4th - 7th days of the CT ABRSM is over. In this 2nd stretch of the course, I am reminded that I need to work on my music knowledge, teachnique of playing and work on the lesson plans for teaching.
2 weeks ago, the three groups of teaching I have done was a learning experience for me. For the 5-7years old and 8-11 years old, to get them to participate in the activities requires not much "Co-ercing" . It was tougher for the 12-15 years old, they were far too shy to response and interact with the peers.
That does not conclude that group lesson is not suitable for the 12-15 years old. They were still participarting and responding but sheepishly. They were observing intently at their peers through the session.
For the 5-7 years old, the Steps and Skips Game took almost 1 hour to complete. Though from half way through the game most were quite sure how to recognise a step and a skip, the game is taking up too much time. I have done some amendments to the game to ensure a player can reach the finishing point at a shorter time.
At the end of most of the sessions, an interview was taken on the video with students sharing their thoughts about the session.
My plans for the next 5 years is to invest in digital pianos and focus on group teaching .
Monday, June 20, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Group Teaching - June 2011
Today's group lesson was great . Each time I teach a group, I gained confidence and insights.
Though working with only one upright piano and an electone, the group of 8 students learnt a great deal learrning Bizet's Toreador Song. I like the approach that student learn a new piece of music through listening. Today students were asked to listen out for the key, melodic patterns, dynamics, style etc of the piece.
As they tried to unscramble a cut up pieces of the music, they were motivated to read the music and hear it in their head in order to piece them in order. I love this part which it really works - the score was more than theoretical notes but they were able to hear the music in themselves.
Learning to play the piece could be more directive. Getting them to work out the piece was not too successful. The music could be study as a group in phrase and assign one to play just parts of it - probably all the interval 3rds , all rhythmic pattern one or melodic pattern 2 etc. The whole piece could have been well studied before they do their homework to play the piece before the next group lesson .
Well done. Keep going !
Though working with only one upright piano and an electone, the group of 8 students learnt a great deal learrning Bizet's Toreador Song. I like the approach that student learn a new piece of music through listening. Today students were asked to listen out for the key, melodic patterns, dynamics, style etc of the piece.
As they tried to unscramble a cut up pieces of the music, they were motivated to read the music and hear it in their head in order to piece them in order. I love this part which it really works - the score was more than theoretical notes but they were able to hear the music in themselves.
Learning to play the piece could be more directive. Getting them to work out the piece was not too successful. The music could be study as a group in phrase and assign one to play just parts of it - probably all the interval 3rds , all rhythmic pattern one or melodic pattern 2 etc. The whole piece could have been well studied before they do their homework to play the piece before the next group lesson .
Well done. Keep going !
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Everyday is a learning
Yesterday, teaching Wen En was joyful. He is 6 but yet he knows how to express himself well. Full of confidence. He shows interest in The Can Can and even wanted sister to teach him.
Chatting with Wanyu was fun though she took a while to warm up and was still so soft spoken.
I was going through the grade 5 piece by Bach ( c'mon remember the piece's name ) and was showing Vivien the E minor arpeggio pattern . The next lesson with Cherlynn I realised that the LH phrase before and after the arpeggio is of the same melodic pattern starting on a different key.
One thing about teaching adult is reassurance of "you can do it " . Adult's mindset is full of " I cannot do this " .
Our lifestyle need a radical change. We need to reflect upon ourselves daily and think about how we can live a better tomorrow.
Chatting with Wanyu was fun though she took a while to warm up and was still so soft spoken.
I was going through the grade 5 piece by Bach ( c'mon remember the piece's name ) and was showing Vivien the E minor arpeggio pattern . The next lesson with Cherlynn I realised that the LH phrase before and after the arpeggio is of the same melodic pattern starting on a different key.
One thing about teaching adult is reassurance of "you can do it " . Adult's mindset is full of " I cannot do this " .
Our lifestyle need a radical change. We need to reflect upon ourselves daily and think about how we can live a better tomorrow.
Something need to be done
As the assignment and lesson observation deadline draws near, Quick Study, journal and many other things are put aside. I must plan well and keep reviewing my plans to improve how I manage.
Teaching is fun and rewarding at times. Frustration is part and parcel of it when dealing with the "uncontrollable" .
Keep on doing. Be like the persistent widow in Luke 18.
Teaching is fun and rewarding at times. Frustration is part and parcel of it when dealing with the "uncontrollable" .
Keep on doing. Be like the persistent widow in Luke 18.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
The sky is never always blue
Indeed things will not always be "fine" .
Things are not going on as well this week. Children's school examinations is one of the factor. Progress of CT assignments , projects etc is pulling me apart.
Things are not going on as well this week. Children's school examinations is one of the factor. Progress of CT assignments , projects etc is pulling me apart.
Practice , Prepare , Plan
Teaching Diary 2011 ( May 6, 2011)
Keep on practicing, prepare and plan.
It is rewarding to be hardworking. The regular practice on Grade 6 pieces has certainly built up my piano technique. Stamina is built, fingers agility has improved a little and most of the “difficult” pieces has become manageable. Constant practicing the piano is like fresh water. It refreshes the passion for music and teaching. It is definitely not the only element to make me a better teacher but it helps me not to backslide.
Professional insight is important for me. Today I read the Teaching Notes on the Piece by Edward Grieg and was taken aback by the challenge of the pedal works involved. I did not expect that. It goes to show that a teacher needs to plan and study what she is going to teach and be well prepared. Indeed fail to plan, plan to fail. Though it is not easy to plan, but it is a vital part of teaching.
As I start to plan, more ideas tend to fall in place. Sometimes when I plan or record my lesson, I begin to realize which area I can improve on. Take for example I started planning my lesson using the format attached in the book The Music Teachers’ Companion written by Paul Harris and Richard Crozier. After using the template for a few student, I came up with another format whereby 4 lessons can be input on a sheet and progress of the student is visibly recorded. The new format consists of specific areas like scales, technique, repertoire, aural, sight-reading, improvisation, composition and theory. As I began to teach in the simultaneous style, I would like a clear plan and record of what is taught specifically in each area.
Keep on practicing, prepare and plan.
It is rewarding to be hardworking. The regular practice on Grade 6 pieces has certainly built up my piano technique. Stamina is built, fingers agility has improved a little and most of the “difficult” pieces has become manageable. Constant practicing the piano is like fresh water. It refreshes the passion for music and teaching. It is definitely not the only element to make me a better teacher but it helps me not to backslide.
Professional insight is important for me. Today I read the Teaching Notes on the Piece by Edward Grieg and was taken aback by the challenge of the pedal works involved. I did not expect that. It goes to show that a teacher needs to plan and study what she is going to teach and be well prepared. Indeed fail to plan, plan to fail. Though it is not easy to plan, but it is a vital part of teaching.
As I start to plan, more ideas tend to fall in place. Sometimes when I plan or record my lesson, I begin to realize which area I can improve on. Take for example I started planning my lesson using the format attached in the book The Music Teachers’ Companion written by Paul Harris and Richard Crozier. After using the template for a few student, I came up with another format whereby 4 lessons can be input on a sheet and progress of the student is visibly recorded. The new format consists of specific areas like scales, technique, repertoire, aural, sight-reading, improvisation, composition and theory. As I began to teach in the simultaneous style, I would like a clear plan and record of what is taught specifically in each area.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
How to learn Fugue - Music Teachers Helper
How To Learn Any Fugue in 5 Easy Steps
May 3rd, 2011 by Chris Foley
Part of the wonder and frustration of playing fugues lies in the sheer complexity of playing with only two hands a contrapuntal composition that most of the time contains at least 3 moving voices. We need to line up each moment of the composition, divide the voices between our two hands (often with bizarre fingerings) and at the same time hear the melodic direction of every one of the voices, which are most of the time doing completely independent things.
This mental and musical multitasking can be a sizable mountain to climb for younger pianists making their first acquaintance with the form, so it’s important to have a clear order of battle when learning one of these beasts, whether for the first time or the forty-eighth.
Here’s how I learn a fugue and how I teach others to learn one:
1. Play through the entire fugue at the first sitting. That’s right. Dig right in and get the darned thing learned, mistakes and all. Write in some fingerings if you need to, figure out which hand is playing what, and get to the end in one session. It usually takes an hour or so, and if you end up crawling away from the piano afterwards to cry into a plate of chocolate chip cookies or play World of Warcraft for the rest of the evening, that’s okay.
2. Spend more time learning fingerings, articulations, division of the hands, and getting fluent. Working at the entire texture, get the nuts and bolts of the piece worked out so that you can play it tolerably well.
3. Learn each voice individually. You don’t need to play with either the same fingerings or even the same hand that you played with in step 2. You just need to be able to hear the voice, its musical shape, where the phrase is going, and how you want to play it. Do this for every single voice in the fugue. Think of it like individual members of a choir going home and learning their parts before the next rehearsal.
4. Learn each combination of voices. Once you’ve learned the individual voices, it’s time to put them together in every possible subset of voices. Yes, every single one. That means for a 3-voice fugue (with soprano, alto, and bass parts) you’ll play SA, SB, and TB. For a 4-voice fugue (with soprano, alto, tenor, and bass parts) you’ll play SA, ST, SB, AT, AB, TB, SAT, SAB, and ATB. For 5-voice fugues it gets even more complex, but do every single combination and you’ll really know what you’re doing.
5. Put the entire fugue together again. Now is where it helps to have done some accurate work in step 2. However, when you put all the voices back again, the experience of having spent time learning the voices individually and in combination will completely change the experience of playing the fugue, as well as what you’re able to comprehend. By now, you should have a sense of whether this is a stretto or episodic fugue (or combination thereof), as well as how each voice has its own character in relation to the others.
After step 5, you’ll be ready to do even more technical, musical, or analytical work with your interpretation thus far. Or you can go back to step 3 again and practice the individual lines again. At any rate, you will have already done the toughest work regarding how to wrap your fingers and brain around what can be some of the most wonderful, complex, frustrating, and glorious music in the repertoire.
May 3rd, 2011 by Chris Foley
Part of the wonder and frustration of playing fugues lies in the sheer complexity of playing with only two hands a contrapuntal composition that most of the time contains at least 3 moving voices. We need to line up each moment of the composition, divide the voices between our two hands (often with bizarre fingerings) and at the same time hear the melodic direction of every one of the voices, which are most of the time doing completely independent things.
This mental and musical multitasking can be a sizable mountain to climb for younger pianists making their first acquaintance with the form, so it’s important to have a clear order of battle when learning one of these beasts, whether for the first time or the forty-eighth.
Here’s how I learn a fugue and how I teach others to learn one:
1. Play through the entire fugue at the first sitting. That’s right. Dig right in and get the darned thing learned, mistakes and all. Write in some fingerings if you need to, figure out which hand is playing what, and get to the end in one session. It usually takes an hour or so, and if you end up crawling away from the piano afterwards to cry into a plate of chocolate chip cookies or play World of Warcraft for the rest of the evening, that’s okay.
2. Spend more time learning fingerings, articulations, division of the hands, and getting fluent. Working at the entire texture, get the nuts and bolts of the piece worked out so that you can play it tolerably well.
3. Learn each voice individually. You don’t need to play with either the same fingerings or even the same hand that you played with in step 2. You just need to be able to hear the voice, its musical shape, where the phrase is going, and how you want to play it. Do this for every single voice in the fugue. Think of it like individual members of a choir going home and learning their parts before the next rehearsal.
4. Learn each combination of voices. Once you’ve learned the individual voices, it’s time to put them together in every possible subset of voices. Yes, every single one. That means for a 3-voice fugue (with soprano, alto, and bass parts) you’ll play SA, SB, and TB. For a 4-voice fugue (with soprano, alto, tenor, and bass parts) you’ll play SA, ST, SB, AT, AB, TB, SAT, SAB, and ATB. For 5-voice fugues it gets even more complex, but do every single combination and you’ll really know what you’re doing.
5. Put the entire fugue together again. Now is where it helps to have done some accurate work in step 2. However, when you put all the voices back again, the experience of having spent time learning the voices individually and in combination will completely change the experience of playing the fugue, as well as what you’re able to comprehend. By now, you should have a sense of whether this is a stretto or episodic fugue (or combination thereof), as well as how each voice has its own character in relation to the others.
After step 5, you’ll be ready to do even more technical, musical, or analytical work with your interpretation thus far. Or you can go back to step 3 again and practice the individual lines again. At any rate, you will have already done the toughest work regarding how to wrap your fingers and brain around what can be some of the most wonderful, complex, frustrating, and glorious music in the repertoire.
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