School has already ended for the year, and after this week, our lessons will, as well. It's going to be a long break, so I have put together a few tips for helping students continue thinking about music at the end of this email.
A bit of good news for the new year—my studio is expanding slightly! That brings our little piano tribe to 13 students, ranging from ages 5 to 15.
What we’re working on…
This month I'm excited to have begun introducing many of my students to the wonderful world of composition! Composition and improvisation does not have an age or skill limit—it's doable whether you are 5 or 50, beginner or advanced.
These assignments are quite structured. Telling beginning music students to compose something without any guidance or structure does not set them up for success. Even seasoned composers require some constraints. So I have been asking students to employ some of the concepts we are working with: the piece must be in a specific key from our "Musical Clock" (i.e. the Circle of Fifths), feature certain intervals, utilize melody vs. harmony.
I have been loving what students come up with! It gives me useful insight into how they are processing and internalizing the material we're covering. It also encourages a more intimate familiarity with the concepts. And most importantly, it is empowering to create something all your own using a set of hard-earned skills not everyone has. For those using notation, it can feel like writing code in a secret language!
Tips for the holiday break...
Since we will go multiple weeks without lessons, here are some tips to supplement practicing that may continue encouraging interest and curiosity in music over the break:
Depending on what your at-home policies are with screens, there are a couple of videos about music and sound that might be interesting to watch (maybe even as a family). I absolutely love this episode of Donald Duck in Math Magicland, which shows the relationship between the math and music fundamentals we inherited from the ancient Greeks! For students ages 9 and older, this video made in the 1970s about the science of sound is wonderful. I also secretly love the retro vibe :)
I found a wonderful children's book about the invention of music notation in the medieval monasteries of Italy, called "The First Notes: The Story of Do-Re-Mi." It's a very simplified version of this history for children, but still lovely. I've been reading it to some of the classes at Stone Bridge when I substitute teach there, and the kids are loving it!
Sing plenty of carols! Many of them come to us from medieval times, born out of the system of notation mentioned above. Encourage plucking out some of these melodies on the piano by ear whenever possible. Remember—learning music by ear was all there was until about 1000 years ago!
Lastly, hunt for new music, even if it's aspirational. You can go to the library, or our local music store. I was disappointed to hear through the grapevine that Napa Music Supply may be closing soon, so it could be nice to take a trip there to peruse their music and instruments, and support them while we still can.