I came up with this composition game for my students a couple weeks back and thought I would share it with all as part of my “Simple Games” series of blog entries. It takes about 15 minutes to complete and I use it as the very first activity of the lesson. The idea behind it is to get students thinking about composition from a visual point of view as well as an aural one. And to explore how compositions can be manipulated to create new sounds without altering the notes.

Here is what you need for the game:
1.Hal Leonard’s All-Purpose (Dry Erase) Music Flashcards. Available @ Amazon for $11.95. Here is a link- http://www.amazon.com/Hal-Leonard-All-Purpose-Music-Flashcards/dp/B0002MQJMY
2.Two dry erase markers. (preferably different colors)

Step one is to deal three flashcards to your student and yourself. They are 8.5 X 11 so are fun and easy to write on. Then choose a clef to compose in and I usually take that opportunity to do a quick practice drawing of the clef. I’ll have the students watch me do one and then they will tackle 5 on their own. Erase the card and draw the clef of choice, for this blog I will choose treble clef. I will then assign a signature, 4/4 and have the student draw theirs.

At this point I begin with the parameters (rules) of the game. For beginning students I dictate that they may only use quarter notes, half notes, and whole notes. I may then review the # of beats in each and will flip my card over to reveal a collection of 5 “math problems” using the prescribed note values. (Just simple addition equations where the student has to fill in the total # of beats.) I find review of the basics to be essential so even if it’s “easy” for the student, it is not wasted time in my book.

The next “rule” covers the range of the composition. For our treble clef piece, I allow the students to write no lower than middle C and no higher than D a ninth above. This parameter keeps the piece in a controlled hand position, i.e.. no shifting needed. You could really dictate any range as long as (for beginning students) it does not require a hand position shift. The reasoning is that I don’t want my students to switch focus from the composition to the execution. This game is really about creating and composing, not fingering and execution.

The next “rule” is that on each card I like to dictate that they must use a certain combination of note values. It usually follows this order:
Card #1: only quarter notes
Card #2: quarter notes and half notes
Card #3: a whole note

And the final “rule” is that I ask the students to start on treble G. This is just so that it will start on the first finger in the right hand and fingerings will then become less of an issue.
The student (and you on your three cards) then compose a melody card by card. Often a reminder of how many beats are found in a 4/4 bar is required. As well, sometimes the student needs to review the math game from earlier to be reminded of how many or few notes can fit in a bar. Sometimes I have students that want to hear a middle C or treble G before writing. That is fine, though what I don’t allow them to do is sit at the piano and compose. We are sitting on the studio floor and “hearing” the melody in our inner ear while we write.

Once the students and I have completed all three cards, the fun really begins. I take one card at a time and put it on the music stand. The student now sits at the piano, plays and hears her composition card #1. We then add two cards together and then all three cards. Once we have discovered what the piece sounds like, we start to change the order to discover if there is in fact a “better” order for the cards (or mini musical ideas.) Sometimes I’ll add one or two of my cards to the mix or the student may decide that one of her cards needs to be changed. Exploring the compositional possibilities is what it’s all about. I find that the game is a wonderful way for students to write a piece of music but still easily and quickly change it. They begin to hear the creativity in both composing and arranging while all the while reinforcing many musical fundamentals (note identifying, hand position, rhythm, time/key signatures, phrasing). Have fun and let me know what kind of variations on this game you come up with.

My past blog described types of software for the lab sessions. However, sometimes, my favorite activities to assign are the beyond the computer assignments. Below is a number of them:

Reviewing: Hands On

1) Recently, I designed a unit dedicated to the bass clef to ensure stronger reading skills. The very first assignment required bass-clef-note flash cards. Students had become familiar with the sentences for

lines: Great Big Dogs From Alaska

and for

spaces: All Cows Eat Grass

So, while listening to “Who Let the Dogs Out” and “Cows, Remarkable Cows”  on iTunes with head phones, they were asked to make Cow piles and Dog piles (space-note pile and line-note pile.) Basic, yes, but students have since then, not forgotten the sentences thanks to the fun music and of course the visuals–I had l plenty of cows and dogs hanging out around the studio.

2) Create a stack of flash cards–only treble, bass or both clefs and challenge students to name them in less than a minute. Offer a “fabulous” prize for the studio winner.

3) Ask students to review certain basic concepts using Coloride found at http://www.musicedmarket.com . This manipulative is a very unique tool for students to reinforce learning “in color”.

4) Theory book or sheets–often” forgotten” when assigned for homework–are guaranteed to be finished if pages are assigned and completed while students remain at the studio.

5) To guarantee that students add essential details to a piece they can spend lab time highlighting dynamics, articulations and other details. While they are at it–they can always be listening to the piece on iTunes as well (computer required).

Reading: Yes the old-fashioned printed page

1) Piano Explorer Magazines http://www.instrumentalistmagazine.com/index_old.htm feature brief but interesting articles of composer, instruments, music styles, performance etiquette. The kid-friendly magazine includes informative reading for students beginning a new piece written by a  famous composer or a piece from a style of music, and much more.

2) Practiceopediea found at http://www.insidemusicteaching.com/bookstore/practiceopedia lists fabulous practice strategies with humor and extreme logic

Watching: DVD’s and youtube.com–yes requires a computer or TV, but…

1) The Best of Victor Borge–give your students a chance to giggle

2) Lang Lang at Carnegie Hall and/or The Five Browns–mesmerize your students with videos of amazing artists’  performances–great inspiration for upcoming performances

3) The Performance Practice DVD Series by Maurice Hinson provides excellent stylistic details for serious, advanced students

4) Youtube.com provides countless videos for ANY topic. I recently designed a small unit around Baroque Dances and students enjoyed watching a Gavotte elegantly danced in the extravagant clothing of that time

Practicing at the computer will not guarantee a great recital performance–however, extra, supervised practice will…

Performing: Preparing for  an audience

1) As performance deadlines loom, I will work with one student in my studio and send the other student upstairs to “Bella”–my Yamaha C6 grand piano with specific practice goals:

Play section B 3x perfect, then entire piece

Play entire piece, aim for no errors

Play entire piece while maintaining correct hand position

Play entire piece and make sure to add all “pianos” or “fortes” or all dynamics

etc…

2) To ensure performance readiness, one student and I will travel upstairs to Bella and practice the entire performance routine–from adjusting the bench to the bow–while the other student stays in the studio and attempts to cut a great recording of a piece on the Clavinova. NOTHING keeps students practicing more than when they must record themselves!

*Note: Garage Band could be used as a recording tool as well.

The extra time a lab adds to your lesson is extremely worth all the required, advanced planning. I cannot begin to emphasize how much the bonus time benefits both my students AND my teaching.

Unlike instrumentalists who sit down to or pick up their instruments to play, we singers are our instruments. If we have a bad day, a string is broken, or the sustain pedal doesn’t work. If we are not well, have allergies, received a bad grade on exam, or were almost in a car accident – all of these experiences affect our instrument. With singers just developing or perfecting their technique, first and foremost their teacher must ensure that all is well with that “instrument”. One would not ask a student to play a perfect piece on their flute with a popped spring, nor would one ask for a pianist to play a perfect piece with the b flat out of tune. So it is with singers.

Often singers are looked at askance as poor musicians – and it is true in my experience that singers are often not asked to learn music theory in depth as instrumentalists must do to play their pieces well and to progress musically. I learned my theory playing piano and gained most of it in college as a voice major where it was taken much more seriously. I have my singer’s studying theory at their own paces, or playing piano, but first and foremost – comes technique.

I find that once a singer has a developing technique, putting them into “stressful” situations – sight reading in front of others – is challenging and drastically affects their instruments. Subsequently I have formed performance groups which I vary with my students private lessons – which act as master classes and introduce stress in moderate amounts – ie: sight reading in front of other singers. At those moments, I have “controlled” stress which I put my singers through to test their technique – and I always choose the technique staying strong over the precision of the piece at those times. This is so often confused with singers! You would not ask a flute player to throw out their embouchure to get through a piece! You must strengthen the singer’s confidence in these small stressful situations – technique first, music second – before the singer’s mind and instrument can begin to trust, relax, and fall back into alignment when stressed. I feel this is an often overlooked step when building technique in a singer.

So, to ease this pianist’s frustration, I explained that I am not teaching my students how to play the piano; I am helping them to build one.

The first student would frequently ask me about my hair, make up and clothing. I would continuously explain that I would prefer to stay on the topic of music. In order to get me to react, she started taking it a step further by criticizing the way I look! Of course this hurt my feelings! I am a human being and not made of steel. I thought about it for a couple days and decided I would put her on probation. Why should I have to take abuse from a 10-year old?

I spent the following days before her next lesson trying to be compassionate and understanding of what it was like to be a 10-year old girl. I knew that her behavior was not ok, but I wasn’t going to scold her, because I truly believe that kids at this age just need to learn right from wrong when it comes to how you treat people. I wanted to give her a chance to change.

From the very start of the next lesson I told her that I was very unhappy with her behavior in the last lesson. I told her that her words were very hurtful and that I would not continue teaching her if she kept it up. I was very honest with her about my feelings being hurt. I did this on purpose, because I remember being a child and thinking that adults were invincible. She definitely looked surprised that she had the power to hurt my feelings. I’m glad I opened her eyes to this. I want to let my students know that it isn’t ok to treat *anyone* with disrespect, because it just simply hurts.

I explained that she would have 4 weeks to change her behavior. Each week we would check in at the end of each lesson. I needed to see improvements each week in order for me to continue teaching her.

She was not happy with this, but stated that she wanted to continue lessons. Her behavior improved dramatically after the 4 lessons, and I continued teaching her.

That was about 5 years ago. The second student is more recent. She’s definitely mean-spirited and loves to argue with me. As soon as I sense that she is trying to start a fight, I just say, “I’m not going to argue with you about this. Let’s move on.” And that’s the end of it.

I ended up giving her a very similar speech that I gave the first girl. She took me very seriously and seemed genuinely sorry for her behavior.  We are currently in the probation period, and it is going okay. I’m still pretty unhappy with her, but I can tell she is trying. It’s just killing her to not argue with me!

Some readers may ask me why I did not just go to the parents. Well, I will if I have to, but I prefer to take care of the problem myself. I don’t really like giving my power away, and I find that the students respect me more when they see that I will not run to their mommy every time they make me mad. Anytime I have to get firm with any of my students for talking back, I get the feeling that they respect me more for that too. The bottom line is that kids not only need boundaries, but somewhere on a sub-concious level, they like boundaries, too.

I read testimonial after testimonial that stated how MTH is helping you run a more organized and professional studio, saving you time, money, and even helping you be a better teacher. Many of you also commented on our fantastic support team. They really do a great job, don’t they?

Because of the number of responses and the high quality of all of the testimonials, in both text and video, I decided that a random drawing would be the most fair way to pick a winner. So after running a random query in our database, the winner came back as…

Natalie Wickham

Congratulations, Natalie! Your Music Teacher’s Helper account is now free for one whole year!

Here is the testimonial Natalie submitted, along with her video testimonial on YouTube (be sure to watch the video – it’s great!):

If you are looking for a way to eliminate some of the record-keeping headaches all of us music teachers experience, Music Teacher’s Helper (MTH) is definitely the way to go! There is so much to love about this program and it is well worth the [tax-deductible] $24.95 I pay for it each month.

One of the key things I look for in such applications is the level of Customer Service. In that respect, Music Teacher’s Helper is unbeatable! After exploring the site for a while, I e-mailed Brandon with a couple of suggestions. I received a response the next day and found the suggestions implemented almost immediately. Music Teacher’s Helper is committed to making their product the best it can be and is working on constantly developing it and incorporating new ideas.

The time-saving features and excellent service are well worth the price, but the peace of mind that will come from a well-organized, professionally run business – that’s priceless!

Even though the contest is over, you can still submit a testimonial on the contest page, and we may include you on our new Testimonials page that will be launched with our new website hopefully in the next 1-2 weeks.

Thanks for loving Music Teacher’s Helper!

Prior to reading Medina’s book, I found myself reconciling lessons and answering emails from 1 to 2 hours per day. In addition to that, I would try to squeeze in thirty minutes of exercise plus two hours of daily practice. Never mind teaching a full load of 60 students and group lessons 6 days a week! And then just daily tasks – cooking, cleaning the studio, paying bills, returning phone calls. This is no small task to get all of these items done. Unfortunately, (like most people) exercise was frequently trimmed from the daily to do list when things got hectic. And exercise was the thing that would benefit me the most in navigating this demanding schedule.

Like many music teachers I knew, I was dealing with the problems that a sedentary profession can cause. The typical teacher spends a lot of time in an office chair to teach. Add to that a typical two hours per day doing email, reconciling, advertising, and doing book keeping, I often felt drained and a bit “numb”. It is was hard to summon my creative side when it was needed. One of my peers suggested I limit my computer exposure. This was a worthwhile idea as it was working for him. He would only be on the computer on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This ended up being an issue for me. Emails, book keeping, website updates and other online tasks fell behind. Yes, my creative side rebounded, but my business side really needed the data entry time to keep things organized.

I had a friend struggling with similar issues as he pursued his graduate degree. We would keep records and try different methodologies to see if we could find a solution. Fortunately, he stumbled on “Brain Rules”, and shared it with me. Dr. Medina’s Brain rule #1 showed me how to increase my available practice time, lose weight, increase my productivity, increase my mental acuteness (keeping my creative side sharp despite computer usage), reduce my stress level, increase my overall happiness, improve my sleep quality, and improve my overall energy level.

Simply stated, rule #1 is “Exercise boosts brain power.” Okay, all of us know we need to do daily exercise. The problem is finding the time to do it. Medina’s book shows an elegant solution that is already being implemented in many businesses and offices around the country. Here is a short clip about rule #1 from the DVD that accompanies the “Brain Rules” book.

I saw the Steelcase Walkstation and I latched on to the possibilities it offered. Here was how I was going to fight off that numbing, “burnt-out feeling”, increase my available practice time (by exercising while working at the computer), and still get all my daily computer related tasks completed.

The Steelcase is a stunning machine. But at $4,000, it was a little more than my budget can afford. I found plenty of DIY information on converting existing treadmills into Walkstations.

Another problem I ran into is the space issue. I work from home 4 days a week. Home is a 2 bedroom apartment, so space is at a premium. My “personal” space is really in my bedroom, under a storage loft. That space is shared by a small bookcase, my stereo, and a desk. The treadmill is a very appealing option, but even a folding model wouldn’t fit very well in this limited space.

I thought about using a stationary pedal exerciser under my office desk. This looked like a reasonable option, but then I read multiple reviews that said the resistance screws eventually burned up, or that the pedals offered minimum resistance. I felt like my money could be better spent in other ways.

I measured the space under the loft, and found that the average sized recumbent bike would be able to cuddle in parallel to my desk. The footprint would be very small, and the low ceiling from the loft would no longer be an issue. Biking is more my speed anyway, as I deal with several foot and knee injuries that running aggravates periodically.

After a patient two week search of Craigslist, I found a nearly new Weslo stationary recumbent bike for $60. I moved the bike up against my desk and was even more pleasantly surprised it see it was the perfect height for my arms to easily type on my laptop. I already had a wireless router installed at my apartment, so internet access wasn’t an issue. My laptop worked perfectly from it’s new location.

Because recumbent bikes can cause back pain, I added a lower lumbar support pad designed for a car to the seat. The pad slips onto the seat and is held in place with elastic straps. I also also padded the seat with a blanket so it was more comfortable and the tilt of the seat would cause less back pain.

Since installing the recumbent bike, my exercise has increased to at least an hour a day…recently it is often much more. I routinely do 10-15 miles a day, burning 250-400 calories, depending on how long my paperwork takes and how intense I make my workout. I do find my brain is more active and engaged. I also feel more positive when I am done – far different from the numb and burnt out feeling I experienced. I do have more time to practice, since exercise is no longer a “seperate” activity. I am also a lot less stressed, clearer and more focused.

The recumbent works beautifully in cold and inclimate weather. In warmer weather, I will use an exercise bike that I now have on my balcony. I bring two heavy duty music stands out. One is for my laptop, and one is for my paperwork. This way, I can get sunlight and fresh air, watch birds and wildlife, continue to exercise, and get my paperwork done. The quality of life difference makes it all worthwhile.

I added myself as a student on Music Teacher’s Helper, and I now record my daily exercise stats when I reconcile lessons. I can compare my days and keep records of my progress. There are tons of ways to use this “walk while you work technique”; watching DVDs, doing taxes, paying bills, sorting and organizing coupons, doing online auctions, entering receipts, studying, reading…a great many sedentary activities. Just in the course of writing this blog, I have ridden 35.94 miles and burnt over 1050 calories.

I definitely recommend that anyone in a sedentary work situation should explore incorporating some kind of exercise equipment in their office area. It makes a huge difference in your overall quality of life.

Here are some more resources about exercising while you work:

“Stand Up While You Read This”
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/stand-up-while-you-read-this/

Instructables treadmill desk:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Treadmill-Desk/

Office Walkers – working @ 100 calories per hour
http://officewalkers.ning.com/

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Anabel is very excited to be taking music lessons.  She is a middle-aged adult and is committed to practicing.  At her lessons she asks many questions, and does what you tell her as best she can.  She takes notes in her notebook to use at home.

She understands your lesson polices, having printed them out from your policies page on your Music Teachers Helper website.  Your policy is that a student has to pay for a lesson if they cancel the same day, or if they don’t show up.

Anabel is very particular about lesson times.  She wants her money’s worth.  She is not overbearing about it, but she lets you know that if you start her lesson 3 minutes late, she does not want to quit on time.  She does not mind if her lesson goes a touch late, however.

One winter day, the day of Anabel’s lesson, there is a snowstorm in the morning.  The snowplows are at work quickly and by Anabel’s lesson time, roads are reasonably clear.

One minute before her lesson time, your phone rings.

“Hello?”

“Hi, it’s Anabel.  Are the roads terrible?”

“No.  They’re pretty clear.  Just basic winter driving.”

“I know I’m supposed to be there, but I thought the driving would be bad.”

“Well, not that I can see.  How is it out where you are?”

“Oh it’s not too good.  And I think I’m getting a sore throat.  You don’t want to get that, do you?”

“No, sounds like you want to stay home.”

“Can I get credited for this lesson?”

“Well, you’re canceling the same day, so the policy is that you’ll have to pay for this one.”

“Could I take my lesson over the phone?”

“What?”

“Can I take my lesson over the phone?  You know, we talk, I play, you comment — over the phone.  Now.  Since I’m paying for the time.”

OK, teachers!  What would you do?

*******************

Please add your comments below; if you have any hesitations about it, please see the earlier post about “Adding Your Two Bits! How It Works“.

1.  Not Just For Payments: 6 Ways To Help All Students (Ed Pearlman) –  how to use the features of MTH to help you create a body of information not just for your students, but for your own lesson preparation.

2.  Daily Summaries and Lesson Notes (Ed Pearlman) – tips on using both regular and private lesson notes when reconciling lessons.

3. Creative Use of the MTH Search Engine (Ronnie Currey) – if you have a large lesson history, try creating tags that can be later retrieved using the Lesson History search engine.

4. Practice Checklist for Students (Michelle Payne) – Michelle’s list is only one of many that can be incorporated into either typed or written lesson notes.

5. A Teacher’s Job Is More Than Teaching (Kristin Phillips) –  lots of great home practice ideas here that can be incorporated into a student’s routine via lesson notes.

6. Help Your Students Prepare In Between Lessons (Amy Gould) – Amy’s article is all about little ways that you can get your students more prepared for that next lesson.

7. Stay Organized With a Lesson Notes Template (Chris Foley) –  in the spirit of the DIY Planner, I’ve included a link to a customized template that you can use or tweak.

8. Organization Help for the Unorganized Music Teacher (Jennifer Thomas) –  yet more reasons why you might want to consider Music Teacher’s Helper as a way to organizing your teaching process.

9. Music Teachers: How do you write lesson notes for your students? (Chris Foley) – in which I ask the MTH community how they deliver the lesson’s core information to their students in writing.

10. Poll Results: How do you write lesson notes for your students? (Chris Foley) – the results of the poll above, along with some fascinating ideas and opinions from teachers.

11. Ideas For Writing Lesson Notes (Ed Pearlman) –  how to do it consistently, and how to do it well.

12. Music Teacher’s Helper Tip: Using Lesson Notes (Wendy Morgan Hunter) – how to keep them short and succinct.

13. Something To Write Home About: Using Lesson Notes in Music Teacher’s Helper (Nicole Murphy) –  I particularly like Nicole’s idea about asking students what should be included in the notes.

And in case you’re still not familiar with the online lesson notes concept and how it can benefit your students:

14. MTH Feature Listing on Lesson Notes –  the full description of how lesson notes can be added to individual lesson listings, and how the lesson reconciliation process can automatically trigger an email to the student (and/or parent) with an instant progress update.

Best of luck to all teachers and students as we head into the busy season of recitals, auditions, competitions, juries, and exams!

Also, we’re hosting a Testimonial Contest, where you can win a free year subscription to Music Teacher’s Helper! Simply tell us what you love about Music Teacher’s Helper, along with a photo of yourself, and you may be the lucky winner! We’ll also be selecting several of these testimonials to showcase on our new website. To enter, please submit your testimonial before this Friday, March 5, at the link below:

www.MusicTeachersHelper.com/testimonial-contest

Okay, here are the recent updates:

• Feature: You can now change the date input format to day/month/year or month/day/year from Home -> Preferences.
• Feature: Invoice Notification E-mail Template now has a variable options for “Amount Due” and “Paypal Link”, so students can see the amount and pay for their invoice without opening the PDF attachment.
• BugFix: Teachers who have been having trouble with automatic invoices not sending the past few days – the problem is now fixed.
• BugFix: Issues with event cost changing after being invoiced should now be fixed.
• BugFix: Make-up lessons now go to next page properly, if more than 10 make-ups showing.

During a recent conversation with a group of teenage students, I realised that many of my students are unaware of the wide range of careers available in the music industry. I have some students who are passionate about pursuing a career in music, but who don’t have either the desire or the skills to be a performer or private instrumental teacher, and many students who don’t have friends or parents in the music industry are largely unaware of the range of career possibilities.

In the past few years, students of mine have continued on to the following careers in music –

1. Composer
2. Performer
3. Classroom Music Teacher
4. Private Instrumental Teacher
5. Sound Engineer (live sound)
6. Studio Engineer
7. Artistic Administrator
8. Music Journalist
9. Musicologist

Most of these students have undertaken University degrees, specialising in their chosen field, however there are a few who have followed different paths to success.

How do you learn the necessary skills, learn about the industry, and meet the right contacts without tertiary study? One method that a few of my students have used successfully is mentoring.

Students have approached businesses in the industry that they are interested in, and have asked to spend a week with them doing work experience. This is the fastest and most relevant way to gain knowledge of your local music industry and to make a great impression with prospective future employers. This is something that can be done during holidays prior to leaving school.

Other students have approached individuals who are at the top of their field and have met with them to discuss career paths. Most people will be flattered that you respect their work enough to approach them, and will readily meet with you and share their knowledge. Also remember that most people love to share their own story so you will most likely find out valuable information about how they started out and how they forged their way in the industry. This is also a great way to learn what not to do from someone who has already made the mistakes and learnt all the lessons!

Studying a musical instrument requires pro-active, self-disciplined students, who have excellent attention to detail. These skills, coupled with the many others that are gained through the study of music, are transferable to a wide range of professions. So take some time to educate your students on the wide range of careers available for those who wish to engage with music in their profession, and the variety of different pathways that can lead to a successful career.

What musical careers have your students chosen, and what paths did they take to become skilled in their profession? Please feel free to leave comments below.