Author: Lori

Easter Egg Performance Preparation

Easter Egg Performance Preparation

It’s recital time here. On the week before a performance, I always record the students so we can play it back and evaluate. The trick is to make this fun instead of intimidating, so we added in a bit of art.

What You Need:

  • Several Easter egg coloring pages, such as these, these, or these.
    • I used the ones with 9 eggs to a page, but anything will work.
    • I also specifically got some of the ones with blank eggs because some kids prefer to color, some prefer to draw.
  • Colored pencils or crayons
  • Recording device (I just use my phone)

Setup:

  • Label the top of each coloring page with Take 1, Take 2, or Take 3. I did one coloring page and one blank egg page for each of the three takes.

What to Do:

  • Record the student playing their piece two or three times.
  • Play back the first take. Discuss what went well and what could use improvement. You could use the Pre-Recital Self Assessment for this, but it’s optional.
  • Repeat for the second and third takes.
  • Determine which recording was the best. The student can then decorate one of the eggs on the page labeled for that take.

Easter Egg Performance Prep

Target Practice (How to Drill Anything)

Target Practice (How to Drill Anything)

This activity requires a giant target. This may come with an archery set, but mine is a homemade job made out of an old curtain otherwise destined for the trash, a sharpie marker, and some spray fabric paint, which I didn’t even bother to try to keep in the lines. Regardless of how professional (or not) yours looks, the kids will have a good time with this.

What You Need:

  • Giant Target
  • Beanbag
  • Flashcards for whatever you want to drill

Setup:

  • Lay the target out on the floor.
  • Place a flashcard on each color of the target.

How to Play:

  • The student tosses the beanbag onto the target. I vary the starting position based on the throwing ability of the kid.
  • Pick up the card for the color the beanbag landed on and have the student answer it. Replace the card and go again.
  • Some kids will like to keep score. If so, give them 1 point for a bull’s eye, 2 points for the next color, etc. The goal is to keep the score as low as possible. If they are motivated by competition, the teacher can play too. In that case, miss some of the answers and offer them a point off their score tally if they catch you making a mistake.

Irish Improv

Here is a great improv to do for St. Patrick’s Day, but Irish music is great at any time of year, so there’s no need to limit it to March! Many of my early students have never played in 6/8 time, so this is a great opportunity to talk about time signatures.

Irish ImprovHow to Use:

  • Demonstrate the pattern.
  • Teach it by rote. Repeat until the student is confident.
  • Have the student play the pattern while you make up a melody above it using the notes of the A minor scale.
  • Switch parts.

Variations:

  • Change the key signature. Any minor scale will work. But you could also try it in major. Does it still sound Irish?
  • Add grace notes to the melody. Irish music is big on grace notes, which many students have never played. They can even use notes outside of the scale (black notes) and quickly slide off them onto the scale notes.
  • Accelerando. Some Irish music starts slow/moderately but at the end gets faster and faster for a dramatic finish. If you do this, add a crescendo as well.
  • Vary the pattern. The pattern doesn’t have to be static. As written the four notes in each measure jump from the lower octave up to the higher octave and then from the higher octave down to the lower octave. You could try it with the same rhythm but jump from low to high and then low to high again. You could also change the quarter notes into to two eighth notes.
  • Instead of making up the melody, try it with a lead sheet.

February 2019 Plans

Week 1: Race Across the Keyboard is a perennial favorite among my beginners, but this was the first time I figured out how to use it with students who already know the notes on the keyboard. We practiced intervals with it.

Week 2: This was the leadup to Valentine’s Day, so I caved on the no treats rule and played the The Treat Game. Depending on the student, we practiced notes, rhythms, intervals, and key signatures.

Week 3: It was snowing here, so we did the Gently Falling Snow Improv.

Week 4: It was time for a repeat game: Zap It.