Chrissy Ricker
  • Home
  • Publications
    • Piano collections
    • Pop & rock arrangements
    • Video game arrangements
    • Vocal music
    • Instrumental music
  • Search
    • Search my catalog!
  • About
  • Blog
  • Free Stuff
  • Contact

My Favorite Teaching Tools: Part Two

4/19/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Click HERE to read "My Favorite Teaching Tools: Part One."

Today​ I am sharing another inexpensive teaching tool that I find myself using again and again with my students--mini erasers! I found my lucky cat Iwako puzzle erasers (pictured on the left) on Amazon, but any small eraser will work. It just needs to be a good size to fit on the piano keys. And cuteness is always a plus!


I have found these erasers to be helpful for a variety of activities--from theory, to technique, to practice skills. I have used these with my youngest students, and even my middle- and high school students love them. So, without further ado, here are a few ways you can use these erasers with your students!

Mini erasers are the perfect size for identifying patterns on the keyboard. Place them on the piano keys to practice:
  • Identifying key names, landmark notes, and high or low notes
  • Finding half steps and whole steps
  • Building intervals
  • Building major and minor scales and chords
  • Inversions of chords
 
Erasers make working on technique fun! Try the following technique activities with your students:
  •  Imagine making a “house” for the eraser to work on a rounded hand shape.
  • “Ride” the eraser across the keys on the back of the hand to play a smooth legato.
  • Bounce the eraser off the hand when playing staccato notes.
  • Roll the eraser forward off the front of the hand when lifting the wrist to finish a phrase.
 
Erasers make great practice buddies! These tiny tools can be used to help students practice in a variety of ways. For example:
  • Line up the erasers on one side of the music. Each time your student plays a line correctly, they can move the eraser to the other side of the music.
  • As a student plays a piece, have the erasers "act out" the correct articulation, dynamics, and/or tempo for the piece.
  • Have the eraser come to “investigate” when a problem arises as a student is playing a piece (wrong notes, poor hand position, etc). Ask students if they know what their tiny practice buddy spotted!
  • Use the puzzle erasers to redirect students who have trouble listening and following directions. Line up 3 erasers on the piano at the start of the lesson. Each time a student shows that they aren’t listening and following directions, remove one eraser. At the end of the lesson, offer a reward for the erasers that are left on the piano.
 
What do you think? Do you use puzzle erasers with your students? What are your favorite ways to use them in your lessons? I would love to hear your ideas in the comments!





0 Comments

Living Composer Project--Month 3 Wrap-Up

4/12/2019

0 Comments

 
Read about the Living Composer project and download the worksheets HERE. Read the Month 1 Wrap-Up HERE. Read the Month 2 Wrap-Up HERE.

This month was an important one for our living composer project, as all of my students selected their pieces for our spring recital in May! Each student is playing at least one piece by a living composer. Here are the composers that will be represented on our upcoming recital, grouped by genre:

Pedagogical Composers
  • Kristen Allred
  • Jennifer Eklund
  • Nancy Faber
  • Martha Mier
  • Ross Petot
  • Chrissy Ricker

Film Composers
  • Klaus Badelt
  • Alan Menken
  • Richard Sherman
  • Charles Strouse
  • John Williams
  • Michiru Yamane
  • Hans Zimmer

Pop and Electronic Music Composers
  • Deadmau5 (Joel Thomas Zimmerman)
  • Marshmello (Christopher Comstock)

I am also pleased that two of my students have asked to perform their own compositions at the recital. It will be fun to highlight the music of student composers, too!

This month, students also listened to at least four pieces by one of the living composers they have studied this spring. I am hoping this will build some excitement about potential new repertoire for the summer.

So, what is on the list for next month, our final month of the living composer project? We will:
  • Write a letter to a living composer we have studied this spring. I will be encouraging my students to write to the pedagogical composers they have studied, since we have a better chance of reaching them via their websites or publishing companies.
  • Perform our pieces at the spring recital. I will be including some of the facts we learned about these composers on our recital program, as well as sharing any responses we receive from our composer letters.
  • Listen to a piece by a living art music composer. We have mainly focused on the music of pedagogical, film, and pop music composers during this project, since they are the most accessible to my students. However, I think it would be fun to share a more advanced modern piece by a living composer with my students--perhaps something by Nikolai Kapustin, William Bolcom, or Lowell Liebermann. Any other suggestions for a modern concert piano piece that would be fun for students to watch? I'd love to hear your ideas!

0 Comments

Rock On! Volume 3 is here!

4/3/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture

I am excited to share the newest addition to the "Rock On!" series: "Rock On! Volume 3!" This collection features original solos for the late intermediate pianist in rock, pop, and blues styles.

This collection is a great non-classical alternative that will provide your advancing intermediate students with the technical and artistic challenges they need to keep progressing at the piano.

Click HERE to see and hear the music from this collection.



Check out a few of my favorite pieces from this new book:
​

0 Comments

    Author

    Chrissy Ricker is a pianist, teacher, and composer from North Carolina. These are her thoughts on teaching, composing, and all things music.


    Looking for teaching ideas related to a specific topic? Use the "search" feature or scroll down to see blog posts organized by category!

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016

    Categories

    All
    2 Minute Teaching Tips
    Active Listening
    Composer Focus
    Composition
    Duets
    Ear Training
    Easter
    Fall/Halloween
    Free Stuff
    Friday Funny
    Games
    Group Classes
    Holiday Music
    Lesson Planning
    Living Composers
    Memorization
    Music For One Hand
    Music History
    Musicianship Monthly
    NFMC Selections
    Online Lessons
    Patriotic Music
    Performing
    Pop Arrangements
    Practicing
    Professional Development
    Repertoire
    Rhythm
    Rote Teaching
    Saint Patrick's Day
    Sight Reading
    Summer
    Technique
    Technology
    Thanksgiving
    Theory
    Tips For Teens
    Transposition
    Travel Teaching
    Valentine's Day
    Wedding Music
    Young Beginners

    RSS Feed

    Subscribe to my monthly newsletter to stay informed about my latest publications and free teacher resources. Once you subscribe below, a fresh newsletter will be delivered to your inbox on the first of each month!

    *Your email will never be shared or used for any other purpose besides this once-monthly newsletter, and you may unsubscribe at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of your newsletter email or contacting me HERE through my website. 

Subscribe
 © ​Copyright 2023 Chrissy Ricker. All Rights Reserved.