 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Aussiegirl
Date: 2008-02-18 06:45
Hi!
I've just started my first official teaching job after doing some sporadic tutoring with community bands and music camps for the last few years. I'm teaching clarinet anf saxophone to 9-12 year olds in a primary (elementary) school. On thing that I have noticed with the kids that were already learning from another teacher before i started teaching at the school is that they seem to have trouble correlating what is on the page with what they play. That is, they can correctly name the notes on the page and tell me the French time names for the notes (tah's and tee tee's) but some of them can't play what is on the page even after telling me what the notes are and how they should be played. I have trouble knowing what to do to help them learn to read more fluently because I dont remember learning to read music, its second nature to me now!
Any suggestions?
Fiona
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2008-02-18 07:27
Start them with clapping excercises reading rhythms, then reading (spoken is enough for now, singing later). Kids can't start off with everything. Adult learners can, but kids need things in small tangable pieces with no variables. You have to be perfect in your examples, too- they won't know which is 'correct' if they hear it twice differently.
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2008-02-18 11:17
Hello Fiona,
My experience is usually the exact opposite: the students can play the notes, but not name them.
In clarinet classes there seems to be the inevitable confusion over Bb/B, and in these cirucumstances I have the class finger Bb and say out loud "this is Bb!", then switch to the other and say "THIS is B".
Seems a little juvenile, but then again they are juveniles and you have to start somewhere...
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: D
Date: 2008-02-18 21:12
How about everyone playing a scale together, then go round the room with each person playing one note. Then give everyone one note written in notation on a card and make them play that. and then shuffle people and cards and try various combinations. Or short sections of a tune on cards. make them all play their section to each other and see if they can work out the order between them.
Bonus - do a different scale each session and they will soon know all their scales without thinking about it!
Also, how about pick a simple tune and make them write it out in notation, swap it with another student who has to play it back.
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Author: Aussiegirl
Date: 2008-02-19 01:54
All great ideas- thanks!
D, im actually taking individual lessons rather than groups, but i think i can adapt some of your ideas for our lessons
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Author: D
Date: 2008-02-19 04:22
Hope it works out Aussiegirl. I remember doing this sort of this myself at school. My teacher used to have me write out descant parts for Christmas Carols - really helps the understanding of notation and also is an odd sort of way gives the ownership of all those black notes on the page back to the pupil. It stops them being so scary if you can write them too and they don't just come from faceless strangers. Excellent way of introducing more complex rhythms quite early as nothing to be scared of. If it comes out of your head onto the paper there is more of a 'look what I can play!' rather than an 'Oh God why did I take up music!?' moment!
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