Between A Rock and a Hard Place

   Occasionally, we can find ourselves held hostage to a series of unfortunate events. Summer is an up and down time for piano practice and the lesson following a vacation period can be rough. Combine a reluctant child with a time crunch and you have three people between a rock and hard place.

   There is a child who refuses to come to the piano, a parent who is trying her best to change the mood, and a teacher waiting to see what transpires, all three in very vulnerable places. As the child digs in with more determination, all wait to see if the tipping point will come before the lesson is over. Ninety-nine percent of the time the child complies and the teacher takes over. At that point, improvisation on the black keys is a balm for frazzled nerves. Our child has been fighting the moment of truth when she will undoubtably, in her mind, fail to play her pieces correctly. Having the whole keyboard of blacks to call home she can relax and find the real reason she wants to play piano; to make music.
   Bring some fun into summer lessons by reviewing favorites and when it's time to really work on a piece, play some games.
 

 
  Grab a prop, like domino pieces and for every time they play a section of their piece, correctly, they can set another domino. At the end the fun is watching them fall. Happy summer practicing!

Drop A Note

   "Why should I play it again?" That is a question I have not yet found a good answer to for my 5-6 year olds. But I have a few games to make playing it again more fun. Previously, on another post, I featured the IN-OUT game and today it is time to reveal the game DROP A NOTE.

    I ask the student to choose a note in their song that they will not play and I play it on my keyboard, or on my i-pad, and I often use a crazy sound which makes us both laugh hysterically. On the next turn I choose a note, one that is used infrequently, to make them play more of the song. The goal is to keep the song flowing nicely and in the right tempo. Works like a charm!

The In and Out Game

  This is the first post in a series entitled "Why Should I Play It Again?" As teachers we all know that children, and adults for that matter, don't always want to play a piece again. They know we are going to try to fix something and it will mean re-learning. I have a game which I suggest before I say anything else.
   "Let's play the in-out game. You play the first line and then you jump out of playing and I come in right where you left off. On the third line you jump back in and play. We will continue this way through the whole piece. The object of the game is to make the piece sound like only one person is playing. Follow the music carefully and prepare to jump in."

 
This game often fixes irregular rhythm, wrong notes, and incorrect phrasing. I am spared the explanation of what is going wrong and we both have fun playing. I always play it again so that we play the alternative lines as well. Do you do any games with the object of playing the piece again?