Bar Code Adverstising and Pattern Play

Solo Time Music Games August 2012 Putting the "Flash" in Flashcards!

In this Issue Wow! Is summer ever going by quickly! I can hardly believe it's the middle of August already. This is the time of year when we begin thinking about new and returning students, lesson plans, new teaching aids to order and more. With regard to new students I recommend every teacher read how B.C. teacher, Claudia Muir, put QR or Bar code advertising on her flyers. (See below.) Once again, I traveled to Seattle to participate in Forrest Kinney's new Chord Play seminar. He's such an encouraging and talented teacher. If he is ever in your area, I recommend that you take advantage of his free seminars. Did you know that anyone can improvise? As you'll read below, even my sister, who has severe rheumatoid arthritis, has learned how. I have had an eventful summer this year. It included trips to Thailand and to northern B.C. and now, as a wonderful end to my summer, I look forward to visiting with my almost-two-year-old grandson, Jakob!  A small cloud in an otherwise sunny summer - although I did not attend the Music for Young Children conference this year, I did send games. Thanks to  the many of you who bought Solo Time Games products. I trust you and your students will enjoy them. Unfortunately, when the unsold games were returned there was a substantial number of  games that was not accounted for. Perhaps attendees picked them up intending to pay for them later in the conference but forgot. If you've taken home games that you accidentally forgot to pay for, please be so kind as to pop a cheque in the mail for their payment.  My address is below. Have a wonderful final few weeks of summer. I wish you all the best in your efforts to attract new students to your studio and every success in the coming musical year.   Musicallyours, Lois Dicknoether 31040 Deertrail Dr. Abbotsford B.C v2t 5j5  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.   Free this month...      Anyone can Improv! My sister, Laura, has had severe rheumatoid arthritis since she was a little girl. She was encouraged to play piano by her doctor and by my parents but after a while it became too much of a struggle as her fingers had been severely damaged by the disease. It didn't help that her teacher told her she didn't have any talent! As I am always looking for someone to play duets with me, I dragged a reluctant Laura to the music studio to play some Pattern Play improv as my partner. She wasn't a happy camper as I sat her down and suggested she improvise. (I can be a little bossy when I want something done. She didn't stand a chance of refusing!) We started playing in Pattern Play Book One but she told me that her left hand just wasn't strong enough to press the keys and with her right hand, she could only use a few fingers. I replied that to improvise you don't need all your fingers, just some of them. That's when I remembered that she types with a pencil in her left hand. I gave her a pencil to use with her left hand asked her to play whatever she could with any of the usable fingers on her right hand. For over an hour we played duets from the Pattern Play books. At the end she commented, "I didn't think I could play the piano anymore and here I've just played for an hour."   In spite of her disability she makes wonderful bead bracelets as a hobby.  I had a wonderful season this past year introducing improv and the various scales and modes to my students through the Pattern Play books. Learning the modes can be a drudgery for  students but when they can play them in a song, the scale is not only reinforced but enjoyed. Teachers Notebook Recently I have begun to post my teaching aids  on the Teachers' Notebook Store. At this site, these simple and easy-to-use games and printables are available for you to print up for minimal cost. This way you can have the aids instantly and have them ready for fall lessons. New this month are Soccer Patterns and Soccer Bridges.  Order 6 or more Solo Time Music Games and Receive FREE postage! To Market To Market B.C. teacher, Claudia Muir, was thinking there had to be a better way to put out flyers with her phone number on it rather than the old tear off tag on the bottom of the sheet  which often gets lost before a parent can call her about her music services. Through this link she created her own Bar Code or QR Code  to put on her flyer so parents can simply take a picture of it with the downloadable app on their smart phones and, voila! It takes the viewer right to her website where they have  a digital copy of her information on their phone.     Now that's smart marketing.

An Unexpected Visit

Good Morning, Last week I had an unexpected stop over in Calgary, Alberta.  Traveling home to Abbotsford, after visiting Jakob (the most adorable grandson I know) spring thunder storms shut down the Calgary airport for several hours stranding 70,000 people.  With the "Global World Oil" Conference happening, there were no hotel rooms for airlines to put up passengers and rental cars were quickly snapped up. I was one of the few who was able to make arrangements for a place to stay overnight but I still needed a ride to the airport in the morning. I commented on the craziness of the airport on Facebook and Beth Nicholson, an  MYC teacher in Calgary read it and graciously offered a ride to the airport the next day.   In the morning we met for coffee, chatted music, teaching, children and students.  It was such a blessing, not only for the ride but for the opportunity to to glean from her, her talents,  ideas and tips.  Then we then dug out our iPads and shared our favorite apps! Beth's two favorites were Piano Notes (staff and key identification) and Right Note (Ear Training). I once lived in a community where I was the only teacher and I realize how valuable my colleagues are because they help me become a better teacher when they share their knowledge along with my passion for bringing music into the lives of children.  It's so important to stay connected and  unexpected encounters are a bonus.  Thanks Beth. Lately, I've been asked what games are there available for certain levels with in the Music for Young Children program.  This month I've listed the games and aids for the Moonbeam 3 level and students preparing for the Advanced Rudiments exam.  Over the summer, I will list what's available for all the other levels within the MYC program. Cheers and sunny summer days to you all! Musicallyours, Lois Dicknoether  MYC Certified Teacher  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.

To Market To Market

As teachers we often struggle with charging enough for our expertise, our time and our talent.  Here is an article from Wendy at "Compose Create," where she puts it in black and white how  and why we need to charge what we do. I couldn't write a better article on how to set up your fee structure  for your studio and the reasons behind it than her recent blog post on "No more Charging for Lessons by the Week!"

Moonbeam 3 Games, Printables and Teaching Aids

Music For Young Children - Moonbeam 3 Flashcard Games Don't Put your Apples - Introduction to Enharmonic Notes Out of Space and Lines : Introduction to Intervals Burger Intervals - Which burgers are major, minor and perfect Shoot Out -Hockey theme - Whole tones/steps and Semi- tones/steps Shoot for the Stars - Chromatic, Diatonic, and Enharmonic Pyramid Triads- Root, First and Second inversion triads What's that Dot? - What is the value of the dot! Weak and Strong Beats - Choose one rest to complete the measure- quarter,                             8th,  half and whole rests. Strike Out - Choose one rest to complete the measure - adding the 16th rest Give it a Rest! Level 1 - uses quarter, 8th, whole and half rests.                             Level 2  - Introduces the 16th rest                            Level 3 - Triplets and increased difficulty                            (over 30 measures in each package)                                 You Print - Printables  $2.99 or less  Give it a Rest - Time signatures with examples of note values used in different measures. Use with Give it Rest.  Go Ahead! Make Me! - 10 pages of printable  major, minor and perfect                                              intervals. Print, Laminate and use erasable markers. Large Circle of 5th's - Giant circle of 5th's - Use as a game and teaching aid. Small Circle of 5th's -  Print off individual circle of 5th's for each student. Coming! Three Steps Down!  Major/ Minor  Key Signatures- Teaching aid

Printable and Resources

sources

Greetings, A couple of weeks ago, a colleague of mine was quite ill and unable to teach her lessons so her husband stepped into her role as teacher and taught her classes for her. I was so impressed! I asked my husband if he could ever step in for me if I needed him to. He informed that under no circumstances would there ever be any benefit to either him or the students if he were to step into my role. Whether he could cover for me in this way or not, I have to say that he has stood behind me through all my years of teaching MYC, from recitals to conversations about frustrating situations, so I guess that's good enough. Here's wishing all a Happy Father's Day and a big thank you to all those who have supported our passions for teaching music. I'm so glad that many of you printed the Before and After Bookmark Printable for your students. It is an honour to know that you value this teaching aid and plan on using it with your students. There are many other resources and Printables located on the website for only $1.99 or less. This  small cost goes toward hosting the website so the teaching products are readily available when you need inspiration or assistance. Recital time is over; now registration begins. I have a week-long visit with my grandson, Jakob, coming up, plus a trip to Thailand! If any of you have been there, I would love to hear any tips or must-see sights you might recommend. Once I am home again I'm involved in some "try- it" classes, some new marketing plans to implement and then it will be fall again! But first, let's enjoy the summer as we all know that it will end all too quickly and we'll be back into the swing of teaching before we know it. I wish you a wonderful June with year-end recitals and parties followed by a totally relaxing summer! Musicallyours, Lois Dicknoether  MYC Certified Teacher  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.

To Market To Market

As we go into the season of marketing our businesses, it's important to validate our potential parents' decisions regarding their placing their children into our music programs and lessons.
They are relying on us to remind them why they are
investing in us and our studios and in their children's educations.

Reassure parents that their decision is a wise one and its value and implications are lifelong. Colleen Francis states that
"Clients who are emotionally connected to you will stay longer than those who are just satisfied." 

Pinning for Pinterest

Welcome to (almost) Summer! (not here in BC) Are you on Pinterest yet? Pinterest is the newest form of social media but unlike the friendly chit chat of Facebook or the quick comments of Twitter or the business thoughts on LinkedIn, Pinterest is like a cork bulletin board, only online. It is for pinning (posting) or re-pinning pictures of things that you find interesting or wish you had of thought of yourself. In the same way that you would pin photos to your board on the wall, you can pin photos of your favourite things on your Pinterest pin board. Your pin board is constructed of pictures that you find online or on your own computer and post. Or you can re-post, or "re-pin", what others have put up on their their pin boards. You can create boards with any subjects that you like. Frankly, I love it. My favourite subject is the food category. I have gotten many ideas from other people's posts of the foods and recipes that they have made. There are ideas for the home, clothing and haircuts but, you may be asking, what has this to do with MYC and music? Read below to find out the advantages of using your Pinterest boards to tell people about you, your studio and your business. It has been a busy season. I graduated from college (finally!) and congrats to those of you who also completed degrees or some part of your furthering your education.  It's a lot to have on your plate while still teaching. All the best in your future endeavors. I know that you, too, are in preparation stages once again as Recital season is upon us.   Pieces are being mastered by young hands, timing, dynamics and ensembles are top of the mind. Gentle reminders to please count - out loud... We're a team, you know.   I know that some days it just seems like all our diligent instruction doesn't even get through to our students but it does. Recital time comes along and  everyone performs wonderfully, after all.   Have a wonderful May and enjoy the blooming of all things spring!   Musicallyours, Lois Dicknoether  MYC Certified Teacher  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.   Free this month...    http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/mrsloisd/before-and-after-bookmarks

Pinterest

Pinterest is the newest form of social media but there is a distinct difference from Facebook and Twitter that I think is very important for MYC teachers to know and take advantage of.

Many teachers (including myself) have a facebook page advertising our studios and businesses but the downfall is that it is a timeline that is always changing.  We have to constantly update it for people to notice us.

With Pinterest you are working with a static timeline, or "board". Visitors will always see what we have repinned and posted. Your board doesn't change from day to day. It can also be linked to your facebook and twitter accounts so you have double the exposure. If you have a blog, all the better.

 I haven't done it yet but one of my projects for this summer is to pin and post pictures of the studio and games. I'm really excited about another location that will expose the world to MYC and the games.

Also remember to link every picture and use hashtags. 

Pinterest asks you to request an invitation to get started
and it can sometimes take up to a week to come through.
See http://pinterest.com/

Printables and Resources
Greetings,
A couple of weeks ago, a colleague of mine was quite ill and unable to teach her lessons so her husband stepped into her role as teacher and taught her classes for her. I was so impressed! I asked my husband if he could ever step in for me if I needed him to. He informed that under no circumstances would there ever be any benefit to either him or the students if he were to step into my role. Whether he could cover for me in this way or not, I have to say that he has stood behind me through all my years of teaching MYC, from recitals to conversations about frustrating situations, so I guess that's good enough.

Here's wishing all a Happy Father's Day and a big thank you to all those who have supported our passions for teaching music.

I'm so glad that many of you printed the Before and After Bookmark Printable for your students. It is an honour to know that you value this teaching aid and plan on using it with your students. There are many other resources and Printables located on the website for only $1.99 or less. This  small cost goes toward hosting the website so the teaching products are readily available when you need inspiration or assistance.

Recital time is over; now registration begins. I have a week-long visit with my grandson, Jakob, coming up, plus a trip to Thailand! If any of you have been there, I would love to hear any tips or must-see sights you might recommend. Once I am home again I'm involved in some "try- it" classes, some new marketing plans to implement and then it will be fall again!

But first, let's enjoy the summer as we all know that it will end all too quickly and we'll be back into the swing of teaching before we know it.

I wish you a wonderful June with year-end recitals and parties followed by a totally relaxing summer!

Musicallyours,

Lois Dicknoether
 MYC Certified Teacher
 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.

To Market To Market
As we go into the season of marketing our businesses, it's important to validate our potential parents' decisions regarding their placing their children into our music programs and lessons.
They are relying on us to remind them why they are
investing in us and our studios and in their children's educations.

Reassure parents that their decision is a wise one and its value and implications are lifelong. Colleen Francis states that
"Clients who are emotionally connected to you will stay longer than those who are just satisfied." 

Music For Young Children Conference 2012
We will be at the MYC conference 2012!
Wendy Chan has graciously offered to oversee our table but we are still looking for someone help out. 
Please contact me for details if you are interested! 
(It comes with free games!)
 Wendy Chan has also created some wonderful
games and teaching aides. Check them out at
www.myteachingaide.com

 Solo Time Music Games
Solo Time Games creates a learning environment of fun and employing these delightful teaching aids and games shows that you
care about your students' musical progress.

Welcome to (almost) Summer!

Are you on Pinterest yet? Pinterest is the newest form of social media but unlike the friendly chit chat of Facebook or the quick comments of Twitter or the business thoughts on LinkedIn, Pinterest is like a cork bulletin board, only online. It is for pinning (posting) or re-pinning pictures of things that you find interesting or wish you had of thought of yourself. In the same way that you would pin photos to your board on the wall, you can pin photos of your favourite things on your Pinterest pin board.

Your pin board is constructed of pictures that you find online or on your own computer and post. Or you can re-post, or "re-pin", what others have put up on their their pin boards. You can create boards with any subjects that you like.

Frankly, I love it. My favourite subject is the food category. I have gotten many ideas from other people's posts of the foods and recipes that they have made. There are ideas for the home, clothing and haircuts but, you may be asking, what has this to do with MYC and music? Read below to find out the advantages of using your Pinterest boards to tell people about you, your studio and your business.

It has been a busy season. I graduated from college (finally!) and congrats to those of you who also completed degrees or some part of your furthering your education.  It's a lot to have on your plate while still teaching. All the best in your future endeavors.

I know that you, too, are in preparation stages once again as Recital season is upon us.   Pieces are being mastered by young hands, timing, dynamics and ensembles are top of the mind. Gentle reminders to please count - out loud... We're a team, you know.   I know that some days it just seems like all our diligent instruction doesn't even get through to our students but it does. Recital time comes along and  everyone performs wonderfully, after all.  

Have a wonderful May and enjoy the blooming of all things spring!

  Musicallyours,

Lois Dicknoether
 MYC Certified Teacher
 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.

 

Free this month...

   http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/mrsloisd/before-and-after-bookmarks

Pinterest

Pinterest is the newest form of social media but there is a distinct difference from Facebook and Twitter that I think is very important for MYC teachers to know and take advantage of.

Many teachers (including myself) have a facebook page advertising our studios and businesses but the downfall is that it is a timeline that is always changing.  We have to constantly update it for people to notice us.

With Pinterest you are working with a static timeline, or "board". Visitors will always see what we have repinned and posted. Your board doesn't change from day to day. It can also be linked to your facebook and twitter accounts so you have double the exposure. If you have a blog, all the better.

 I haven't done it yet but one of my projects for this summer is to pin and post pictures of the studio and games. I'm really excited about another location that will expose the world to MYC and the games.

Also remember to link every picture and use hashtags. 

Pinterest asks you to request an invitation to get started
and it can sometimes take up to a week to come through.
See http://pinterest.com/

March Break - Been and Gone
Happy Spring!

It seems like March break came and went so fast I hardly knew what happened. What with a week on the sunny beaches of Mexico, a quick trip to Alberta to see my grandson, Jakob, piano parties and filling orders to go to Korea, the whole month has just flown by.  Thanks to Ok, kyu huh for arranging the order to Korea, I know the teachers will be grateful to get their games.

I trust and hope that you are able to take some time off to rest and relax as we head into spring, summer and year end.

I wish you all the best as you prepare for the end of another teaching year. As we know, recital preparations always create added excitement for young musicians.

So far this month I've played Shoot for the Stars, Don't put your Apples, Shoot Out, and Weak and Strong Beats. Lots of theory concepts are covered in the last few months of teaching but a quick game always puts the fun in learning these concepts.

  
Game of the Month - Give it a Rest!


This month's feature game is  Give it a Rest! 
The game as three levels each with progressing difficulty. 
 and offers students the opportunity to determine they need to place several rests.   Give it a Rest!  Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 take students through the first steps of rest replacement before moving them on to adding rests to the written page.
 
To Market To Market -  Teachers Notebook
Do you have some great teaching aids, printables and resources but no where to post them? 

The Teachers Notebook is a great website where you can post as many items as you like.  It's also been a great way to advertise Solo Time Music Games.  

Here you'll find the fun Giant Floor Circle of 5th's.  My level 2 and 3's have had a great time building this game on the floor. We've also used it as a race during our class parties this month.

Keep on Counting and practice slowly! (I know it doesn't always work but it's worth saying as a reminder,)
Cheers!

Lois Dicknoether
MYC Certified Teacher
Solo Time Music Games
info@solotimemusicgames.com