Evan & Theo’s Homework

Updated 9/8

  • Generally aim to send me Tenuto practice scores no later than Tuesday evenings, but make sure to practice throughout the week. Feel free to send me scores at any point throughout the week, it makes me so happy to see their progress! 📲
  • Get one binder for each of them, a lot of kids enjoy decorating the sheet that slips in front with their name, drawings/stickers, etc. Matte sheet protectors are preferable to prevent glare. Eventually each binder will have 3 dividers for Theory, Sheet Music, and Compositions (but this can wait because we won’t use them right away).
  • Order books through the links below or purchase locally at Dunkley. I’ll provide their practice journals at next week’s lesson 📝
  • Have fun! 🙂

Tips & Resources

Hints for helping Evan remember our note values and names:

  • Whole Note = Whole Pizza = 4 beats
  • Half Note = Half Pizza = 2 beats
  • Quarter Note = Quarter Pizza = 1 beat
  • (We aren’t using this yet, but Eighth Note = Eighth Pizza = 1/2 beat)

Hints for remembering our keyboard note names:

  • I just started using these mnemonics a couple of years ago but they’re really handy!

Progress

  • The boys both did an amazing job diving right in at their first lesson! They both seem ready and eager to learn and tackle new challenges ❤️🎹👏
  • The worksheets can be spaced out over the next few days, incorporating Tenuto in between as often as they’re amenable 🙂
  • For now I will have both boys sharing the same set of books, even though Evan will be starting much further in. We had originally talked about holding off of some for Theo, but Evan will be using them right away. (They will each need their own theory book but I think we can get away with sharing the rest). These are available locally at Dunkley Music or on Amazon Prime (and are less expensive individually than in a bundle). Each time we work on a new concept, there will be components in one or more of their books. There are also supplemental “fun” repertoire books available geared towards each level, like Jazz, Rock, Pop, and Classical once we get the core foundation of notes on the staff going. 📚
  • Tenuto is an amazing customizable resource I use with in lessons, and highly encourage at-home practice. I set up their exercises in one minute increments so they can easily see progress through doing a few rounds in a row. (Similar to minute math used in classrooms for memorizing addition and multiplication tables). Screenshots or official score stats are easy to send through text on the app, or you can email them if that’s easier. The exercises can also be done in a web browser if you’d prefer not to download the app!
  • As a reminder starting next week, they will feel most confident with their progress when practicing at least 4 days a week. My suggestion is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday (so it feels like a normal weekday routine) plus 1 weekend day of your choice (being flexible with the day so it doesn’t feel like it’s taking away from recreation). A lot of kids practice right after school or while dinner is cooking, etc. The key to consistency is finding a way to make it an easy habit. I don’t who requires a strict “minutes” amount of practice for most students; Playing through each assigned piece 2 or 3 times each session is great as long as they feel like they’re getting the hang of it.
  • It can be really helpful as we’re starting out to sit down and ask them about the book and what they’re learning, essentially having them teach you what they’re working on. It can really help to metabolize concepts in a deeper way if we try to explain them to others 👩‍🏫
  • In case you’d like to review my Studio Policy info again. Also, please never worry about texting me questions as they arise!
  • If you have a chance to go over these questions with the boys, I’d love to make an About Me card for each of them next week 🙂
About Me Example