The Awesome Metronome!

Here are three reasons why musicians use the metronome:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXLKLCVgafg

The metronome isn't just for students. Professional musicians use metronomes all the time.  It's the quickest way to get a tune up to speed.  And it's used when recording different groups.

Look at these two videos where you'll see  music professionals using "click tracks" to perform.

In the Zelda video, you will see the conductor using a huge metronome!  Also, the choir members sang separately from the orchestra.  Their "click" tracks helped to synchronize with the orchestra.

In the "Funk You Up" Video, you will notice that there are many keyboards in the room.  Again, different tracks were recorded in the room.  It's too small for the horn players and singers, for example.  The drummer is reading notes, and yes, even he has a "click tracker."  The man at the keyboard is the arranger of the music.  If I remember correctly, the guitarist is playing without a click tracker.  I think he's improvising over the different tracks.

 Metronomes are awesome!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKYn4ACAd7s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRuM2rk2miQ

December Group Lesson

Our next group lesson is Wednesday, December 14, 5:30 p.m.

Piano Explorer:  A few days ago I was delighted to hear from one student who asked, "When are we going to get our new Piano Explorer?"  I've heard from a few parents that the magazine has launched their families into new music endeavors.  Parents are sharing the music they loved when they were teens/young adults.  They listen to music and share enjoyable conversations while cleaning up after supper, for example.  

In November students were given a  music timeline to place in their magazine notebooks.  This month we will listen to excerpts from music selections from Piano Explorer from September-December  (September: Mozart; October: Mussorgsky; November: Handel; December: Debussy).

The challenge will be:  

• After listening to selection, can you identify the composer and the name of the music?
• Can you identify the musical period: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern?

Record Report:  In October we discussed the mood of a piece:  is it happy, sad, joyful, scary, etc.  This month we will focus on dynamics:  is your music selection soft, loud, combinations of soft and loud?  Also, the music you select may have different instruments...  are you listening to an orchestra? ensemble? trio? vocal?  Use your ears to identify the different instruments in your music selection.

Ear Training: We will have no new ear training for this month.  Continue to work on second, third, and fifth intervals.

Upcoming Months: January/Winter, Duets
                                  February/Irish Music, Blues & Boogie-Woogie Music
                                  March/Spring Music/Romantic Music

December 2016

It's time for Jingle Bells, Ho! Ho! Ho! and Holiday Festivities!

This is the time of year when most of us are asked to play a few Christmas tunes or family favorites. When I was growing up, I would go to relatives' and friends' homes, and people would ask me to play. Unfortunately I couldn't, because I didn't bring my sheet music along!  I was too tied to my sheet music.

There are many simple Christmas tunes, however, that can be learned by ear.  First year students will learn Jingle Bells, and the rest of  the  students will learn one-to-three songs by ear: Away in a Manger, Silent Night, and Joy to the World.

This will be an opportunity for all students to learn music by ear, simple chord progressions and basic accompaniment patterns.  And an extra challenge: students who know several major scales will be asked to make simple music arrangements utilizing different keys and different styles of music.

Free Christmas sheet music may be found at 8 notes, https://www.8notes.com/piano/christmas/sheet_music/

Have fun!

November 2016

At our group meeting we discussed how to better utilize our Piano Explorer Magazine.  Some suggestions are:

1.     Make a Youtube playlist of the music suggested in your magazine.  Play the music while you are reading, studying, doing household chores.  This give you an opportunity to hear the music several times!

2.    Try to play the music in the magazine and have questions ready for your private lessons.  This gives you an opportunity to be your own teacher.  What is the time signature? key? notes? rhythms? phrases, etc.

3.    Make reading the magazine routine.  Put it as one of your tasks on your calendar!

4.    Families do one quiz per week and discuss at the dinner table

We are preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas music this month.  We will also have the opportunity to play at Aspen Ridge and Sombrillo Nursing Home.  When I have a date, I will let you all know.  Happy Thanksgiving!

October 2016

We had a wonderful first group lesson at Charlene Cox's house on Sept. 28th!  How wonderful to see all the students using relaxed hands and proper hand technique!  (Please check out the Five Basic Elements of a Correct Piano Posture)

This month we will review our individual goals and class goals.  Our class goals are:

• Clavier Piano Explorer Magazine.  How can we get the most out of our magazine? How should we read this magazine?  I'm looking for your ideas.   We will make a list of ideas at our next group lesson.
• How to write a record report.  It is a good idea to listen to a selection of music several times before you write your record report.  In October we will work on two concepts: mood and tempo.  Mood describes how we feel when we listen to the music.  Google up "mood" and you will get many descriptions that convey emotion:  Is this music cheerful?  Or dark and scary?  Funny?  Calm and peaceful?  The other term we will try to better understand is Tempo.    Tempo describes how fast or how slow your music selection is.  You may use your metronome to try to guess what the tempo of your music selection is.  

Happy Halloween!

2016-2017 Calendar

Here is the group class schedule and schedule for student performances offered by the Los Alamos Music Teachers Association:





Spring 2017

The 5 Basic Elements of a Correct Piano Posture

Forms

These are the forms that we use often:

• Manuscript Paper
• Record Report
• Ear Training 
• Cycle of 5ths
• Road maps (a system to memorize tunes)
• Scales
• Music Bowl questions

PMTNM Music Bowl

The PMTNM Music Bowl

This year's PMTNM Music Bowl is Saturday, November 12, 1-2 p.m., Music Building, Albuquerque Academy. Fee is $10/student.  Interested students must enroll by first week in October.  Please check Mamie's Piano Studio  forms, which includes two study guides for the music bowl.  Also please purchase, Fundamentals of Piano Theory, Level 4, Keith Snell.  Below is information about the Music Bowl.

Music Bowl

Calling all students: Come one, come all to the Music Bowl!
Have fun and win prizes for answering questions about theory and history. 

All are welcome!

The Music Bowl is held every year at the state conference. This fun competition is split into two levels:

Level one is comprised of material that appears in books 1-4 of the Keith Snell theory book series, such as:

•   Major and minor key signatures up to 4 sharps or flats
•   Spelling triads that appear in the above keys
•   Rhythms that include sixteenth notes
•   Basic information about composers such as where they were born and
  whether they belong to the baroque, classical, romantic or modern period
• Various musical terms such as subito, a tempo, etc.

Level two is comprised of more advanced material than the level one concepts listed above. Questions may include:

• Major and minor key signatures (all)
• Spelling triads in the above keys
• Complex rhythms that may include dotted or syncopated patterns
• Basic information about composers such as where they were born and
  whether they belong to the baroque, classical, romantic or modern period
• Various musical terms such as D.C al Fine, giocoso, etc.

Study guides are available here, https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B1DZz4d4tO50dFdJQWR5bmJFWkE?usp=sharing

About Mamie Farish

Although born in Albuquerque New Mexico, Mamie’s family moved away when she was just 2 years old, finally settling in the small town of Owensboro Kentucky. Surrounded by music - her mother sang and her father played guitar at family gatherings - she began piano lessons at age 12 with Mrs. Sara Wheat. Mamie fondly remembers an old-fashioned soda machine on Mrs. Wheat’s front porch where for five-cents, students could buy their favorite drink after their lessons. Mamie continued with Mrs. Wheat until she began college. After only three years, she received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Elementary Education and Special Education from Brescia College in Owensboro, Kentucky. She taught at an elementary school in Lexington, Kentucky for four years. In 1980 she married her high-school sweetheart Tom. They moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where she worked in public relations at a local hospital. In Boston, she studied jazz piano with Earl Pennington, author of Improvising on the Keyboard. In 1988 Tom and Mamie moved to Los Alamos, where they raised their four children.

During the next 22 years it was the Farish children who played the piano. Mamie rarely joined in, due to the hustle-and-bustle of keeping up with her children’s sports, music, and school activities. She thought her days of playing piano were over.  But life took an unexpected twist: In 2011, Dr. Marcus Calvacante introduced Mamie to Mary Bruschini, a New York jazz performer and a piano and vocalist teacher at Northern New Mexico College.   Mary believed that Mamie could and should play piano again.  In 2016 Mamie  received her B.A. in Music Performance from Northern New Mexico College. She has opened her own piano studio in White Rock, NM, offering lessons to beginner piano students of all ages.  Presently she continues to gig with other musicians,  and is substitute teaching in the music classes at LAPS mid- and elementary schools. She is committed to supporting her local school, church, community music programs. She is glad to tickle the ivories once again. Like Louis Armstrong said, “What we play is life.”

About Charlene Cox-Clifton

Every month, we all meet at the home of Charlene Cox-Clifton.  Charlene was honored by the Music Teachers National Association as an MTNA Foundation Fellow at the 2013 MTNA National Conference. She is a  nationally certified teacher of music, has previously served as the president of the Kansas Music Teachers Association, president of the New Mexico Music Teachers Association, president of the West Central Division of MTNA and a member of the MTNA National Board of Directors.

Charlene was named the Outstanding Teacher of the Year for Kansas Music Teachers Association in 1987. She served as music director for the film series “Music Images” and was coordinator of piano classes and piano pedagogy at Kansas State University and Wichita State University.
She presented “Teaching for Success,” at the MTNA National Conference in Kansas City in 1982. In 2007, the New Mexico Music Teachers Association presented her with the Outstanding Teacher award.

The MTNA Foundation Fellow program offers a method of recognition for individuals who have made outstanding contributions to music teaching.  The award is bestowed when a peer or group of peers donates $1,000 to the MTNA Foundation Fund in an individual’s name.