Literature For Musicians From Young To Old

Looking for some good literature to help you with your music studies?  Here are some resource books that you might find interesting.

*How To Get Your Child To Practice without Resorting To Violence by Cynthia V. Richards

*Nurtured By Love by Shinichi Suzuki

*Music Theory For Children by Michiko Yurko

*Ready-To-Use Music Activities Kit by Audrey J. Adair

*Winning Rhythms by Edward L. Ayola

*Mommy, Can We Practice Now? by M. Marie Parkinson

*Great Composers And Their Music by Audrey J. Adair

*Stories Of Composers For Young Musicians by Catherine Wolff Kendall

*Women Making Music Edited by Jane Bowers and Judith Tick 

  (there are many authors for the different sections of this book)

*A Coloring Book Of Great Composers with text by David Brownell and art by Nancy Conkle

*Complete Handbook Of Music Games And Activities For Early Childhood by Margaret Athey 

  and Gwen Hotchkiss

*All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum 

  (this is not really a music resource but it speaks to common sense

   learning and teaching dynamics)

  

If any of these titles pique your interest, you may read a synopsis of them online in such places as Google and Amazon.  Your local library is always a treasure trove of books and information, of course, as well as local book stores.

This Holiday Season

Just a reminder to be proactive in taking in all of the holiday music this year.  It's always good to have your classical public radio station on in the background wherever you are.  We are so fortunate to have commercial free public radio that plays the classics of the musical world as well as new compositions in all genres--orchestral, chamber, and vocal.  Remember to check your local paper for family concerts which often are reasonably priced or free.  Just to be able to have your family attend one or two shows is such a holiday gift in itself.  Live music really is best!

Happy Holidays To You And Yours From The Music Child Program

Another Type Of Chamber Music

There are many types/labels/styles of chamber music.  The first type that may come to mind is the string quartet that plays mostly classical music.  Maybe someone else would think of the piano trio which consists of piano, violin, and cello and perhaps plays works by Haydn, Mozart, and Schubert.

There are many genres of chamber music one of which is jazz.  You may have seen jazz trios, quartets, quintets, big bands, and the like.  These groups tend to perform at hotels, business events, and wedding receptions as well as jazz clubs.  It's lovely that the different types of chamber music groups have many venues in which to perform.

Here is my jazz duo's new CD, "Our Favorite Things".  We are SchubertDahlMusic and my guitarist friend, Bryon Dahl, accompanies me when I play jazz on my flute.  We are definitely a chamber group and manage to play a diverse repertoire.  Bryon has a double role of being accompaniment and bass while I play the melodies of wonderful jazz standards on flute.

If you'd like to hear samples of our music, you could go to www.SchubertDahlMusic.com.  It may very well be that you will be inspired to find some of this music and play it, too!

Enjoying Chamber Music With Other Musicians

You or your child may decide it is time to begin playing some chamber music which translates to you playing your instrument with other musicians playing their instruments.  Perhaps you've been learning to play piano and there is a desire to be more collaborative with other musicians.  There are so many creative ways to make music with other instrumentalists!  Here are some ensemble groupings that you may want to try and arrange depending upon what instrument you/your child plays:  Flute and Violin;  Violin, Viola, and Cello;  Banjo and Mandolin;  Accordion and Washboard;  Guitar, Bass, Drums, Voice;  Ukulele and Bass;  Violin, Guitar, and Bass;  Flute and Clarinet;  Trumpet and Trombone;  Violin and Piano (really any instrument works with piano!).  Well, you get the idea.  Really any ensemble could "work".  In regard to finding music for your unique ensemble, the sky is the limit when you use the search engine on your PC, laptop, or smart phone.  There are many sites that sell sheet music and, of course, many publishers of music.  Don't forget to support your local music store, too.  It can be a bonding experience for you and your child to make a visit to the music store in town and peruse sheet music and books.  If you are currently taking private lessons, it would be a great idea to consult your teacher about the ensemble groupings and types of music available.

Happy Halloween!

Here are some ideas for having musical fun during the Halloween festivities!

 

* Use scarves or handkerchiefs to make "ghosts" that sway back and forth to music

 

* Write a happy ghost story for the children and incorporate songs or music that you like 

 

* Listen to sounds from the season: Owls, Doors squeaking, or anything else that is appropriate to the age group (you may find sounds on CD's available from your local library or you may download from other sources online such as ITunes and Amazon)

 

*Here is a great Halloween song that young children like to sing:

(Use the melody from "The Wheels On The Bus")

 

The witches and their cats sing

Hee, hee, hee!

Hee, hee, hee!

Hee, hee, hee!

The witches and their cats sing

Hee, hee, hee!

We love Halloween!

 

The ghosts and the goblins sing

Boo, boo, boo!

Boo, boo, boo!

Boo, boo, boo!

The ghosts and the goblins sing

Boo, boo, boo!

We love Halloween!

 

We knock on the door and say

Trick or Treat!

Trick or Treat!

Trick or Treat!

We knock on the door and say

Trick or Treat!

We love Halloween!

 

 

 

 

 



Storytelling With Instruments Part II

Rhythm Sticks Make A Colorful Campfire

It's very fun to have the children sit around a pretend campfire when there is a story being told.  I usually wait until the last ten minutes of class and then we make a sitting circle around a pile of red rhythm sticks, maracas, tone blocks, or whatever you have handy. (a small parachute even works!)

The story of the day may be a friendly ghost story, a story about an animal or child but whatever it is, I make sure and have appropriate sound effects instruments incorporated into the script.  As I mentioned in the other storytelling post, I'll use a maraca for a rattlesnake, a tone block for a horse galloping, a cowbell to signify the cows in a pasture, etcetera.  If there is a rainstorm, I ask the children to help me with the sounds of gentle rain, thunder, lightning, and then making a large circle with their arms over their heads to indicate that the sun has come back out. 

Another popular story has been a story about courtesy and manners and the children love to help me out by saying "please" and "thank you" on cue during the story.

Another option would be singing together around the campfire.  We've had a lot of fun singing camp songs like "On Top Of Spaghetti".

The learning points in this exercise are listening, focus, singing/reciting together, and enjoying the age old entertainment of story telling.

Playing With Pain--Don't Do It



A Humorous Look At Playing With Pain



As you travel along on your musical journey, you may notice that certain areas of your body are starting to hurt as you practice.  This soreness is a "red flag" and you should deal with it immediately.

More importantly, if there is pain for your child when practicing, talk to the music teacher right away.  Your child's music teacher may not have noticed a leaning posture or a wrist position that is slightly off.  Pianists often develop pain somewhere in the neck or upper/lower back.  If your teacher is not able to help you alleviate the pain through better body ergonomics, a trip to the doctor would be in order.  Many of you see physician's assistants and chiropractors and that, too, would be a great next step.

If you are a practicing adult student or performer, after making sure that your body is in the right position for playing your instrument and there is still pain, you should also see a doctor, physician's assistant, or the like for any pain in your neck, hands, fingers, legs, etcetera.  Adults may also find that practicing yoga, Pilates, or just plain old stretching helps limber up sensitive areas of the body before practicing and that will disperse the pain.

As many of you know, there are now specialists that treat musicians and athletes for specific kinds of pain in the body related to the playing of instruments and athletic training.  Please do not hesitate to contact these people for counsel and help.

Memorization

Does the word memorization strike a chord of fear in you?  Or, are you one of the lucky people who are able to easily memorize words, numbers, and music?  If you are not one of those lucky people, there is no reason to fear memorizing your music.  Some of us like to use the phrase, "You could eat an airplane if you broke it down into very small pieces".  That translates to: memorize in small amounts, such as measures or phrases.  It is also very helpful to have good recordings of the song or piece you are memorizing and to be listening to the recordings.  If you are a Suzuki student or parent, you know that having a digital device in different rooms of the house as well as your car is a great idea because you can flick a switch wherever you are and whatever you are doing and hear the piece you are memorizing.  This is a language approach to learning and the listening reinforces the memorizing plus you have the bonus of listening to lovely music all the time.

If you are the parent of a young music student and assignments for that child include memorizing, you may be able to help your child by being supportive in subtle ways.  Encouraging your child verbally is very important and I've mentioned in other postings that if you're able to choose words that are honest and specific, those are the best.  For instance, "Good work on getting that second phrase memorized today!"  Or, "I heard you working on repeating the ending to that song and it is sounding great!"  Also, if you are able to stay in that area of the house while your child is practicing (if you are a Suzuki parent, you will actually be involved in the practice session with your child), most children like the fact that you care enough to stick around and listen to them.  An even better action from the parent is if you give them your undivided attention and listening ears.

Memorizing is like any other activity: it gets easier with practice.  So, the sooner the better to get listening and practicing to start the momentum of this fabulous asset.  Once again, the study of music translates in a positive way to other areas in your life or your child's life.  Memorizing is a great way to keep a brain active as well as helping younger students work on words, numbers, and formulas.

Don't Forget To Applaude Your Progress

We often are too critical of ourselves when we are trying to learn a musical piece.  We think we should be learning faster and that it should be easier than it is.

One technique that may help you overcome these negative feelings is to simply take a few minutes or a bit of time out of your schedule to watch some old performances of you or your children.  Often when we or they see how far we've come on our musical journey, we can be more gentle on ourselves and remember we really have made progress.  So, don't forget to keep making videos!

Helpful Hints When Learning A Song, Etude, Study, or Piece

* Try to prioritize the tough spots you need to master and break the song into segments.
   Then, practice the segments one at a time

* Use a metronome at a slow tempo to evenly learn the piece

*  Here's a trick that the professionals use for learning a tough measure or phrase:

    Practice one measure and stop.  Practice the next measure and stop.  You get the idea. 

The picture at the top of this posting is one of Wynton Marsalis, famous trumpet player who was born and raised in New Orleans.  He embodies the work ethic and stamina that being a musician demands as well as the joy of sharing his teaching and expertise.  He's worth a Google search to remind you why you are taking this journey.

   

Another Way To Enjoy Music With Your Preschooler



Here is another fun music game to play with two or more preschoolers.  I got this idea from the book:
Music Games and Activities For Early Childhood by Margaret Athey and Gwen Hotchkiss.

Have some music ready to play either on piano or a CD that is played on your CD player.  Digital devices will work, too, if you have a speaker that will enhance/amplify the sound. Then, make up a scenario such as one child gets to be the mouse and the other child gets to be the cat.  Next, if you are playing the piano, play some medium tempo music in the treble part of the piano and tell the child playing the part of the mouse that the music you are playing now is when they will act like a mouse.  You may be the one to decide just what that behavior will be!  Maybe the mouse will scurry around looking for cheese or maybe they'll just be a dancing mouse staying in a small area of the room.  When you change the music that you are playing on the piano to a slow song played in the bass part of the piano, that means the mouse has to suddenly go into a crouch position on the floor because the low music means the child playing the part of the cat is active now.  The cat can only move slowly because the music is slow but the cat is allowed to come up to the mouse and look hungrily at the mouse, although no touching is allowed.  You may want to have a boundary like a piece of tape on the floor or a piece of furniture in the way so the cat won't be tempted to touch the mouse.  Then, you should change the music back to the more upbeat song in the treble part of the piano which is a cue for the cat to go back to the area they were originally in and the mouse can move again.  Repeat as many times as you like and the children may switch roles, too.

If you are using a CD player or digital device, you'll need to have two contrasting songs ready to toggle back and forth so the mouse will know when to move and crouch and the cat will know when to wait and move.

Some suggestions of music to play when the mouse is moving might be:  Golliwog's Cakewalk by Debussy; any upbeat movement of the Nutcracker Suite; any upbeat/up tempo piece by Mozart, Haydn, Bach, Beethoven, or Brahms.

Some suggestions of music to play when the cat is moving might be:  Horn Concerto #2, Andante Movement, by Mozart;  New World Symphony, Largo Movement, by Dvorak; any slower movement or piece by Mozart, Haydn, Bach, Beethoven, or Brahms.

Of course, it's perfectly fine to use pop or any ethnic music you like.  Irish music works well for this activity and jazz works nicely, too.

The reason this activity for young children is musically helpful to the child is because it incorporates focus, listening, creativity, coordination, and cooperation.  I guarantee that everyone will have fun in the process!

Creating Your Personal Repertoire

Some music educators feel it's important to have a playable repertoire ready to play at a moment's notice. Why do we feel this way?

The reason it is important to have a repertoire ready to play (even if the repertoire is Mary Had A Little Lamb and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) is because it is satisfying to the player as well as any listener; and in addition, it keeps the player motivated to continue learning new music.  Think about it--if you've been studying architecture, baseball stats, finance, ballet, or any other activity, the more you build upon your foundation of knowledge, the more excited you are to keep studying.  In music, the way we keep our repertoire list fresh and ready to play, is by reviewing the pieces we've already learned.

 

Reviewing Repertoire

Enjoy the repetition of your songs that you've worked so hard to learn by choosing one or two pieces to review each time you practice.

Notice how you glide right over that fingering that used to be difficult and can direct your thoughts to the phrasing and musicality of the piece.

Luxuriate in the wholeness and beauty of the music.  You have earned the privilege of conveying the composer's wishes because you've mastered the technique of the piece.

If you are helping a child review their pieces, the above concepts will be second nature to them.  Watch as they musically blossom after reviewing their songs over many months and years.

Adult Music Students



Are you an adult music student?  Or, are you thinking of dusting off your old instrument and starting to play again?  What a good idea!

As you know, learning how to play an instrument has so many benefits.  Not only does playing an instrument focus your mind away from all the cares of the world, it fosters your creativity in all aspects of your life.  After you start practicing, you may notice a new calm in your daily awareness, too.  Maybe you will take a different approach with that problem at work.  You will probably be more cheerful as you go about your day and week.  As with children studying music, your focus and attention will be enhanced because you've been cultivating the two during your practice sessions.

Don't forget to have your instrument cleaned up or repaired if it's been awhile since you've played it.  Many music stores offer a repair service or are able to refer you to someone that may help you get it back in good shape.

Invite yourself into the wonderful world of music!

Practicing For A Performance

                    

Sometimes we or our children have a recital or another kind of performance coming up in the future.  You may want to change your thinking about practicing, at least until the performance is over.

Here are some tips for getting ready for a performance:

 

* Spend a litte more time (5 - 30 minutes depending upon your age and ability) warming up with tone and technique exercises. These are the basics for musical performance and offer a foundation of support from which to emote. This may mean spending a bit less time practicing new repertoire and other exercises; but, you may put those "on hold" until after the performance.

* Visualize the performance. Many athletes use this technique to get ready for a game or competition. Close your eyes and imagine the room or recital hall, see yourself sitting in the auditorium getting ready to play, or backstage behind the curtains. Feel yourself walking on stage and taking in the atmosphere--there may be audience members moving, whispering, etc. What will it feel like to take that first breath or strike that first chord?

* Play this simple game while practicing your performance pieces: Start out playing your piece from the beginning but stop suddenly and wait 5 - 10 seconds. Then, start playing again exactly where you left off. Stop again in another random place in the piece and wait 5 - 10 seconds. Start playing again exactly where you left off. This game helps with concentrating/focusing and also helps psychologically reassure you that you would be able to go on playing if you were to make a mistake while performing.

* Remember that the composer of your performance piece wrote it so that you could play it and give others the gift of his or her piece. And, here's hoping it will bring you great joy, as well.

While some of these tips are rather sophisticated and wouldn't be appropriate for a young child, you may draw upon the tips that would work for you and your child.

Good luck!

 

Repetition

What is your response to the word repetition?  Many Americans have a disdain for the action of repeating something.  Whether it be memorizing for a test, flossing teeth everyday, or practicing a phrase in a piece of music, we tend to equate repetition with boredom.  Not all cultures view repetition this way and that is apparent when we compare our children's test scores in this country to test scores in other countries. 

What if we use some psychology when we help our children learn the repetition of tasks and studying?  Shinichi Suzuki, the great Japanese teacher, observed that small children love to repeat words; that they love to learn their "mother tongue".  No matter what country or culture, children love to learn and repeat over and over, the sounds of their language.  And what do the parents of these children do?  They delight, they exclaim, they encourage, they affirm these children as they are learning.  It really is as simple as that.

Benefits Of  Repetition In Music

*It leads to a gateway of understanding a piece of music.  Once the student gets beyond the technical aspects and hurdles, they are free to interpret and creatively soar

*The act of practicing repetition of fingerings, measures, phrases easily translates to other forms of repetition--whether studying for a test or learning a different language

*Because the brain and the body are engaged, the student's right brain is communicating with the left brain

 

 Tips For Practicing and Enjoying Repetition

*Walking around the house while repeating a phrase or song on your instrument.  Bathrooms are a really fun place to play because of acoustics

* Set a number goal of repetitions before you begin practicing--this is much like counting the number of jumps while jump roping.  Then, when accomplishing the number goal, yell, "yay for me!"
* Use an abacus to move a stone over the wire everytime a repetition is made.  It's pleasing to touch the stone and hear it move
 

 Please remember as your children learn to play their instrument, learn to read music, learn to count music, you must always encourage them, in a specific and honest way.



Storytelling With Instruments

 

Listening and Interacting



Here's a fun idea for kids of all ages.  Tell a story in a musical way by using maracas, triangles, cowbells, rainsticks, etc.  You or someone else may write an original story or maybe you will just want to use a story from a well loved book. (i.e. The Ugly Duckling,  The Three Little Pigs)  Depending on the age of the children, you alone may want to use the instruments while you are reading the story; or, if the kids are able to listen, wait, and then play the instruments when cued, they may play the instruments, as well.

Some of the original stories I've written involved rattlesnakes (maracas), ponies galloping (tone blocks), and rain (rainsticks).  Kids also enjoy the interaction of helping tell the story by laughing on cue, calling for a lost child in the story, and cheering on the hero.

Have fun, stay on the beat, and keep it musical!



Activities For Young Children While Listening To Classical Music

You may find yourself in the position of needing some ideas while working/playing/teaching young children. 

Here is an article I wrote for the Minnesota Public Radio website in early March of 2015.  It's rather long so I'll just post the link so you may read it at your leisure!

www.classicalmpr.org/story/2015/03/02/activities-children-classical-music

Keeping The Enthusiasm For Playing Your Instrument







  Whether you are helping a youngster learn a musical instrument or are trying to learn to play one yourself, there may be times where you wonder if it's worth it.  Sometimes it is just plain old difficult to get excited and revved up about practicing.  This is an age old problem and no musician, amateur or professional, is exempt from this feeling.  How can one stay positive and enthusiastic about consistently practicing?

• Music is infectious in a good way so make sure and have lots of it playing on your radio, mobile device, and videos.  Your choice and/or your child's choice of music in the air will always remind you of why you are pursuing playing an instrument
• Don't forget to allow yourself and family the luxury of live music--whether it's a concert, musical, or opera
• Remember to congratulate your kiddo and yourself on all the progress you've made.  In this day and age it's easy to turn on old videos/DVD's to compare your playing in the past years compared to now.  The encouragement of comparison is so helpful as well as the humor of seeing old hairstyles and clothes styles from your younger years
• Rome was not built in a day.  There is no reason to put pressure on your child or yourself to over-practice just because you somehow think you should practice a certain amount of time.  Joyful practice, once started in your practice session, has momentum to keep you practicing all the music you love, so let that be your guide.  When it's no longer pleasurable that day or you have other responsibilities to attend to, please give yourself a pat on the back and be done
• Similar to what is going on in this picture: talk to other students, parents, friends, teachers about feeling unenthusiastic about practicing.  Ask them what they do when they are not feeling excited about practicing

Keeping It Positive During Your Musical Journey

 

 

Here are some positive words for encouraging your children:

 

• Good job!
• Nice concentrating/focusing
• Terrific tone
• Sure enjoyed hearing you practice today
• That song is sounding better and better
• I'm proud of you
• Your technique is so clean
• Hearing you play made my day!

Focus, Pitch, Tone, Coordination, Cooperation, Memorization

What?  Music teaches us all of these assets?  Yes, indeed.

Focus
Look at the face and demeanor of each of these young musicians.  There is no question that they are focusing

Pitch
When a student is taking music lessons, their sense of pitch gets better everytime.  Music teachers take care to sing in tune, play in tune, and to consistently ask/help their students to play in tune

Tone
Beautiful tone is imperative no matter which instrument is played upon!  Again, music teachers take care to model beautiful tone and teach their students how to play with the best tone

Coordination
Every instrument is different in its challenges to play with seamless coordination.  Imagine the physical differences between playing a tuba and a violin! 

Cooperation
Whether it be a duo or a full band/orchestra, cooperation between players is imperative to expressing the music

Memorization
Blake Shelton, The Beatles, Maria Carey, Sarah Vaughn, Louis Armstrong, The Black Keys, Miles Davis, Nirvana, and many other artists must memorize their music:  where they will breathe or pause, and any other detail(i.e. where the pyrotechnics will come in, dance steps)in order to perform well


Imagine all the ways these assets lend themselves to your child's life.