the Treble Clef song!

Every Good Boy was getting old, and trying to spell FACE with that silent E was a wee bit frustrating, so we wrote a song to help us remember the treble clef notes.  Enjoy!!

Theory is poppin'!

Music theory day over here.  I decided to spice things up by making a staff with pipe cleaners on a book.  Plus it was snack time, so we put our popcorn to good use.

We focused on the treble clef, and I came up with a great tune to remember the note names with a tune from a Jim Gill tune.  I'd sing it for you, but my video camera is MIA, so that'll come later.  I had her point to the "notes" as we sang.

I'd tell her she could eat the piece of popcorn on a certain note, and if she picked the wrong one I got to eat it.  Or I'd have her close her eyes, I'd eat one and she had to tell me which one I'd gobbled.

Or have her put the popcorn on the two Ds or Es or Fs... you get the idea.

We also dropped it onto the "staff" and she got to eat the popcorn if she could tell me what note she'd landed on.

Doing this with M&Ms is always a winner, but I'd  rather she eat a lot of popcorn or cereal over a ton of candy any day.  Really, the possibilities are endless.  And delicious!

Straight bows with a bow

I remember teachers putting pieces of colored tape under my strings to encourage me to follow it and give them nice straight bows.  So when I started teaching, that's what I did, to some success.  But the other day during WonderGirl's lesson, I almost went looking for the tape but I found some ribbon first.

It's so simple - grab some pretty ribbon and tie it around the fiddle.  It doesn't move, doesn't get in the way of the strings, and she  loves accessorizing ANYTHING, so it fits her perfectly.

I tell her to aim her bow over it, and she does.  Mostly.  She's a work in progress, but every day is better and better.  Teaching isn't an exact science - it's looking for what will click with each kid and hoping it works.  Ribbons for my little girl are the ticket - I think when the Dude starts violin, I'll have to wind a rubber snake around it for him.

I love my little fiddler :)

Sunday inspiration: appreciation

Hi out there!! How is your summer going? Between the family visits and swimming lessons I haven't been here as much, but rest assured piano and violin are a-happening around these parts. Honestly, I've noticed that our day and our attitudes are vastly better on days that we get our lessons and practicing in as opposed to days where we give in to our summer exhaustion. It's worth it :)

So for your Sunday inspiration, here's a video to share with your wee ones, or just to enjoy yourself - the Copenhagen Philharmonic doing a flashmob playing Ravel's Bolero. Was there ever a more perfect piece written for a flashmob??? It's fun to see it performed when you've played it many times yourself, and as a violinist, I would definitely appreciate the opportunity to arrive at my heart's desire, seeing as the first kajillion measures are either rests or pizzicato. This makes me smile to no end. Enjoy!