Wednesday, October 9, 2024

FAVORITES You May Not Know About...

Our October 8th Chapter meeting had Patrice Hunt sharing some of her "favorite" tips, tricks, and more.

She started out by sharing something she learned 5 years ago at a St. George Chapter meeting entitled, "Breaking the Curse of the Poor Sightreader."  (You can search for the write-up by plugging in the first three words in the search bar on this blog.)

Starting with one of the strategies shared at that meeting, even though she initially thought it wasn't very useful information, she showed us a great way to teach note recognition. using just 30 notes of a deck of flashcards (C2 - C6).  Her preferred flashcards are the double clef flashcards (white) by Jane Smisor Bastien sold at Daynes Music, Amazon (usually backordered!) or your favorite music store.  Watch the chapter Zoom recording to see how this works, using three different ways for students to know and say all 30 cards in under 1 minute.  It has made a big difference in Patrice's studio.

October Chapter Mtg Zoom Recording  Passcode is:  %nzE6&cj

Next she shared an easy way she teaches her students to learn to play two octave scales with hands together.  

C-G-D-A-E all use the same strategy.  "Start - doors - 3's- 1/2, 2-1 / 3's - doors - Thumbs - doors - 3's - 1/2 2/1  - 3's - doors- ends."  Again, watch the video if you need more details.  She also included "Scale hints" for all 12 major scales.

Patrice shared her "Practice chart" printed on mailing labels that she uses on her student's assignment book.  They write in the minutes practiced each day of the week.  This is good for their accountability and takes about 5 seconds to place on their assignment page for the week.

 

We also discussed "The Royal Household" and how it helps students prepare for recitals/evaluations.

King=Rhythm   Queen = Dynamics   Prince= A GREAT Ending

Along with this, Patrice shared Dr. Lynn Dean's "Maintenace Mode" of practicing a recital piece 4 times daily at Slow, Medium, Fast and Slow speeds. 

Lastly we discussed some great pieces students love that are easily taught by rote initially:  Nimble Fingers by Vandall; The Great Smokey Mountains by Glover; and Buzzing Bee by Nevin.

If you missed this, we hope you'll join us in November for another great chapter meeting!






Tuesday, September 10, 2024

September 2024 - UMTA Chapter Meeting


 September 10, 2024

What a great way to start off the new school year!!  Meeting new music friends and sharing some great music ideas via games!!

Debbie Clementson started things off with a music game she created after a favorite of her grandmothers.  She had cards with prompts, such as:  What symbols tells you to hold a note longer than it's value?  (Hopefully they come up with "fermata" then they start grabbing letters from the large pile of letters in the middle of the table until they've spelled that word.  Another card might ask:  How many beats does a whole note get in 4/4 time?  They quickly spell out "FOUR!"  And so on.  A fun way to review some music ideas that may need polishing.

Patrice Hunt had everyone grab a pair of drumsticks and divided the group into four sets.  Each group was given a separate rhythm sheet entitled "I Love Eating Hot Dogs."  They had to pay attention to their group's rhythm sheet as all the groups played together.  It's a great way to involve a lot of students while practicing counting aloud and doing something different from other groups.  She also shared the Rhythm Cups game, seen in the video at the top.  Very fun for students!!

We then divided into three groups where each group was taught, and played, a different game.  Then we rotated a couple of times so we all got to learn/experience different games.

Amanda Horrocks shared a game of Tic Tac Toe using dice with different note values on them.  Each person took a turn rolling and if you had that on your card, you got to put a gem on it.  This game and many others can be found on The Practice Shoppe

Danielle Smith brought a game, along with Mel Burke, and Caroline Jennings all brought games that I didn't get to play!!  Hopefully, they'll send information on what their game was called and how to play it!!

Everyone brought treats to share and it was a wonderful 50 minutes together.

Next month's meeting will be Tuesday, October 8th at noon.  Patrice Hunt will be sharing several ideas you may never have heard of:  

  • The Royal Household
  • Two handed scales - two octaves...made easy!!
  • Ideas for mailing labels for your piano studio
  • Favorite pieces that can be initally taught by rote
It's going to be fast and furious...you will not be bored!!





Wednesday, September 4, 2024

FIrst Chapter Meeting ... NEXT WEEK!!

 

Good Luck, Awestruck, Potluck! (Game Day and Meet-and-Greet)

  • Date: Tuesday, September 10, 2024, at 12:00 PM
  • Location: Utah Tech Campus (ECCLES 155)
  • Zoom Link: https://teacherscollege.zoom.us/j/8522636179?omn=93040080525
  • Description:
    Bring your favorite music game and/or treat to share with everyone. This will be a great opportunity to network, share teaching ideas, and have some fun! We look forward to seeing you there.

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What to bring: Bringing a snack and/or a music game you enjoy playing with your students is optional but encouraged. Be prepared to teach us how to play!

Upcoming Announcements and Deadlines:

·       UMTA Performance Evaluations Deadlines
UMTA Performance Evaluations Website (Guidelines)
Registration Form
If you haven't received instructions from Rachel France, please let me know ASAP, and I’ll forward them to you.

·       UMTA State Conference:
Date: November 1-2, 2024
Location: Thanksgiving Point, Lehi, UT
Conference Information

Saturday, August 3, 2024

2024 Performance Evaluations

 The 2024 Performance Evaluations are right around the corner!!  Student registrations and payment need to be submitted by our UMTA Chapter meeting on Tuesday, September 10th at noon.  The evaluations will be held on Friday, October 4th in the afternoon and evening.  The Honors Recital(s) will be held Saturday between 12 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.  All events will be held at Utah Tech Eccles Building.

More details will be coming soon.  Or reach out to Rachel France or Patrice Hunt if you have questions.

Thursday, July 11, 2024

St. George Chapter Leadership

President:  
Tiffany Barnes Watts

Vice President: 
TBD (I'm open to suggestions whenever.)

Treasurer:  
Carole Terry

Performance Evaluations Committee Head:  
Rachel France

AIM Chair:  
Caroline Jennings

Website/Historian:  
Patrice Hunt*

Cedar City Liaison: 
(Hopeful to have Christian Bohnenstengel) 

President Emeritus:  
Mark Gubler

Local Collegiate Chapters:
SUU Collegiate Chapter President:  TBD
Utah Tech Collegiate Chapter President:  TBD

ENJOY THE SUMMER...

 We had our Closing Social in May at Vernon Worthen Park and enjoyed visiting with many of our music colleagues!

There are several changes taking place, biggest being the changing of "the guard" as Mark Gubler's tenure as president of the St. George UMTA chapter has come to an end.  We appreciate so very much the time and work he has put in, with many others, to keep our chapter moving forward.

Tiffany Barnes Watts has been nominated and elected as the new UMTA - St. George President for the 2024-26 term.  We look forward to her leadership and input.

"Item number next," as Dr. Lynn Dean would say:  Performance Evaluations are coming up so please prepared your students now to be ready to perform the end of September.  More definitive dates will be coming soon.  If you have questions, please reach out to Rachel France.

Saturday, August 5, 2023

PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS ARE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!

Student Registrations are due September 23rd

Evaluations Judging: Saturday October 7th

Honors Recitals: Saturday October 21st, 2pm-6pm


Contact Mark Gubler for more information!

Thursday, January 5, 2023

Starting off 2023 WRIGHT!!

 Hey Everyone!


Below is the zoom link for our chapter meeting with Josh Wright this coming Tuesday at noon! You're not going to want to miss it! 

Also, don't forget that the March meeting is a book discussion. You'll want to start reading and implementing that soon if you haven't already. Here's the info:
  • March - Book Discussion "The Piano Practice Physician's Handbook: 32 Common Piano Student Ailments and How Piano Teachers Can Cure Them for GOOD" by Nicola Cantan
Here's the zoom link for this Tuesday: Chapter Meeting with Josh Wright
Time: Jan 10, 2023 12:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
Josh Wright - Zoom Link

Meeting ID: 891 4437 0019
Passcode: 732634

Thanks! Let me know if there's anything more I can do to help!
Mark