Questions tagged [teaching]

For questions about the knowledge of music theory and musical practice and the methods by which they are to be taught.

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How to communicate well to parents of my music students [closed]

I have an introverted and a bit shy yet quirky young personality, but with my students I'm a confident private music teacher. However, with parents, I'm somewhat fearful to say the wrong thing. So I ...
piano teacher's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
137 views

How to encourage & support my piano student who walked off the stage in frustration? [closed]

Last weekend was the recital for a music school near me. One of my students walked off the stage in frustration. She is a sweet teenager and is talented also. I wonder what words can I use to ...
piano teacher's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
165 views

Creative Ideas for Teaching Musical Ornaments to Kids [closed]

I am a music teacher planning to introduce the concept of musical ornaments to a group of young children. I want to make this educational experience engaging and fun for them, and I'm seeking creative ...
Fernando V's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
252 views

How is (male) falsetto taught?

I've encountered men and boys who are seemingly unable to sing in falsetto. They sing as high as their chest voice will allow, straining at the top, but are unable to slip into falsetto. Presuming ...
Aaron's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
251 views

What is taught in an atonal counterpoint course?

One of the main strengths of studying tonal and/or modal (pre-tonal) counterpoint is understanding dissonance treatment within those idioms. Additionally, one learns how to navigate some of the ...
Richard's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
131 views

Clever mnemonics for clarinet pinkies

I teach a beginner band program. I'm a brass player myself, although I can play most of the band instruments with a fair degree of success. When beginner clarinet players start to learn B/C/C#, or ...
nuggethead's user avatar
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2 votes
4 answers
196 views

Piano pedagogy: lots of finger numbers? Best practice?

I have a question about piano teaching / learning. I am a beginner, older student, working through grade 1 ABRSM piano. I know theory (key sigs, note letters, chords, intervals) from rhythm guitar ...
forkandwait's user avatar
13 votes
6 answers
2k views

How to teach a Piano Student with Hand Mobility Issues

I have recently started teaching piano to a student. They had been learning with another instructor and have a few years of experience. The students parent let me know in advance that they have ...
A McKelvy's user avatar
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9 votes
6 answers
3k views

Is a teacher necessary?

Many times in answers, (including mine), we exhort the OP to 'get a teacher'. I've got to wondering if that's actually the case. I've played with hundreds of musos - mainly the guitarists - who have ...
Tim's user avatar
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4 votes
3 answers
546 views

What do "breathy voice" and "full voice" mean?

In vocal pedagogy some people talk about "breathy voice". What does this term refer to and how is it different from "full voice"? I should add that breathy is also used for the ...
harry jansson's user avatar
2 votes
6 answers
805 views

How do "dotted-crotchet = one beat" teachers address "irregular compound" meters (e.g., 5/8)?

"Ordinary" Compound Meter I was taught that 6/8 time, for example, meant "six beats in a measure; the eighth note (quaver) gets one beat." Similarly, 9/8 would be "nine beats ...
Aaron's user avatar
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1 vote
3 answers
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Sounds used by music instructors to induce pauses in people playing or singing

I would like to know whether it is common for music teacher instructors, and, perhaps, also with musical orchestra directors, but perhaps not, to introduce special sounds, in special ways, by means of ...
Joselin Jocklingson's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
238 views

Are there different schools of piano pedagogy and if so, what are they called?

People talk about different kinds of schools of pedagogy that exists today but I don't know if I have ever heard about different schools of piano pedagogy. Are there different schools of piano ...
harry jansson's user avatar
20 votes
3 answers
2k views

Is there a recorder-analog for the flute?

I have used soprano baroque recorders for students aged 8-10 as a "pre-band" instrument. I find that most students enjoy practicing note-reading, and the average student is able to progress ...
nuggethead's user avatar
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0 votes
3 answers
120 views

Do you find it easier nowadays to practice and learn music that what it used to be years ago? [closed]

Judging from my own experience, I believe that nowadays is much easier to find good teachers and material to practice and become really good. For example, I am middle aged and was a fan of Queensryche ...
Nick_K's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
462 views

Teaching theory online with real time music notation

We're about to give online music theory lessons to primary school children and would like advice on notation software to use in the lessons to give real time examples - at the moment we're considering ...
Vlad's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
367 views

What letters are used for guitar chords in Ukraine?

There are Ukrainian refugees in my town and I may have the opportunity to give some guitar or ukulele lessons. Language is going to be a bit of a problem but I expect music to transcend that. If I ...
Transistor's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
135 views

Best Rigorous Introduction to Music Theory? [closed]

I've been pretty intensively playing classical and jazz trumpet (albeit as a hobbyist) for about 13 years, and I've been wanting to get into composition. I haven't had too much training in music ...
VanceR's user avatar
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25 votes
10 answers
7k views

Why don’t piano teachers teach the chord method of playing to young children and adults?

I have been playing piano since I was 10 and now I am 43. I have never really been good at sight reading sheet music. I have recently been researching alternative methods of learning songs fast as ...
Jennie's user avatar
  • 351
11 votes
3 answers
792 views

Does movable do modulate with the music or stay with the initial key?

When using the movable do system in a piece that modulates, is the standard practice to stay with the initial key (i.e., a "locally fixed" do) or to modulate the solfege to match the new key?...
Aaron's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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Should i learn double bass with an online teacher?

I want to learn double bass but i live in a country that there is no bass teachers at all, so i will have to learn online, is that feasible and effective? because if i want to learn double bass that ...
kkk's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
79 views

What is taught in lessons using the CVT method?

I'm interested in doing some vocal lessons with a Complete Vocal Technique (CVT) coach. I've read around the concept and seen a few exercises, even had a taster session but what if one was taking ...
Mr. Boy's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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Is/Are there standard approaches to teaching/learning fugal writing?

I am intimidated by the idea of writing fugues. ...but I would like to do it. I have in mind the style exemplified by Bach. In a collegiate "Counterpoint" class (or book, or private ...
Aaron's user avatar
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10 votes
4 answers
3k views

What can I do about a parent who is discouraging their child from learning violin, a child who really wants to learn, so that the child will drop out

The child really wants to learn but the parent isn't interested and employs tactics such as forgetting the instrument, keeps them busy all the time so there's no time to practice and has arranged ...
Millie's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
52 views

Places where you can teach music theory online? [closed]

I'm considering taking up teaching again. It has been two years since I last taught, but I have come to realise I actually still miss it. Is there places where you can do it online, maybe to ...
Neil Meyer's user avatar
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8 votes
4 answers
2k views

Is it possible to learn how to sing properly without a teacher?

Can you learn to sing with correct technique only using videos and online courses - without feedback from a teacher that guides you? How much of a difference would it make?
AvidListener's user avatar
20 votes
12 answers
5k views

Should sight-reading be emphasized less for piano instruction with new developments in technology [closed]

I realize this post may be controversial. I've been playing for about eleven years. I'm somewhere at the amateur/intermediate level. When I started sheet music was the only medium available. Since ...
prettykitty's user avatar
15 votes
8 answers
5k views

Expectations from a violin teacher towards an adult learner

I am an adult student learning the violin. I have have been playing for slightly more than a year. I can play most of the pieces in Suzuki book 1 now and have progressed up to book 2. I do not know if ...
Geraldine Chia's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
187 views

What are the primary historical piano training methods, and what are their defining characteristics?

There are various historically important or well-known piano training methods or schools (“schools of thought” as opposed to institutions, which are not the focus here): • The Leschetizky method • The ...
Aaron's user avatar
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0 votes
3 answers
124 views

Do you need a specific practice schedule to improve? [closed]

I have played music for most of my life and tried to learn everything that I either wanted to learn or felt that I needed to learn to progress. I have also never seen the point of having 30 minutes ...
Mathias's user avatar
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16 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why is Schenker so influential in US academia? Is it the same elsewhere?

Adam Neely's recent video on race and music theory focuses in part on the views of Schenker and the limits and biases of his system of analysis. It seems that Schenker has had a very strong influence ...
Bob says reinstate Monica's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
509 views

Research on effective frequency and duration of practice for improvement?

I've been playing piano for a long time now, did my undergrad in music and just finished my Teacher's Ed. program. As someone who's suffered an overuse injury (permanent nerve damage) from practicing ...
Glutes's user avatar
  • 31
7 votes
1 answer
101 views

Approach to teaching a conducting class virtually

This question is more vague than I would prefer, but I am really struggling with this issue, so any help would be appreciated. So, due to COVID, the school where I teach has gone virtual for the first ...
Ben I.'s user avatar
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9 votes
4 answers
2k views

Can you request songs to learn from piano teacher

My piano teacher mostly teaches me pieces in the genre of classical/children e.g. the last piece she taught me was Entrance of the Gladiators. I'm getting bored of these songs and I want to request ...
pi a's user avatar
  • 191
3 votes
1 answer
117 views

What is the best way to teach a friend to sing? (Improving hearing ability)

In the past, I thought that singing (I mean hearing the notes and being able to produce the same note) was given at birth and couldn't be improved. But in a year, a friend of mine improved himself so ...
pigwidgeon's user avatar
3 votes
5 answers
476 views

For a 10 year old learning piano what does music pedagogy says about using metronome?

I am teaching piano to a 10 year old using the Suzuki 1 book. This child has no problem maintaining tempo when singing. Is it better for the child to use metronome to keep the tempo during ...
GratefulDisciple's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
428 views

Safety of exercises in Alan Greene: "How to Sing and Speak Properly" book

I have years of experience singing incorrectly on a hobbyist level. My voice has a lot of tension and I have very little concept of what makes up "good technique". I want to improve my singing tone ...
John M's user avatar
  • 155
1 vote
2 answers
426 views

What's the best solution (audio quality) to giving online music classes [closed]

Because of COVID-19, I'm giving piano classes via Internet to my students. Problem is: When my student plays soft passages (in piano or pianissimo), audio either rises in volume or is clipped entirely....
Josí Neto's user avatar
4 votes
8 answers
2k views

looking for a good platform from which to teach one-on-one music lessons, with no latency or signal cancellation

Just for 2 people, with an occasional "let's play this together 1,2,3,4...", and to be able to play in real time, with reasonable (not great) fidelity
thad's user avatar
  • 75
3 votes
1 answer
386 views

How can I get back into piano after a 5 year break? (Story)

I hope you don't mind a story. If you just want to answer the question, by all means. The Story 9th Grade was probably the most interesting time of my life. Prior to that, like most Asian kids, I ...
capitalEnds's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
166 views

Can animated visualizations help to understand music better? [closed]

There are lots of animated visualizations (of a specific kind) of performed music around that I would like to understand better: How accurate are they? Do they help to understand music better? If so:...
Hans-Peter Stricker's user avatar
4 votes
4 answers
657 views

What is the practical importance of grasping the concept of tonality? More specially for piano players?

Let me explain the context of this question: my 12 year old niece is learning to play the piano and has to study musical theory; she recently encountered the notion of tonality and can't manage to ...
user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
193 views

why would a singing teacher never ask a person to do this? [closed]

The teacher I went to last spring was a good teacher in many ways but I am actually not that happy with certain things she did or did not do. In a previous thread I asked about singing without ...
user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
541 views

How to practice simple syncopation?

I am playing a violin duet with a friend, and he has a really hard time playing syncopated notes correctly. E.g. here in the first part (top staff) he is playing the syncopated A, G, F as 16-th ...
Minethlos's user avatar
  • 336
3 votes
2 answers
371 views

Songs banned from music stores [closed]

We all (should!) know that if you play "Smoke on the Water" or "Stairway to Heaven" in a guitar store, you run the risk of getting briskly tossed out on your keester. The question a friend asked, are ...
Duston's user avatar
  • 835
-1 votes
2 answers
66 views

What do we know about G.F. Handel as pedagogue?

From Bach we know that he was a wanted teacher and his keyboard work is a great deal of teaching composition and counterpoint. So I ask myself is there something similar know about G.F. Händel - as I ...
Albrecht Hügli's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
385 views

When working on a excerpt that is difficult for one section, what should the director do to not waste practice time with the rest of the sections

When MDing, if a section has an excerpt of the music that is quite difficult and may require 10-15 minutes of work in order to build understanding of that section, what should the Music Director do so ...
Eyrk Weir's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
183 views

How can I improve my technique on acoustic guitar while teaching the basics everyday?

I'm a guitar teacher that teaches beginners and intermediates almost 5 times a week. I've been teaching for 2 years now, mostly using a nylon strings guitar (I'm Brazilian, it's used in popular music ...
Victor Martins's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
122 views

Is there another name for involature?

This answer... https://music.stackexchange.com/a/45206/23919 ...caught my attention, because while I know about partimenti and solfeggi, I hadn't heard of involature. I looked for some at IMSLP, ...
Michael Curtis's user avatar
8 votes
5 answers
3k views

How did students remember what to practise between lessons without any sheet music?

Before the time when sheet music was popular people were good at playing keyboard instruments. I am referring to the time when printing books was expensive. How did the students remember what to ...
user avatar