With the modern world, practicing is getting easier and easier. My lead teacher came across an awesome website for clarinetists:
http://www.skyleapmusic.com/
Kyle Coughlin has put together a lot of resources that other musicians can use, and it has the two of us (my lead teacher and myself) searching for a similar site for flutes, who struggle more with fingerings in the beginning.
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September 25, 2011 at 22:29 |
Tony, this is so cool! What a great idea! It’s amazing how technology brings so many resources now to teachers, particularly music teachers! My lead teacher and I use itunes and youtube every single day to listen to recordings and to play good recordings for the students so that they can hear the pieces before they start working on them. I don’t know how teachers did it in the “old days!”
Have you found a similar site for flutes? I remember trying to memorize the flute fingerings in the Band Methods class we took a couple of years ago . . . you’re right, they are very difficult to memorize! How do you manage teaching a classroom full of instrumentalists, many of whom are first-timers on their instruments, when there are so many different instruments? You almost need a separate teacher for each section! At least in choir, they all know how to use their voices (more or less), and technique can be taught to all of them at once instead of having several different instruments to teach technique!
September 26, 2011 at 03:34 |
Kaylyn,
Yes, we found a site for flute fingerings, but it’s not as nice as this one for Clarinet: http://www.fluteland.com/Flute_Fingering_Chart.php
As for remembering all the fingering, I am messing up all the time. My lead teacher can play all the instruments with incredible versatility and talent. It is like watching Dick Van Dyke on Mary Poppins with his one man band. I am amazed. I’m probably more amazed than all the students because it seems like an everyday expectation that the teacher can play all the instruments so well. I have a LOT to learn over my career, and I realize my skills on the instruments will NEVER be the standard by which I will hold my students accountable. I will work on getting the basic fingerings down over the next few years and be able to play them as well as I would expect a 1st year student.
I read your blog update as well about homecoming and still focusing, and we had similar week at my school.
See you soon,
Tony
October 19, 2011 at 17:17 |
We did find a similar site for flutes (see this blog entry). Jeff, yes we showed them the site, but we could probably use it even more. There is SO MUCH, we just ask that they practice, practice, and practice, and we strive to show them methods to do so. These are great resources, but can only be used as tools for those who are already practicing. Practice, Practice, and Practice will build habits.
October 18, 2011 at 02:33 |
Tony, I know that I’m not a music guy but this article stood out to me because I played the clarinet in junior high. I had a really hard time motivating myself to practice outside of school. But after checking out this site, I’m sure that if this had been around when I was in school it would have been a different story. Its amazing how much stuff there is out there on the internet. It hadn’t occurred to me just how great of a resource the internet could be for students to hear and see the music being played. How have you used this site in your class? Let me know if you notice any improvements with students who use it.