Episode #70 : Prepping Group Piano Students for Festivals and Exams with Marie Lee
YOu can still sign up for
Group Illuminated!
Even though the event has started, you can still register for this online conference!
If you need tips or encouragement from long-time group teachers, THIS is the place to be! Debra Perez’s keynote alone is worth the price of admission!
Catch Marie’s session and teaching demonstrations at the GroupIlluminatED online conference available in June-July.
This is THE only conference dedicated to Group Piano Teaching.
BONUS: with your registration comes a FREE duet for late beginners by yours truly called BLACK TIE AFFAIR! It has tutorial videos you can share with your students and a dynamite backing track.
Make sure to use LEILA50 for $50 off!
Show Notes and Links
About Marie
Owner of Musicality Schools in Las Vegas, Nevada. Marie uses group piano classes to motivate and inspire musicians so they can enjoy a lifetime of creative and beautiful music making. She’s the author of The Group Teaching Blueprint which is available at LeilaViss.com, and is a co-producer of the GroupIlluminatED online conference. She has presented at MTNA national and state conferences, MusicEdConnect, 88Creative Keys. Marie is currently the Nevada Music Teachers Association president.
Learn more about Marie
https://www.musicalityschools.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MusicalitySchools/
Links to more info on festivals
National Federation of Music Clubs Festivals
https://www.nfmc-music.org/festival/
NFMC Rating Sheet
https://www.nfmc-music.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/JR-3-9.pdf
NFMC Ratings Definitions
https://www.nfmc-music.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/JR-3-9A.pdf
National Guild of Piano Teachers Auditions
MTNA eFestival
https://www.mtna.org/MTNA/Engage/MTNA_eFestival/MTNA_eFestival.aspx
FREE EMOJI CARD DOWNLOAD
As Marie Lee suggests, group lessons are ideal to "practice" performances. They can serve as a support group where everyone can share in the "trials" of performance prep and cheer each other on. Below is a description of what I created for a beginning group class a few years ago.
"Sitting while others perform can make some wiggly, so it's important to keep the others actively listening as one student performs. Earlier this year, I tried something new with the help of "Listening Stations" to engage the audience. It worked!
I created four large cards with emojis that reflect proficiency levels without being too negative--it's always a fine line! I printed these out and laminated them so student evaluators could circle the emoji face with a dry-erase marker. This way, the cards could be used repeatedly as students rotate between stations.
At each station, students were given a laminated emoji card and were assigned to watch for or listen for a specific element of the performance. You'll notice that each card offers some guide questions. Before we began the rotation, we discussed each card so students knew what to do.
After one student performed, the other students shared their feedback on what they saw or heard by circling one of the emoji faces. They also gave a brief reason for the face they circled. Students were coached to offer positive comments and gentle tips for improvement.
Below are the listening stations.
Performance Station: Student at the piano performs a piece following the Five P's of Performing.
Bow Station: Student gives feedback on the performer's bow.
Detail Station: Student gives feedback on the performer's dynamic contrasts and other details.
Flow Station: Student gives feedback on the performer's ability to keep going even if there's a glitch in the performance.
Posture Station: Student gives feedback on the performer's posture.
If you have less than 5 students in a group, some can double up on duties. If you have more than 5 students, offer additional stations like...
Reward Station: After a student performs, he/she gets to play The Most Amazing Sheep Game on an iPad with headphones.
Drawing Aerobics Station: Ask students to trace or draw various music signs and symbols on a dry-erase board or worksheet.
Once feedback was given, students left the emoji card on their station or chair and moved to the next chair to listen to or watch for a new performance element. Or, it was their turn to sit in the "hot seat" and perform. This rotation continued until everyone performed.
These Emoji Listening Stations worked REALLY well because...
Everyone had equal time to perform and share feedback on specific performance elements.
Students were up and moving between performances, and so wiggles were minimized.
Strong listening skills were encouraged, and verbal and evaluation skills were developed.
Hey, I appreciate you!
I’m honored that you’ve given Key Ideas your time and your ears.
