March Madness!!!!

It's a little late for March Madness, but the game will still work!

I have found this game to be the most popular for boys 8-10. This basketball game last for the entire practice session. You keep track of what your points are each day after you practice and you see if you can beat your score from the day before. I usually have a practice spot for each piece or a practice point (a skill I want the student to focus on while playing a review piece). So this is how the game works. For each repetition/for each review piece that is played with the correct skill (ex: straight wrist), the student has the opportunity to shoot a basket for 1 point OR the child can save up his points and go for a 3-point shot or even a 5-point shot. I set the basket up a wall and then put masking tape at the 1-point line, 3-point line, and 5-point line. 

For example, if the child does 5 correct repetitions, then he can choose to.... 

• Take one 5-point shot. 
• Take one 3-point shot and two 1-point shots. 
• Take five 1-point shots. 

The child could also do a couple practice spots and save all of those repetitions so he has multiple opportunities to shoot from the 5-point line in a row.

This game works for a gem for those who need a little break and some time to move and wiggle before getting back to work!

The Wipeout Game

Let me tell you about the best night of the week - 

Thursday!!! 

First and foremost, it's donut day at my husband's work (p.s. if you need a bulk commodity grain trailer, click here). There are always extra donuts Friday morning when he gets to work - and who wants a day old donut that's been sitting out and is hard? No one does! So these donuts stay in the break room all day Friday and the get put in the trash that night. So there they are - just sitting there in the break room waiting to get eaten. Now, you have to understand that donuts are some of my favorite treats in this world! I would get really sad when I would talk to Ben on Thursdays and he would be eating a donut while we were chatting or he would tell me about the donut that he ate that day. One day he came home from work and he had a surprise for me in his lunch bag - it was my very own donut that he had smuggled out of the break room! 

Now, for the other great thing about Thursdays - WIPEOUT is on!!! 
Jill Wagner, John Henson, and John Anderson are comedians hosting a show were 24 contestants complete a course consisting of 3 levels of obstacles. This will make you laugh! Good times to be had by all! 
So there you go - the Thursday Tradition was born - Watch an episode of Wipeout while eating a donut. YUM. 

WipeOut while Practicing!

So there is a little game I have in my studio called WIPEOUT where all the student has to do is play the practice spot 3 times correctly and then they are done with that spot. 

...Did I mention that those 3x are... in a row?!!

So that means that even if the student plays the first two beautifully, and on the third try misses the last note - they go back to zero. No questions asked. Sorry. 

I really like this game because it gets concentration focused and in turn, gets the job done.  

Although, I've used this game for a long time in my studio, I haven't had a name for it - we just do the "challenge." Thanks to Heather Watson Hardie , I got the cute name from a video she made for the SAA's Parents as Partners 2013. 

Celebrate Abe!

Happy Birthday Abe

February 12 is Abe Lincoln's Birthday

A few fun facts about Abraham Lincoln...

• 16th president of the United States
• Born in Kentucky
• Died in Washington DC
• His head is on the Penny 
• 4 children with his wife Mary Todd
• Author of the famous Gettysburg Address (Four score and seven years ago...)

To celebrate this great man, use pennies to count all of those 10x spots your teacher assigns. Maybe if you're feeling extra generous, your child can keep the 10 pennies that he/she has been using to count repetitions today as a little party gift from the little celebration you just had to honor this great man!

DON'T TOUCH THE HORSE HAIR!!!!!

*How many hairs are needed for a bow?

*How come some cello and bass players have black horse hair?

*Why do the hairs on my bow break?

*How much does horse hair cost?

*Is the horse that my bow hair came from a boy or a girl? 

As I was looking at the SAA website today, I found this great article filled with fun horse hair facts by Susan Baer. 

How many hours a day should 

I be practicing? 

This article talks about the difference between mindless practicing and deliberate practicing. It is hard to make the switch over and trust that it is the better way, but in the long run it is well worth it! This mindset is something that I'm working really hard on in my studio right now. More often than not,I'll get a sigh or eyes rolled if I tell the student he/she gets to do one of the repetition games I have. After we do a few repetitions of deliberate practice, they hear the difference and are satisfied with the work they have done.

The Wiggle Game

I often wonder where kids get all of their energy and I wish that I could have some of it!

 Wiggle Time isn't just for when these folks are on! You can make wiggle time during practice time to help release some energy so your student isn't bouncing all over the place while you're trying to do the 10x spot your teacher assigned. It's pretty easy - put some music on and let your kid wiggle while he/she is standing in play position. When you pause the music, they have to stop wiggling. Play the music at different intervals of time. You'll be able to see when your child starts getting tired, because they will stop wiggling before you stop the music - encourage them to keep moving so they get all of their sillies out (but shh!!! don't tell them that!).
Now you can get to work. Happy Practicing!

You can read more about the Wiggle Game in Ed Sprungers Book Building Violin Skills on page 170.

12.12.12

You may or may not know, but I am slightly obsessed with numbers. When a special day like today comes around, I have to do something fun or exciting or something worth remembering. Today was no different. When each student came in, I asked if they knew what day it was - some of them said "Wednesday" some said "the 12th" but most just looked at me like I was crazy. I told them that it was 12.12.12. and that's when I started to get A LOT of eyes rolling at me. I did have some students that were cute and played along - and even thought it was pretty cool themselves! I told them we were going to celebrate by playing their practice spots 12x!!! How fun is that?!!

My husband and I went out to eat to chinese food today to celebrate this special day and the fortune he got was "everyday has something special worth celebrating." I thought this ended our $12.00 dinner perfectly!