I was sitting at a table in the Hilton Hotel drinking some cranberry juice (“less than 10% juice”) and chatting with an electronics engineer from Poland who was in the U.S for the first time. He is trying to help market a switch that won’t effect the life of any piano player that I know.  He’s talking about the size of the show (too big), the advantages of doing business in the U.S (unrestricted travel and no tariffs from state to state, and a few other things that I’ve obviously taken for granted).

I brought my granddaughter’s husband who has recently graduated as a recording engineer.  The whole experience has made him (according to one report) giddy.  I remember my first time attending the NAMM trade show in 2004.  Way too many interesting things to see.  If you stop to talk about a few of them, there are other things you’ll just never find.

If you’re a music teacher or publisher, attending NAMM gives you new insight into the music industry.  Pianos and piano teachers are not even close to being in the majority.

Why do I go?  First, I “believe in music” which is sort of like a NAMM motto.  I believe in the intrinsic (musical) benefits of learning to play a musical instrument and I believe in the extra-musical benefits (the cognitive contributions, the social benefits, the health and wellness benefits).

Secondly, I go because I see new things.  Some of those things I want to buy to resell to our organization of MusicMaster™ Insiders. I hope to find ideas that improve the musical experiences of the private music teacher and his/her students.  I’m always a little disappointed that the people from NAMM seem to be trying to solve the financial and logistical dilemmas in the school systems and overlooking the problems that are created for the music industry by the inadequate approaches and curriculum materials used on and by private students.

Watch for details about some of the new things, especially things that help those of us who teach and publish to be better at what we do.

Players need to learn some chords that someone neglected while they were taking lessons. They also need access to some scales that they may have only thought of as finger exercises.  We decided that we needed to create a program that would allow people inside and outside of our studio to have access to this kind of skill.

We have created a presentation called “52 Chords in 90 Minutes”. As an improviser, “if you don’t know the chords, nothing else matters”.

We have been teaching chords (along with music reading) for nearly 20 years and we don’t think it can get any easier than this.  It’s a PowerPoint/Keynote presentation that enables a teacher or piano player or anyone with an interest, to learn 52 chords.

We are offering a free sample of our “52 Chords in 90 Minutes” presentation to those of our readers that are interested in developing this skill.  Whether you are a beginner, an experienced player who missed learning this skill, or you yourself are a teacher, this program will provide you will increased understanding and application of modern day chord theory.

If you are interested in this free sample please respond to this post with the following:

Name
Email address
Musical background
Whether or not you are a music teacher

That’s how we feel about the products and processes that are used to teach piano.  We’ve often said, if anyone is going to make our products and processes obsolete, we want to be the ones to do it.

We hope to make some teachers and some parents of music students dissatisfied or at least “anxious to do better!”

So here are a few things that a traditional piano teacher might not know or want you to know.

That you can learn to improvise and play by ear while you’re learning to read music…

That you can start lessons as young as 4 years old…

That in the first few weeks you can play big-sounding  pieces that are two or three years earlier than expected…

That you can learn useful chords and improvisational theory in a few lessons – 52 relevant chords in a very short period of time . . .

That a 1/2 hour private, living room lesson might not be the most effective or efficient…

To learn more about our method and the way we teach and operate our studio, visit our website: www.themusicmastergroup.com

Do you ever wonder if a business model might be more compelling; i.e.  produce a better outcome or product and we will be more than willing to pay you more money.

We often wonder, with the way music programs are conceived and organized, if they deserve any attention or money at all.

For example, there is a public elementary school in our neighborhood.  Because we know students who go there, we know a little bit about what happens.  Here’s the schedule for their school orchestra and band:

Band/Orchestra Monday 5th Grade 11:15 – 11:50  ( 35 minutes)
Band/Orchestra Monday 6th Grade 11:50 – 12:25  ( 35 minutes)

Band/Orchestra Wednesday 5th Grade 11:15 – 11:50 ( 35 minutes)
Band/Orchestra Wednesday 6th Grade 11:50 – 12:25 ( 35 minutes)

Two days a week, 35 minutes each day.  Let’s see.  Let’s assume that everyone arrives on time (?).  There are string players and woodwind players and some brass players and a percussionist or two.  All instruments have to be taken out of their cases, some need to be assembled. The students will apply a little cork grease or valve oil or resin. Most will need to be tuned.  How much of the 35 minutes does that take?

Now it’s time to rehearse.  It’s possible that every student will need to be taught how to play their part.  The teacher hopefully is able to play their principal instrument but may have only had a semester learning other instruments.  If their principal instrument is violin, they still have to teach the horn players and the woodwind players how to play their part.

Let’s suppose someone came to you with this idea:  Let’s get some elementary aged kids together for 35 minutes, two times a week. Make sure that most are beginning players but if we need to we’ll put more experience players with the beginners.  Put them with a teacher who has a degree in music ed. and teach them to play and love and appreciate music.

How much money will you invest in that idea? If you’re a taxpayer, you already have.

This Spring, The NAMM Foundation (National Association of Music Merchants) published the results of an annual survey to search for communities “whose programs exemplify a strong commitment to music education.” This survey is known as the the Best Communities for Music Education (BCME) Survey.

The NAMM Foundation teamed up with the following advisory organizations: Americans for the Arts, League of American Orchestras, The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, Music for All, Music Teachers National Association, National Guild For Community Arts Education, Yamaha Corporation of America, Young Audiences, National PTA and VH1 Save The Music Foundation.

You can see the list of communities that made the list here: http://www.namm.org/news/press-releases/namm-foundation-record-number-programs-earn-distin

There was not any town or school district in Utah that made it onto this list and there never has been for eight years…

Moms and private music teachers – it’s up to you!

Let us know if we can help.  Check out: www.themusicmastergroup.com

Our Landmark system provides an easy way for students, teachers and parents to learn or increase their ability to identify the lines and spaces in such a way that does not cause any negative side like the most often used system that refers to “Good Boys”, “Cows that eat Grass”, that part of your body that houses your nose, eyes, rosy cheeks, etc. (see blog: Musical Iatrogenics).

Let us prove it you! Just send an email to us at info@musicmasterinsider.com indicating that you have read our blog and we will send you this gift for free!  Please include your name and mailing address. Also, if you have any questions about this or any of our other materials let us know or check out our website: musicmasterinsider.com

The list of negative side effects is long and range from the “e” in elephant not describing which “e” is being located to a strong impression regarding the uniqueness of the Treble Staff vs. the Bass Staff to a feeling of comfort and safety around Middle C and the comfort and safety disappearing the further you get away from Middle C.

There is a solution – a much better solution and its called the MusicMaster Landmark System.  For more information email us at clinician@mmgroups.com

The “landmarks” are notes on the staff that are memorable that aid in locating other notes.  And they’re tied directly to the corresponding keys on a keyboard.

It completely eliminates the problems (serious side effects) caused by the most often used system that refers to “Good Boys”, “Cows that eat Grass”, that part of your body that houses your nose, eyes, rosy cheeks, etc.

Email us at info@musicmasterinsider.com for more information

The most helpful information that the parents thought they knew was that you could learn the names of the lines and spaces on the musical staff by remembering some “sentences”.

Examples:  the lines of the treble staff can be remembered by saying “Every Good Boy Does Fine” or “Elephants Get Big Dirty Feet”. The spaces by spelling the word F A C E.

The lines of the bass staff can be remembered by saying “Great Big Dogs Fight Animals and the the spaces of the bass staff can be remembered by saying “All Cars Eat Gas OR All Cows Eat Grass OR All Children Enjoy Games.

I mentioned to the group of parents that we jokingly suggest that any students who know those sentences should be sent to a hypnotist who can purge that information.

Why?  Because using that old system to identify lines and spaces on a staff produces some unfortunate side effects (See below).

One parent was a physician.  His comment was very insightful and instructional.  He suggested, by pointing out the weaknesses in memorizing the well known sentences we had discovered “musical iatrogenics”.

Apparently the medical books describe iatrogenics as a situation where a cure or medicine is prescribed and while the procedure or medicine may solve the problem it at the same time creates some additional problems (side effects): a rash, liver problems,  loss of hair, etc.

So learning the “sentences” may identify the lines and spaces but additional problems are also created.

Side Effects

What are the musical/pedagogical side effects?

(1) The sentences don’t easily transfer to a keyboard.  The sentences do not specify which E or G or C on the keyboard is being identified.

(2) Students always repeat the entire sentence to find the top line or space in a staff.  That makes the reference point for most lines and spaces much farther away than is necessary.

(3) Additional lines and spaces above and below each staff (ledger lines) don’t even have reference points except those that are in the internal part of the staff.

(4) The Treble Staff has different sentences than the Bass Staff. This requires the student to permanently be aware that the Treble Staff and the Bass Staff are two separate staves and that the only similarity is that each has five lines and four spaces and a different clef and different named lines and spaces.

The Landmark System

If you’re going to eliminate the above side effects, the better solution would require these elements:

•  An awareness that the Treble and Bass staves are combined in piano music and they become one staff called a Grand or Great Staff. It now can be thought of as one staff that is entirely consistent with the piano keyboard. (It’s hard to evaluate which side effect is the most serious but forcing the player to deal with two unique staves (plural of staff) has to rank very high).

Some direct connection to a keyboard (or any other musical instrument).
Certain lines or spaces on the Grand Staff should be given identical names to certain keys on the keyboard.

•  Reference points that help identify the lines and spaces should be close to the note that is being identified.

•  The names of ledger lines and spaces should be as easy to locate and identify as the internal lines and spaces. (That supposedly safe territory around Middle C)

•  The new system should be easy use.

We have created just such a program! It is called the MusicMaster™ Landmark System.  This system is a better procedure that solves the problem of identifying the names of the lines and spaces on the staff WITHOUT causing the iatrogenics.

Check out our blog next week and we will show you how it works! We’ll also be introducing you to our latest product called “30 Lines and Spaces in 60 Minutes”.  We’ll be giving away a limited amount of copies so spread the word.

In our studios, we start these students at 4 years old.

Preston, age 8, has been in our studio since he was 6 and already has 11 memorized “big sounding” pieces and can play more than 36 chords and us them in pieces.  He is currently using Music Reading Book 2 of our series.  His music reading skills, improvisational skills, and his memorized “big sounding” repertoire are all very impressive.  He is just one of the students who has benefited from using our program at a young age.

Other examples are Alex and Emily and who are playing very big sounding arrangements of Chariots of fire and the original Fur Elise many months ahead of expectations.

When it comes to learning music, many researchers say, “the earlier the better!” Countless studies (over 1100 to date) have shown the benefits that studying music offers to children as their brains are developing, These benefits are realized through the actual study and development of musical skills and concepts, not just by singing or listening to music. (The difference between “spectators” and “participants”.)

We think that all children should learn music at an early age so we designed our MiniMaster program in such a way that ANYONE can teach it.  Parents or teachers, regardless of whether or not they know how to play the piano or have any musical knowledge, can teach our program.  The MiniMaster™ program is thoroughly scripted.  The only prerequisite is that you know how to read the script! (Which is in English:)

This is the message we were presenting to the Utah Home Educators Association.

So, if you are a parent or a teacher that wants to begin teaching your children or students how to play the piano, we have the program for you!!

Request the list of concepts and skills that can be learned by your 4, 5 or 6 year old.

If you would like to know more about this program or if you have any questions for us let us know!!  clinician@mmgroups.com

• Private lessons
• 30 – 40 Minute duration
• Often taught in someone’s home
• Using method materials from the major publishers.
• An ambiguous use of “theory” as in “I teach theory”.
• An ambiguous use of “classical” and “classically trained”. (Do you teach “classical”?)

First of all if “traditional” refers to lessons that were taught a certain distance in the historical past, some of those “traditionalists” might be reluctant to be associated with some of today’s methods and lessons. Many of them were readers AND improvisers.

They possessed more skills than the ability to read. They could write, they understood how to apply “theory” to their creative endeavors and they were great technicians.

One issue at a time:

Private lessons. Why the assumption that one teacher and one student deserves to be thought of as the ultimate lesson format. The lessons often lack energy, the teacher becomes an adjudicator that listens, makes some corrections and sends the student home for more practice. Talk to almost any “piano drop-out”. They had private lessons often described as “boring” and slow moving.

30-40 minute duration. Is that really enough time to accomplish much? The time constraint dictates the lack of additional skills and information in the curriculum.

A home studio might work as long as there is a studio and not just a piano situated in a living room. Most teachers set up in their living room or den are not able or willing to include additional equipment from white boards to computers to . . .

An analysis of those method materials generally reveals a very strong emphasis on reading music and little or no emphasis on the develop of improvisational or creative skills in a student. And with a short lesson time, there’s no opportunity to teach more.

We’ve done a few presentations. “Theory” can mean anything from the effect of a lengthening dot to sophisticated harmonic information. After we’ve explained our interest in a student learning about chords, (along with their music reading skills) some teachers will volunteer that “I already do that”. We’ve learned to probe. Most often what they “do” turns out to be cadences in 12 or 13 keys. When asked what the students are expected to do with the cadences, we’re told that they “play them”.

Or more recently, a potential hiree, described a technique of comparing major chords to cookies and then the student was awarded an appropriately colored cookie as a reward. I asked: then what does the student do . The answer was that is what they do. No practical application. No attempt to use the chords to improvise, play by ear, create something, etc. But, I guess if you get to eat a cookie that is better than nothing.

In our presentations we’re often asked if we teach “classical”. That apparently can mean anything from “do you teach students to read treble and bass staff” to “do you use the popular method books”. It’s a major stretch to conclude that those “Three Froggies in a Puddle” type pieces could in any way be labeled as “classical”.

We think there are easy solutions to many of the inadequacies of “traditional” lessons including (1) how to teach any student relevant/current music theory, (2) how to play pieces that are two or three years ahead of expectations and (3) a lesson format that is more efficient and exciting than half hour private lessons. We’ll describe those solutions in future posts or you can subscribe to our free newsletter called Lines & Spaces. Or you can request the FREE CD of examples of the big-sounding pieces or some sample pieces.   (info@mmgroups.com)