Back to School Blues

Well, it's that time of year again. The time when kids are getting antsy and parents are ready to send them back to school. I am getting antsy, too. I can't wait to get back to school. I know, I know, not what you would expect to hear from a 25 year veteran teacher, right? Well, I think I love school more every year. It's an opportunity for me to share my love of music with more kids and perhaps ignite that spark in them that keeps me excited about music.

What is it about music that keeps me wanting more? It's the creativity, the open-mindedness of the artists. It's the emotional release you can get from listening to just the right song at just the right time. It's the buzz I get from performing music for others. It's that moment when a student understands for the first time and you see their entire being light up. That's the "it" I am addicted to. That's why I can't wait to get back to school.

Taking the Summer Off? Think Twice

Ah, summertime! Long, lazy days at the beach. No schedule to stick to. Sounds great, doesn't it. Now what if you are a student spending the entire school year studying an instrument? You take weekly guitar lessons or piano lessons and then summer comes. You decide to take the summer off. Relaxing, yes. Smart? Maybe not. Especially if we are talking about a child. Taking two months off from studying an instrument most likely will result in losing skill. When the student resumes music lessons in the fall, the first two months will be spent relearning skills that were lost. Now what if the student never took the summer off and instead relaxed his or her approach to the lessons. What if the teacher used the summer to expand on skills already taught but maybe not mastered? What if the practice schedule was modified instead of the lesson schedule? I would venture to say the student would continue to learn and love music. And the fall would be a productive time of new learning, not relearning.

When is the best time to start music lessons?

I am frequently asked by parents at what age should they enroll their child in music classes. The answer varies. If you are talking private music lessons on a specific instrument such as guitar or piano, my answer is dependent on the child. Can they attend to a task for 20-30 minutes? Can they track across a page? Do they know their alphabet (at least A-G!) and can they count meaningfully to 4? If the answer is yes to these questions, then the child is ready for lessons. If the answer is no, perhaps a group music class which is based in rhythm and singing is best.

"Rockin Rugrats" is such a class. It is held Monday mornings at Music of the Bay from 9:15 to 10:00. Grave Morrison is the teacher. She uses live music, rhythm instruments, call and response games and game songs to engage children ages 3.5-5 years in meaningful music play. Students will experience steady beat, rhythmic patterns, melodic patterns and creativity in an upbeat, engaging 45 minute class.

Call 508-759-2214 to register. Class starts Monday, June 4, 2012. Tuition is $100 for 4 weeks. Drop-in fee of $25 per class. Visit www.musicofthebay.com to read Grace's biography and learn more about Music of the Bay.

To Read Or Not To Read

One of the main debates in private guitar lessons is that of tabs versus traditional notation. Tabs are a system of numbers and dots on a guitar neck grid that show the player exactly where to play the pitches in a given song. There is no rhythmic notation included in this code, thus one needs to either practice with a recording or know how the song sounds beforehand. Private lesson teachers and students can access tabs quickly and easily on line, thus making them a good tool for instruction.

Traditional music notation is the language of music, including melody, harmony, rhythm and dynamics. It is all inclusive, allowing the musician to know all that is necessary to play a given piece of music. It is not as "instant" as tabs, however. One must study music notation to be able to read it fluently. That is the one drawback as I see it for guitarists.

At Music of the Bay, our teachers use a combination of traditional music notation and tabs in their lessons. We do require that all beginning students learn music notation so that they will be able to play any song from any sheet music. Tabs are used as a tool to help students access songs they hear on the radio or on CD's quickly. This keeps the student motivated to learn and interested in their lessons even more.