Does Anyone Use A MUSIC Practice Log Anymore?

Does Anyone Use A Practice Log Anymore?

Many musicians will remember the old days when the weekly lesson would start with the instructor checking the practice log.

Even though practice logs come is so many different formats, they seem to convey the same message, or answer the same questions: what did the student accomplish in terms of technique, etudes, and repertoire?

With the technological advances today, when students use their smart phones to access YouTube videos or their iPads to find a new Pentatonic scale position, who cares for a practice log anymore?

There are numerous benefits from using a practice log, including assessment, planning, and motivation. Using one on a regular basis can only benefit both the student and the instructor.

As stated above, practice logs can come in different formats, and each individual could design their own log, according to their own needs. Also, some standard practice logs are available from reputable publishers.

I have also created a practice log for my students. It is a system that I used myself for many years, and especially during my classical guitar lessons while attending college. At that time, it was in a hand-written format, but the content was pretty similar.

I am providing this system here, in a weekly-log format. It is a chart that can be copied and used again and again, every week. The system can be used for music lessons with an instructor but also in the absence of an instructor.

I invite you to take a look at my Weekly Practice Log System.

Four Page Document:
• cover page
• benefits of using a practice log
• directions for use
• weekly practice-log chart (print multiple copies)

Purchase This Item On My Website (sent to you via email)

Purchase This In My TeachersPayTeachers Store (instant download)

Hymn Story: Silent Night

Silent Night is undoubtedly one of the most known and loved Christmas carols ever written. Translated in numerous languages and arranged for different vocal and instrumental combinations, the hymn has been sung and played around the world for many decades.

The composer was Franz Gruber of Austria, and he wrote the hymn a few days before Christmas, in the year 1818. Tradition reports that the pipe organ at the church was broken, and a day or two before Christmas Eve, the composer quickly re-wrote the arrangement for guitar and voices. 

The hymn later received a lot of attention due to an episode involving soldiers from opposing armies, during World War I. The year was 1914, on the battlefield of Flanders.

It is said that American soldiers and German soldiers were engaged in battle on Christmas Eve. Suddenly, in the middle of the fierce battle, a German soldier stood up, white flag on his rifle, and started singing: “Stille nacht, heilige nacht…” After a short while, others join in from both sides, and soon the entire battle scene was transformed into a place of worship where soldiers on both sides continued to sing this carol, each in their own language.

The story continues by saying that all soldiers laid down their arms and had a Christmas celebration that evening, and the following day on Christmas, where songs were sung, food was shared, and soccer games were played. The third day, they returned to battle…

Oh, Those Boomwhackers!

 Using a great variety of instruments  is always a good idea, and boomwhackers are certainly a great addition to any music classroom.

First, they are quite affordable. Buying instruments for one’s music classroom can be costly. Acquiring a set of Orff instruments can cost thousands. On the contrary, getting two or three sets of boomwhackers can be done with a little less than $100.

Second, they can be used with any song arrangement, and are quite easy to play on, no matter what age the student is. It is true that they are not very loud, and their sound can easily be covered by louder percussion instruments, but if the song is arranged properly, the boomwhacker part could be heard sufficiently.

Third, they are fun to play! All children, especially elementary school children, love to play the boomwhackers. It is an instrument where the teacher never has to ask the students to “play softer” or to even worry that the instrument is going to break.

Adding boomwhackers to live stage performances can not only improve the music, but it will also make for a more pleasant visual experience for the audience. The fact that boomwhackers come in different lengths and different colors allows for different arrangements on the stage which can create quite a pleasant image to the audience.

Oh, those boomwhackers!

Using The Guitar As A Teaching Tool

I use the acoustic guitar in my Music class on a regular basis, not just as part of teaching guitar material, but also as a General Music teaching tool.

Since I am primarily a classical guitarist, I end up using a nylon string most of the time. It is true that nylon string guitars are softer than steel string guitars, but I prefer nylon so I keep my fingers, and my right-hand fingernails in good shape.

I find the use of the instrument for the following activities quite beneficial:

           

            • accompanying class songs

            • accompanying recorder pieces

            • demonstrating chord construction

            • aiding students with small composition song-writing projects

The fact that the guitar is so affordable, so portable, so practical, and oh, so much fun to play, makes it an ideal choice for a classroom instrument.

An additional benefit is that one can practice small sections of repertoire pieces, short etudes, and short technique excerpts, while waiting for the next class to show up :O)

Of course, there is a full size piano in my room also, and I use it quite often. The guitar, however, is quite different, very personal, and it allows me to move freely around the room. 

Domenico Cimarosa (1749-1801)

Domenico Cimarosa (1749-1801)

Italian composer of the Classical Period.
Wrote more than 80 operas, and other works, instrumental and vocal.

Domenico came from a very poor family.
He attended a free school in Naples.
Impressed by the boy's intellect, his teachers kept him in school and
introduced him to the rudiments of music.

During the French Republic occupation, he was imprisoned and
given a death sentence. However, he was later freed.

He later died, due to health problems acquired during his imprisonment.


Cimarosa's best-known work is Il Matrimonio Segreto which was written in 1792.

Is This Becoming The New "Normal" School Scene?

Here's a shot of earlier this morning in Connecticut. What seemed like a normal Friday morning at a K-4 elementary school, turned into a nightmare for many children, parents, teachers, the entire country really.

A K-4 building? Shooting at defenseless children? How evil can someone get?



A very sad, sad day in America today. Here are two children, waiting in the forest to be reunited with their family.

Oh, the day when all evil will be done away with, once and for all!!!

Winter Concert 2012

Our Winter Concert 2012 went very well. Here is the repertoire:

Fourth Grade:
• I'll Be Home For Christmas
• Snow Day!
• Hanukah, Time For Joy

Fifth Grade:
• Warm & Fuzzy
• Rockin' The Classics
• Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow


Sixth Grade:
• Bad Day
• Battle Of Jericho
• Wind Of Change

Chorus:
• God Bless The U.S.A.
• Waka Waka
• Home

A wonderful performance by all students!