Chrissy Ricker
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New Pop Arrangement Available!

5/30/2017

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I am excited to share my newest arrangement made possible by the ArrangeMe program at Sheet Music Plus! This version of "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper (featured in the movie "Trolls") is arranged for intermediate piano solo. This arrangement would be appropriate for your intermediate students, or even as prelude music for a wedding.

Click HERE to see the music!


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Free Patriotic "Name That Tune" Worksheets!

5/12/2017

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For my teacher friends in the U.S.--are you looking for fun activities to use during lessons or group activities this summer? With Memorial Day and Fourth of July approaching, these patriotic "name that tune" worksheets provide great sight-reading practice for students and can be used in individual or group lessons.

My favorite way to use these sheets is as a game in a group class setting. I cut out each line from the worksheets and place them in a box. Students come up one at a time and draw a tune from the box, then sight-read it at the piano. Their classmates then have to name that tune. This game can be done with all age groups, and is a great way to reinforce sight-reading and listening skills.

A few of these songs might be unfamiliar to your students, but you can use this as an opportunity to teach your students about the history of some of our country's most beloved traditional songs.

Click HERE for these free "name that tune" worksheets! You can see the rest of the free resources available on my website HERE. 


What do you think? What fun activities do you have planned for your students this summer?

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On Sight Reading, Part Two

5/8/2017

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In my last blog post, I talked about the top three skills I think are most important to being a good sight reader.

Just like any skill, sight reading gets better with practice! Today, I will share a few ways I help my students practice their sight reading.



There’s an app for that! Apps are a fun way to practice sight reading. A few of my favorites:
  • Piano Maestro: with fun backing tracks and scrolling music, this app is great for helping students keep their eyes moving ahead in the music, keeping a steady beat, and playing without stopping.
  • SightRead4Piano by Wessar: this app is designed for students preparing for the sight reading portion of exams such as those offered by the ABRSM. My favorite thing about this app is that as students sight read each piece at the piano, the measures in the music disappear--meaning no going back!
  • Tenuto: although this app is meant for theory practice and not sight reading, I find the "interval identification" and "chord identification" exercises very helpful to work on "chunking." I place my iPad on the music rack and have students see how quickly they can play each interval or chord as it appears on the screen.

Short Term Goal Pieces. I like to keep students sight reading as much as possible by assigning them lots of short term goal pieces, so they are trying out new repertoire (and flexing their sight reading muscles) at every lesson.  Students should be able to master these pieces in just a week or two. As a bonus, these short term goals are great for boosting a student’s self-confidence!

Just Duet! Duets are a fun way to work on sight reading. I like to have students sight read duets and trios at our monthly group classes (see my "Free Stuff" page for links to my free ensemble pieces.) Sight reading is much more fun when you practice with a friend (or two)!

What do you think? How do you help your students practice their sight reading? Please share in the comments below!




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    Author

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


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