It’s the beginning of the school year and there is so much to do. Did you know you can download a bunch of helpful free teaching materials at Smart Music Teacher? Teach beginner tunes by ear. Download a note-reading reference for violin, viola, cello and bass. Teach a lesson on how to set up a string orchestra classroom.
Here are some SMT Member favourites:
Do Your Students Have Major Pattern Addiction?
You know those students who really aren’t listening? The ones who never adjust their finger patterns from string to string? The ones who are totally unaware of how they actually sound? How do you motivate these students to play the … Read More
3 Zoom Tips For Music Teachers!
Hi Everyone! As we all know, there has been an explosion of online learning, and I know some of us are less familiar with online platforms than others. Of course, Zoom is one of those platforms that people are scrambling … Read More
Start Stringed Instruments Playing By Ear
It is very common for string teachers, whether they be classroom teachers or private violin, viola and cello teachers, to start their students off playing by ear. This sets up a foundation for intonation and listening. Because playing a stringed … Read More
String Orchestra Seating Plan Lesson
The set-up of a string orchestra can be a bit bewildering to beginners. One of the first things I do in September is use this handout with my beginning students to illustrate how a string orchestra is seated. Through this … Read More
Seating Plan Template for String Orchestra
Time to get organized! It’s the beginning of the school year and it’s time to make up some new seating plans. I thought I’d tweak my seating plan and share it with those of you who don’t have one, … Read More
Music Sign-Out Sheets and Music Collection
It took me a few years to streamline my system of signing out and collecting the many, many pieces of music that we go through every year. My first few years of teaching, I didn’t even even bother signing out … Read More
Teach By Finger Pattern: Get Started With Free Finger Pattern Handouts!
Using just six finger patterns can greatly simplify how you teach violin, viola, cello and double bass and help you achieve more in less time. I first wrote about The Six Basic Finger Patterns back when I started this blog. Since … Read More
Teach by Finger Pattern: Free Blank Fingering Charts
When I started to teach by finger pattern, one of the first activities I had my students do was to draw the fingering charts for each of the keys they were learning. This is a great way to give students … Read More
Hoodie-Free Zone!
Highschoolers…. They seem to live and sleep in their hoodies these days! But they get in the way of holding the violin and viola properly. Finally, tired of reminding my violin and viola students to remove their hoodies, I made … Read More
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