My Heart Is Full!

After classes this week I had several emails and conversations with moms about how much their little one enjoyed classes, but this was too cute not to share.  My heart is full!

This little one's mom said: "He is so excited about Red Balloons.  He even made and extra copy of his puppets.  He added a monkey and a happy genie, too."

Another student told his mom, "That was the most fun class ever!"

Immediately after Green Turtles my son ran to practice, then came and said, "Okay.  I practiced.  Now how many days until my next class?"

Let's Play Music Teacher's Symposium- REmix in Phoenix

REjuvenate, REview, REfresh, REvive...

 One reason I continue to love being a teacher is that I am really a LEARNER. One of my goals in becoming a Let's Play Music teacher was to actively be in a position to be learning and growing, in addition to helping my family and community do so as well.  The community of Let's Play Music teachers never fail to inspire, uplift, and empower every time we meet. 

One of my favorite thoughts from the weekend:  

"Teach music and singing at school in such a way that it is not a torture but a joy for the pupil; instill a thirst for finer music in him, a thirst which will last a lifetime." Zoltan Kodaly

Registration for 2016 Classes - Now Open!

Registration for fall classes is now open. 

 Please see the REGISTRATION tab at the top of the page for forms and other links.

Classes will be held:

Wednesday 10:00 AM - First Year (Red Balloons/Blue Bugs)

Wednesday 11:00 AM - Sound Beginnings (White Horses)

Thursday 1:00 PM -  Second Year (Green Turtles/Yellow Arrows)

Thursday 4:00 PM - Second Year (Green Turtles/Yellow Arrows)

Thursday 5:00 PM - Third Year (Purple Magic/Orange Roots)

Registration for Fall 2016 Classes

I'm excited about getting ready to teach another year of Sound Beginnings (2-4 years) and Let's Play Music (entry age 4-6)

General enrollment for my studio for the 2016-17 session opens soon!  However, if you're interested in enrolling, you'll want to get on my waiting list because that allows you to submit registration 1 week early!  My current students and those on my waiting list will receive my registration links by email 1 week before they are listed here on my website.  Classes fill up quickly, so that will be the best way to ensure you get the class time you want!

Registration for 2015-2016

Registration and Enrollment for 2015-2016 

2015-2016 LPM Schedule

Red Balloons/Blue Bugs: Wednesdays 4:00-4:45 - Starts Wed August 26th

Green Turtles/Yellow Arrows:  Thursdays 4:00-4:50  Starts Thurs August 27th

Purple Magic/Orange Roots:  Thursdays 5:05-6:00  Starts Thurs Aug 27th

Sound Beginnings:  Thursdays 10:30 am (tentative day and time) - starts the week of August 27th

Click the registration tab or email me for more info!

Got the Practice Blues? A few Solutions

We all want our kids to do well in all they do, but sometimes we hit rough patches where we need to change things up so keep the momentum going.  I know I am the same way with even the hobbies I love the most.  A few parents have given me permission to share some things that are helping them keep practice fun and effective, so I'll share them today and a few others that have been a hit at our house.  For more ideas for every level and on multiple concepts, see the Making Musicians LPM blog, as well as searching this blog for posts labeled practice helps.

First Year --

• Keep practicing specific things to a few minutes 3-4 times a week so kids don't get bogged down... then leave the bells and CD in an easy to access place so that the kids will naturally experiment and make their own discoveries.
• Make your own autoharp or download an app so they can practice honing their chord playing and develop their ear for when chords should be played.  More info HERE.
• Let the kids be your teacher.  Have them point at the bells to play for a specific song.
• At the grocery store, let your child practice baby steps and skips using the floor tiles.  The very next tile is a baby step, hopping over one is a skip, and more than two tiles is a leap!

Second Year --

• There is a fabulous video on the LPM blog demo-ing a game for Yellow Arrow students to learn their note names with the alphabet pieces game.  CLICK HERE
• Trade places and have the kids point while you play the piano.
• Have kids try to balance a smartie or other small candy on their bubble hand as they practice playing the fingers you sing.  If it stays on they get to keep it.

Third Year --

• Look for unique times and ways to reinforce concepts.  One mom shared their bathtime solution (pictured above).  Writing on the wall is usually a no-no, but with a wet erase or dry erase marker, windows and bathroom surfaces can turn into a classroom with a captive audience.  GREAT IDEA!

Treble Lines Online Fun

For those that are super fast at their "Treble Lines" flashcards, here's another way to review and get even speedier.

http://www.musiclearningcommunity.com/Game%20pages/PageTurnerLetterNames/Treble%20spaces/PgTurnLettersTrebleSpaces-Practice.htm