Jump straight to the download Hot pork rolls, hot chocolate and crêpes, that’s what kicks off Christmas for me. Yesterday my sons’ school had a teacher training day so instead of working, we piled into the car, fought through the crammed car park and spent the afternoon walking the cold streets of Worcester at the […]
A Wintery Song for Young Musicians this Christmas Read More »
One of my students asked me the other day which of the songs from Doremi Piano is my favourite. I didn’t have to think very long. My favourite song is the one that can come out time and time again. It’s so popular in my Kodály inspired classroom that my students never get bored of
Helen’s most popular song for Kodály-inspired piano and music lessons Read More »
Last month we welcomed vocal health specialist and Discover Singing‘s Emma Torry to the Doremi Sofa. (Members: click here to view) Not a member? Don’t worry! Emma has written this great blog post so everyone can benefit. As the new term approaches, you’ve got your new planner sorted, your timetable and you’re starting in on
Five Tips for Great Vocal Health for Music Teachers Read More »
What is it about us teachers? We never seem to be able to value ourselves. We take our super-powers for granted and then sell ourselves short. Well all that’s about to change. At least for me, and the Doremi Members I support. This month we’re talking about Money Matters. You can read that as a
Valuing Yourself – Conquer Imposter Syndrome Because Money Matters Read More »
Do you want to improve your students’ rhythm skills? Whether you’re a music teacher, instrumental or vocal teacher, Kodály musicianship teacher or a class teacher your students can benefit from this quick and easy rhythm game. If you want to know what the game is, and also why and when to do it, then this
The easiest and quickest way to excellent rhythm skills Read More »
Are you on the hunt for modes in pop songs? They are more common than you think! I’m always on the lookout for interesting elements I can extract for my Kodály musicianship classes and piano students. Plus of course running a Pop Solfa Choir is far more rewarding if you can identify the songs with
5 Clues to Confidently Find Interesting Modes in Pop Music Read More »
Do you have trouble explaining the difference between pulse and rhythm? Get physical first with this fun, simple song Helen uses in both her Kodály Musicianship and Piano lessons. Your students will FEEL the difference and you won’t get tangled up with ineffective, wordy explanations. Step 1 – Teach the song and play the game
Teach Beat and Rhythm Successfully With This Simple 5-Step Game Read More »
Developing improvisation skills with young children is far more achievable than you think. We need to develop simple on the spot decision making and enjoyable exploration. Age-appropriate, level appropriate and right from the first lesson. Lots of teachers are a tad intimidated by improvisation. They don’t feel confident improvising themselves and consequently struggle to teach
Top 5 Simple Improvisation Activities for Kodály Piano Teachers Read More »
Bonding with students is essential to succeed in piano, singing, musicianship or anything really! Bond with your students using Helen’s Balloons game. The thing is, it’s SO easy to do. It doesn’t involve any equipment, there’s no special script to memorise and yet it contains so many benefits. “To me, the Balloons activity sums up
10 Benefits From One Simple Bonding Warm Up Read More »
This week Helen is preparing the live Zoom launch sessions for the teachers enrolled on Doremi Teach: Piano. One of the activities will be to brainstorm exactly what we are teaching in a piano lesson. I set a timer for 5 minutes and scribbled down whatever popped into my head. All the things I’m working
What Exactly Are We Teaching in a Successful Piano Lesson? Read More »