Comments for Bonnie's Blog http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog Musical musings for teachers, students and lovers of music Sun, 18 Nov 2012 20:44:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 Comment on Happy Mother’s (and Father’s) Day by bonnieb http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=52&cpage=1#comment-27959 bonnieb Sun, 18 Nov 2012 20:44:21 +0000 http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=52#comment-27959 All your hard work has made your son a better person and given you a lifetime of music to share. Thanks for what you do. All your hard work has made your son a better person and given you a lifetime of music to share. Thanks for what you do.

]]> Comment on Happy Mother’s (and Father’s) Day by Judith http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=52&cpage=1#comment-8310 Judith Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:16:51 +0000 http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=52#comment-8310 It's really hard as a music-teaching parent to keep a good balance between encouragement, insisting on high standards - and 'nagging'. I tried to keep positive when my son was learning the piano, giving lots of encouragement and not nagging too much (well sometimes!). We finally let him give up when he was 17 and he has sadly not touched a piano since! (He's now 22) His teacher said he was one of the most potentially talented students she had ever had and he enjoyed his lessons with her but just wasn't interested in practising. Maybe one day he might take it up again - maybe not. Meanwhile I have a video of him performing very well at a school concert when he was 16. It's one of my treasures! It’s really hard as a music-teaching parent to keep a good balance between encouragement, insisting on high standards – and ‘nagging’. I tried to keep positive when my son was learning the piano, giving lots of encouragement and not nagging too much (well sometimes!). We finally let him give up when he was 17 and he has sadly not touched a piano since! (He’s now 22) His teacher said he was one of the most potentially talented students she had ever had and he enjoyed his lessons with her but just wasn’t interested in practising. Maybe one day he might take it up again – maybe not. Meanwhile I have a video of him performing very well at a school concert when he was 16. It’s one of my treasures!

]]> Comment on Always Keep Learning-Even If You Think You’re Great by bonnieb http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=25&cpage=1#comment-5760 bonnieb Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:22:33 +0000 http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=25#comment-5760 Thanks so much! Please tell your friends! I just put in a proposal to speak at the next MTAC convention in San Diego so I help to see you there! Thanks so much! Please tell your friends! I just put in a proposal to speak at the next MTAC convention in San Diego so I help to see you there!

]]> Comment on Having Fun Social Times with Your Students by bonnieb http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=28&cpage=1#comment-5759 bonnieb Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:21:34 +0000 http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=28#comment-5759 great ideas. It sounds as if you have figured out a way to teach "boring music theory and history" and make it fun. I'm copying you! great ideas. It sounds as if you have figured out a way to teach “boring music theory and history” and make it fun. I’m copying you!

]]> Comment on Impossible Standards by bonnieb http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=39&cpage=1#comment-811 bonnieb Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:01:57 +0000 http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=39#comment-811 I know. I had one who didn't want me to teach B natural.. only the band notes please. It's our job to get the kids so excited the parents wouldn't dare make them quit but of course that doesn't always work! Thanks for your reply. I know. I had one who didn’t want me to teach B natural.. only the band notes please. It’s our job to get the kids so excited the parents wouldn’t dare make them quit but of course that doesn’t always work! Thanks for your reply.

]]> Comment on Having Fun Social Times with Your Students by bonnieb http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=28&cpage=1#comment-810 bonnieb Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:00:05 +0000 http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=28#comment-810 Wow! What a great camp! It must be a ton of work but I bet the kids all love it. Thanks for the great ideas Suzanne. Wow! What a great camp! It must be a ton of work but I bet the kids all love it. Thanks for the great ideas Suzanne.

]]> Comment on Having Fun Social Times with Your Students by Suzanne Cowan http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=28&cpage=1#comment-751 Suzanne Cowan Thu, 21 Oct 2010 02:26:27 +0000 http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=28#comment-751 Last time we had over 50 flute players so they were broken in to about 4 groups. They all did some ensemble, theory, rhythm, aural, music history, technique, scales each day. For the theory they worked through worksheets depending on what level they were up to. For the rhythm I have lots of rhythm sheets that we clapped through and then had an elimination game where they clapped one bar each and went around in a circle. If they made a mistake or got lost they were out and we continued until there was a winner. With the aural we did the requirements for the exam system we use. So they did recognition of triads and intervals. The older students started doing sight singing. For the Music History we did one period of music each day. We mostly focussed on the Characteristics of each of the periods as well as the dates and main composers. One year we got them to do a composer presentation - they had to put important facts about the composer on to a poster and then present it to the other students. They really enjoyed doing that. We then put the poster up in my teaching room for the year. With the scales I broke them up per grades ( they all do exams) and we worked through the set of scales that they were preparing. Last time I heard them individually and then sent them away to practise on the ones they couldn't play correctly. This seemed to work well as they were very focussed on just the one scale they had to come back with. Mostly with my older students we tried to do a technique class - something like the Taffanel and Gaubert exercises and we just worked on building the speed and getting the fingers in better positions. At night time we did a big quiz where they were divided in to 3 teams. They were asked questions on key signatures, signs and terms, composers and the music history they had covered that day. With more knowledgeable students I play excerpts of famous repertoire and see if they can recognise it or get them to sing famous melodies. Most recently I made up some scale blocks and got them to form various scales in teams. They really enjoyed that and while having fun secured their knowledge of keys. We usually had a concert at the end for the parents to hear the ensemble pieces they had worked on. Last year we had a chamber music camp instead and I invited pianists and string players along so they could get to play with some other instruments. Last time we had over 50 flute players so they were broken in to about 4 groups. They all did some ensemble, theory, rhythm, aural, music history, technique, scales each day.
For the theory they worked through worksheets depending on what level they were up to. For the rhythm I have lots of rhythm sheets that we clapped through and then had an elimination game where they clapped one bar each and went around in a circle. If they made a mistake or got lost they were out and we continued until there was a winner.
With the aural we did the requirements for the exam system we use. So they did recognition of triads and intervals. The older students started doing sight singing.
For the Music History we did one period of music each day. We mostly focussed on the Characteristics of each of the periods as well as the dates and main composers. One year we got them to do a composer presentation – they had to put important facts about the composer on to a poster and then present it to the other students. They really enjoyed doing that. We then put the poster up in my teaching room for the year.
With the scales I broke them up per grades ( they all do exams) and we worked through the set of scales that they were preparing. Last time I heard them individually and then sent them away to practise on the ones they couldn’t play correctly. This seemed to work well as they were very focussed on just the one scale they had to come back with.
Mostly with my older students we tried to do a technique class – something like the Taffanel and Gaubert exercises and we just worked on building the speed and getting the fingers in better positions.
At night time we did a big quiz where they were divided in to 3 teams. They were asked questions on key signatures, signs and terms, composers and the music history they had covered that day. With more knowledgeable students I play excerpts of famous repertoire and see if they can recognise it or get them to sing famous melodies.
Most recently I made up some scale blocks and got them to form various scales in teams. They really enjoyed that and while having fun secured their knowledge of keys.
We usually had a concert at the end for the parents to hear the ensemble pieces they had worked on.
Last year we had a chamber music camp instead and I invited pianists and string players along so they could get to play with some other instruments.

]]> Comment on Impossible Standards by Kristy http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=39&cpage=1#comment-746 Kristy Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:05:31 +0000 http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=39#comment-746 I don't know that we'll ever be able to "reach" every parent....from the competition results types like this, to the one I had recently: "well, she's learned enough notes for school band so we'll be stopping lessons now" To the parents out there who value the process of learning music, what advice would you give to help other parents understand? I don’t know that we’ll ever be able to “reach” every parent….from the competition results types like this, to the one I had recently: “well, she’s learned enough notes for school band so we’ll be stopping lessons now”

To the parents out there who value the process of learning music, what advice would you give to help other parents understand?

]]> Comment on Are You There? by bonnieb http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=36&cpage=1#comment-723 bonnieb Tue, 19 Oct 2010 03:26:45 +0000 http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=36#comment-723 It's great to know someone is out there! It’s great to know someone is out there!

]]> Comment on Having Fun Social Times with Your Students by bonnieb http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=28&cpage=1#comment-722 bonnieb Tue, 19 Oct 2010 03:26:22 +0000 http://www.bonnieblanchard.com/blog/?p=28#comment-722 What do you do at your camps? I'm thinking of starting a five day camp in two years and would love some new ideas. What do you do at your camps? I’m thinking of starting a five day camp in two years and would love some new ideas.

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