Friday, March 10, 2017
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Taught Lesson 2 of MMK1 yesterday
It's been a busy week! Registration, preparing material, sending out a teacher's news and playing for services for the Jewish Holiday. But I am full of energy! My keyboard classes are completely full and that feels great.
For lesson 2 I sent a parent video again. I still need to book a parent meeting. Where's that to do list?
For lesson 2 I sent a parent video again. I still need to book a parent meeting. Where's that to do list?
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Yesterday I started a full group of Music Makers at Home in the World and first of all I love teaching this age. 4s, 5s and 6s are so free with their body and are celebrating the world. They love to find the animals on the poster, love to show their master of movement and are ready for graceful movement. This was even more apparent because I invited an older three year old to try out the program on a trial basis. All I can say in a nut shell was that his body was crying out for the manna from Cycle of Seasons. All the children wanted to be cats, he wanted to be a dinosaur. When the children moved, he lay on the floor. He took longer to process the directions (as so a three year should) and he wanted to verbalize with the other children but it took him much longer.
So much for the trial basis. Mom was more than happy to wait for a Cycles class to fill so we can start.
We are choosing a Friday morning in October as our fill up goal time.
So much for the trial basis. Mom was more than happy to wait for a Cycles class to fill so we can start.
We are choosing a Friday morning in October as our fill up goal time.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Recap of Week 1 for Music Makers at the Keyboard Lesson 1
3:45 class - The first class was exceptional. This class is a group of six students that have lived Musikgarten since they were two and had an incredible year in MMAW so the singing circle was smooth. OF course, they knew all the songs. We did Cathy Mathia's rendition of Debka Hora with the accerando and the clap at the end. That was so much fun and they got engaged in the circle going in and out in a controlled fashion. No the circle wasn't perfect but I have a feeling they will be able to hold their own on this game without adults. That will be my aim. I spent more time on Stars Shining as an exercise warm up of the hands and arms and whole body. We then moved through the room as stars with our fingers leading the way. Listen for Bells turned into a two part ensemble with an ostinato of "ding Dong" on dotted quarter note pulse and a large side to side movement while the other group sang and moved to the macro beat. This was more successful in this group because they have had experience in two part. The later group, which is a new group of kids off the street could not keep the ostinato going. There I did the melody softly and moved in and out between them. The new Mouse Mouse set up is a thrilling success and it moves much faster and it is more participatory and much safer. No time for tears. See the Pony - I changed the sleep part at the end because I didn't like how the children were flopping on the floor in other classes so I made a smaller movement.
In Stars Shining I used more <"Look at how the hands are constructed" talk and kept bringing in different ways to move and relax the fingers. I notice the children have much tighter hands these days.
I brought a keyboard down to the floor to explore it and talk about the keys and the groupings. I then stayed there while they travelled to the keyboards to find the groups up and down and played the game. I had parents in the room so I could then make them keyboard centers and they could grab the cards from the floor, go to a parent, play their answer and come back for more cards. I have many cards from donations so they do this for a while.
Drumming started with exploration of a beat. I started a Du beat, divided it, did changes from du to Du day and back and then asked them for their beat. We copied and then moved to the dance. Better transition
At this point it was clear the groups were working in a group - no stand outs, no one demanding more attention than the others. Seamless.
Debka Hora - we danced it again, refining the in and out and then playing using the hands in Star Shining position as we tapped lightly and added the clap. We did the by ear discovery of the position on the piano and then added the position for each hand separately and together. The clap at the end stops the song in a satisfying way.
Parents came into the room and reviewed the above. They taught the parent the keyboard game and played and sang debka hora strongly, even the new class was singing. I did enough repeats.
I sent home a you tube for the parents of how to set up the home environment
3:45 class - The first class was exceptional. This class is a group of six students that have lived Musikgarten since they were two and had an incredible year in MMAW so the singing circle was smooth. OF course, they knew all the songs. We did Cathy Mathia's rendition of Debka Hora with the accerando and the clap at the end. That was so much fun and they got engaged in the circle going in and out in a controlled fashion. No the circle wasn't perfect but I have a feeling they will be able to hold their own on this game without adults. That will be my aim. I spent more time on Stars Shining as an exercise warm up of the hands and arms and whole body. We then moved through the room as stars with our fingers leading the way. Listen for Bells turned into a two part ensemble with an ostinato of "ding Dong" on dotted quarter note pulse and a large side to side movement while the other group sang and moved to the macro beat. This was more successful in this group because they have had experience in two part. The later group, which is a new group of kids off the street could not keep the ostinato going. There I did the melody softly and moved in and out between them. The new Mouse Mouse set up is a thrilling success and it moves much faster and it is more participatory and much safer. No time for tears. See the Pony - I changed the sleep part at the end because I didn't like how the children were flopping on the floor in other classes so I made a smaller movement.
In Stars Shining I used more <"Look at how the hands are constructed" talk and kept bringing in different ways to move and relax the fingers. I notice the children have much tighter hands these days.
I brought a keyboard down to the floor to explore it and talk about the keys and the groupings. I then stayed there while they travelled to the keyboards to find the groups up and down and played the game. I had parents in the room so I could then make them keyboard centers and they could grab the cards from the floor, go to a parent, play their answer and come back for more cards. I have many cards from donations so they do this for a while.
Drumming started with exploration of a beat. I started a Du beat, divided it, did changes from du to Du day and back and then asked them for their beat. We copied and then moved to the dance. Better transition
At this point it was clear the groups were working in a group - no stand outs, no one demanding more attention than the others. Seamless.
Debka Hora - we danced it again, refining the in and out and then playing using the hands in Star Shining position as we tapped lightly and added the clap. We did the by ear discovery of the position on the piano and then added the position for each hand separately and together. The clap at the end stops the song in a satisfying way.
Parents came into the room and reviewed the above. They taught the parent the keyboard game and played and sang debka hora strongly, even the new class was singing. I did enough repeats.
I sent home a you tube for the parents of how to set up the home environment
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Ready for Anything
My Book one class met for its second lesson. And, Ta Da.... a student that previewed the class last week showed up! No call, no advanced notice. She was fully ready to join. Dad had all smiles and his checkbook, a great sign. I had no material ready. No Problem! I had an extra set in my files. Hurrah! We did the class and had lots of fun. This is a good mix of children (with one boy that is acting like a boy of course). After class jthe new student pulled out her book 1 which her parents bought when they tried to put her in my class when she was too young. It was already written in but the parents wanted to use it. No cards, missing practice CD. You get the picture. But I had that Dad with his checkbook. I called to find out what a replacement CD would be and a sibling book. Let's just say it is a good deal to get all new material so Dad wrote that check for the full amount of the class and his daughter loved getting a fresh book so that she could do the homework better this time! Her words.
Hey, if you are teaching MM at the Keyboard and you haven't trained yet, plan to join the next next workshop for Music Makers at the Keyboard . It will be the best investment of your teaching career. You could try to glean ideas from my blog and from gartenloop and ask a million questions from veteran teachers but it simply is not the same. You could try to puzzle over the teacher's guide and try to figure out the value of the singing circle and that 5 part song process but seeing it taught by trainers is priceless and puzzle breaking. You will learn so much at the these workshops. Did you know the trainers are some of the best teachers in the nation? And they are my heroes? So sign up for a workshop today. Start saving the money now. When you start amassing students you will more than make up the money and you will never go back to traditional methods, I am very sure about this.
Ellen
Hey, if you are teaching MM at the Keyboard and you haven't trained yet, plan to join the next next workshop for Music Makers at the Keyboard . It will be the best investment of your teaching career. You could try to glean ideas from my blog and from gartenloop and ask a million questions from veteran teachers but it simply is not the same. You could try to puzzle over the teacher's guide and try to figure out the value of the singing circle and that 5 part song process but seeing it taught by trainers is priceless and puzzle breaking. You will learn so much at the these workshops. Did you know the trainers are some of the best teachers in the nation? And they are my heroes? So sign up for a workshop today. Start saving the money now. When you start amassing students you will more than make up the money and you will never go back to traditional methods, I am very sure about this.
Ellen
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