Wednesday, April 22, 2020 by Karina Capp | 2020 Term updates

♫ Welcome Back ♫

I would like to firstly say a big thank you to all my students and families for being so adaptable and willing to go along with me during this time. I really appreciate it and it has made the transition to online lessons a breeze!

Some of you have already had your online lessons and some are still yet to have yours, but so far they are working beautifully and the students have impressed me so much with their concentration and willingness to give it a go. This was completely new for me, but I'm busily preparing resources and links to help enhance the lessons each week. Here are a few tips and suggestions for making the online lessons as smooth as possible for you at home so take a look and give it a go!

(Credit: topmusic.co)

Cyber Safety

I will also soon be sending through passwords for all families so that they can use these to securely connect to the Zoom lessons. Due to the vulnerable nature of online activities for children, I am wanting to make our Zoom lessons as safe as possible and password access is another measure to ensure online safety for their learning. I will hopefully have these to you this week!

What's New?

I'm currently working on providing every parent/student access to an online hub so they can view their lessons and notes from me after each lesson. This is taking a little while to navigate but as soon as it is available I will email you with a log in (*fingers crossed*) 

There are also a few apps that I am trialling with access to music notation games, rhythm learning exercises, beat/pulse tapping and also a practice log which will hopefully help to motivate all my students to practice that little bit extra! 

Here are a few of my favourite apps that could be another winner in your household at the moment:

1. Staffwars

A great app for learning notation names in treble and bass clef.

2. Noterush

Note reading made fun! A great way to help students learn to read notes to help them play the piano.

3. Flashnote Derby

A race to the finish line! Each time you guess a correct note name your horse inches closer to the finish line!

4. Rhythm Lab

A great app to reinforce rhythms. Students tap the rhythms onto the ipad or iphone and receive feedback about their results. 

Article in focus: 

For many people music is a great solace during times of stress and during the current situation we all find ourselves in. Whether you enjoy listening to music, dancing to music or engaging in music making, these can all offer valuable stress relieving remedies. 

"Social media is filled with people singing and dancing during social isolation. What is the power of music to help us cope?
 For musicians and performers, this is the perfect opportunity for them to practice, share their music on social media, and use it as a means to connect with the world outside. The good news is, you do not have to be musically inclined to reap the benefits of music! Aside from playing a musical instrument, music listening in itself releases endorphins in your system. When listening to music that you enjoy, dopamine, the “feel-good” chemical and serotonin, the “happy” chemical is released in your brain giving you a sense of pleasure and boosting your mood. Music is a great motivator and music with a strong beat will make you want to move due to a psychological phenomenon called entrainment. This is why so many people listen to music when exercising and dancing. Could you imagine doing these activities without some beats?"

To read the full article click here (credit: Northwestern medicine) 

What are we up to?

Many of my students at this point in their musical learning are improving their ability to read music notation. I have introduced the concepts of FACE and Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit/Fun to all my students so far to help identify notes in the spaces and on the lines in the treble clef, and these take a little while to fully grasp. To help with this I am sending through some fun worksheets to consolidate this concept. As well as this I will also send through a keyboard template with the notes written on it to help students identify the notes on the keys and connect that with the notes on the page. This template can be stuck on a wall above the piano or keyboard in your house or kept on the music stand. 

(Credit: Teacherspayteachers.com)

Tips

Here are 13 great tips to help keep your child motivated to practice! Click here to read the full article 

(Credit: takelessons.com)

I look forward to seeing all my students on Zoom again next week!

Happy practicing and have fun!

- Karina Capp