Printed on 12/1/08
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Summer 2004
Summer 2004
Greetings from Our New President
by Dr. William Popp
I want to take a moment and thank the members of LAMTA for having the confidence and trust in selecting me as your new President.With all the talent, training, education and experience that the teachers possess, 2004-2005 can only be another banner year.As one ofLAMTA's newest members,I am certainly going to rely on all of your experience.I alsoespecially want to thank last year's officers and committee chairpersons.You all have setwonderful examples, and I am impressed with your dedication.Although I am still on a pretty steep learning curve in regard to LAMTA, CSMTA, and MTNA, there is one thing I can promise; I will give my best effort all the time.I wish everyone a happy and healthy summer.See you soon. Bill
Finalefrom Judy
I can't begin to tell you how much I have enjoyed working with all of you and how much I have learned. I hope I have been able to contribute something worthwhile to each of you.You have enriched my life immeasurably.Special thanks to Carol Condit who was unsurpassedas Vice President.I bounced so many things off of her and greatly appreciated her wisdom,common sense and direct approach to everything. Thank you allfor your support. Thank you for being my friends.I look forward to many more years of sharing music together.
God Bless You!Much love, Judy
Fall Meetings Lining Up!
Our monthly meetings will resume September 8, at 9:03 a.m. sharp! Location to be announced. The first topic will be an interactive demonstration of baroque dances, a nice compliment to Piano Festival pieces!
Piano Festival
Piano Festival, our joint venture with the FCMTA, will be held November 13, at the CSU campus in Fort Collins. The required style piece this year is to be from the baroque period. The second piece is to be from a contrasting period. Be sure your students are working this summer to get ready as November comes quickly! This festival is for students at Achievement Day Level 6 or above, intermediate to advanced. Please see Activities/ Piano Festival on this website, or refer to your Handbook for further information.
Officers for 2004-2005
1st Vice President (Programs): Judy Johnson
2nd Vice President (Student Activities):Ann Bunyan
Secretary: Renee Clay
Treasurer: Tania Newgord
(To view the nonofficer positions for the coming year, see About LAMTA/ Officers.)
A warm welcome to LAMTA's newest members: Joe O'Bryan, Carlene Roberts and Ken Webb.
Brigadoon!
Don't miss BRIGADOON!The Front Range Music Theatre production will be staged at the Lincoln Center in Ft. Collins on July 16, 17, 23, 24, 25. It promises to be another extremely excellent show.You would pay much, much more to see a show of this caliber in Denver.Proceeds from the show fund the many scholarships that our local music and theatrestudents receive from the Loveland Music Guild.Call the Lincoln Center box office for tickets.
Colorado State Music Teachers Association Conference Reports
The following are reports of the CSMTA Conference,Silver Creek, Colorado, June 3-4, 2004. The conference was excellent, as usual.We were so glad that we went. Next year's conference will be on the campus at CU Boulder.
JazzIt's Chamber Music, Isn't It?:Michael Peterson
reviewed by Judy Johnson
This was a very fast-paced, over-my-head session.But I did glean a few things.
His premise was that since Jazz is one of the styles of the 20th Century, we all need to pay attention to it and introduce our students to it.To begin, encourage students to improvise.He suggests playing a walking bass (C,Eb,E,G,F,G,F,G) or to play an accompaniment with 7th chords,and have the students use just a 5-finger pattern to improvise a melody. Basic to all improv is knowing triads, 7th chords, extensions, and scales, especially the blues scale.Also helpfulare modal scales, swing style, and imitating what you hear.
Resources: JazzBooks.com. Look for books by Mark Levine, Bill Dobbins, Bill Boyd& Ann Collins.
A Song to Last a LifetimeCharmaine Coppom
reviewed by Judy Johnson
Charmaine is such a charming, gracious lady.It was such a pleasure to hear her sing and to hear her passion for music and the voice.A singer's voice will age more slowly than the rest of the body.The voice is made of flesh & blood & bone and is irreplaceable.Keeping the voice young for a lifetime involves learning a healthy, lyric technique, breathing correctly and continuing to sing.Very young singers should learn basic music skills, sing in a choir and have help so not to hurt the voice.There is much dangerous belting and straining in young voices, ie:cheerleading, stage musicals such as Annie, imitation of popular singers.
She suggests the following guidelines for achieving and maintaining vocal health.
1. Maintain a regular pattern of sleep
2. Eat wisely
3. Drink 8 - 12 glasses of water a day.
4. Exercise
5. Do not smoke
6. Be cautious about alcohol consumption and when it is consumed.
7.Be well informed about the drugs taken.
8. Always warm up before using the singing voice.
9. Practice with intelligence.
10. Take responsibility for self during rehearsals.
11. Use the speaking voice in the same manner as the singing voice.
12. Sing appropriate music forthe individual voice.
13. Find the right voice teacher and study singing.
14. Find the right doctor and see him/her before a vocal problem becomes too serious.
15. Be aware of activities in professional lives which may impact singing.
16. Be aware that emotions impact how we use our voices.
17. Don't wear yourself out.
18. Singer and teacher should both enjoy the student's talent and musical activities.
"In summary, singing is a holistic activity which involves physical, mental and, in many cases, spiritual activity.Every aspect of singers' lives affects the manner in which they produce their voices.Singing is, in a very real sense, an expression of who they are as individuals."
Bringing a Student's Personality to the Performance: Lori Sims, Conference Artist
(We decided that we would all comment on Lori.)
Judy begins:Lori was a delightful person, vivacious, energetic and wonderful with students.I really liked her no-nonsense approach to musicalstyle and interpretation.She suggested that in much music today, exactness has replaced freedom, that recordings are often flat, perfect, dry.Students should be encouraged to study them but only as a place to start.The important questions about a performance are:Didyou communicate?Did you get your music across?Did you make something beautiful happen?
She suggests that students listen to other kinds of music besides piano (orchestra for Brahms, opera for Mozart, lieder for Schumann & Schubert), read biographies of composers and understand the time-period, and understand other instruments for imitation such as the harpsichord for Bach's music and the forte-piano for Mozart.
She encourages students to explore the characters of musicexcitement, exaggeration, story.Find pieces that fit the student's personality but also challenge them with other styles.Encourage positive body language and make sure they completely understand the basics of each piece (direction, composers instructions, dissonant point, phrases, and how harmony, dissonance and rhythm relate to dynamics.
"There is more than one way to do anything.Bring me four possibilities! Encourage students to try things and make mistakesthen they learn.
The best thing we can do is lead our students to discover."
Debi liked her idea about playing a piece completely opposite of how it is articulated or dynamically expressed. For example playing staccato instead of the way it is written which is legato, or playing fortissimo where it's pianissimo, or voicing chords in many different waysin other words experimenting with the dynamics of a piece. You'll find the emotion of the piece changes to something different.
Ruth added:Students must believe in their interpretation. Compare the music with art and literature of the same period.Try playing without dynamics.Smile!Music would then have more characterfrowning brings dullness. Ask students the questionsWhere is the piece going? How long are the phrases? Where does it stop? Where are the phrases? How does the rhythm affect things? How does it develop? Does the room size affect the rhythm or the dynamics? Lori was a very impressive personality. I felt that she is the most dynamic personality and performer of anyone I have met or heard in a long, long time. In no way was she ever overbearing.She was an extremely sensitive personality with her three Master Class students, regardless of how they played, they walked away smiling and feeling confident.She is an amazing young artist.
Lori also conducted a Master Class.One of the students was Elvin Holderfield, from Loveland.He is a student of Sydney Thompson.She really showed the students how to make the music live.Her concert was amazingthree RachmaninoffPreludes, Opus 23, Clementi, Sonata, Opus 25 No.5, Barber, Sonata, Opus 26, and Schumann, Carnaval, Opus 9. It was very demanding, powerful, and musical.She was amazing!
And from JoAnn: Lori Sims, a Colorado native and recipient of many prestigious awards for her piano performance, showed her effervescent personality in this workshop.She outlined the "why" and "how" to bring originality into a performance.Every student is different and Lori feels each performance can also show individuality.Lori encourages experimentation as the student plans a performance, setting a mood through body language. Lori requires each performer she prepares to tell a story through the music that will engage every audience member in the story.
On Friday, at the Master Class, Lori reinforced the ideas expounded on in this workshop as she worked with three advanced students.It was great to see how she used her skills to help these students in their performance.Lori certainly "practiced what she preached" at the Friday evening concert.Her performance was incredibly memorable as she bounced off the piano bench in her exuberance to "tell the story."
Helping Your Student Play in the School Band:Gina Pruitt
reviewed by Debi Strick
I liked this seminar because it brought the world of jazz down to a level that was more on the ground level and easy to understand. Gina Pruitt had compiled a little booklet called "Student Jazz Handbook" that I purchased for $5:00.I bought the book and plan to use it with students wanting to be in the school jazz band.So far I've had three, and if I'd had this book I bet I could have helped them more.The book involves a lot of theory: circle of 5ths, chord theory, chord construction, chord symbols, 3-7 blues voicings, etc.It also involves scales, harmonizing melodies, blues scales, syncopation, swing rhythm, and exercises and little pieces to apply them to. The book is very easy to follow and understandeasy to readnot a lot of clutter on each page. In her seminar, Gina demonstrated things in the book. She has also composed many pieces which she has compiled into little booklets that were for sale.
Again, I liked this seminar because of the easy-to-understand level of the information. You really don't have to have a master's or doctorate degree to understand how jazz is formulated.
Teaching Chamber Music in your Studio:Sara McDaniel & Dr. Nancy Snustad
reviewed by Debi Strick
This was a really fun and charming seminar where the two women started out by playing a piece together.Sara McDaniel played the piano and Dr. Nancy Snustad played the cello.These two women have individual studios and they respect and know each other so well that they share students between their studios. They feel that students need the "experience of collaborating with other young musicians" and the opportunity to perform.Chamber music provides this.The really fun part of the seminar is that the women had their students perform several pieces for us. One student played the xylophone, one the piano, one (Dr. Snustad's own daughter) played the cello, one played the drums, and one the clarinet.The piano player, a high school student who had only been taking piano lessons for three years, composed one of the pieces that was performed by the group. He titled it "Song of Joy" and it wasquite superb. The women also had a discussion of why chamber music is vital to our teaching.I walked into the seminar not knowing quite what to expect, and walked out so glad that I had attended.It was inspiring and listening to the kids play really made my day.
The Elegant French Suites:Dr. Lipke
reviewed by Ruth Hale
The French Suites differ in a number of ways from the English Suites, but this was not where his lecture was going to dwell.He only mentioned that the French Suites began with an Allemande, not a Prelude.
1.The French Suites keep the same key throughouttonic, dominant, relative minor, etc.
2.Collection of dances.
3. Represent different countriesEngland, France, German, Italy, Scotlandthough Bach didn't travel.
4. Allamande (German, contrapuntal, not too fast), Courante (fast, quick, running, but French would play it slower, more restrained), Sarabande (Spanish, ornamental, moves to minor), Gavotte (French), Bourree (French), Loure (French), Gigue (Irish, joyous, ends with a real bang.)
5.Phrasing must be consistent.
6. Ornaments (use in competitions, only if written in the edition, very cautious about freedom.Use on the last note of the section, at cadences, on upbeats).
7. Pedal with great sensitivity and delicacyNelita True uses pedal with these.
Beginners in the Baroque Periodbegin with the Little Preludes, then Inventions, easier Preludes & Fugues. Dr. Lipke was most interesting.
Chanting the Torah:Uri Ayn Rovner
reviewed by Ruth Hale
This was an historical discussion about how music can become a vehicle.
1.The Torah is the Pentatuc-5- (5 Books of Moses)
2. Some 3500 years ago the Torah was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai.
3. Chanting does not need to be exact, whereas singing must be note perfect. Uri demonstrated and directed some chants. Anyone can chantsinging must be taught. Chanting is a rhythmical monotone, like movement.
4. The Torah is a compilation of some 613 ruleseveryday activities that we accept. There is a pomegranate on top of each scroll; pomegranates have 613 seeds.
5. The Torah is without punctuation, without vowels, without capital letters throughout.Chanting gave a certain rhythm to try to figure out and make some sense of the combination of the letters.
Monthly (or occasional) Group Lessons: A panel discussion by Ardith Sloan, Linda Sommer, Karen Ziegler
reviewed by JoAnn Destigter
Do you offer group lessons? These three convention presenters built a strong case for the inclusion of group lessons on a monthly basis.Ardith began group lessons after noticing that students who attended group lessons did better at performances.She wanted her students to develop the same level of poise that she observed in others.After much positive communication with the students and parents involved in her studio, she instituted group lessons once a month. Grouping the students and finding the best day for lessons was a challenge at first.Ardith notes that planning for group lessons takes a lot of time, but she sees a marked improvement in the understanding of theory concepts and overall better performances by students.
Linda offers three private lessons and an hour group lesson every month.She makes a lesson plan for the group lessons and over plans activities to keep every student involved in the group process.She demonstrated how she uses rhythm cards, a magnet board, alphabet cards, and an old Twister game for group lessons.Linda emphasized that you don't need to spend a lot of money on materials, since many can be teacher-made or made on the computer.
Karen, who just presented our May program on materials for group learning, offers a monthly 1 hour /15 minute group lesson, seven months of her teaching year. She reminded us of the benefit of doing many activities to cater to the three learning styles: kinesthetic, visual, and auditory.She uses simple games that can be adapted for many purposes.Karen is a firm believer in using Skittles, M & M's, and fresh cookiesfor playing pieces and rewards.
All three presenters agreed that group lessons are fun for the students and reinforce many theory concepts.Included in each groupsession is a time toperform as well as a music history lesson and ear training.Teachers must be organized to keep the group dynamic moving to involve everyone in some way.
You Be The Judge: Nancy Kaesler
reviewed by JoAnn Destigter
In September, Nancy was our guest speaker presenting the topic of preparing our students for performances. In this workshop, she moves to the next step of the teacher as evaluator; or, how can teachers be judges? She offered ways to be supportive to the students and teachers, giving feedback that is valuable and encouraging as well as being honest.Nancy gave reasons why some teachers are good judges and others should not be judging.
Nancy gave a series of steps to prepare to be an adjudicator; be well rested, ready to listen, andknow what you are listening for.She encouraged careful written, as well as verbal, comments to the performer.She gave a list of helpful phrases to use when writing judging critiques.She suggests using comments like "I suggest," " have you tried?" or "consider."Nancy stresses being tactful, showing respect for the student to make judging a learning experience.Nancy has much experience in the field of evaluation and stresses that it is not an easy task but a necessary one and can be very rewarding.
Greetings from Our New President
by Dr. William Popp
I want to take a moment and thank the members of LAMTA for having the confidence and trust in selecting me as your new President.With all the talent, training, education and experience that the teachers possess, 2004-2005 can only be another banner year.As one ofLAMTA's newest members,I am certainly going to rely on all of your experience.I alsoespecially want to thank last year's officers and committee chairpersons.You all have setwonderful examples, and I am impressed with your dedication.Although I am still on a pretty steep learning curve in regard to LAMTA, CSMTA, and MTNA, there is one thing I can promise; I will give my best effort all the time.I wish everyone a happy and healthy summer.See you soon. Bill
Finalefrom Judy
I can't begin to tell you how much I have enjoyed working with all of you and how much I have learned. I hope I have been able to contribute something worthwhile to each of you.You have enriched my life immeasurably.Special thanks to Carol Condit who was unsurpassedas Vice President.I bounced so many things off of her and greatly appreciated her wisdom,common sense and direct approach to everything. Thank you allfor your support. Thank you for being my friends.I look forward to many more years of sharing music together.
God Bless You!Much love, Judy
Fall Meetings Lining Up!
Our monthly meetings will resume September 8, at 9:03 a.m. sharp! Location to be announced. The first topic will be an interactive demonstration of baroque dances, a nice compliment to Piano Festival pieces!
Piano Festival
Piano Festival, our joint venture with the FCMTA, will be held November 13, at the CSU campus in Fort Collins. The required style piece this year is to be from the baroque period. The second piece is to be from a contrasting period. Be sure your students are working this summer to get ready as November comes quickly! This festival is for students at Achievement Day Level 6 or above, intermediate to advanced. Please see Activities/ Piano Festival on this website, or refer to your Handbook for further information.
Officers for 2004-2005
1st Vice President (Programs): Judy Johnson
2nd Vice President (Student Activities):Ann Bunyan
Secretary: Renee Clay
Treasurer: Tania Newgord
(To view the nonofficer positions for the coming year, see About LAMTA/ Officers.)
A warm welcome to LAMTA's newest members: Joe O'Bryan, Carlene Roberts and Ken Webb.
Brigadoon!
Don't miss BRIGADOON!The Front Range Music Theatre production will be staged at the Lincoln Center in Ft. Collins on July 16, 17, 23, 24, 25. It promises to be another extremely excellent show.You would pay much, much more to see a show of this caliber in Denver.Proceeds from the show fund the many scholarships that our local music and theatrestudents receive from the Loveland Music Guild.Call the Lincoln Center box office for tickets.
Colorado State Music Teachers Association Conference Reports
The following are reports of the CSMTA Conference,Silver Creek, Colorado, June 3-4, 2004. The conference was excellent, as usual.We were so glad that we went. Next year's conference will be on the campus at CU Boulder.
JazzIt's Chamber Music, Isn't It?:Michael Peterson
reviewed by Judy Johnson
This was a very fast-paced, over-my-head session.But I did glean a few things.
His premise was that since Jazz is one of the styles of the 20th Century, we all need to pay attention to it and introduce our students to it.To begin, encourage students to improvise.He suggests playing a walking bass (C,Eb,E,G,F,G,F,G) or to play an accompaniment with 7th chords,and have the students use just a 5-finger pattern to improvise a melody. Basic to all improv is knowing triads, 7th chords, extensions, and scales, especially the blues scale.Also helpfulare modal scales, swing style, and imitating what you hear.
Resources: JazzBooks.com. Look for books by Mark Levine, Bill Dobbins, Bill Boyd& Ann Collins.
A Song to Last a LifetimeCharmaine Coppom
reviewed by Judy Johnson
Charmaine is such a charming, gracious lady.It was such a pleasure to hear her sing and to hear her passion for music and the voice.A singer's voice will age more slowly than the rest of the body.The voice is made of flesh & blood & bone and is irreplaceable.Keeping the voice young for a lifetime involves learning a healthy, lyric technique, breathing correctly and continuing to sing.Very young singers should learn basic music skills, sing in a choir and have help so not to hurt the voice.There is much dangerous belting and straining in young voices, ie:cheerleading, stage musicals such as Annie, imitation of popular singers.
She suggests the following guidelines for achieving and maintaining vocal health.
1. Maintain a regular pattern of sleep
2. Eat wisely
3. Drink 8 - 12 glasses of water a day.
4. Exercise
5. Do not smoke
6. Be cautious about alcohol consumption and when it is consumed.
7.Be well informed about the drugs taken.
8. Always warm up before using the singing voice.
9. Practice with intelligence.
10. Take responsibility for self during rehearsals.
11. Use the speaking voice in the same manner as the singing voice.
12. Sing appropriate music forthe individual voice.
13. Find the right voice teacher and study singing.
14. Find the right doctor and see him/her before a vocal problem becomes too serious.
15. Be aware of activities in professional lives which may impact singing.
16. Be aware that emotions impact how we use our voices.
17. Don't wear yourself out.
18. Singer and teacher should both enjoy the student's talent and musical activities.
"In summary, singing is a holistic activity which involves physical, mental and, in many cases, spiritual activity.Every aspect of singers' lives affects the manner in which they produce their voices.Singing is, in a very real sense, an expression of who they are as individuals."
Bringing a Student's Personality to the Performance: Lori Sims, Conference Artist
(We decided that we would all comment on Lori.)
Judy begins:Lori was a delightful person, vivacious, energetic and wonderful with students.I really liked her no-nonsense approach to musicalstyle and interpretation.She suggested that in much music today, exactness has replaced freedom, that recordings are often flat, perfect, dry.Students should be encouraged to study them but only as a place to start.The important questions about a performance are:Didyou communicate?Did you get your music across?Did you make something beautiful happen?
She suggests that students listen to other kinds of music besides piano (orchestra for Brahms, opera for Mozart, lieder for Schumann & Schubert), read biographies of composers and understand the time-period, and understand other instruments for imitation such as the harpsichord for Bach's music and the forte-piano for Mozart.
She encourages students to explore the characters of musicexcitement, exaggeration, story.Find pieces that fit the student's personality but also challenge them with other styles.Encourage positive body language and make sure they completely understand the basics of each piece (direction, composers instructions, dissonant point, phrases, and how harmony, dissonance and rhythm relate to dynamics.
"There is more than one way to do anything.Bring me four possibilities! Encourage students to try things and make mistakesthen they learn.
The best thing we can do is lead our students to discover."
Debi liked her idea about playing a piece completely opposite of how it is articulated or dynamically expressed. For example playing staccato instead of the way it is written which is legato, or playing fortissimo where it's pianissimo, or voicing chords in many different waysin other words experimenting with the dynamics of a piece. You'll find the emotion of the piece changes to something different.
Ruth added:Students must believe in their interpretation. Compare the music with art and literature of the same period.Try playing without dynamics.Smile!Music would then have more characterfrowning brings dullness. Ask students the questionsWhere is the piece going? How long are the phrases? Where does it stop? Where are the phrases? How does the rhythm affect things? How does it develop? Does the room size affect the rhythm or the dynamics? Lori was a very impressive personality. I felt that she is the most dynamic personality and performer of anyone I have met or heard in a long, long time. In no way was she ever overbearing.She was an extremely sensitive personality with her three Master Class students, regardless of how they played, they walked away smiling and feeling confident.She is an amazing young artist.
Lori also conducted a Master Class.One of the students was Elvin Holderfield, from Loveland.He is a student of Sydney Thompson.She really showed the students how to make the music live.Her concert was amazingthree RachmaninoffPreludes, Opus 23, Clementi, Sonata, Opus 25 No.5, Barber, Sonata, Opus 26, and Schumann, Carnaval, Opus 9. It was very demanding, powerful, and musical.She was amazing!
And from JoAnn: Lori Sims, a Colorado native and recipient of many prestigious awards for her piano performance, showed her effervescent personality in this workshop.She outlined the "why" and "how" to bring originality into a performance.Every student is different and Lori feels each performance can also show individuality.Lori encourages experimentation as the student plans a performance, setting a mood through body language. Lori requires each performer she prepares to tell a story through the music that will engage every audience member in the story.
On Friday, at the Master Class, Lori reinforced the ideas expounded on in this workshop as she worked with three advanced students.It was great to see how she used her skills to help these students in their performance.Lori certainly "practiced what she preached" at the Friday evening concert.Her performance was incredibly memorable as she bounced off the piano bench in her exuberance to "tell the story."
Helping Your Student Play in the School Band:Gina Pruitt
reviewed by Debi Strick
I liked this seminar because it brought the world of jazz down to a level that was more on the ground level and easy to understand. Gina Pruitt had compiled a little booklet called "Student Jazz Handbook" that I purchased for $5:00.I bought the book and plan to use it with students wanting to be in the school jazz band.So far I've had three, and if I'd had this book I bet I could have helped them more.The book involves a lot of theory: circle of 5ths, chord theory, chord construction, chord symbols, 3-7 blues voicings, etc.It also involves scales, harmonizing melodies, blues scales, syncopation, swing rhythm, and exercises and little pieces to apply them to. The book is very easy to follow and understandeasy to readnot a lot of clutter on each page. In her seminar, Gina demonstrated things in the book. She has also composed many pieces which she has compiled into little booklets that were for sale.
Again, I liked this seminar because of the easy-to-understand level of the information. You really don't have to have a master's or doctorate degree to understand how jazz is formulated.
Teaching Chamber Music in your Studio:Sara McDaniel & Dr. Nancy Snustad
reviewed by Debi Strick
This was a really fun and charming seminar where the two women started out by playing a piece together.Sara McDaniel played the piano and Dr. Nancy Snustad played the cello.These two women have individual studios and they respect and know each other so well that they share students between their studios. They feel that students need the "experience of collaborating with other young musicians" and the opportunity to perform.Chamber music provides this.The really fun part of the seminar is that the women had their students perform several pieces for us. One student played the xylophone, one the piano, one (Dr. Snustad's own daughter) played the cello, one played the drums, and one the clarinet.The piano player, a high school student who had only been taking piano lessons for three years, composed one of the pieces that was performed by the group. He titled it "Song of Joy" and it wasquite superb. The women also had a discussion of why chamber music is vital to our teaching.I walked into the seminar not knowing quite what to expect, and walked out so glad that I had attended.It was inspiring and listening to the kids play really made my day.
The Elegant French Suites:Dr. Lipke
reviewed by Ruth Hale
The French Suites differ in a number of ways from the English Suites, but this was not where his lecture was going to dwell.He only mentioned that the French Suites began with an Allemande, not a Prelude.
1.The French Suites keep the same key throughouttonic, dominant, relative minor, etc.
2.Collection of dances.
3. Represent different countriesEngland, France, German, Italy, Scotlandthough Bach didn't travel.
4. Allamande (German, contrapuntal, not too fast), Courante (fast, quick, running, but French would play it slower, more restrained), Sarabande (Spanish, ornamental, moves to minor), Gavotte (French), Bourree (French), Loure (French), Gigue (Irish, joyous, ends with a real bang.)
5.Phrasing must be consistent.
6. Ornaments (use in competitions, only if written in the edition, very cautious about freedom.Use on the last note of the section, at cadences, on upbeats).
7. Pedal with great sensitivity and delicacyNelita True uses pedal with these.
Beginners in the Baroque Periodbegin with the Little Preludes, then Inventions, easier Preludes & Fugues. Dr. Lipke was most interesting.
Chanting the Torah:Uri Ayn Rovner
reviewed by Ruth Hale
This was an historical discussion about how music can become a vehicle.
1.The Torah is the Pentatuc-5- (5 Books of Moses)
2. Some 3500 years ago the Torah was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai.
3. Chanting does not need to be exact, whereas singing must be note perfect. Uri demonstrated and directed some chants. Anyone can chantsinging must be taught. Chanting is a rhythmical monotone, like movement.
4. The Torah is a compilation of some 613 ruleseveryday activities that we accept. There is a pomegranate on top of each scroll; pomegranates have 613 seeds.
5. The Torah is without punctuation, without vowels, without capital letters throughout.Chanting gave a certain rhythm to try to figure out and make some sense of the combination of the letters.
Monthly (or occasional) Group Lessons: A panel discussion by Ardith Sloan, Linda Sommer, Karen Ziegler
reviewed by JoAnn Destigter
Do you offer group lessons? These three convention presenters built a strong case for the inclusion of group lessons on a monthly basis.Ardith began group lessons after noticing that students who attended group lessons did better at performances.She wanted her students to develop the same level of poise that she observed in others.After much positive communication with the students and parents involved in her studio, she instituted group lessons once a month. Grouping the students and finding the best day for lessons was a challenge at first.Ardith notes that planning for group lessons takes a lot of time, but she sees a marked improvement in the understanding of theory concepts and overall better performances by students.
Linda offers three private lessons and an hour group lesson every month.She makes a lesson plan for the group lessons and over plans activities to keep every student involved in the group process.She demonstrated how she uses rhythm cards, a magnet board, alphabet cards, and an old Twister game for group lessons.Linda emphasized that you don't need to spend a lot of money on materials, since many can be teacher-made or made on the computer.
Karen, who just presented our May program on materials for group learning, offers a monthly 1 hour /15 minute group lesson, seven months of her teaching year. She reminded us of the benefit of doing many activities to cater to the three learning styles: kinesthetic, visual, and auditory.She uses simple games that can be adapted for many purposes.Karen is a firm believer in using Skittles, M & M's, and fresh cookiesfor playing pieces and rewards.
All three presenters agreed that group lessons are fun for the students and reinforce many theory concepts.Included in each groupsession is a time toperform as well as a music history lesson and ear training.Teachers must be organized to keep the group dynamic moving to involve everyone in some way.
You Be The Judge: Nancy Kaesler
reviewed by JoAnn Destigter
In September, Nancy was our guest speaker presenting the topic of preparing our students for performances. In this workshop, she moves to the next step of the teacher as evaluator; or, how can teachers be judges? She offered ways to be supportive to the students and teachers, giving feedback that is valuable and encouraging as well as being honest.Nancy gave reasons why some teachers are good judges and others should not be judging.
Nancy gave a series of steps to prepare to be an adjudicator; be well rested, ready to listen, andknow what you are listening for.She encouraged careful written, as well as verbal, comments to the performer.She gave a list of helpful phrases to use when writing judging critiques.She suggests using comments like "I suggest," " have you tried?" or "consider."Nancy stresses being tactful, showing respect for the student to make judging a learning experience.Nancy has much experience in the field of evaluation and stresses that it is not an easy task but a necessary one and can be very rewarding.
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