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"Preludes to Mastery" featured in Clavier Companion magazine!

1/30/2017

I am honored to share that my "Preludes to Mastery" books 1
and 2 were featured in the "New Music Reviews" section
of the January/February 2017 issue of Clavier Companion magazine!

The full-page review presented an overview of the two books, as well as a more detailed discussion of several of the preludes, including Prelude No. 7, which was inspired by Chopin; Prelude No. 16 for the left hand alone; and Prelude No. 19, a twelve-tone piece.

Reviewer Suzanne Schons writes:

"Chrissy Ricker's two books of preludes provide a fresh and varied assortment of pieces in Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary styles....Perhaps most appealing are Ricker's contemporary-style compositions. They are delightful pieces that expose students to a variety of techniques and devices found in modern works, including changing meters, odd meters, syncopated rhythms, and jazz influences....Any of the preludes would work quite well as recital pieces and would prepare students for the works of the great composers."

Thanks so much to Suzanne Schons and to Clavier Companion!

If you would like to listen to the preludes from these two books, check out my playlists on YouTube! Find the playlist for book 1 HERE and the playlist for book 2 HERE.

These books are published by Kjos Music Company and available for purchase through Sheet Music Plus (Book 1 and Book 2) as well as many other major music retailers.

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Free Printable Matching Game for Beginners!

1/23/2017

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I find that often my beginner students struggle with finding the correct starting place in their music. Since so many beginner pieces focus on the notes around middle C, students sometimes get stuck when they encounter pieces that are not in a "position."

To help my students become comfortable with starting on any note, with any finger, I created this simple note match card game. This is a great game for elementary students that are just moving away from positional reading, and can even be used with beginning students as soon as they learn to identify all the keys on the piano, even if they aren't reading all of the notes on the staff yet.

How does it work? There are three decks of cards: clefs, finger numbers, and note names. Students draw one card from each deck and place it on the piano rack. Once the last card is placed, students must quickly find the key on the piano and play it with the correct hand and finger. For an extra challenge, ask students to play and identify each key under their fingers once they find the given note.

To download your free note match game, click HERE. Happy matching!

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Free "Practice Cake" Printable!

1/16/2017

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New year, new music--a perfect time to brush up on practice skills with your students! I have another free printable for you that I use to help my elementary students learn how to practice more efficiently: the practice cake!

In case you missed it, the synopsis of my American Music Teacher magazine article, "Let Them Eat Cake: The Pros and Cons of Layered Practice for the Elementary Piano Student," can be found here. In a nutshell, the practice cake is a visual reminder for students that each piece of music is made of many layers of detail, and that each practice session should have a purpose!

For students that struggle with focus issues or have difficulty processing all of the visual details in their music, you can literally learn a piece of music one layer at a time. Start from the bottom of the practice cake and work your way up until the entire piece is learned.

For other students, the practice cake can serve as a checklist. Help students to assess their progress by asking questions:

How did you practice the rhythm for this piece?
Did any notes sound incorrect? Did any fingerings feel awkward?
Did you play with a smooth legato touch? Did you bounce your staccato notes with a supple wrist?
Did you observe all of the dynamics in the score? What story do you think the composer is telling by choosing these dynamics?
Did you listen carefully as you used the pedal? Did you use good pedal technique?

Finally, remind students to refer to the practice cake at home and choose one layer each day to focus on for that particular practice session. How many different ways can they think of to practice the rhythm, for example? Encourage them to mark their music so they know that no detail has been overlooked, no matter how small.

Click HERE or on the image above to download your practice cake printable.

What do you think? Any tips you use to help your students become more efficient practicers? Please leave a comment below!

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New Video Game Inspired Collection!

1/9/2017

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I am super excited to share the release of my latest collection for late elementary piano: "Let's Quest!"

This collection is inspired by my own students and their frequent requests for music from video games like "Minecraft," "Super Mario Brothers," and "Legend of Zelda." This book features 8 solos and 2 evenly-leveled duets, perfect for gamers and non-gamers alike!

A few pieces from the collection are featured below; click HERE to see and hear the music from the entire book!

Inspired by Minecraft, this piece is made up of all fifths--a great way to work on patterns and staccato touch.

"Valiant" is a driving piece in 3/4 time that helps students practice 2 and 3 note slur patterns and finger crossings.

"The Expanse" is inspired by outer space and features cool, contemporary harmonies.

"Lollipop Bop" is an evenly-leveled duet inspired by the catchy sounds of the "Super Mario Brothers" games.

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On Memorization

1/3/2017

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If you are like me, you will be preparing your students for recitals, festivals, and competitions this spring--many of which require pieces to be memorized. For many students, this is a scary proposition; performing from memory can feel like walking a tightrope without a safety net! How do we help our students learn to memorize effectively and overcome their fear of playing from memory?

After many years of teaching, I have come to realize that memorization is a skill, and like any skill it requires practice. I encourage students to memorize their favorite pieces throughout the year, not just at recital or contest time. By practicing the skill of memorization, and playing often from memory in casual settings, students learn that playing from memory is nothing to fear and can even be fun!

Just like there are several types of learning styles, there are several types of memory. I have found the best way to help a student learn to memorize effectively is to work on all four types of memorization. Once students feel they have a piece learned securely, I test them to see if they are truly using multiple types of memory on their pieces.

Below are four types of memory and ways to test your students on each:

Muscle (kinesthetic) memory: this is the type of memory students usually acquire by playing a piece over and over. Test it: ask students to play hands separately from memory; ask students to “play” their piece on the closed piano lid or table top.
Aural memory: this type of memory helps students to imagine the sound they would like to create before they play and to play a piece accurately. Test it: ask students to “play” their piece silently away from the piano, thinking through each note; ask students to start playing at different spots in the score from memory, imagining the sound before they play.
Visual memory: this type of memory can be helpful for visual learners who picture the score mentally as they play. Test it: ask students to visualize and name details from the score, for example, the first note and dynamic marking that appears in the music.
Analytical memory: this type of memory helps students to understand the structure of their music. Test it: ask students to analyze and play patterns or chord progressions in their pieces; analyze the form of the piece and make sure students can securely start each section from memory.

What do you think? Any tips or tricks you use to help your students memorize effectively? Please share in the comments!

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"Preludes to Mastery" featured in Clavier Companion magazine!

Free Printable Matching Game for Beginners!

Free "Practice Cake" Printable!

New Video Game Inspired Collection!

On Memorization

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