Chrissy Ricker
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Musicianship Monthly #19: Fall and Halloween Composing Activities

9/30/2022

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October is the perfect time to get your students' creative juices flowing! From the spooky sounds of Halloween, to the changing colors of the trees, there is plenty of inspiration this time of year that you can help your students channel into composing and improvising their own original music.

In this month's edition of "Musicianship Monthly," I will be sharing composition worksheets and improvising templates that will have your students creating their own original music all month long! 

What is "Musicianship Monthly?" Each month, I share links to free resources you can use to focus on a specific musicianship skill with your students. Want to see past skills we have covered? Click HERE!

Read on to check out the free resources! 


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2 Minute Teaching Tip #10: The power of color coding

9/26/2022

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Do you use color coding with your students?

Today's "2 Minute Teaching Tip" video is all about the power of color coding, why it can be helpful, and 4 ways I use color coding with my students! 

Read on to check out the video!


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5 Halloween Favorites for Beginners (and a Freebie)!

9/16/2022

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Believe it or not, October is just around the corner! If you are looking for a few fun, familiar, and spooky tunes for your beginning students, then today's post is for you!

Today I am rounding up 5 Halloween favorites that your beginners will love--including a special Halloween freebie!

Keep reading to see the music...


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Easy Video Game Duets!

9/11/2022

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What's more fun than playing your favorite video game theme? Playing your favorite video game theme with your best friend!

Check out these 5, evenly-leveled video game duets that your students will be excited to play together! Each duet has been carefully arranged for two late elementary to early intermediate pianists. These would also make great ensemble selections--just double each part as necessary for the number of players you have.

​Read on to see these 5 fun duets!


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Taking the Guesswork Out of Teaching "Guessers"

9/6/2022

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We have all encountered "guessers" in our studio at one time or another: the students who seem to find it easier to guess at playing the right notes instead of reading the music carefully. 

A lesson with a "guesser" can be a frustrating experience for both teacher and student--but it doesn't have to be! In today's post, we will get to the root of why some students are "guessers," and I will share 4 strategies that will make your lessons with these students more productive and more fun!

Keep reading to take the guesswork out of teaching "guessers"....



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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.


    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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