Music and the Brain: Melissa Wenszell, April 6, 2017
Developing Your Online Presence
by Hanno Strydom
Strydom.Hanno@MacPhail.org
I delivered this presentation, Developing Your Online Presence, at a MacPhail Music Learning Lab Idea Exchange on October 18, 2016.
This session is loaded with ideas about why and how to develop an online presence for yourself or your studio. With real-world examples and demonstrations of some of the key tools—like one of the most popular drag-and-drop website builders and YouTube—you will leave equipped to start your own website, blog, video blog, or YouTube channel. The session also includes a discussion of the costs involved and the equ…
ENVoY Training Part 2
by Candis Parrish
In my last post, I emphasized the importance of non-verbal communication and outlined some of the factors the go into the way teachers present themselves in the classroom. This post will cover some practical things you can do in the classroom to improve your non-verbal communication.
Getting Student Attention with "Above/Pause/Whisper"
Try this technique to get the students focused on you:
- Speak louder than students
- Pause for a second
- Whisper a few words
Teacher voice should be two steps above student voices to start. Then pause. Then whisper a few w…
ENVoY Training Part 1
By Candis Parrish
Do you ever feel like you’ve planned a standards driven lesson that’s both engaging and fun, only to have it fall flat because you spend more time dealing with behaviors than teaching your class? Have you tried management systems like breaks and timeouts with limited success? Learning how to effectively use non-verbal signals can help you successfully manage student behavior while keeping the focus on what’s really important: the learning.
ENVoY (Educational Non-Verbal Yardsticks) is a management system that teaches how to utilize your body, voice, eyes, a…
Incredible Music Teaching Apps for Ipad
Jeremy Hanson recently shared some apps that he uses while teaching piano. Click on the image below to view the pdf where you can click on each of the links to learn more. 
Highlights from NCKP 2015 (National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy)
By Cathy Smetana
In July, I was one of several hundred piano teachers to descend upon Lombard, Illinois for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. I’ve attended this conference (or one of its predecessors) many times, and 2015 was one of the best years ever.
The conference is offered every other year and officially runs from Thursday-Saturday in late July or early August, depending on the year. One can register for the entire conference, or day at a time. There is a discount for early registration. An optional pre-conference seminar is typically offered on Wednesday. The c…
“Inspiration through Connection”
By Beth Turco
During your lessons with students, do you feel the pressure to pack in all the information they need to know about technique, music theory and fundamental skills at the instrument? Isn't is difficult to remember to nurture the student's love of music? And how exactly can we accomplish that? On Friday, October 9, Richard Tostenson answered these questions and many more in his engaging workshop, "Inspiration through Connection."
In his charismatic and humorous style, Richard offered a winning formula about how to ignite a student’s love of music, through an approach t…
Idea Exchange: Tips for Teaching Older Adults
By Tamra Brunn
Brunn.Tamra@MacPhail.org
The MacPhail Music for Life™ program is expanding at MacPhail Center for Music and we currently serve over 1,000 adults age 55+ in our student body! Earlier this month we gathered together a panel of experienced Music for Life teaching artists—Jeanie Brindley-Barnett, Joey Clark, Jerry Rubino, Andrea Leap, and Guna Skujina—to share teaching tips for older adults. Experiences ranged from leading choirs to individual lessons to group piano teaching and more. Attendees jumped right in sharing their experiences, asking questions, and getting tips to br…
Finding Appropriate Chamber Music Repertoire for Any Ensemble
by Jeremy Swider, Chamber Music Coordinator, MacPhail Center for Music
Swider.Jeremy@MacPhail.org
Do you coach chamber music ensembles? Are you in a student chamber ensemble? Do you have trouble finding music of an appropriate level of difficulty for your group or the groups you coach?
Jeremy Swider, Chamber Music Coordinator at MacPhail Center for Music, has put together the following set of resources to help teachers and students find chamber music of appropriate difficulty for any group. While some of these resources are Minnesota-centric, there are many here that will be of interest…
Music Theory Tutorials
Growing in Flexibility: the (Online) Teaching Experience!
by Jennifer Geise
Geise.Jennifer@MacPhail.org
On June 5th I had the opportunity to share about my online piano teaching experience and specifically to talk on the importance of flexibility as a music teacher. Our audience was a great mix of experienced and new-to-online teachers from many instrument backgrounds. This afforded a rich discussion on experience and questions about online challenges.
I started teaching online in January 2012 with many questions and some significant reservations, but with a desire to reach students who would otherwise not be reached. Music is a universal lan…