Free Music Holiday Activities
Monday, December 14, 2020 | Uncategorized
See the website https://www.alfred.com/blog/free-family-holiday-music-making-kit/?utm_source=silverpop&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Social_All_20201214_HolidayMusicMakingKit%20(1)&spMailingID=18206743&spUserID=NjQ5NDIyMTEzNzIS1&spJobID=2021231379&spReportId=MjAyMTIzMTM3OQS2 for free music making activities, from a recipe for Reindeer Chow to mazes and a crossword puzzle and Mad-Libs
Have fun!
Iowa Auditions Results
Saturday, December 12, 2020 | Uncategorized
Congratulations to these students who entered the Southwest Iowa District Auditions! They performed three pieces from memory for a judge and also took a theory test. Results may be found here: https://swimta.weebly.com/2020-swimta-results.html
Level A
Henry Conroy
Level B
Zander Ferguson
Braydon Fujan
Level D
Mari Fix
Level E
Dawson Dynek
Anna Renard
Ethan Riegsecker
Trouble Memorizing? Here are some Tips!
Monday, November 16, 2020 | Practice Assistance
A student texted me this question: “Do you have any tips on memorizing music?”
Here are some suggestions:
The best way to memorize is the same way you would go about eating an entire elephant: One bite at a time! So work in small sections, whether that is by measures, phrases, form sections, etc.
Use small Post-it Notes to cover up just a beat or two, then play the section (2-8 measures or so), including the tiny part that’s covered. If you are successful, cover another small part, not adjacent to the previous Post-It. Keep covering up parts until (nearly) the whole section is covered. Then close the score (the written music) and try playing that same small section completely by memory.
Upper level students could also look at The Piano Student’s Guide to Practicing and see the Index for “Memorization” and try some of those tips.
Caution: Be sure, when you are actually attempting to play from memory that the score is closed, or truly out of your vision. If you leave it open and just *try not to look* at it, some part of your brain says, “Well, I could peek if I had to.” But of course, that doesn’t happen when you’re performing for a judge. ;-)
