March 2016

Solo Time Music Games March 2016 Putting the "Flash" in Flashcards!

In this Issue - Exams Dear Friends and Teachers, I have students taking RCM piano exams in April.  I thought it would be a good idea to take the early exam instead of June exams then they could relax and enjoy their last couple months of lessons.  I was thinking they might focus and work a little harder knowing the exam was sooner than usual.  There is that saying "best laid plans of mice and men often go awry," I'm wondering about my decision now.  My desire is for them to do well but the problem is they think they are doing well. Everything is memorize except ....... (add your own - dynamics, phrasing, slurs etc. I'm anxious for them to do their best but inside I'm saying "Please just memorize those melodic scales!" But then on the flip side, I know I would be thinking the same thing if they were taking June exams. I'm sure many of you know what I mean. As a result I had to come up with some incentives to get them revved up: 1)  Group Lessons - Scale competition with playbacks and clap backs. 2)  Cut up a photocopies of their songs into measures and have them glue them together.  Some could do this and others could not. 3)  Mix up the cut up photocopies. This was mean but it showed me who had their song memorized and could sort them out. 4) Mix up each others Sonatina's and they have to sort them out and put them together.  Actually this went well.  5)  A lesson with another teacher. 6)  Mock exam with another teacher. 7) Serve pizza - meat and vegetarian to meet everyone's nutrition component.    8) Find another teacher in another city as the students is going there for two weeks and where he is staying does not have a piano.   I actually did this.  The teacher was wonderful and offered her piano every morning for practice and would give 2-3 lessons to get the child ready.   Aren't piano teachers wonderful people? 8) I tried. Due to the falling and rising and falling Canadian dollar ordering Solo Time Music Games is a great deal for American's but not so great for me dealing with Constant Contact as a result I will be changing email providers as of April 2016.  Be sure to check out the St. Patrick's Day activity for the week of March 17th and Easter activities for the week of March 28th; both PDF files have levels for all ages included in the file.  This spring break I'm off to Banff, Alberta to ski with Jakob and Declan but before that I'm sending over 100 games to Korea.  So grateful teachers around the world see the value of Solo Time Music Games for their students.  It's going to be a busy week putting everything together. Have a great spring break. Musicallyours, Lois Dicknoether Solo Time Music Games info@solotimemusicgames.com  Solo Time Music Games are designed to instill a life long passion  and understanding of music and its concepts  through a fun hands on experience.