Are your students musically literate? And by that I mean able to read, sing, internalise/audiate, play and create. Now before you wander off thinking that Sally’s talking about beginners again, I don’t just mean those students who are at the more elementary levels but at all levels and standards. WHAT IS MUSICAL LITERACY? To help […]
It’s not just what we present our piano students with, it’s how. And how much. And when. AND there are many more questions and considerations along the way. Now, we’re not suggesting that it should be a candy-rich menu without any greens! It should be good and wholesome – yet colourful and appealing too. However, […]
Do your young piano pupils struggle to fully grasp reading music notation? Do some pupils drop out because they can’t seem to get the hang of it despite your best efforts to help them? For teachers this can be very frustrating. Often, we wonder what exactly the problem is. USING MNEMONICS One traditional way of […]
Debussy and childhood. One’s thoughts immediately turn to Children’s Corner (more on that below) but his own childhood is an interesting starting point for finding out more about the composer. Here are a few fascinating gems about the young Claude-Achille Debussy. FAMILY FACTS Debussy’s father, grand-father and great-grand-father were all known as de Bussy. Debussy […]
Writing last week’s blog about my special needs pupil felt really quite special for me. It was lovely to find that are quite a few of us who have been inspired by similar situations in our teaching. This week we are continuing our Special Needs theme by highlighting some of the great resources that […]
Have you ever been approach by a parent about teaching a child or young person with special needs? One of the joys of my teaching week is the time I spend working with my special needs pupil. Let’s call her Sam. The first time she ever came to a lesson was memorable for the fact […]
Sharon and I would like to say an enormous THANK YOU to everyone who came to or supported Curious Live last week! For those of you who couldn’t make it this time here are some photos along with a few thoughts from our delegates. REDEFINING THE CONFERENCE EXPERIENCE ‘I loved how you had considered all […]
Are you attending a conference or exhibition soon? With the yearly Music and Drama Education Expo and Curious LIVE all taking place this week (and the MTNA conference in America not far away) there’s a good chance that you will be! Here’s a few tips to help you make the most of the days. #1 […]
Do you have weak or average students? Do you struggle when motivating these students to practice? In this week’s blog you can read how Cadenza, a free online notebook, transformed the practising habits of weak and average students by reading teacher accounts. We’re delighted that Professor Rena Upitis has written a 3-part blog series for […]
The piano teaching marketplace is bombarded with resources, designed with the aim of motivating students to practise more between lessons. However, far – far – fewer resources undergo any type of formal research to identify just how effective they are. Cadenza, a digital music tool, is one resource that HAS been subjected to formal research. […]