Students at Strings, Keys, and Melodies Complete the Sentence, "This Year I..."

A few weeks ago, I had my students think about what they had accomplished this year in their music classes.  I gave them a paper with the words "This year I..." written on it along with a stick figure.  Each of them took the time to think about what they had learned and accomplished this past year.  Then they colored the stick figure to make it look like themselves.

I taped the pictures on my front door.  The students and I love reading what everyone wrote and looking at their self portraits.  I wanted to share this with parents and readers so that you can enjoy what they came up with too!  

I am very proud of my students.  We really worked hard this year and made a lot of great music!

ABC's of Music Practice

26 Ideas to help practicing at home!

Happy New Year!  

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season.

I am looking forward to a new year of blogging with more fun and creative music ideas.

A lot of parents have been asking me how to get their child to practice their instruments at home.  It is important to have the right expectations especially when dealing with children in the 3-8 year old range.  At this age we need to keep music fun and interesting in order for their love of music to grow and grow.

So to help with music at home, I have come up with 

ABC’s of Music Practice

Appreciate all efforts to sing and play

Believe everyone has some musical ability

Consistency-practice everyday!

Delight in accomplishments – no matter how small

Enjoy yourself and music

Find favorite songs and artists, listen to them and copy what you hear and like

Get the new assignments from your teacher

Have a set practice check list:  Posture, warm-ups, old songs, new songs, and listen everyday

Ignore the moaning-children will moan but don’t listen to it and keep going

Juggling too many after school activities will slow down progress

Kick start your day by practicing before breakfast!

Listen to good examples on CD’s, YouTube and live concerts

Muscles- build music muscles by playing and singing scales, arpeggios and chords

No quitting!  All desirable goals take time and hard work!

Orchestra and opera- listen and dream about playing in the orchestra and singing in an opera

Posture- are you sitting correctly at the piano, holding your violin correctly, 

standing tall for singing?

Qualify for a prize – fill out your practice charts and get a prize!

Relax –don’t hold tension in your shoulders, back or knees

Share your gift of music with others – play at recitals, for the family and at nursing homes

Time – play or sing each song at least 3 times before moving on to the next song.  Practice time for 3-6 year olds will only be 5-15 minutes per instrument.  Older 

children will be able to play longer.

Unite with other musicians- play in recitals and group classes

View lessons – as parents it is important to watch your child’s lessons, at least once 

in a while, so that you can help them at home

Warm-ups are important exercises to build strength in muscles

eXpect mood swings, waning interest, tired days from your children and lighten 

the load for the day but don’t quit!  Good days are just around the corner

You and your children can do it!

Zero in on strengths and weaknesses-Point out where your child is great (good rhythm, good listening skills)!  Some songs require extra practice before they are mastered so just gently encourage playing it one more time!

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Print PDF Version

Enjoy!

Practice Piano with Ms. Tonya

One of my awesome students asked me to make a video to help him practice his newest song.

The song is "Indian Tom Toms"  from the Thompson Easiest Piano Course.  I'm not sure I love the title but it does have a fun beat!

In the video, I start with the left hand part first, then the right hand, and finish with both hands together.  Keep practicing one hand at a time until it is easy for you before putting both hands together. 

If you like this video you can subscribe to my YouTube channel at StringsKeysMelodies

Have fun!

Musical Twister Hopscotch!

Children learn best using their entire bodies.  This game is a fun way to learn the names and beats of musical notes.

One of my daughters received the Twister Hopscotch game for one of her birthdays.  I just knew there was some way to use it in my music classes.  A bit later I found the perfect idea at Notable Music Studio.

Preparation:

Twister Hopscotch can be bought at any large retail store such as Walmart or Target.

I used colored circle stickers on the spinner.  The colors match each of the circles from the game.  On each sticker I drew a note.
      quarter note-1 beat
      half note-2 beats
      dotted half note-3 beats
      whole note-4 beats

The rings for the hopscotch can be put together in a bunch of different ways.  I usually make a simple wiggly line with the colors all mixed up.

How to Play:

Each child takes a turn spinning the spinner and saying the name and beat of the note on the sticker.  After that he can hop to the ring matching the color on the sticker.

Whoever reaches the last circle first is the winner!

We usually play several times so everyone gets a chance to win.  It is amazing how quickly the children learn the names and beats of each note.  I'm sure there are other versions that could be played with this concept.  Let me know if you think of any!

Have fun!

Learn the Names of the Keys with These Easy Songs

New to the piano?

The first step is to learn the names of the keys!

Watch this video to see a few of the easy songs we use to practice the note names.  Play the keys and sing along too!

Have Fun!

Let's Practice Star Wars!

I have made a video to help those students who are learning Star Wars on the piano.

*Remember the ties mean you won't play the note again but will continue counting.

*And get your left hand ready to reach for High C and put it back again to play in its regular place.

Watch the video and then go practice! 

Have Fun!

More Fun than Flashcards!

Instead of using plain flashcards, quiz beginning piano students the names of the keys by having them place little letters on the keys.

*Start with C and let them use that as a reference point to add the others.

*When that is easy, try doing one key at a time, taking the letters off as you go.

This is much more fun than plain old flashcards!

Play often!

Animals at School

Use this video to help you practice "Animals at School"  aka "Mary had a Little Lamb"

Watch the video and then go to your keyboard and try it on your own.  Come back when you need to watch again!

Have fun!

Let me know in the comments if you like this video.  Thanks.

Watch a video to Learn C Position and Middle C Position

"C" Position is a little different than "Middle C"  position.

Watch this video to see how to move from one position to the other

Now you are set to practice your songs!

Let's Practice "Music Friend Waltz"

Practice piano at home with Ms. Tonya!

This is a beginning piano song in which the student only needs to know notes "C", "D" and "E". 

Watch where to put your fingers.

Listen to Ms. Tonya play and sing the song.

Go practice on your piano!

Have fun!

Please leave a comment!

Practice with Ms. Tonya: See the Pony & Listen for Bells

I made two videos so students can practice their piano pieces at home.

We have been singing these two songs in class for several months.  We have clapped, danced, play boomwhackers along with singing to them.  So they should know these songs and playing on the piano should come pretty easily.  It is just a matter of finding the right notes on the keyboard.

Watch the videos a time or two and then try playing the piano along with me.
Good luck and have fun! 

See the Pony

Listen For Bells

Please leave a comment if you use these videos!  Thanks!