Stop! (And make them happy!)

My precocious 5-year old student was learning about whole notes and whole rests today.  When we played the whole notes, I told him you have to give them a full four counts, or else they won't be happy.  We then encountered whole rests, which he thought looked like a stop light.  That's great, I said, because that's what you do when you get to one - stop playing and rest for four counts.  Just like a whole note, they won't be happy if you don't give them four counts.  He counted out his line, giving every whole note and whole rest it's full four counts.  Are they happy? he asked.  Yes, they are very happy!

A Break Doeth Good

Yesterday was my first full afternoon of teaching since the holidays, and I was pleasantly surprised (if not all-out amazed) at how well my students did!  One young man, who had very spotty lessons through December, came prepared to play his last assigned song quite well.  We had just introduced playing with hands together, and he has come so far on that.  Another older beginner started thinking about how many words could be spelled out of just A-G.  Though I was trying to introduce a song to him, I pulled out the flash cards instead (an idea from another blog) and showed him words from 3 to 7 letters.  He's just learning where all the notes are too, so it was great to see him whiz through them.  We got back to the song and discovered the first three notes spelled ACE!  Many students received new books with new songs to learn, and all seemed eager to try.  While consistent lessons are important, having some time off is needed to refresh and restore everyone!