Lynn Freeman Olson Signature Collection

 Lynn Freeman Olson (1938 – 1987) was a piano teacher, author, and composer. His teaching compositions are a major contribution to 20^th and 21^st century piano pedagogy. Olson introduced new and different contemporary sounds to our teaching repertoire, including interesting meters, rhythmic patterns, harmonies, and quick shifting chordal patterns not commonly found in teaching pieces in the early 1970’s. 

Last year Carl Fischer issued a set of 3 books, Lynn Freeman Olson, Signature Collection, edited by Elizabeth Gutierrez. The 3 volumes complete with CD contain many of the favorite pieces he wrote while associated with Carl Fischer.

 The first volume contains elementary to late elementary pieces such as Silver Bugles, which students love. Electronic Game, written in 1981, is still fun for students today, with its “My turn, your turn, bong, zap” written in the score. Another one my students love is Yankee Doodle Drum, so simple you can teach it by rote, yet very effective. On the Run, with the quick patterns in 5ths that move all over the keyboard is another one that is easy but sounds hard. Few of the pieces in Volume One contain words, making them appropriate for all ages of children. They help students get out of one position and move all over the keyboard and they do it in such a fun way. Students need to have supplemental music they really love to play and show off to others if we expect them to stay in piano. 

  The pieces in Volume Two are late elementary to early intermediate in difficulty. This volume contains one of my all-time favorite pieces, Rhythm Machine.  Some other favorites of my students are are Sunbird, Sonatina Americana, and Wheels, among others.  While they especially appeal to boys, Sunbird was one my daughter’s favorite recital pieces when she was young. And I have never had a student who didn’t love Rhythm Machine, which has become a classic in the piano teaching world. If you are not familiar with L. F. Olson, you might want to start with this volume.

 Volume Three is intermediate to late intermediate and has some wonderfully imaginative pieces with unexpected twists and turns that will intrigue students. Every piece except for the just for fun Yankee Doodle Boy is a National Federation Selection, as are almost all of the pieces in all three volumes. Volume Three contains a varied selection of music in many styles, contemporary, impressionist, and romantic, all of which are fun to play, and are very showy at recitals. There is something for everyone here. Many of the pieces in this volume are only 2 pages in length, which can be helpful with certain intermediate students.

 The CD’s that come with each of these volumes are very well done. I was amazed that Lynn F. Olson himself performs some of the pieces, which were recorded in 1971-1972.  Back when he recorded them I was still a college student and the personal computer was not invented. Now, almost 40 years later I am sitting here at my computer, listening to him perform works my students have played over the years and blogging about them.

The remainder of the pieces on the CD are  thoughtfully and lovingly performed by Elizabeth Gutierrez. Piano pedagogy VIP’s Martha Hilley, Joanne Smith, and Marvin Blickenstaff wrote the forwards at the beginning of the books. This is a testimony to the high regard Olson is held in the piano education field.  In the 2-page biography at the beginning of the volumes, it states Mr. Olson wrote over 1,200 works for piano in addition to writing music for a successful radio show and for the TV show Captain Kangaroo. He studied piano pedagogy with Frances Clark and composed music for The New School for Music Study directed by Frances Clark. She was a great influence to him as a piano teacher and composer. He co-wrote with Marvin Blickenstaff and Louise Bianchi the highly regarded piano method Music Pathways.

For years his piano music has been a favorite of piano students around the world. Whether you are a new teacher and have never heard of Lynn Freeman Olson, a teacher who played this music as a student and wondered if it was still in print, or a teacher with many years experience who would like to use more of his music, check out these volumes. I am so glad Carl Fischer came out with these books, which are leveled better than some of his original collections of pieces. The books are only $8.95 and each includes a CD. You can visit the Carl Fischer web site for more information.

See the Bunny – a composing activity

See the Bunny – a  Composing Activity

One of  my younger students like to write rhymes. He told me they go through his head all the time and he can’t get them to stop, so he has to write them down. I told him I know exactly what he means. The same thing happens to me except mine have melodies that go along with them.  I jot them down on scrap paper, napkins, receipts, anything really. If I don’t write the melody down, I’ll forget it, so in my purse there are little scraps of paper with sol-fa syllables written under these simple rhymes. I have no idea where they come from in my head, but it’s been going on all my life. They’re not suitable for anything but children’s primer music.  Still, I hope my students and maybe some of yours, too, enjoy my efforts.

Several students wanted a composing activity for Easter, and as I was stopped at a red light a few days ago, I wrote this one down. The hardest part, really, is when my students start making up their own melody to go with the words. I have to try very hard not to suggest the tune in my head and let them come up with their own ideas. 

A rhyme this long might take too long at a lesson, so maybe it would be a good idea to do one line a week. The average child has a hard time doing this at home, so that’s why I do it at the lesson. Most children like to create melodies, just as they like to draw and do crafts. We just have to help them along a little.  

If I have time and get enough requests,  I’ll make another sheet with lines and spaces for older children.

He Is Risen, a pre-reading Easter carol

He Is Risen  is a beautiful Easter carol in a pre-reading version. The words were written by the same woman who wrote the words to All Things Bright And Beautiful, a hymn I have arranged for elementary level and posted on my web site.

The hand position might be a little different since the 3rd finger of the RH is on middle C. There are several skips in this hymn, so see if your student can find and circle them. Practice playing them in the air. This will be good practice for when they are reading notes on the staff.  

If you have a beginning student who would like to play sacred Easter hymn, try out this one. Your students might not know it,  but I think they will like it after they learn the melody.  If you would like to play a duet with your student,  look this up in your hymnal and play along.

X and O’s for Tic Tac Toe

 

When I was playing Cecilly’s floor Tic Tac Toe with my students, they suggested very *vocally* (in a nice way… all my students are super nice)   I make X’s and O’s to go with the game. So I got up early this morning and created these 2 pages to cut out. As long as I have them made, I decided to post them here in case you want some, too. If they aren’t aligned quite right, it is because I was trying  to get 9 on a page, but utilize the margins for maximum size. I really wanted to make the X’s in color with some fun borders or something, but my desire to get them finished this morning outweighed my sometimes *over-the top* instincts. They print out in black and white. The green will not print out. Click this link to print them out. x-o-cards_tic_tac_toe1

My students really had fun with this game, even though it only took a few minutes. I’m going to play it all week. Thanks for all the comments on this game. It seems to be popular with a lot of teachers. And thanks to Cecilly for letting me post it here.

If you come up with some rules that make the game extra fun, post a comment or send me an email. Sometimes these games just get more and more fun and teachers add their suggestions.

Tic Tac Toe Note Toss Game

 

My friend Cecilly has been busy creating new Games by Cecilly™.  She generously shares these games with all piano teachers. This is a simple game that is with directions so easy,  even I can figure it out! (Ive never been good at reading directions and I either need a picture or some other way to learn. Teaching is all about learning styles.)  If you have some seasonal  bean bag toys such as chicks or bunnies,  set them out and ask your students to pick their favorite to toss. You can play this game at a lesson, or it could be a fun group lesson game. I took the picture above with one of my bean bag toys I keep in the studio just for fun. 

You might wonder how this is any different from just doing flash cards sitting at the piano. Well, this gets the student off the bench and in a different frame of mind. It breaks up the routine and makes piano lessons more fun.

Here are the directions from Cecilly:

Materials needed: 9 note flash cards, a bean bag to toss.

Set up: Place 9 note flash cards face up or face down on the floor in a tic tac toe grid fashion.

To Play: The student stands at a distance and tosses the bean bag to the grid of cards. Which ever card the bean bag lands on is the one the student must name (or play on the piano). If correct, Turn the card over. If incorrect, remove the card.

 

Continue, having the student toss, trying to win a 3 in a row, or until all cards have been landed on and named/played.     -Cecilly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Come Christians, Join to Sing (Pre-Reading)

Come Christians, Join to Sing

It seems to be hard to find pre-reading hymns for Easter, so I arranged this one for one of my students. This is a good hymn for beginners because of the simple rhythm and it has long been a favorite of children.

I’m posting this before I actually try it out with a student, which I don’t like to do, but Easter will be here very soon so I thought I’d better post it at the beginning of the week. If If there are any mistakes or trouble spots, I’ll fix them and re-post the music.

Offer from Hal Leonard

 

The 48 page Spring Catalog from Hal Leonard features  titles that are all 40% off for teacher desk references. This includes the composer statues some teachers give as rewards.  Also included are some Henle and many Schirmer editions with and without CD’s,  popular piano music of all levels, and all of the Hal Leonard Method books and supplements. There is a limit to the amount of copies you can order and Hal Leonard encourages you to order more from your favorite  music dealer. 

The catalog also has a CD sampler enclosed with over 100 excerpts. I love to get this kind of CD sampler because I can listen to it in the car as I run my errands and save a little time.

One new item in the Hal Leonard Piano Method is the All-In-One-Lesson book. It “combines selected pages from the Piano Lesson, Technique, Solos, Theory Workbook, and Practice Games into one easy-to-manage book.”  It looks like only Book A  is  available at this time, but perhaps more levels will come out.  If you like this method and you’re planning  to start a new student in a family that always seems to leave some of their books at home, or if you want to limit the amount of books a student has, you might want to check this out. This method teaches reading by intervals in a sequence that is accessible for every child.

Making a Box For Flash Cards

Do you have flash cards laying all around the table in your piano studio. Do they seem to multiply on their own?  I’ve tried  wrapping them with a rubber band but the rubber band either breaks or students take it off and I can’t find a new one. My husband suggested I make a box like playing cards come in.  I thought that was such a good idea I’d try it. So here, for your arts and crafts enjoyment is how to make a box for your flash cards that are the size of playing cards.

I used card stock, Staples brand 110 pound paper. If you anything thicker, it might not fold well, but you can be the judge of that.  Print out the front of the box and cut it out.  

Box_FlyFlashCards1

If you click the link below,  you can see the folding lines for the box and also print out a blank box template.

box_flyflashcards_inside

You don’t really need to print on the reverse, but if you do, be sure to use the graphic side when you cut it out because it is very hard to match up front and back precisely on a home printer. It might be easier to just look at where the folding lines are and fold accordingly.

Use a ruler as a guide to fold so you will have a straight crease. An ordinary glue stick worked well to glue along the sides. I used a generous amount of glue. 

 To set up the glue, I inserted a deck of real playing cards, not the ones I made, and wrapped some rubber bands around the pack to let it sit overnight.

My flash cards don’t quite fill up the box. I left some room in case you want to add a few extra cards.

The flash cards pictured can be used with the “Who Am I Swat Game” . The directions for this game by Cecilly can be found here. 

Inverting Triads

I believe humor helps students learn, as well as making a subject that could be dry a lot more interesting. Such is the case with music theory.

Inverting Triads is another in my series of posters about triads. The little note people are back, and if your students saw the Mighty Dot poster they will recognize him in the corner rolling his eyes. At least in my mind that’s what he’s doing.

If you laminate this poster, students can write the note names with an erasable pen on each note to help them more fully understand the concept. Then you can erase and use it with the next student. This really saves on printing costs and keeps the student from stuffing it in his book bag and never seeing it again. I keep these posters on the table in my studio so students can take a look and maybe learn something before they are actually taught the concept. Don’t forget you can laminate with clear self adhesive covering.

If you haven’t seen my other humorous instructional sheets  similar to this, you can click Traveling Triads, Circle of Fifths, Whole and Half Rest ,  and the Meet Mighty Dot poster where Mighty Dot is introduced. 

Enjoy!

Game Board for Measure Mania

measure-maniagameboard_green   

You really don’t need a game board to play Measure Mania, but if you want one, you can print it out if you click the link above.   I thought it would be more interesting for the students if they had some lines to put their cards on, and this it what it turned into. This game board is not on my website, so print it from here if you’re interested. They can put each beat on one line, as my student did in the picture in my last post. I have 6 lines, in case you want to play the game with 6/8 time.

 If you didn’t see my last post with the cards and directions for this game, you can print out the little cards and the directions here. This is a game for students who have a fairly good knowledge of dotted eighth and sixteenth notes.

Below are two different game boards that students have been playing on. I had to decide if I wanted to post the green or the blue. I decided on the green because it matches the wild card better. 

Measure Mania

Measure Mania is a game to reinforce sixteenth notes and dotted eighth notes. I made it for my students who are studying for the Texas State Theory Test, but I think it will be an interesting way for any teacher to make sure her students understand the concept. This game  is meant to be played with students who have a fairly good understanding of dotted eighth notes.  Here are the directions for one student to play. The game can be modified for more than one player.

 Using card stock, print, laminate, and cut out the cards. For individual play, one card will be enough. 

Put the cards in a container. Chose a time signature for the students, such as 4/4.

The student will draw one card at a time with the goal of completing  one measure. However, each beat of the measure will be completed individually on its own line, so the student will not get confused.

This picture shows how the cards are placed. 

If a student draw a cards he cannot use, he discards it. However, he can use them later if he needs them.  As he draws cards, he can move them around the board to use his cards more productively.

After one measure is complete, add up the cards. Each card is worth one point. The cards in the discard pile are worth 2 points, which are subtracted from the total.

Play the game several times and total up the score.  At first they are happy to choose a quarter note, but quickly see that if they draw more 16th notes and rests they have a higher score.

This game can be adapted for group lesson use, but you will need to print out more cards. I used *guided play* with some students so they wouldn’t get frustrated, but I think after a while they will be able to play by themselves.

I used a plain piece of paper as the game board, but I plan to post a game board tomorrow, if all goes well. You don’t really need a game board, but it helps to have a defined place to place the cards. [Update, the game board is posted here.]

You can play this game in 6/8, but you will want to make some cards with more 6/8 rhythms such as a dotted quarter note.

Let me know if this game works for you!

Kitty at the Keyboard and Puppy at the Piano

 

Puppy at the Piano and Kitty at the Keyboard  is a set  of 2 “Mini Finger Suites”  written for  elementary students by Elizabeth Gutierrez and published by the well regarded Carl Fischer music publishing company.  Elizabeth Gutierrez has shown in her other piano solos that she knows what elementary students like and how to write for them. Your students will really enjoy these pieces,  especially if they like dogs or cats.

The first thing you notice about these 2 sheet music suites is the adorable, vibrant,  color covers with student-appealing artwork by Yuru Martinez.  What young child is going to be able to resist the cute kitty playing the piano with his feet on a stool,  or the puppy playing a black grand piano on stage? I want to frame them and put them on my studio wall!  

Each mini-suite includes 4 short pieces with clever titles such as Puppy-Paw Prelude, Wagtime,   Meow-Meow Minuet, and Tabby Tango.  ”Puppy Pointers” and “Kitty Klues” at the end of each piece will help the student develop artistic playing,  which seems to be the goal in these pieces.   There is also a “Kitty Dictionary” and “Doggie Dictionary” on the inside cover of each suite explaining the musical terms used.  I love the definition of a two-note slur: “Drop into the 1st note and lift from the wrist on the 2nd note. The 2nd note should be softer than the 1st. ” This is the kind of definition that is simple and easy to understand. Is there a better way to say it?

The mini-pieces in the suites are fun to play, full of musical elements and opportunities for artistic playing.  There are slurs, staccatos, simple crossovers, dynamic contrasts, some hands together,  and, of course  two note slurs.  Some of the pieces are in middle C position, while about half of them are in different positions that are easy to read by intervals. There are a few accidentals. Each piece has a nice teacher duet that is easy to read while you watch your student play.  The melodies are very pretty and just invite artistic playing.

At the end of each suite there is a cleverly drawn  activity page that I wish I had thought of.  The “kitty” suite has  a puzzle and a fill in the blanks section. The “puppy” suite has a “Doggie Notespeller” for the student to name notes to spell  popular dog breeds.

These suites are labeled Early Elementary, most likely because they contain no eighth notes. Each publishing company has its own leveling system.  Often pieces at this level are labeled “Elementary”  by other publishers,  so be careful about giving these to early level students.   You can also use these suites to introduce new concepts,  especially if you don’t want to wait until you encounter them in a method book.  I suggest this might be a good set of music to give to a transfer student to work on while you decide exactly what level you want to place the child. At a reasonable $3.95,  parents will not complain. And if you have a student who is not quite ready to go on to the next level, try using these pieces as a review.

Carl Fischer has a long history as a music publishing company, but in the recent past it seemed like they weren’t adding to their educational piano music catalog. With these publications and the recent new editions of some of their previously published pieces, I am excited to see the new face of Carl Fischer’s teaching music. It’s not too late to add these to your spring recital.

Sharps and Flats for Keyboard Toss Game

For lack of a better name, I’m calling the cards in today’s post,  Sharps and Flats for the Keyboard Toss Game.

Sometimes older students (or students who have been taking longer) see some of the activities I do with beginning students and want to play, too, so I try to think of ways to modify the game for them. With this in mind, I made some sharp and flat cards to go with Cecilly’s  Keyboard BeanBag Toss . 

Here are the directions.

Print and cut out the cards. Laminate them if you wish, with either clear self adhesive covering or a laminating machine.

Scatter the cards on the floor. Put a large size keyboard (which I posted last week) on the floor. The students tosses a bean bag to a card. Then he takes the card and places it on correct key on the floor keyboard.

Now you can get creative and make up the rest of the rules yourself. Most likely the student playing this game is about 9-11 years old. So I try to think of something that will appeal to that age. I like simple rules, so I might tell the student if he can finish all the cards in “x” minutes, he gets to choose the order of his lesson, or he doesn’t have to play one of his pieces, etc. Sometime I tell them that no student has done it any faster than “x” minutes, and they try to break the record, as they do in video games. Children (especially boys)  around the 5th grade and up aren’t that interested in stickers as prizes, at least around here. But they have a great and  quirky sense of humor. It is really up to the teacher to make this kind of activity fun.

If you play this and have an idea that works well,  pass it on to the rest of us. Thank you, Cecilly, for the idea.

Cards for Bean Bag Toss Game

Cecilly sent me a game that she made up for beginning students who are just learning the keys on the piano and she wanted to get them away from the piano with an off the bench activity. Yesterday I posted the floor keyboard, and today I am posting the Cards for the Bean Bag Toss Game. As I read the directions to this game, I decided that there are a lot of ways to use a floor keyboard, so that is why I made one and posted it yesterday. You might notice that she specifically made the game for middle C position, but I included all the music alphabet in order to use the cards for different activities. I have already posted alphabet cards, but they are in all different colors. This set uses two colors, because in her game, one color is the RH and the other color is the LH. So enjoy the game with Cecilly’s directions below, or make up your own.

  I included an H in the cards for the European teachers who like to print out material but use an H in place of the letter B. I also included a sharp and flat because I just hate to leave an empty space!

Over the weekend I am going to post alphabet cards with sharps and flats on them so the game can be played with more advanced students.

Here are Cecilly’s instructions in blue print:

Middle C Position BeanBag Toss Game

 Something I did today with my beginner to help
reinforce both the names of the white keys and the letter names of
the middle C position is a little tossing game…

I placed 2 sets of letter cards face down on the floor. Set one was in one color and included the middle C position letters for the RH (CDEFT). The other set was in a different color and included the LH (CBAGF). I also placed my movable paper floor keyboard on the floor.

My student tossed a beanbag to the letters. He took the letter card he
landed on and then placed that letter on its corresponding key on
the floor keyboard. The color determined the correct placement of
course. I had a C in each color since middle C is used in both hands.

My student seemed to enjoy the activity which was followed up immediately with the theory page that will require him to name the keys in the middle C position.

 

 

 I appreciate all your comments on my blog, but I would like to point out that Cecilly is the very creative teacher who has supplied us with a lot of the *off the bench* game ideas I post. I try to make it clear when the game is her idea. All I do is make the graphics to her games. You can find all of the games from Cecilly in the Cecilly’s Game category section on the right.

Floor Keyboard

Today I am posting a large two-octave Floor Keyboard that you can print, cut out, tape together, and use on the floor for games. If you tape it together with a good strapping tape, you should be able to fold it for easy storage. There are 5 PDF pages, and be sure to set your printer to landscape. Use card stock for the best results. The white keys are about 3 inches wide, to give you an idea of the size. In case you are wondering, I made the black keys gray because I am trying to save some printer ink. If that bothers you, get a marker and make them black. I haven’t found it a problem with students.

Tomorrow I am going to post alphabet cards to go with this keyboard if you want to play a Game By Cecilly™ for beginning students to toss a bean bag to identify keys on the keyboard. Check back tomorrow for the cards and the rules to Cecilly’s game. However, I’m sure many of you will think of clever ways to use this floor keyboard!

Meet Mighty Dot

Ready for something different? Today’s post, after my serious post yesterday of Keith Snell’s new books, is quite a change. But as piano teachers who teach students from preschool to adult, we’re used to quick changes in directions, aren’t we? If you think of an AP calculus teacher trying to teach a group of kindergarten children numbers, you can get an idea of the range a piano teacher usually has! I spent many hours doing theory at my university, but trying to explain it to children is an art.

Meet Might Dot is another in my series of humorous posters that I made to reinforce a concept:  the dot. This is not a poster for beginners,  but for students who have finished about level 2 or 3. You can also use it with transfer students.

We all know that 6/8 time  is usually felt with 2 beats in the measure, the dotted quarter getting the beat.  We want to explain that to our students in due time, but for the purpose of this poster, I find this works well as an explanation in my studio.

Before I made the poster I did some reference work in the Oxford Dictionary of Music. There actually is an entry called “dot”.

Beginning Piano Repertoire by Keith Snell

 

I read about  a new method by Keith Snell and it sounded different and interesting. When I checked at a music store for Beginning Piano Repertoire, Progressive Pieces for the Elementary Pianist,  they didn’t have it, but ordered it for me.

I’ve checked out the method,  and I found it very good to prepare instrumentalists and voice  majors for piano proficiency exams. Sometimes piano teachers are asked to help out a student who is going to major in an orchestra instrument or voice, and the student has  no piano training. They come to us to get a head start on their piano proficiency exams and they need to learn piano as quickly as possible.

Or maybe you are going to start an older student who tells you right away they want to learn how to play  classical music and do not want  any silly pictures or songs about soccer or unicorns. (Personally I love silly pictures and songs about soccer and unicorns, but, believe it or not, I can teach without them).

 There is no pre-reading in this method; it starts right on middle C. It stays in 5-finger positions, with an extension to a 6th. Each piece is short, one to four lines, and there are no words.  There is a  theory book,  a technique book,  and a repertoire book, which is the main lesson book and includes a CD with duet accompaniments by Diane Hidy.   The technique book has exercises for phrasing, articulation, and moving around the keyboard.  There is only one level, and the objective is to learn quickly enough to move into the easiest  classical literature, such as  the  Prep level of the Snell Piano Repertoire books (which has only classical music from each period),  as soon as they finish the book.

Beginning Piano Repertoire is printed in black and white with  no pictures (except illustrations in the theory book) and is very business-like. There is no commentary on the page for the student, just the music.  For this reason,  a teacher can adapt the book to fit the needs of the student or use it as a supplement.

You might also be interested in these books if you have been looking for a beginning book that doesn’t have a lot of pictures and explanations, and moves quickly.  Another reason to use these books would be with a student who needs to review beginning piano, but doesn’t need to go back to the pre-reading stage. Since this book doesn’t have a level on it, you could use this with a transfer student who needs to start over. The series is very affordable.

If you are looking for a method book for children by Keith Snell and Diane Hidy,  try Piano Town, also published by Kjos.