Here’s my list of favourites:

1) Virtual Sheet Music.  Exclusive, pure digital sheet music with audio files to download and print instantly. Over 2,000 PDF files, 8,000 MIDI audio files, 30,000 Mp3 files, & 50,000 Hal Leonard titles.

2) Musicnotes.  Sheet Music and Guitar Tab downloads for nearly 190,000 pieces.  Over 260,000 Music Books.  Instantly printable digital sheet music plus a PC-compatible interactive, downloadable sheet music file.

3) International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP).  40,229 works, 99,391 scores, 2,557 recordings.  Public domain music (works not under copyright).

Do you have a favourite (legal) music download site not on my list?  Please comment!

Hmmm....now how many beats per bar, and which time signature?

I just read an article about a 12-year-old pianist who can (1) play by ear and (2) loves to perform.  According to his teacher, he (3) “excels beyond his years and beyond the skill levels of most other students who are regarded as progenies” [sic] and “he gets it on the intuitive level.”

 And guess what!?  This student began his study at age 5 with four years in the Music for Young Children™ program.  Why am I not surprised?  Because children in Music for Young Children classes

1.  Receive weekly ear training by

• clapping back rhythm “stories” each week, then writing what they hear with manipulatives like popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners.
• singing short tunes in solfege (i.e., “do, re, mi” etc.), with hand signs, eventually taking these tunes to the keyboard to play by ear and then transpose into different keys.
• harmonizing each scale with three primary chords and then adding harmonies to songs already learned.
• singing songs to reinforce music concepts or simply for the joy of singing.  (If you can sing it, you can play it.  And, of course, to sing it, you have to hear it first.)

2. Perform

• with others in class (harmonized scales, sight reading passages, short exercises).
• in front of others (during solo time in class, in recitals and at home for family and friends).  At home, students are encouraged to perform for friends and to ask them to sign and add comments to their “I am a Star pages”.

3. Excel

MYC students become good listeners as a result of the ear training they have received and by listening to the performances of their peers in class.  Through consistent, mindful (i.e., listening) practice, they develop the necessary technique to move forward. They hear and express music intuitively and can develop their skill levels beyond those labelled as  “prodigies”.  Of course, another set of ears – the parents’ – both in class and during home practice sessions, helps too!

Marc Widner, Chief Examiner Emeritus, of the Royal Conservatory of Music, says it best:

“The Music for Young Children program has to be counted as the dominant force in the musical training of young children in Canada today.  Many of the new students arriving each year in my studio are graduates of Music for Young Children.  They arrive superbly prepared and well motivated for further study.  MYC teachers have found the right balance.  They successfully blend the pleasure and joy of music making with the rigour of a well-crafted pedagogical progression.”

Left to right & front to back: Elli, Sherri, Heather, Sandra, Cheryl, Michelle. Not shown: Nora & Sue.

On March 21^st, eight MYC teachers from the greater Hamilton and Brantford area presented a showcase to demonstrate various aspects of the Music for Young Children program.  Cheryl Dickson-Neal was the MC for the event, which took place at the Chapters Ancaster store at 1 and 6 pm.  The teachers were joined by over 50 of their students in the presentations and solos.

Sherri Granka presented a section on solfege.  Assisted by Elizabeth Bogdan, she invited the audience to participate by singing and adding actions to tunes such as Fuzzy Wuzzy and Hot Cross Buns.  Sherri explained that, through solfege, children learn to distinguish between beat and rhythm, then go on to learn the hand signs for pitches to sing patterns and songs.  Eventually, the children take these songs to the keyboard and learn to transpose them into different keys through their knowledge of solfege.

Heather Tuttle presented some fun rhythm ensembles, including Waltzing Matilda and La Cucaracha, for one of which she had written the parts.  Accompanied by MIDI, students played castanets, hand drums, and maracas, each group reading the rhythms written on a poster held by one of the teachers (Elizabeth Bogdan, Michelle Friesen, Sandra Oldejans, Sue Van Wetten and Heather Tuttle).

With the assistance of Nora Phalen, Sherri presented a section on keyboard geography. Seven students were invited to stand on a vinyl floor keyboard and hold a puppet representing a key; an equal amount of children were asked to come up and hold a large keyboard letter corresponding to each puppet.  Children and audience then sang the Critter Song, which most beginning MYC students learn in their early lessons.  Assisted by Heather, the children then sang and performed the actions to the song We Can Move Our Fingers, which teaches right and left, or up and down, on the piano.

Heather presented a section on singing, illustrating how MYC students learn about crescendos.  She used a fan, which first looked like a “V” to the audience, then turned it sideways to show it was a “crescendo”.  As the fan opened up, so did the volume of singing.  The audience sang dynamically, becoming louder (and taller) as they sang their way through Crescendos are Such Fun.

A special aspect of Music for Young Children is composition.  Children learn various techniques that composers use to write songs, such as repetition, sequence, retrograde, and so on.  They then use these techniques to compose their own compositions.   Many children performed their own compositions for the audience, including such titles as Scary, Sneaker Cat, the Beatle Bug Boogie,  Déjà vu, and E Minor Fantasy.   Some compositions didn’t yet have titles: children in the audience enjoyed listening and making suggestions.

Many students, including students who had graduated from the program and were continuing their piano studies, performed solos.

The showcase concluded with a fun interactive listening game, led by Heather, who held up vocabulary cards for tempos such as Andante, Moderato, and Allegro to show the speeds at which children in the audience would dance.  Of course they had to freeze whenever the music stopped.

We teachers enjoyed showing the fun we have in our Music for Young Children classes and hope guests in the audience will be encouraged to come join us in the fall, when our program begins anew.

Thank you to students who participated in the sessions from my studio including Camilla, Mackenzie and Olivia.  Thanks also to Gavin and Lorelei, who performed solos, and Taif, who performed her own composition.  Well done, everyone!

When: Monday, March 14th, 1-2 pm and 6-7 pm.
Where: Chapters Ancaster, 737 Golf Links Road, Ancaster.

Sunshine I Class (JK-aged)

For the ear training part of class, students listened to sections of Christmas carols played on the piano and used Christmas erasers to mark whether they were being played high or low in their books.

At the keyboards, they played short pieces with “step-ping down” patterns from the regular book and from their special holiday book.

Students clapped rhythm stories found on the cuff of paper Christmas stockings.   Then they turned the “cuff” around to find “Jump Up High” or “Jump Down Low” patterns and   named the pattern and the note names in the patterns.

New this lesson was the letter “B”, and students were introduced to Becky Bird, who loves to jump on a big bed.  New in the keyboard assignments this week was the idea of skipping a finger number, by playing F and jumping down to D.  Also new was the “Sleepy Panda” whole note.  Students were asked to write a couple rhythm stories in their holiday books. 

For our rhythm ensemble, students played a spirited version of Jingle Bells with bells while listening to a MIDI accompaniment.

Finally, the students were handed paper ornaments containing keyboard notes, dynamic signs, and rhythms.   After identifying these, they took turns running up to the tree to add their ornaments.

Sunbeams I (SK, Grade 1)

Students reviewed “so” and “mi” in their solfege songs, reviewed the six patterns they know, played their “C” scale, RH up and down.  They also learned how to play the “crazy spider” scale (C scale, using only fingers 1 and 3), to help develop their thumb-tucking skills. 

Students wrote their rhythm stories “upside down”, this week, to show what notes look like when played in the LH.  At the keyboards, they played several songs, which included staff notes C, D & E in the treble clef, with various rhythms and dynamics.  Among those songs was a simple version of Jingle Bells from their holiday books. New here was the LH C-G bridge (two-note chord).  Students were excited to harmonize their new song.

Students enjoyed singing The Littlest Angel, holding up their corresponding puppets.

They took turns opening up a box from the Advent Calendar, opening up a rhythm story found inside and clapping it.

The Christmas stockings held rhythms to clap on one side and note patterns to name and play on the other.  Finally, students had fun decorating the Christmas tree with ornaments after naming the staff notes inside. 

Summary

All classes concluded with yummy Christmas cookies.  Students were given their star ornaments to take home to put on their Christmas trees.

Hopefully this will give you the reader a taste of the fun we have in our MYC classes.  The Studio does have a Sunshine I class (for children age 3, approximately) starting this month (January 2011).  If you have missed the deadline, please contact me to get on the waiting list for next September!

Sunshine I

The Sunshine I class (JK-aged children) learned about crescendos and a new note pattern (step-ping up); they also met en elegant elk named Edyth.  Edyth represents the note “E” on the keyboard.  This lucky class gets to dress up again next week for Elegant Edyth Day!

Students wrote their rhythm stories (dictations) on orange card stock this week.

We sang about smiling orange Halloween cats and  built jack-o-lanterns with musical symbols while singing about pumpkins glowing in the window.  In our candy corn game, students had fun matching the keyboard notes they knew (C-D-E-F) to the corresponding critter and keyboard picture.  Even our rhythm ensemble about turtles (representing half notes) eating bugs seemed to fit in with our Halloween theme.

Sunbeams I

The Sunbeams I class (SK/Grade 1 children) passed the pumpkin (soft fabric pumpkin) around the circle to a “hop” (quarter-note) beat while singing their opening song in a spooky minor key.  We talked about the importance of having spider fingers when playing piano, so each student put on their spider finger rings and played the rhythm to their new keyboard piece, “Ode to Spider Fingers”, with spider fingers on the carpet. 

The Sunbeams “dunked for apples” , by using a magic wand to pull out cardboard apples from the cauldron.  Each apple had a bar of rhythm to clap.  They played a Halloween piece called “Boo!” together with a scary MIDI accompaniment.  Students met Grumpy the grouchy groundhog (for the note G) and learned about staff lines.  This group also enjoyed the Candy Corn Match Game, matching up letters C-G.

Sunbeams 3

Sunbeams 3 students passed the pumpkin around the circle to varying beats.  They played a game called “buck-off”, where each student got to ride the horse (piano bench) as long as he or she could give the word for the definition I read.  It was surprising to see how many words students were able to remember from their “Pictionary” music vocabulary list we’ve been building.  So far, we’re up to about 30 words.  These students also dunked for apples, this time pulling out apples with notes and rests in them.  Using their knowledge of strong, medium and weak beats, they wrote the story (one bar of rhythm) on orange card stock and then decided whether various rests could be combined.  If so, they rewrote the story.  Students enjoyed playing their Halloween selections for each other.

Sunrise Class

This class (ages 2 1/2 and up) didn’t stand still for long, so I was unable to get a group shot.  The Sunrise class learned about Stan-ding Teddy (representing the half note) and made puppets to march to the half note beat in the Standing Teddy song.  They also played claves, bells and castanets in our rhythm ensemble and sang some old favourites like “Here is a Cow” and “Twinkle Twinkle”.  We finished off class by pretending to be witches, stirring the brew in our cauldrons and singing “Stirring the Brew.”

It was a lot of fun putting these classes together.  Now it’s time to get ready for the Trick or Treaters!  I’ve got a pumpkin to carve!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

For Immediate Release

KANATA, Ontario, Aug. 23, 2010 – There have been many articles lately about the importance of piano lessons and boosting a child’s IQ but we should not forget how much fun it is to learn to play an instrument.  It also provides children with a sense of accomplishment.  The development of a healthy self-esteem and self-confidence should encourage any parent to enrol their child in music lessons. Children are curious and love to learn.  Music opens their minds and reaches across cultures and needs no translation.

             When is the right time to start children in music lessons?  Formalized training should start as young as three.  Music is like a language and the best time for that window of opportunity is from 3-10.  Group lessons are one of the best ways for young children to learn because they are not only learning from the teacher but also from each other. The interaction in a Music for Young Children class is very important and the use of puppets and props emphasizes interactivity, playing and having fun.

             In group lessons, singing and rhythm ensembles are two of the most effective tools.  Singing in a group setting makes children less self-conscious and gives them time to develop their voices.  Rhythm ensembles are favourite activities of young children.  Rhythm instrument ensembles promote rhythmic fluency and reinforce steady pulse and consistency of speed (tempo).  This ensemble training starts in children as young as three years old in Music for Young Children using such instruments as hand drums, castanets, tambourines, triangles, rhythm sticks and claves.

             Toddler music groups are good for developing social skills and also help young children overcome shyness.  Classes with pre-school students need to be active and engaging and include songs, storytelling and puppetry.  This keeps the children focused and entranced.  Music for Young Children’s Sunrise program is a good example of this and the program delights young children with their three main characters Buddy the Frog, Mellow Yellow, a dog and Buzz, the fly.

            Group piano lessons encourage communication in a positive verbal and nonverbal manner and cooperation with peers, help students achieve success, teach children self-control and help students accept the consequences of their own behaviour.  Group piano lessons help students develop the positive attitudes and skills needed for collaboration, leadership and peer acceptance.  And one of the benefits of group lessons is that students learn more repertoires from each other through collaborative learning.

             Students naturally like to play and work together and it adds excitement to their learning.  Music is doing, feeling, moving, listening and creating.  The most important thing parents can know is that their child will develop in a far more enriched way with music lessons.

            “Music for Young Children has provided a fun and entertaining element for our family.  The kids love the fact that we can all take turns playing and that mom and dad are involved in their music experiences.  TV has become less important and it is watched much less.  In my daughter’s three years of MYC, I have never heard her complain about having to practice.  I love to see her passionate about it.”  Jill Vasy, parent.

             In MYC classes the child and parent bond as a “music team” during lessons and that carries on at home during daily practice and other family activities.

             “The props are awesome.  The kids are having fun while they’re learning.  I feel the program moves at a good pace and realize as a parent how important it is that we are there to support them and help them at practise time.  I’m able to have two kids in the same program which truly is a benefit.  I’d like to really stress that the FUN in MYC makes it so enjoyable for my kids.  We happen to also have an exceptional teacher.  What an awesome concept Music for Young Children is!”  Cheryl Beatty

  Visit www.myc.com to find a teacher near you – many classes start in September! ]]> http://grankamusicstudio.com/2010/08/group-music-lessons-that-are-fun/feed/ 0 http://grankamusicstudio.com/2010/08/group-music-lessons-that-are-fun/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GrankaMusicStudio/~3/lBDukEvVDc0/ http://grankamusicstudio.com/2010/08/talent-is-overrated-a-music-teacher%e2%80%99s-review/#comments Mon, 23 Aug 2010 03:11:32 +0000 Sherri Granka http://grankamusicstudio.com/?p=855 Read more »

The expression “He’s so talented” or “she’s so talented” has always made me cringe.  Perhaps it’s due to my personal experience with practicing and my suspicion that excellence was achieved a lot more through hard work than sheer talent.

 I just finished a book called Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else.  The author is Geoff Colvin and his thesis is that “innate abilities are far less important than we generally believe and may not even exist.  Inborn gifts aren’t the cause of success; therefore each of us must be responsible for his or her own achievement.”

 Colvin writes that “this makes many people uncomfortable, but the good news is . . . we’re far more able to achieve what we want.”

 Although the book was marketed to a business audience, Colvin received a surprisingly intense response from parents, who passionately told him how much their kids needed to hear the message…the message that, across a wide range of fields, in order to achieve excellence, one must do a lot of preparation (intense practice, study, intensive toil). 

“Our culture celebrates achievement and worships celebrity, but virtually ignores where they came from…i.e., the staggering amount of work behind the skills developed.”

 Colvin notes that child prodigies are often like stars that shine brightly but quickly fade, rarely remaining successful into adulthood.  As soon as they hit a wall, they often become discouraged and quit.  By comparison, those who had won piano competitions had memories of being forced to take piano lessons.  They were not born with any kind of innate drive or rapid learning ability.  It wasn’t until their teens that they developed the intrinsic drive to keep them going.

 Practice is cumulative over many years.  In a study conducted at the Music Academy of West Berlin, professors rated students into three categories of good, better, and best.  All students were in their early twenties and all were practicing 24 hours a week.  Why were some better than others?  It boiled down to their practice history.  By age 18, the best group had accumulated 7,410 hours of lifetime practice on average, versus 5,301 hours in the better group, versus 3,420 hours in the good group.

Does practice make perfect?  No, only deliberate practice makes perfect.  It must be designed specifically to improve performance, must be repeated a lot, must have continuous feedback, requires concentration and plenty of time, and is not inherently enjoyable.

 If it seems a bit depressing that the most important thing you can do to improve performance is no fun, Colvin offers us this consolation:  “It must be so.  If the activities that lead to greatness were easy and fun, then everyone would do them and they would not distinguish the best from the rest.  The reality that deliberate practice is hard can even be seen as good news.  It means that most people won’t do it.  So your willingness to do it will distinguish you all the more.”

Perhaps this is why so many students who have come through years of music lessons have also become doctors or other professionals .  Through years of discipline and practice, they have learned to excel and have become world-class performers.

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Now on at my studio are free info sessions where parents and children can learn about Music for Young Children classes.  Keyboard-based MYC classes run 36 weeks and start shortly after Labour Day.  Classes are kept small, so it’s not too late to register today for an info session.  Registration is also taking place for the pre-keyboard Sunrise program (ages 2 1/2 and up), beginning in October.  More on these programs can be found on my MYC website.

Summer is a great time to attend local music festivals too.   The Brantford International Villages Festival just concluded, but there are others such as the Cambridge Highland Games (July 16-17), the Guelph Hillside Festival (July 23-25), Music Niagara (July 17-Aug. 14) or the Brantford Jazz Festival (September 18-19).  For other festivals, see here.  Nothing compares to a live concert and the memories are lasting!  In Brantford, there are Thursday evening concerts (7-9 pm) at the Old Town Hall and Friday afternoon concerts (noon-1 pm) at Victoria Park.

Here’s wishing you and your family a fun, music-filled summer!