Articles & Blog Posts
Students’ Post-Recital Reflections
As students reflect back on their recent recital, their comments underscore the effective strategies offered in Greta’s previous article, “Preparing for Recitals - and Any Presentation.”
Preparing for Recitals - and Any Presentation!
There practical techniques that I utilize as I prepare for my own performances. Here are some I’ve been encouraging my students to adopt.
How are we doing … Really??
Are we successfully managing our “new normal?”
Reframing: Changing Our Language and Perspective
Is a passage of music “too hard”….. or a challenge? Is a task “impossible” …. or do we need to break down the challenge into smaller, more manageable (and achievable) parts?
Music with small children: simple strategies for parents and caregivers
Music, Rhymes and Fingerplays: Follow the child’s lead; be gentle, especially with infants, and respectful of all. If he doesn’t like bouncing, tickling, clapping or moving limbs, then stop.
Motivating children towards music
I’ve always focused on WHY music education, and all the arts, are BASIC education. Over and above the obvious: the act of creating something of beauty, food for the soul, self esteem and self confidence in accomplishment, community building, ability to work constructively with others.
Why music?
I was inspired by all the parents of young children who brought their little ones to the library this morning, eager to expose them to music activities and play. Music is such a natural and powerful connection with children; It exercises the brain. It teaches language. And most importantly, it fosters emotional bonds between parent or caregiver and child, as they interact and have fun.