 | The Kodály approach emphasizes the importance of learning how to sing on pitch. In the 18th century, John Spencer Curwen drew upon an earlier music teaching system known as Norwich Sol-fa, which had been devised by Sarah Glover, and developed hand signs to go with the solfege syllables (do re mi, etc.). Kodály integrated these hand signs into his teaching methods. Hand signs are a way of giving a physical placement for a vocal pitch. The low "do" begins at your midsection. Each pitch is then above the previous one. Thus, you have the hand signs going up when the pitch goes up. The upper "do" is at eye level.  |
Friday, July 23, 2010
Voice Students - Solfege
Friday, June 25, 2010
Voice Books
For all of you that are interested in doing singing lessons here is a list of music that I would recommend. I require that the book you purchase comes with an accompaniment CD. You can either have Roper Music order a book for you or purchase it online. (I found all of these on amazon.com.)
- More Disney Solos for Kids (Vocal Collection) [Paperback]Hal Leonard Corp. (Author)
- Hal Leonard Disney Solos For Kids Vocal Collection Book and CD Other products by Hal Leonard
- Kids' Broadway Songbook (Book/CD) (Vocal Collection) [Paperback]Hal Leonard Corp. (Creator)
- Solos from Musicals for Kids (Vocal Collection) [Paperback] Louise Lerch (Author)
- Solos for Kids (Vocal Collection) [Paperback] Louise Lerch (Author)
- The Teen's Musical Theatre Collection: Young Women's Edition (Vocal Collection) [Paperback] Louise Lerch (Author)
- Girls Songs From Musicals BK/CD (Vocal Collection) [Paperback] VARIOUS (Author)
- Broadway Presents! Teen Female Vocal Anthology: A Treasury of Songs from Stage & Film, Specially Designed for Teen Singers![Paperback] Staff (Author), Alfred Publishing (Author), Lisa DeSpain (Editor)
- Musical Theatre Anthology for Teens: Young Women's Edition (Vocal Collection) [Paperback] Hal Leonard Corp. (Creator)
Friday, June 18, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Summer Lessons
Hello all,
I will be out of town from May 27 to June 1. I would like to start our summer schedule Wednesday, June 2. Please look at your calendars and find a time you would like your children to take lessons. Let me know what days of the week are best for you and the time of day and after reviewing everyones schedule I will put something together. You may either call me or email me at cassadee_13@hotmail.com. Will you also let me know if you are interested in any of the additional lessons that would be seperate from the piano or guitar lessons you have already been doing.
Thank you for your time and once again we really look forward to this summer!
I will be out of town from May 27 to June 1. I would like to start our summer schedule Wednesday, June 2. Please look at your calendars and find a time you would like your children to take lessons. Let me know what days of the week are best for you and the time of day and after reviewing everyones schedule I will put something together. You may either call me or email me at cassadee_13@hotmail.com. Will you also let me know if you are interested in any of the additional lessons that would be seperate from the piano or guitar lessons you have already been doing.
Thank you for your time and once again we really look forward to this summer!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Practicing
Getting Your Kids to Practice
I have the best parents! I know you all help your children practice because it shows in their lessons. I found an article to give you other ideas to make practice time a little more fun and not such a battle (hopefully it's not a full on battle)! Let me know if any of these ideas have worked for you! Remember practice doesn't make perfect...practice makes permanent. Whether they are practicing it right or not...
Studio 5 Contributor, Kiersten Blanchard shares some ideas that will help.
• Get an assigned number of repetitions for each practice spot in a piece from your teacher; students are typically more willing to do things for their teacher.
• Know when to suspend a practice session and walk away. Never argue with your child; it simply brings you down to the same level as the child. Walk away and try again later.
• Give your child choices…not about whether to practice, the time, or place…but anything else that might help them feel like they have some control of their practice.
• Offer specific, genuine praise.
• Create a story that goes along with each song.
Practice at the same time every day.
• Mornings are typically when everybody feels fresh and focused.
• If your child doesn't do well in the morning, give them a snack and a few minutes to relax and practice right after school.
• Give your child a 5 minute warning before the practice session.
• Practice left until just before bed is a battle waiting to happen.
Create a successful practice environment.
• Practice in the same place every day.
• Remove visual and noise distractions, such as pets, siblings, television. If you choose not to answer the phone during a practice session, you are sending the message to your child that the session is important to you.
• Make sure the room is well lit.
• Keep the temperature around 70 degrees. A place that is too warm or stuffy will make you both sleepy and slow. A place that is too cold will cause fingers to hurt.
• Make sure the room smells nice. Studies have shown that an aromatic stimulus will enhance attentions levels, memory and cognitive learning. Pleasant smells such as cinnamon, cloves, or lemon help make practice a positive experience.
Set goals and break into bite-size pieces.
• Have a practice chart, so they can check off assignments and feel the accomplishment of getting things done.
• Tie the length of practice to a goal rather than a clock.
• Hold several small concerts each week…for a parent, neighbor, friends, or some favorite stuffed animals.
Make practice more fun and reward hard work. When possible, the music should be the reward, but this will likely not be enough to keep a young child motivated. You know your child best. Think of what delights him/her and introduce in it some way into a practice session.
• Video record a practice session and let them watch it.
• Hold an impromptu performance. Make up some programs and have each person take notes of a few things they liked.
• Have a puzzle where the child can place on piece of the puzzle after the completion of each assignment.
• Throw a basketball in a hoop after the completion of each assignment. Have a goal for how many baskets can be made by the end of the session.
• Play Simon Says.
• Roll a die for the number of repetitions. A 1 means roll again, and a 6 means the parent can choose any number from 2-5.
• Divide a piece into 5 sections. Roll a die to see which section to practice. (Do this several times.) A 6 means the whole piece should be performed.
• Create a grab bag with the names of pieces, or parts of pieces, and other assignments. Include a few fun surprises.
• Have your child guess the next song to practice by clapping the rhythm or playing/singing the first note.
• Use an abacus to count repetitions.
• Light several votive candles. (This creates a fun environment.) Allow your child to blow one out after each completed assignment.
• Set up a board game and take a turn after each completed assignment.
• Write daily assignments on sticky notes. Let child stick on wall in desired order, then take them down (or stick on you) when completed.
• Buy a practice candle. Light the candle and keep it burning while your child is practicing. Blow it out at the end of each session. When the candle is burned down to the bottom, the child earns a pre-determined prize.
• Using a paper and some markers/pencil, draw a part of a picture each time an assignment is completed. Let them guess what it is each time you draw a part. Once they guess it, you start a new picture.
• Same as above, but you play hangman and guess letters to complete a word or phrase.
• Use puppets to check posture or make suggestions.
• Let your child earn tickets to a musical performance.
• Use M&Ms or pom poms to fill a happy jar. They earn one M&M for each assignment they complete without complaining. They can eat the M&Ms at the end of the session or keep filling the jar until it is full for several lessons to earn a predetermined prize.
• Write your child's practice assignments on several small pieces of paper. Wrap the pieces of paper around pennies/nickels. The child unwraps the paper, completes the assignment and keeps the coin.
Suggested reading:
How to Get Your Child to Practice…Without Resorting to Violence!! By Cynthia Richards
___________________________________________________________________
Practice with your child (until the results are the same with or without you, around age 14).• Get an assigned number of repetitions for each practice spot in a piece from your teacher; students are typically more willing to do things for their teacher.
• Know when to suspend a practice session and walk away. Never argue with your child; it simply brings you down to the same level as the child. Walk away and try again later.
• Give your child choices…not about whether to practice, the time, or place…but anything else that might help them feel like they have some control of their practice.
• Offer specific, genuine praise.
• Create a story that goes along with each song.
Practice at the same time every day.
• Mornings are typically when everybody feels fresh and focused.
• If your child doesn't do well in the morning, give them a snack and a few minutes to relax and practice right after school.
• Give your child a 5 minute warning before the practice session.
• Practice left until just before bed is a battle waiting to happen.
Create a successful practice environment.
• Practice in the same place every day.
• Remove visual and noise distractions, such as pets, siblings, television. If you choose not to answer the phone during a practice session, you are sending the message to your child that the session is important to you.
• Make sure the room is well lit.
• Keep the temperature around 70 degrees. A place that is too warm or stuffy will make you both sleepy and slow. A place that is too cold will cause fingers to hurt.
• Make sure the room smells nice. Studies have shown that an aromatic stimulus will enhance attentions levels, memory and cognitive learning. Pleasant smells such as cinnamon, cloves, or lemon help make practice a positive experience.
Set goals and break into bite-size pieces.
• Have a practice chart, so they can check off assignments and feel the accomplishment of getting things done.
• Tie the length of practice to a goal rather than a clock.
• Hold several small concerts each week…for a parent, neighbor, friends, or some favorite stuffed animals.
Make practice more fun and reward hard work. When possible, the music should be the reward, but this will likely not be enough to keep a young child motivated. You know your child best. Think of what delights him/her and introduce in it some way into a practice session.
• Video record a practice session and let them watch it.
• Hold an impromptu performance. Make up some programs and have each person take notes of a few things they liked.
• Have a puzzle where the child can place on piece of the puzzle after the completion of each assignment.
• Throw a basketball in a hoop after the completion of each assignment. Have a goal for how many baskets can be made by the end of the session.
• Play Simon Says.
• Roll a die for the number of repetitions. A 1 means roll again, and a 6 means the parent can choose any number from 2-5.
• Divide a piece into 5 sections. Roll a die to see which section to practice. (Do this several times.) A 6 means the whole piece should be performed.
• Create a grab bag with the names of pieces, or parts of pieces, and other assignments. Include a few fun surprises.
• Have your child guess the next song to practice by clapping the rhythm or playing/singing the first note.
• Use an abacus to count repetitions.
• Light several votive candles. (This creates a fun environment.) Allow your child to blow one out after each completed assignment.
• Set up a board game and take a turn after each completed assignment.
• Write daily assignments on sticky notes. Let child stick on wall in desired order, then take them down (or stick on you) when completed.
• Buy a practice candle. Light the candle and keep it burning while your child is practicing. Blow it out at the end of each session. When the candle is burned down to the bottom, the child earns a pre-determined prize.
• Using a paper and some markers/pencil, draw a part of a picture each time an assignment is completed. Let them guess what it is each time you draw a part. Once they guess it, you start a new picture.
• Same as above, but you play hangman and guess letters to complete a word or phrase.
• Use puppets to check posture or make suggestions.
• Let your child earn tickets to a musical performance.
• Use M&Ms or pom poms to fill a happy jar. They earn one M&M for each assignment they complete without complaining. They can eat the M&Ms at the end of the session or keep filling the jar until it is full for several lessons to earn a predetermined prize.
• Write your child's practice assignments on several small pieces of paper. Wrap the pieces of paper around pennies/nickels. The child unwraps the paper, completes the assignment and keeps the coin.
Suggested reading:
How to Get Your Child to Practice…Without Resorting to Violence!! By Cynthia Richards
Welcome!!
Welcome to Fox's online studio!! I hope you find this a great resource for you and your family. I will post supplemental information here to assist in your music lessons. I will also post some games for the children to help reinforce what they are learning in their lessons. This summer we will be doing different units. I will ask you to come to this site often for a part of their lessons. You will also find various articles to help your child succeed in their musical journey.
Please leave me feed back of what you would like to see on here.
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