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Welcome
to Music Teachers Insightful Practices (MTIPS)
Newsletter!
July
5, 2000
Table
of Contents:
1.
MTIPS Theme
2. Welcome Notes - (Shameless Marketing!)
3. MTIPS Development
4. Notable Quotables
5. Notable Birthdays
6. Book Time
7. Songs for the Month
8. Recommended Sites
1.
MTIPS Theme
So
your students are excited about creating their own
melodic improvisations… What's next? How do you, as
the teacher, show the student how to mold this
improvisation so it is directed by intelligent musical
choice as opposed to randomness and chaos with
accidental moments of genius!?
2.
Welcome Notes
Welcome
to Music Teachers Insightful Practices (MTIPS)! To all
my USA subscribers, Happy Independence Day!
To
my subscribers throughout the world, Happy July! And
welcome to our 20 new subscribers!
What
a wonderful week it has been! My sister and
brother-in-law brought a new life named Emma Marie into
our family, a condensed summer teaching schedule that
allowed for 2 rounds of golf this week and beautiful
weather for the past 10 days. "Life is
beautiful!"
This
issue is a "chunky" one! I had so much I
wanted to share, that I allowed myself to go a
"little" over the edge with the newsletter
length! Hope you find some valuable information.
MTIPS
is a free monthly newsletter that's goal is to provide
piano teachers,(hopefully you!) with insightful
practices that will make the career of sharing music
with soon-to-be musicians a more rewarding and
successful one. Please let me know how I can be of
service to you in reaching this goal. You may contact me
at: NickAmbrosino@musicsimplymusic.com.
Be
sure to check our web site at: http://www.musicsimplymusic.com.
We have lots of information, and resources you can use.
We're constantly adding and up-dating, so check it
often!
3.
MTIPS Development
Last
month, I addressed a common concern of many piano
teachers, how to teach improvisation and jazz. Many of
us, started our piano studies in a very traditional
curriculum. My experience has been that today's students
look for a more creative approach; Improvisation is a
wonderful medium for turning them onto making music, as
well as a perfect spring board to learning about more
traditional literature!
The
first issue in this series dealt with the most common
jazz form, the twelve bar blues. (To receive a copy of
this issue, simply email me at :nambrosino@musicsiimplymusic.com
and I will be happy to send you a copy.) Continue
building upon the twelve bar blues melodic improvisation
to expose your students to more intricate elements of
improvisation and the language of music.
So
your students are excited about creating their own
melodic improvisations (or perhaps, in reality, they are
actually excited about creating their own song, thus,
there are no mistakes, only choice!). What's next? How
do you, as the teacher, show the student how to mold
this improvisation so it is directed by intelligent
musical choice as opposed to randomness and chaos with
accidental moments of genius!?
Choose
a musical element, any element and gear the
improvisation around this element. For now, let's start
with phrasing. Demonstrate, for the student, a solo with
short, edgy, jerky phrases (try 2 beat phrases). Then,
demonstrate a melodic line with longer (try 4 measures)
phrases.
Once
the student plays several solos demonstrating both types
of phrases, have him/her play a solo that consists of 4
measures of short phrases, followed by a longer phrase
that is 4 measure in length. The musical benefits to
your students will be incredible!
First,
they will need to be very sensitive to the passing of
musical time. This will increase their ability to stay
in touch with meter and beat.
Second,
they will need to be sensitive to the musical momentum
that the short phrases create, the momentum that urges
the music to deliver a longer "release"
phrase.
And
finally, you will be able to create a bridge from the
improvisational exercise to standard classical
literature, by using phrasing as the pivot point. Find
some classical composers who use these different aspects
of phrasing and learn some of their literature. For
instance, try some Chopin (the Minute Waltz or Preludes
Op. 28, Nos.4 and 6) or Satie (Gymnopedie No. 1)for
long, lyrical phrases. Take a listen to Scriabin Prelude
No. 2 or Chopin Prelude Op.28 No.7, or Mussorgsky's
Pictures at an Exhibition Gnome (selection 2) for
shorter, edgy phrasing.
NEXT
MONTH: Using the element of dynamic contrast to assist
your students in adding expression to their
improvisations!
4.
Notable Quotables
"Life
is what you're born with. Living is what you do with
it." - Jim Allen, in the 'Quit Life: Start Living'
Teleclass
Jim Allen may be contacted at: Jim@CoachJim.com
5.
Notable Birthdays
Stephen
Foster 7/4
Christoph Gluck 7/2
Gustav Mahler 7/7
Carl Orff 7/10
6.
Book Time
The
Greatest Miracle in the World by Og Mandino.
Wouldn't you want to know what the first words, upon
your birth, your higher power whispered into your ear
were?! This is one of my favorite books of all time! I
re-read it once a year, simply because it renews my
spirit and puts me in touch with my highest being, both
as a teacher and as a person. Og has an incredibly
easy-to-read writing style. This is a must have in
everyone's library! To order this book for only $5.49,
click on the link below: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553279726/musicsimplymusic
Eight
Steps to Seven Figures by Charles B. Carlson Many of
us, as music educators in the private sector, are solely
responsible for our financial well being, both in the
present and in our future retirement. This book takes
the mystique out of reaching our financial dreams. It
shows, in simple to follow steps, how to turn a moderate
teacher's income into a million dollar retirement! You
can order this book for only $17.46, by clicking on the
link below: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385497318/musicsimplymusic
7.
Songs of the Seasons
Songs
of Summer: Summer Evening Kodaly
The Last Rose of Summer Britten
Summerland Still Summer Night on the River Delius
8.
Recommended Sites
http://www.philiphumbert.com.
Visit this site for over 200 pages of articles, Top 10
lists (everything from motivation to romantic things to
do for your partner!), humor, quotes, and tools for your
success! Philip Humbert also publishes a FREE monthly
newsletter to which you will want to subscribe. Check it
out!
Copyright
© 2000 Nicholas Ambrosino. All rights reserved.
Permission is granted to reproduce, copy or distribute
MTIPS so long as this copyright notice and full
information about contacting the author is attached. The
author of this article is Nicholas Ambrosino and he may
be contacted at:
http://www.musicsimplymusic.com
director@musicsimplymusic.com
To
subscribe/unsubscribe, send an email to: Mtips-list@musicsimplymusic.com
With either words "subscribe MTIPS" or the
words "unsubscribe MTIPS" in the body of the
email.
"We
enjoy what we do, and so will you!"
phone: 631-863-2354
fax: 631-471-8311
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