Music Theory « Music Teacher's Helper Blog

Know your chords, kid!

June 15th, 2011 by Leila Viss

When listening to a jazz trio years ago, Bradley Sowash (age 12 at the time) bravely walked up to the pianist and asked how he played with no written music. Without missing a beat, the pianist replied, “learn your chords, kid!” Since then, Sowash has managed to build a career as a recording artist, pianist, composer, arranger, collaborator, educator…

As I continue on my path towards keeping myself and my students musically fit (see last month’s blog), I continue to seek out musicians/educators who inspire, train, and challenge me–one of them being Bradley Sowash. Inspired by his story above (see link below for entire article), my studio bulletin board exclaims “know your chords, kid”. All students know we will be hitting chords hard over the next months to build some strong “chord” muscles. Sowash crafts inspiring articles, unprecedented books and videos that help me hone my skills as a musician, teacher AND a jazz player. Of course, many of them will be used this summer to develop students‘ chord playing skills and so much more. Read more…

Are Your Students Musically Fit?

May 15th, 2011 by Leila Viss

Some Observations…

1) As an organist and pianist with a master’s degree in piano performance and pedagogy, I met the challenges of memorizing Bach, executing the articulation of Mozart, the voicing of Brahms’ inner melodies, and the shimmering tones of Debussy and, succeeded, according to my professors. However, after the diploma was hung, it was quite clear to me that my sight reading skills needed attention AND chord charts for my church’s praise band seemed to be written in a secret code. I kept thinking, what kind of pianist was I? I felt lopsided–I was strong as a classical pianist but very weak as a functional musician.

2) Recently, a student of mine participated in a very unique Creative Pianist Contest and earned a $100 for the best performance of a Contemporary piece and another $100 prize for the most Versatile Pianist. Of course I was so proud of him and can take some credit for helping him to master Copland’s “Cat and Mouse”. However, I wish I could also take full credit for his versatility as well! In general, my “job” as his teacher has been to keep him staying ON the printed page because he has such exceptional skills living OFF the printed page. I can take credit for challenging those skills but the wiring between his hands and ears is an extraordinary gift and very atypical of what most of my present piano students possess.

Question…

If all students can learn to read and play music from the grand staff, should they not be able to learn how to play by ear, read chord charts and improvise as well? Can all students (not just those with a natural gift to play by ear) learn to be versatile, musically fit musicians? Read more…

Music exams- what do you think?

February 28th, 2011 by Valerie Kampmeier

It was at the age of seven, when I came to the United Kingdom, that I first encountered the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) music examination system. “What grade are you?” the other children would ask when I told them that I played the piano. It was not a question I had encountered in the United States, and I didn’t know what to tell them. However, soon enough, my new piano teacher decided that it was time for me to take one of these examinations, and I began to learn all about the system. Read more…

Writing Effective Program Notes

February 23rd, 2011 by Nicole Murphy

In four weeks my studio will hold the first concert of the year. As well as memorising & polishing repertoire and refreshing concert etiquette, my students are currently in the midst of preparing program notes. This is a particularly difficult task for students, and I believe that it is vital that students are able to articulate their thoughts about music elegantly and intelligently, using appropriate musical language.

My top five hints for writing effective program notes are: Read more…

Teachable Moments

February 13th, 2011 by Leila Viss

A candy dish has been a long-standing tradition in my piano studio. I enjoy indulging students and they have come to “expect” a treat on the way out the door for no other reason than for Ms. Leila to spoil them. However, lately, I have enjoyed designing teachable moments before they exit with candy in hand.

A small picture frame stands by the candy dish and each week the frame features a new riddle or question of the week. In October, I enjoyed including jokes such as “What instrument does a skeleton play? A tromBONE”. During the holiday season as students were preparing solos and duets for the upcoming Christmas recital, students were required to name the composer, arranger, the key, the time signature, or the form of their pieces. These weekly questions helped all of us memorize essentials that are amazingly easy to forget when deadlines demand narrow-focused practice. Read more…

A Method for Motivating

January 14th, 2011 by Leila Viss

Jerald Simon is obviously passionate about music, creating, and teaching. It is also clear that he wishes to motivate his students and other teachers, to develop these same passions. In his Music Motivation Series ® and website, Simon shares his unique methodology. The series includes three focus areas: Theory Therapy ™, Innovative Improvisation™ and Innovative Composition™.

His website states: “One of our primary goals is to help prepare the next generation of composers, arrangers, musicians, music teachers and musicologists to use their music and their love of music to make a difference in their own lives, their community, and the world.”

From the extensive information Simon offers–motivational tips, published books featuring his organized methodology, free downloads, videos and more–he is well on his way to this respectable goal.

I have only perused some of the books in the series and have not used most with any students. However, just today an adult student of mine was thrilled with the visuals and charts found in the Introduction to Scales and Modes book (see below for more details). Below are some of my early discoveries.

GENERALLY, what you will find in the Music Motivation Series®:

Exciting music which stimulates, motivates and inspires.

Original solos usually power-packed with large chords, demanding rhythmical variety, and uplifting patterns.

Books and the website include an encouraging tone which attracts musicians of all skills levels and their teachers to keep moving forward. A favorite tip for teachers to motivate students: “Ask your students what they want to learn and teach them what t they want to learn.” I agree–I’ve noticed that customizing lessons attracts and retain students.

Theory explanations that are in-depth but not cumbersome. Read more…

Artistic Phrasing RULES Too!

December 13th, 2010 by Leila Viss

In my October blog the basic “rules” of phrasing were listed that most elementary and intermediate students could be taught to incorporate into their playing.

As a musician matures and repertoire advances, applying these basic rules will not guarantee a musical performance. Along with intuitive musicality, there are additional fundamentals that can inspire a creative performance. As I mentioned, the content and inspiration of these blogs is a modification of an article written by Marvin Blickenstaff, a well-known pedagogue. Blickenstaff defines artistic phrasing as:

exceeding the correct notes
music flows forward
expression is tangible
naturalness to the shaping
timing between sections

A closer look into the structure of each phrase and a carefully determined plan are rudimentary to providing a performance that reflects the list above. Read more…

Teaching Improvisation & Composition from a Familiar Starting Point

November 27th, 2010 by Nicole Murphy

When first starting to improvise or compose, the silence surrounding the instrument or the piece blank manuscript paper in front of students can be rather daunting. Therefore I always begin creative activities within a genre that is familiar to students.

Outside of your studio, what engagement do your students have with music? This is a question that I am always keen to ask new students. The majority of my students hear pop music on the radio, ‘muzak’ in shopping centres, soundtracks in movies, ring tones and advertising jingles. Only a small minority of my students hear live music regularly and an even smaller minority are exposed to new classical repertoire outside of their lessons.

With this in mind, the first improvisational or compositional activities in my studio usually stem from a response to a visual stimulus and more often that not they are a response to a short film. Read more…

New Online Workout for the Ears

November 8th, 2010 by Leila Viss

Theta Music Trainer has designed an online “ear trainer” that provides thirty 10-15-minute workout sessions. The system recommends game levels for players based on the scores of previous workout sessions. This added intelligence makes it easy for players (and teachers) to track progress and continues to provide challenges to motivate and in turn, boost skills.

What you will find:

~Concise explanations of the fundamentals of music
~Rationale of why mastering these drills can enhance the skills needed to function as a soloist and/or band musician
~Reports of individual progress
~Clever games with sophisticated graphics that train the ear in…

1) Melody:

Paddle Pitch–the format echoes the days of Atari, the listener must determine the scale tone heard
Melodic Drops–melodic interval training
Parrot Phrases–melody playback or call and response

2) Harmony

Harmonic Balloons–recognition of harmonic intervals
Chord Locks–although it has some quirks, this is the first game that I have seen that asks to identify the chord quality, inversion and its function within a key–love it!
Tone Trees–chords, their roots and inversions are reviewed
Phrase Fitter–another favorite but tricky, players are asked to choose the chord to fit (harmonize) the melody–necessary skill for any musician.
Speaker Chords–listeners must click on the correct order of chords within common progressions

3) Rhythm

Rhythm Puzzle–match the rhythm heard to its notation

4) Sound

Sound Channels–innovative game for players to match instrument names to their sounds. The graphics transport the player to a soundboard–again another example of how Theta Music Trainer has attempted to simulate real-life skills.

~The Progress and Training Reports keep track of scores and customize lessons to suit the needs of the player.

~Graphics cross over generations, however the games seem to be geared for those in middle school to adult with knowledge of music notation.

~Highly creative, interactive games designed specifically to build skills for playing by ear on the guitar or piano or both.

~Unique games that simulate specific challenges one might encounter as a band member, improviser, song writer…

What you may miss: Read more…

Book Review: Sounding the Inner Landscape

November 4th, 2010 by Bella Payne

Last weekend I took a 6-hour flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, and that was plenty of time to read the entire book “Sounding the Inner Landscape: Music as Medicine” by Kay Gardner. I have been interested for a very long time in the healing power of music. Ever since I was a little girl, I just intuitively knew there was something healing about music. Now that I have finally overcome my science learning block, I can begin the adventure of understanding why music heals.

This book is a fantastic starting point for any musician who wants to understand what makes music healing, and how to create music specifically for healing purposes. The author began performing in the 70′s in women’s music circles, and from what my 30 year old mind remembers, those were the days when healing music was dominated by “women’s music circles.” When I read Kay Gardner’s bio and saw that she is well known in the “New Age” healing music world, I will admit I rolled my eyes a little. I’m sorry, you guys. But anyone my age is most likely going to have that reaction to what I consider to be a somewhat dorky and unfortunate category of music. Read more…

Music Teacher's Helper Blog

Music Teachers Blog

Know your chords, kid!

Are Your Students Musically Fit?

Music exams- what do you think?

Writing Effective Program Notes

Teachable Moments

A Method for Motivating

Artistic Phrasing RULES Too!

Teaching Improvisation & Composition from a Familiar Starting Point

New Online Workout for the Ears

Book Review: Sounding the Inner Landscape

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