the giggling is over, let’s talk about what G.A.S. stands for. G.A.S. is an acronym for Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Almost every famous electric guitar player has had some...

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