Advertise yourself to make music

I decided it was time to advertise myself as a performer in order to fill up my private teaching schedule – always a big old question mark this time of year – and I have always found that people like to see you as a performer, as a musician, before they consider you as a music teacher.

So here is a link to www.gigmasters.com, a site I went to to advertise myself:

Singer/MichelleMayer

You may decide that it’s a good vehicle for you to get your name out there.

Spinning Wheel in Music Education

I put a link to this several weeks ago, but I was so charmed by it that I decided to have the video right here for you to see!  Watch their feet keepng time…..

DIY for Musicians

DIY Home Recording Studio

If you want to record your own music you have two choices:

1. You can go to an established recording studio
     Not a bad choice if you won’t be doing much recording

2. Build your own studio at home
     This is an excellent choice for those needing to record for rehearsal purposes and creating CDs for sales at your performances

Doing It Yourself – A Guide To Making Music

http://www.ram.org/music/making/tips/DiY.html 

If you are at all interested in recording your own music, that is a DIY guide by Ram Samudrala, PhD for building and using a Home Studio.  I mean, these directions go from soup to nuts to answer questions from building the studio, to copyrights, to marketing your music.

I also recommend Sara Ayers website http://www.saraayers.com/mlinks.htm

“DIY means Do It Yourself. You. Yes, you.”

“Real musicians make music”

She also fortells that we will make mistakes, but it’s only par for the course; learn what you can from it, pick yourself up by the bootstraps, and start again.

I resonate with what she has to say, and applaud her advice!

 

Michelle

Reading the notes comes next.

I myself had to wait until I was old enough to get a regular job as a babysitter for a family friend’s children before I could start to learn to read music; there was a piano at the house, and beginner’s books were waiting for me to discover them inside the piano bench.  It was summer, and when my charges were outside playing, I was in front of the piano teaching myself very painstakingly to read and play “Greensleeves”.  It’s very true that I picked up some bad playing habits, but I was a smart cookie, and at least I was able to lessen the frustration I was feeling by actually learning that different keys had specific pitches. Fingering…now, that’s a story for another day.

Yes, I know it’s almost cliche that I learned “Chopsticks” and “Heart and Soul” as my first songs.  My sister Renee  learned “Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater” from a friend as her introduction! Playing by ear is a useful technique; children are thirsty, in the beginning at least, to MAKE music before they are actually taught to read music.  But students need to quench another thirst soon after; I feel basic reading skills should be taught so children don’t feel the frustration I did when I was a youngster.

Creating Music

OK, I just got a giggle playing on a website called Creating Music.  It’s specifically designed for young students, but I can certainly see myself letting my students have a little computer time to learn and reinforce concepts such as pitch and tempo as they create their own music!  I had a little trouble at first, until I realized that several pages were asking to install ActiveX.  Very cute for the little ones.

The website gives you free games, but its purpose, of course, is to sell software.  There are several versions to choose from, taking your students from enjoying musical games to actually composing their own music.  Worth checking out!

Michelle 

First, learn to make music.

There are some music disciplines where starting off with learning to read music  is not always desirable.  For example, when I first was introduced to the piano, it was at the home of my good friend Alice.  We were in fourth grade, and Alice not only had a piano at her house, she actually took a lesson every week!  God bless her, she taught me both parts of “Heart and Soul” and “Chopsticks” so we could play duets when I came over, and then I would listen to her practice  “The Spinning Song” (I think EVERYBODY who takes piano lessons must have to learn Anton Ellenreich’s “The Spinning Song”… I even heard it played as background music for the computer game “Wizard of Oz”).  I just ate up Alice’s efforts to teach me; I felt so connected with the little songs I had learned, and I begged to play on the piano with her when I came to visit.

I use myself as an example: I had the desire, and I was allowed to make music before I actually knew what I was doing.  This is something I would certainly encourage in teaching. Anyone who has taught grade school music, and even high school music appreciation, understands the thrill children get from a “hands on” approach. Just put a rhythm instrument in a child’s hands, and watch that child come even more alive when playing along with other students as well as the teacher!

P.S. I included a link above to “The Spinning Song”…it’s twins playing on two keyboards at their home. I chose it because the evenness of their tempo is terrific.  Make sure to watch their feet keeping time!

Michelle