Tag Archives: note reading techniques

29/30 Teaching with a torch

I had a “light-bulb” moment the other day, when I was teaching a young lad who is good at playing by ear, but is finding reading the notes on the music hard work by comparison. This pen-torch happened to be … Continue reading

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72/100 Cracking the Code

There’s a lot said about “sound before symbol” in teaching young children, and quite rightly too. However there comes a point where the children need to be able to fathom out the symbols in order to get on with learning … Continue reading

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71/100 More about sight-reading

Following on from my previous post on C major sight-reading… I started the ABRSM Grade 1 piano exam piece “O when the saints” place with a very young pupil this morning. She’s an astonishingly quick learner, but like many children (and … Continue reading

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Issue 141: Teaching young recorder players to read B and A

This worked brilliantly with a year 3 class. It came about because I couldn’t persuade my trusty “Recorder Magic Interactive” software to work on the class laptop in the 30 seconds that I had to load it and start the lesson, … Continue reading

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Issue 136: Reading Music

So, having just mentioned that from now on primary school children are expected to learn staff notation, here’s a really, really quick introduction to reading pitch notation… Have a look at this little piece, which I “composed”, if I can dignify … Continue reading

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Issue 106: Reading Music

There are two things going on at the same time when you are looking at music; pitch and rhythm. Well, there’s a lot more than that, but I’m looking at just these two elements. Here’s a piece I am teaching … Continue reading

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Issue 103: First “Wider Opps” Keyboard Lesson

  I haven’t taught Wider Opportunities Keyboards for a couple of years now. However, this year, I have got a year 3 (aged 7) class for keyboards which has given me a chance to re-think how I approach things.   … Continue reading

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Issue 87: Sight-reading skills for piano music exams

I’ve a student preparing for a grade 5 piano exam who is totally terrified of the sight reading element. Her note reading skills are good, and she is fine with rhythms. So, what is the problem? I think it is … Continue reading

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