Sleeping a in Stable I’d like to tell you a sad story about my composition, Sleeping a in Stable… with a happy ending! I wrote Sleeping in a Stable for a school nativity and the brief was they needed something for them to sing in the stable part of the nativity. The school later said they’d forgotten […]
Kodály Christmas 2 Read More »
I LOVE Goblins are Around Tonight which appears in David Vinden’s Songs for Singing and Musicianship. I changed the lyrics to make them cute and Christmassy. I found that my students really took to the Winter Elves. I showed them pictures of different winter elves and they had to choose which elves they thought this
Winter Elves… are out tonight! Read More »
I decided to write my next blog about which complex rhythms you could introduce after tika-tika. Of course, alongside preparing and presenting the next rhythm, our students need to practice tika-tika.
Going beyond tika-tika: which rhythms to teach next? Read More »
Alongside the work on introducing do re mi on the white keys, we can introduce the musical alphabet which takes us down a path of learning landmark notes, tonics, clefs, the grand staff and our destination… middle C
Destination: Middle C. A Kodály approach to Letter Names and Clefs… part two Read More »
Your students have been singing in solfa beautifully and know their steps and skips on the keys and the stave… now it’s time to learn about letter names and clefs! What do you do?!
Introducing Letter Names and Clefs… part one! Read More »
This blog will explore what it means to prepare our students aurally, physically and visually with practical suggestions for activities
Preparing Pitch: How to prepare pitch and practical ideas Read More »
Developing Steady Beat is so important. It helps build strong foundations upon which to build the other important elements of music. If our students can’t keep a steady beat, it can be like trying building on sand when teaching other musical elements such as rhythm!
Steady Beat: Preparing the Foundations for the Building Blocks of Music Read More »
One of the wonderful things about music is that it connects people. However learning piano can be a solitary endeavour with fewer opportunities for ensemble work than other instruments. Maybe shared lessons are the key?
Don’t Wait! Participate! – Effective Learning in Shared Piano Lessons Read More »
Do you have to jump in at the deep end when teaching the piano using the Kodály Approach?
Four Depths of Kodály Piano Teaching Read More »
When teaching piano beginners we need to remember that the skills we want them to master in the future need seeding from the start.
7 Ways to Encourage Arm Movement in Kodály Piano Lessons Read More »