Monthly Archives: May 2012

Issue 40: Welcome to the Jungle

Posted on May 25, 2012 by

I think I have discovered the melting point of the average brain – around 22 degrees, I’d say. My poor piano students have been arriving all hot and bothered, but somehow they have (mostly) managed to hold their molten brain … Continue reading →

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Issue 40: Mindful Practising – Building Mental Muscles

Posted on May 25, 2012 by

I have touched upon this before, but it’s worth saying again!   For a while now (seems like years, maybe it has been?) I’ve been trying to get my music students to learn with the same focus and attention that … Continue reading →

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Issue 40: Olympic and Jubilee Celebrations – The National Anthem

Posted on May 25, 2012 by

The school will be celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee with a playground party and the singing of the National Anthem. That gave me an idea; Resources; Enough copies of the National Anthem sheet below; all the pitched percussion you can lay … Continue reading →

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Issue 40: Ten things schools should know about learning music

Posted on May 25, 2012 by

I’ve just come back from a great day at the West Sussex Music Service Annual Primary Music Conference. We had sessions on ICT, Singing, Creative Music Making and Curriculum Planning. Here is where you can find one of the handouts … Continue reading →

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Issue 39: Welcome to the Jungle

Posted on May 18, 2012 by

Hello again – Friday has come round so quickly this week. Several schools rescheduled  their Wider Opportunities sessions this week because of the National SATS tests, with the result that I have more time and space to myself than usual. I … Continue reading →

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Issue 39: Money – 7 beats in a bar

Posted on May 18, 2012 by

I guess everyone must know this, with its distinctive bass line. It came to mind the other day when I was teaching time signatures in a  Grade 5 theory lesson. The student said that they had had a long discussion … Continue reading →

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Issue 39: Olympics – Fanfare for the Common Man, and Mexican Waves

Posted on May 18, 2012 by

This is a powerful composition for brass ensemble and percussion by Aaron Copeland. You can hear it on YouTube here; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqyby2x4e7c&feature=related (conducted by Aaron Copeland) and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hNCIh9K6-U (displaying the score) You can download it from Amazon here for less than … Continue reading →

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Issue 39: Tiger Xylophones

Posted on May 18, 2012 by

Travelling round the schools, I encounter a very varied selection of music  trolleys, music cupboards and their contents. This is why, in the boot of my car, along with a trumpet, a Lyons C clarinet, a B flat clarinet, a … Continue reading →

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