October 2, 2006
New Hampshire Highland Games
It was a good day for me at NHHG despite the rain- Good judge comments and placings in both events, click below for judge's comments
Piobaireachd - Good musical flow to this tune- you have a crossing noise in your B cadence @ line endings between E&D gracenotes. Drone tone is VERY NICE, however wetness seemed to affect steadiness. Score: 91, Place: 5 Judge Regan
2/4 March - Nice Playing. Good phrasing and steady tempo. Some fingering things. B Taorluaths often sounding like grips. Watch phrase endings - it sounded like you were on the verge of rushing to the next one. Well- tuned bagpipe. Score: 93, Place 3 Judge Kent
Posted by amy at 3:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
On Practicing. . .The differences between my expectations and the parents
I am in a fortunate situation as a private teacher in that my schedule is nearly full. In the past year I have picked up 40 students in my studio. Many of these students are raw beginners, but some I have adopted from other teachers and other situations. It has come to my attention in the past few weeks that some of these adoptees have not had the basic fundamentals of sound production and articulation taught to them in the past or if they have, the student has either not applied it, or not understood it. But what I usually find is that they have not been taught it from the outset.
In picking up these students, one of the first things I do, is try to correct any deficiences that they might have in terms of the very basics. Some of them don't even know how to properly put a clarinet or saxophone in their mouth, and as a result they dont' have a good sound. Some of them have never learned how to articulate or tongue the notes. This is not their fault, but I feel it is on my shoulders to correct these very basic fundamentals of sound production as soon as I can. . .
My feeling is that these are things that should be taught right away. Between the first and fourth lesson, my beginners are taught how to put their mouth on the instrument and how to produce a tone starting with their tongue. Why? Because if they are taught from the very beginning how to produce a sound the right way, they won't have to relearn when they might get serious later and it has to be corrected before they could possibly get into District Band, or become a music major. Taking major steps backwards is difficult and frustrating, and I want to eliminate that from their future. (I know, because I had to do it myself.)
I received a call from a parent this week who was concerned because his daughter didn't enjoy her first lesson with me. She felt exposed and self conscious because I asked her to play by herself. He explained that her past teacher never made her play alone and always played with her to boost her self-confidence. I explained that while I sometimes play with my students to help them understand a rhythm or to help them get through something, that I also have to have them play alone so I can hear what they are doing and determine if they have been able to apply any new techniques that might have been covered in their lesson the week before. In her first lesson, I needed to hear her play so I knew what we would need to work on.
He then stated that she felt overwhelmed because I asked her to play two exercises twice a day, and she didnt' feel that she had time for that. I have a couple of things to say about this. One, is that I dont' feel out of line for asking my students to practice, in fact, I expect them to practice, because if they don't, then they shouldn't be taking lessons. The other is, this is a 5th grader, and I do not typically overwhelm my young students with homework. I do however assign things that I think will help them progress even though they don't really know how to practice or focus at this age. Usually items with simple repetitions with a specific instruction. In most cases that would be, "play exercise #1 twice a day, and make sure you start each note with your tongue." Total practice time involved with a child of this age would be less than 5 minutes. But it helps them to focus on one thing that we are trying to improve and more importantly, helps them establish a routine of practicing that will help them learn to manage their time later on. Parents should understand that private lessons don't just happen on the lesson day. Students should be practicing their lesson material throughout the week. Music doesn't just happen. Students need to practice in order to become proficient in anything. Students don't learn math without homework and the same applies to music.
My goal in private lessons is to give my students the tools they need to enjoy their time in band class. I want my students to think band is easy. Private lessons should be a little bit of a challenge.
I specialize in students that need help. In fact, many of my students have been what some would consider, not so talented, but those that are willing to try will succeed with me. Want a reference? Let me know.
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