This Friday Funny is a joke courtesy of one of my students:
“What is Beethoven’s favorite fruit?”
“Ba-na-na-NAH! Ba-na-na-NAH!”
“What is Beethoven’s favorite fruit?”
“Ba-na-na-NAH! Ba-na-na-NAH!”
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Read “Setting Goals, Part One: Practicing” here.
Choosing repertoire for students can be a difficult task. It requires a careful balance of music that is motivating, challenging, and educational—a tall order! I have found the best mix for my students is to imagine a pyramid with three levels. From the bottom to the top, there are:
Because we are working on a large amount of repertoire, I can choose music to suit the tastes and needs of each student at any given time. We can work on pieces that reinforce different aspects of technique and artistry, pieces by a composer that particularly interests a student, or pieces that are easy confidence-boosters. In other words, we aren’t tied down to the same set of repertoire for an extended period. What kind of goals do you set for your students? Please share in the comments! This funny happened many years ago but still gives me the giggles.
One of my students was learning about the intervals of a second and third. We had practiced finding these intervals on the staff, and now I wanted to try finding them on the piano keyboard. I pointed to two keys a third apart and asked, “How far apart are these two keys?” My student thought for a moment and proudly replied, “About an inch!” Technically correct, but not quite the answer I was looking for…  As you probably know, I love writing music for students. My goal when writing student pieces is to write something that is fun to play, fun to listen to, and also teaches a student valuable skills.
I think my newest piece, "Into the Storm," ticks all of those boxes (if I do say so myself). This piece is at the elementary level, but sounds impressive. Students get experience playing half steps (crossing thumb under), crossing hands (left over right and right over left), playing with crescendo and diminuendo, and playing an octave higher or lower than written. I have a couple of very different students in my studio that I plan on using this piece with. The first is struggling a bit with his note reading, and needs more practice playing artistically. I think he can learn the more challenging sections of this piece by rote and really work on his dynamic contrasts. The second student is reading notes really well and creating beautiful sounds at the piano, but needs a little push to start playing faster and moving quickly around the keyboard. I think both students will be motivated by the showy sound of this piece. If you are interested in taking a look at this piece, you can find it HERE. What are some of your favorite skill-building pieces for your students? Please share in the comments! This funny happened recently at my student’s lesson. We were starting a new song in her book titled “Baroque Dance.” I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to talk a bit about some of the composers and characteristics of the Baroque period.
I pointed out the title and said, “This is an interesting word. Do you know what baroque means?” My student did a double take and replied, “Baroque? I thought this was the Barbecue Dance!” |
AuthorChrissy 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!
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