Hi all, and welcome back! It’s a busy time of year, so be sure to Check the Schedule to get ready for classes. They start next week, September 4th, except for Sunrise which begins September 29th.
How else can you prepare for classes? If you are a returning student, pull out some old books and play something- anything – just to get back into shape. Parents can help young students by preparing them for classes as you would for the first day of school. Talk about what will happen, who they will see, when you will be going to class etc.
Student Referral Bonus!
There are still spaces in level 1 classes and Sunrise, so from now until September 29th, if you refer a student who signs up with me, you will receive a free lesson this year! One free lesson per student referred. Contact me for details.
Recently, I spent a lot of time in downtown Ottawa, which is very rare for me. What could draw me to the busy hub, you ask? It was Music for Young Children’s International Conference. It is usually held every two years across Canada. In 2010 I went to Banff, in 2008 I went to Niagra Falls. I can’t wait for 2015 in Halifax! MYC will be celebrating 35 glorious years in it’s “birthplace” of Nova Scotia.
I’m not sure what kind of conferences you may have attended, but this one was action packed. They are specifically tailored for MYC teachers, and this year, as a conference committee member, I got a sneak peak into what would planned. We had workshops ranging from conservatory exam prep, music history, puppetry, technology for music teachers, child psychology, neuroscience, dancing, and more! It was hard to choose sessions.
I met with teachers from Calgary, parts of BC, and even South Korea. I met with Roland Canada’s president, Paul Coates from Conservatory Canada, and of course, Frances Balodis, creator of MYC.
Mairéad on Parliment Hill before the group singing of O Canada and the MYC Theme Song
Every morning we sang in harmony, and every evening we partied! Check out MYC’s facebook page to see photos from this year’s conference. I learned and reviewed so much, but I’m going to put in brief some things that you may find interesting:
On Music History…
In the classical era, hair (or, powdered wigs) went to extremes: horse hair was used to make hair dos over 5 feet high!
In the Romantic era, virtuosos like Franz Liszt and Nicolo Paganini had groupies: adoring women would swoon and faint when Liszt threw his gloves into the audience!
As soon as Bach died, his music died too. No one played it until it was re-discovered and performed almost 80 years later by Mendelssohn.
On Exam Taking…
Conservatory Canada wants to open e-exam centres for students to take “distance” exams using MIDI, skype and specialized music software. Would you come to an e-exam at my studio? Perhaps I’ll open a centre…
“The Practice Monster” affects students and teachers. Why do we keep pushing ourselves with critique? Can we phrase such changes differently? How can I recognize my students’ awesomeness and still demand a high level of performance?
Examiners ARE looking for proper fingering, so nya nya! I’ll keep demanding it 🙂
On Children…
The “Pampered Child” (arguably a generation of children in generation Y and beyond) has no tolerance for boredom, a sense of entitlement, and is dismissive of adult authority figures. Sadly, they are given the authority to make decisions that we should be making on their behalf. As parents and educators, we need to 1. Be the Adult; 2. Teach. Don’t punish; and 3. Communicate Clearly.
Some children with special needs require proprioceptive treatment- a firm touch or stomping movement to begin a self-calming process. This below my mind because as a teacher, I don’t really “touch” students.
The homework keyboard pages MATTER to your child. They can choose any colour, combination of colours, or patterns to show what they have been working on that week. I will be more diligent in checking these pages! And please, this is your child’s job. Not yours.
We make assumptions and place them on children. I will try to ask more questions and make less assumptions.
I can manipulate a puppet’s mouth, eyes, hands and body to communicate effectively with young children. And I need to get all those voices straight! PS: Can’t wait for you to meet Mrs. Treble Clef and Mr. Bass Clef!
On being Digital Citizens…
It’s heeeere! Don’t fight it- understand it!
Canadians are the #1 viewers of YouTube
Canada ranks #1 (per captia) among countries with people who purchase musical instruments
In 2011, digital music sales surpassed CD sales for the first time. Apple tallied 12 billion downloads that year.
36% of parents report that their children ages 2-11 have watched TV and surfed the Internet — simultaneously. (Not sure how to feel about that one!)
Given this information, if I don’t meet children and families with these needs, I am going to be way behind! I sure hope I do meet your technological needs 🙂
Professional Development is something very important to me. I like to be a student as much as I enjoy being a teacher.
I hope you are all enjoying your Summer! Love to hear your thoughts on the above post.
My post today is in reference to two articles. The first is from Today’s Parent and it’s about over-scheduling your child. There are some great tips like watching for burnout, selecting things that the child is truly interested in, and just as important, making sure that you as a parent are not too exhausted either.
I wish they had mentioned something about commitment though. It’s a great value to impart through our actions and expectations. And speaking of our values, how many of us parents have our child learning music because we feel it is an important thing to learn? How badly did we want to (but perhaps could not) do it as a child? Perhaps we quit music lessons and wish our parents had encouraged us to continue. I don’t think that’s a negative influence on our decisions regarding our child’s programming, as long as you don’t take it too far!
I admire every single one of my music families because I know that music lessons are a very big commitment, and it’s even bigger in and MYC setting. The parent goes to lessons, regulates practice at home and is expected to understand the material right along with the child. I guess it would be considered a two-for-one, but what a lot of work! It’s just not as simple as dropping off your child and coming back in 30 minutes.
But I do believe the method is worth it. I have now taught some of the same children for 5 years and watched them grow from wiggly toddlers or precocious pre-schoolers into confident young musicians. And I know the path wasn’t all roses- sometimes thorns! I hope that parents can see the transformation and will celebrate the successes at the recital this year.
This brings me to the next article about “Giving Gold Stars” or rather, praise. Children need it; they crave it. And I like to give it 🙂 Sometimes it’s stickers, sometimes a party (like the Movie Night coming up) but more often it’s words about their progress. “I like the legato you put into that song” or, “The was really forte! Wow!” And I also like to notice progress. “Can you believe how well your bridges are coming a long? Two weeks ago you didn’t even know the C-A and now you’re doing ALL of them in the scale!”
I really prefer words to stickers. I mean, I won’t sticker EVERY single thing. They’ll become meaningless. Don’t get me wrong, they’re fun, but a pat on the back (literally!) or saying specifically where the improvement has happened makes more sense to me.
How do you offer praise? What are your thoughts on over-scheduling for children and the rest of the family?
I just wanted to get a few things out to you at this busy time of year. So here it goes:
The Recital
Who: Your child, showing off their skills. Bring family, friends, proud grandparents – whomever!
What: A chance to play for your family and friends! Snacks and refreshments will be served after the show.
When: Sunday June 3, 2012.
Where: Prince of Wales Manor, 22 Barnstone drive (map).
Time: 1:30 pm
The sign up sheet will be in class. Please sign up for the TIME of the recital you want to attend, and list the song and composer that you have chosen. Level 3 students may choose 2 songs. All other students please pick one from the K or KS section. Any further questions? Please call or email.
Practice Incentive & Movie Night
All students (except Moonbeams 3) are working on their Garden practice incentive. We are making a beautiful collage in studio! Keep up the great work. The last week to collect birds/flowers will be this week for Wednesday and Thursday Students, and next week for Saturday students.
The movie class will be the week of May 23-26th. All class get a movie class, but the winning class gets and extra “treat” with their movie. Good luck! Stay tuned for the results.
But what about Moonbeams 3?
We’ll have a special, East Coast Kitchen party when we’re back together in our last group class 🙂 Check out what we did last year.
Remaining Classes
Here is the schedule for the rest of the year:
Wednesday: May 9, 16, 23 & 30
Thursday: May 10, 17, 24 & 31
Saturday: May 12, 19, 26, June 2 & 9
Now… I hesitate to post this for fear you’re all going to try it, but what the heck! Check it out: This guy plays Scott Joplin’s The Entertainer backwards, upside down and inside out!
… And Happy Leap Day! Did you see the Google Doodle today? Apparently Rossini was born on a leap day. And he was a brilliant procrastinator (yes, I just put those two words together). Check it out here.
By the way- did everyone hand in their composition yet? I’m taking them in very soon!
This is the question on an article in Today’s Parent March 2012 issue. You can read it here.
What are your thoughts, as parents of little musicians? What have you noticed from the beginning of lessons? What do you notice now after a few years of lessons?
I’ve been aware for some time of how music changes the “neuro-pathways” of our brains (for a good read, pick up This is Your Brain on Musicby Dr. Daniel Levitin) and that children’s brains are still developing and thus more flexible to these changes. But something tells me I’m preaching to the converted when I ask the questions above 🙂
The only thing I’d like to stress from the article, or add to it, is that computer games alone don’t make up a full musical experience. Children need to be physically engaged in making and enjoying music. There is a lot to be said for the focus on developing muscle-memory (there’s another sports analogy!) but it’s very true to the practice of music.
So next time you listen to music at home- get up, get silly, and dance your cares away!
Tempo Drive Music Studio 