Archive for the 'parents' Category

Oct 12 2009

Here is what I’m sending to my instrumental parents this week.

Published by Ken Pendergrass under parents, resource shelf

Below is some information I’m sending out to my instrumenal parents this week. Maybe you’ll find it helpful…

Life after week one of Instrumental Music

Congratulations! You got the instrument, you got the book, and your kids managed to make it to their lessons this week. As a new instrumental parent, this is an awesome achievement…at my house, just getting the kids up and out the door dressed and fed is an achievement. You sent your kids to school with food, clothes AND an instrument in tow (even if you did bring it by school later in the day…)  BRAVO!!  Here are some practical ways you can help your child this week:

  • FLUTE PARENTS- holding the flute is tricky at first. You are bound to see all kinds of weird things and some confusion and frustration…remind your kids about these steps (refer to the pictures in the red book on p. 3): 1) before bringing the flute to your mouth, sit with proper posture in a straight back chair- feet on the floor, back straight, chest high, shoulders relaxed; 2) hold the flute “clarinet style” with the head joint resting on your left shoulder, and the foot joint on your left knee, right hand near the bottom and left near the top; 3) then without moving your head or shoulder, bring the flute up into position.  This last step is important: if you move your head or chin before bringing the flute up, you’ll get twisted.  The arms need to be up holding the flute…some new muscles will come into play. AND if making a sound isn’t happening right away- be patient!  Use your head joint only and use the “pretty” trick.
  • CLARINET PARENTS- putting the clarinet together is tricky. Time your kids on how fast they can put it together (use p. 3 in the red book to help…). Put cork grease on those corks to make it easier for little hands to put the parts together. After putting it together, getting the reed on the mouthpiece is a trick. The more they practice, the easier it gets. Even if they don’t blow any notes, putting it together with confidence and by themselves is important.
  • SAXOPHONE PARENTS- are you not amazed at how loud this instrument is? Before you invest in earplugs, make sure they can put the instrument together with confidence. Putting the reed on the mouthpiece is the trickiest part.  Use cork grease to make the mouthpiece easier to put on the neck joint. No puffy cheeks when playing! This will cut the volume down considerably. At have them sit with proper posture (see p. 3 in the red book) then adjust the neck strap. No droopy shoulders or humpback positions. If they look uncomfortable, the neck strap is probably not adjusted properly.
  • TRUMPET PARENTS-  I would suggest not taking the valves out of the trumpet to be oiled. They can be mixed up or put back in wrong making it impossible to blow the trumpet. The easiest way to oil valves is to turn the trumpet upside down and put ONE or TWO drops of valve oil in the hole at the bottom of the valve. Encourage your trumpet players to blow without puffy cheeks.
  • TROMBONE PARENTS- No puffy cheeks when playing. Use lots of air to get a good tone.
  • PERCUSSION PARENTS- Playing with an even tempo is important and using the right sticking is key. Let them show you how it’s done.

  • GUITAR PARENTS- ask your kids how to read a chord diagram. And for those of you that play guitar, don’t worry, we will be doing full chord shapes later on…

  • VIOLIN, CELLO PARENTS- many of your kids have been asking about using the bow. We introduce that in week 3 or so.  Right now, we want them to hold the instrument properly and pluck the string. The musical term for plucking the string is called pizzicato. Throw that word around at the dinner table.

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Apr 23 2008

Teaching students to be critical in a healthy way and taking it personally

Published by Ken Pendergrass under assesment, parents, practice, tips

The best part about being a musician is that you’ll never be perfect…there’s always something to learn. The worst part about being a musician is that you’ll never be perfect…there’s always something to learn.

Music lessons.

Over at mustech.net, Joe Pisano just returned from PMEA and posted the following sentiment he over heard from fellow music educators:

Students are given a trophy for everything they do. They expect to be rewarded for simply participating in something. It’s all part of the “I’m o.k., you’re o.k.” culture… I think it’s a “dumbing down” of the perception of excellence. This is why I am such an advocate of “getting beyond the four walls of your school and classroom”. Students in music MUST be exposed continually to people, groups, and ensembles that perform music excellently. Too often a student is told they are good at something (in our case -music) and they go through life under a false pretense. Encouragement is needed at all times to truly strive for “better”, BUT they must have a reference to what “BETTER” is! Don’t believe me on this one? Tune in to the auditions at American Idol.

 

How do we get our kids thinking about excellence? Or how do we teach our students to be realistic about their ability? When do we learn how to evaluate, change and grow as musicians? Can we be critical of our own performance as musicians, yet remain sane in the process?

All of this got me thinking about my teaching with beginning musicians, particularly instrumentalists. From day one in my classroom, I strive to create an environment where students can risk big, feel rewarded, and act responsibly. I believe this creates a framework for students to strive for excellence and honestly evaluate their progress.

From day one in the beginning group lesson, I introduce the concept of risk by insisting that everyone must feel safe when they perform for each other with some simple rules:

  • Play with courage.
  • Play with understanding.
  • Be patient with others and yourself.
  • Know you can ask for help at anytime.

As kids progress, they know they will be rewarded daily, weekly and monthly by:

  • Constant encouragement.
  • Being highlighted in “The Podcast of the Week”
  • Being chosen as a soloist in an upcoming concert.
  • Getting a medal or certificate at the end of the year for completing achievement lines.

These may not be new ideas to anyone in music education, but it’s the last “R” of responsibility that I think often gets overlooked in our teaching.

Let me try to explain by giving you a “sample” transcript of what you might hear during a lesson in my classroom:

T: Ok, who is ready to play for me #43 on page 10? This was your assignment for today’s lesson…

S: I’m ready!

T: All right. Lucy, please begin when you are ready…

[Lucy plays but doesn't quite get the rhythm right in the last measure...]

T: Thank you…now, did you play that without any mistakes?

S: No.

T: Good! That’s right. Where did you have a problem?

S: I think I made a mistake in the last measure…uh…with the counting?

T: Yes. That’s right. [addressing the rest of the class now..] The good news is she can now fix it…[with humor] or should we kick her out of the band? Of course not! How about this…does anyone have any tips for Lucy on how she can get the rhythm correct in that last measure?
-end transcript-

I really encourage my instrumental students to be honest and objective about their playing by constantly asking questions about what they are hearing and to immediately assess their performance with the help of others or by listening to recordings of their playing. I often make a big deal and applaud students when they can identify a mistake they have made after playing something. I say “if you can hear your mistakes, you can fix them.” This encourages them to take responsibility for their playing and growth as a musician. Assessment and especially self-assessment in instrumental music is a process of learning how to evaluate, reflect and change one’s practice.

How does this relate to kids understanding the difference between an excellent performance and something that is mediocre? If we can instill in our students from the very beginning that excellence is a journey, they will come to realize that the joy in learning to play an instrument, or sing, is akin to the first part of the quote at the top of this post: “The best part about being a musician is that you’ll never be perfect…” and the journey never ends.

It’s our job as music educators to give them the proper tools and perspective for the journey. Let me know how you make that happen with your students.

5 responses so far