Category Archives: Teacher Training

Information related to group piano teaching, the Robert Pace Approach, Music Games and other teacher training conducted at or by The Lake Shore Music Studio, Director Julie Lovison or of interest to our visitors.

July 2019 Newsletter | The Lake Shore Music Studio

Newsletter for Parents, Students, and Friends of The Lake Shore Music Studio, Piano Lessons for All Ages, Chicago.

View from outside the entrance to The Lake Shore Music Studio.

Summer is in full bloom at LSMS!
It is such a joy to look out on the beautiful plaza and step out between piano lessons for a bit of summer air or a casual chat with a Sandburg Village neighbor or an occasional surprise visit from an old friend.

Thanks Becky K. and other friends of LSMS for donations of music. Your contributions included some of our favorite collections including those Star Wars themes that keep surfacing!

SUMMER B TERM CONTINUES THIS WEEK

Summer C Term begins July 22.

Remember, we have piano lessons available through August 17, 2019. Set up your own personal schedule around your vacation needs. This is a good time to pass the word to interested friends to schedule a visit to the studio to get included into the fall schedule.

TEACHER TRAINING

One of my favorite things about summer is teaching other piano teachers about the Robert Pace Piano Method.

I am offering Music for Moppets/Kinder-Keyboard training July 16-18, 2019 and Level Two Pace Piano July 20-22. Please pass the word to any piano teachers who might like to know about these.

Using the ducks to illustrate steps and skips in music notation and drawing melody patterns on the Moppets Book Back.

LAST CALL FOR MUSICALS CAMP

Please let me know if you are interested in our Exploring Musicals Camp (August 12-16, 2019). We will close registration soon.

GRANT PARK MUSIC FESTIVAL

There is a wonderful line-up of classical offerings by the Chicago Grant Park Symphony Wed. and Fri. 6:30 and Sat. 7:30 through August 17 at the Pritzker Pavillion in Millennium Park.

You can choose to sit in the seats for an up-close music experience or pack a picnic and blanket and enjoy lawn seating.

The expectation is that people will refrain from talking during the concert but if you are bothered by a little friendly chatter in the picnic section go for the seats up front.

Learn more at www.grantparkmusicfestival.com/the-music/2019-season

WIZARD OF OZ MANY WAYS

Do you love the Wizard of Oz as I do? Here are some great ways to experience it this summer.

Shakespeare Theatre’s “Wizard of Oz” children’s production runs through August 25, 2019.

Attending the play will be included as a field trip as part of our Musicals Camp. If you don’t attend camp make plans to see it anyway.

This Wed. July 10, at 8:00 pm in Pritzker Pavillion, see the original movie with the Grant Park Symphony performing the score live.

Notice: They check bags upon entry, so try to go a little early to make sure you get through the security and settle in.

I always enjoy when my route takes me by our city’s own tribute to the Wizard of Oz – the endearing statues of the Tin Man, Lion, Scarecrow, and Dorothy, in Oz Park at Lincoln and Webster.

Did you know author L. Frank Baum lived in Chicago when he wrote the “Wizard of Oz” books?

Here is a video of a few of our adult piano students performing the Carol Matz arrangement of “If I Only Had a Brain” at our recent recital party.

Enjoy LSMS Director, Julie Lovison playing “Over the Rainbow” on one of the Pianos in the Park at Make Music Chicago Day in Washington Square Park.

Music Man is playing through August 11 at Goodman Theatre.

I hope you can make time to see this wonderful classic musical, that is one of my favorites, full of cute kids, beautiful singing, fun dialog, funny scenes, and great dancing.

BEACH FUN and Brush Up on your Note Names

Draw a staff in the wet sand, put stones or shells on individual notes. Then play a game like “Who can name the note the fastest?”

Draw the EGBDF lines and FACE spaces (or GBDFA and ACEG for Bass Clef). Practice making steps and skips on the staff with stones or shells.

Take a picture and send it to me.

Enjoy your summer.
Best Wishes,
Julie

Julie Lovison, Director, The Lake Shore Music Studio, 1460 N. Sandburg Terrace, Chicago, IL 60610 Phone: 312-335-8426

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Two Robert Pace Curriculum Piano Teacher Trainings | Summer 2019

Session 1 – Music for Moppets & Kinder-Keyboard
Tues-Thurs. July 16-18, 2019 9:30 a.m. -3:30 p.m.

Session 2 – Group Piano Level 2
Sat. – Mon. July 20-22, 2019 9:30 a.m. -3:30 p.m.

Presenter: Julie Lovison

The Lake Shore Music Studio 1460 N. Sandburg Terrace Chicago, IL 60610

For information call: 312-335-8426 or email: LSMSPiano@aol.com

Tuition: $295 (per session)

DETAILS:

Music for Moppets

This course creates a relaxed, comfortable environment for children 4 and 5 years old to discover music concepts using the piano, singing, rhythm instruments, play acting, movement, and art, all natural elements of a child’s learning world.

Interacting with classmates and a nurturing teacher make it especially fun.

Short songs and activities help students discover high, low, loud and soft, fast and slow, orientation to the twin and triplet black keys and the ABCs of the keyboard, beginning finger orientation and development.

Exploring the patterns of songs students learn that melodies may go up down or repeat, by steps, skips or leaps, to create repeating patterns.

Rhythm patterns may have short and long sounds that combine into patterns; songs can be harmonized with a steady beat; songs can be improvised upon in questions and answers in major, minor, whole tone and pentatonic scales, in 4/4 as well as 6/8 time and the piano can be used to create songs to illustrate stories.

Ear training, sight reading, playing, improvisation and theory combine to create young students who think musically and are eager for further piano study.

Includes ideas for parental reinforcement at home.

Kinder-Keyboard

Introduces the 5 -1/2, 6 and 7 year old to music through the piano.

Orientation to the twin and triplet black key groupings and the ABC’s, reading and recognizing melodic patterns (repetition, sequence and inversion) , reading intervals of 2nds, 3rds, 4ths and 5ths, recognizing rhythm patterns, 3/4, 4/4 and 6/8 time, upbeats and dotted quarters, question and answer, major and minor, pentatonic, dorian, phrygian, tone clusters, key signatures, grand staff, 5-finger patterns, transposition, improvisation, ensemble, and sight reading.

How to use games, movement, manipulative materials and rhythm instruments appropriate to the likes and needs of this age group and how to promote peer teaching and cooperative music making.

Upon completion of the Kinder-Keyboard Program, students have a solid basis to feed easily into the Level I Pace books, or to continue into any method with a broader understanding and a readiness for rapid progress.

This special 3-day session provides a unique opportunity to survey both Moppets and Kinder-Keyboard levels in one course.

Level II

Includes application of the IV chord (expanding on the thorough use of the I and V chords in all keys presented in Level I), fingering concepts expanded beyond the pentachord range, neighboring and passing tones, waltz, broken chord, alberti, march-style basses, linear harmony with parallel 6ths and 10ths, short short long phrase construction, parallel and contrasting question and answer phrases, bitonal, bichordal, dorian, phrygian, 12-tone, roving triads, blues, canons, pentatonic, major, minor, diminished chords, intervals (2nds through octaves), major and minor scale fingering, Hanon exercises, portato touch, pedaling, and how to achieve musical playing in all styles.

Teachers who have taken Level I training will be familiar with the conceptual learning process and will discover how the concepts learned in Level I are expanded upon in an increasingly upward spiral development of understanding. However teachers may take this course without prior Level I familiarity, and will see how it adds a fuller dimension and robustness to the understanding of any late elementary, early intermediate repertoire in terms of the complete integration of theory analysis, transposition, keyboard harmony, sight reading, improvisation, ensemble, and technique and interpretation skills.

Materials needed (additional cost):

Music for Moppets Children’s Book, Music for Moppets Teachers Manual

Kinder-Keyboard Children’s Book

Kinder-Keyboard Teachers Manual

Robert Pace Music for Piano 2, Creative Music 2, Theory Papers 2 and Finger Builders 2

Teachers completing the course receive a certificate of completion from the International Piano Teaching Foundation (IPTF) and listing on LeeRobertsMusic .com

BONUS: Using The Lake Shore Music Studio as an example we will address good business guidelines for independent piano teachers, including how to market and expand your student clientele, establish studio policies, and the importance of maintaining personal professional growth.

DOWNLOAD PDF INFORMATION FLYER

Group Piano Teacher Training – Level 1- Chicago 2018

Robert Pace Curriculum Piano Teacher Training

Fri.-Mon. Aug. 3-5, 2018

9:30 a.m. -3:30 p.m.

Group Piano Level 1

This course focuses on the concepts presented in the Robert Pace Level I books. Learn how to integrate theory right from the beginning, as well as how to develop all music skills simultaneously (ear training, sight reading, technique, improvisation, transposition, and theory) through the repertoire studies. Learn how to create a buoyant, creative atmosphere in each lesson. Learn how to facilitate good peer teaching and cooperative learning. Discover what it means to teach music concepts and how doing so will create an upward pattern of spiral learning, and develop independent learners who will become lifelong music participants. Level I curriculum concepts include: steps and skips, up, down, same, patterns, repetitions, sequences, parallel and contrasting question and answer phrases, 5 finger patterns, I and V7 chords, waltz style, alberti bass, broken chords, march, dorian, pentatonic, roving triads, passing tones, upper and lower neighbors, tetrachord scales, major and minor key signatures, parallel and contrary motion, down up phrasing, staccato vs. legato, and many more.

We will address good business guidelines including how to market and expand your student clientele, establish studio policies, and the importance of maintaining personal professional growth.

Presenter: Julie Lovison

The Lake Shore Music Studio

1460 N. Sandburg Terrace

Chicago, IL 60610

312-335-8426

LSMSPiano@aol.com

Tuition: $295

Plus cost of materials:

Robert Pace Music For Piano, Creative Music, Theory Papers and Finger Builders

Teachers completing the course receive IPTF certificate and listing on LeeRobertsMusic website.

Registration Form

Lake Shore Music Studio Featured in Superscope Video

Summer Pace Teacher Training

One of the things I love most about summer is introducing teachers to the creative and far reaching ideas included in the Robert Pace materials, and the fun of working together, sharing ideas.

Narjes Soliman, director of DaffodilMusicStudio.com and Charapin Pongtornpipat, member of Chicago Area Music Teachers Association, participated in this summer’s Comprehensive Musicianship Teacher Training Seminars at The Lake Shore Music Studio, and received certification in Music for Moppets (pre-school) and Level I Robert Pace curriculum from the International Piano Teaching Foundation.

Julie Lovison waves the “magic wand” to turn white keys to black, and black to white, as Charapin Pongtornipat changes the D 5 finger pattern to Db on the magnet board (E-ZNotes.com), and Narjes Soliman finds the keys on the piano. Studying D and Db as opposite patterns helps in memorizing the scales.

This Magic Wand was hastily created from electricians tape wrapped around a rod, and fancy wrapping ribbon, but one could be found easily at Halloween time. The magic wand creates a playful element that makes learning fundamentals more FUN.

In this example, everyone in the group has a role to play, which rotates so students get a turn to experience from different learning perspectives (tactile and visual), and help check each other as well.

Students in the Pace approach learn to transpose to all 12 five finger patterns in the early levels of study.

Stay tuned for next summer’s schedule of teacher training seminars at LSMS.

Metronomes

by Julie Lovison

Little kids love them, older students want to throw them against the wall and are sure they are conspiring against them. Just what is a metronome?

Metronomes are devices that keep a steady beat. The first metronome was invented, according to the Harvard Dictionary of Music, in 1812 by Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel but named after Johannes Maelzel, who took the idea and popularized it. Beethoven was the first to publish suggested metronome numbers as a guide to correct tempi for his pieces. A metronome marking of 60 to the quarter note would mean each quarter note would equal a second. Most Sousa marches are played at 120, (imagine Stars and Stripes Forever at two beats per second.)

The original mechanism was a pendulum whose speed could be altered by moving a weight up or down. The familiar triangular shape was popular for many years. In addition to the original pendulum type, electronic, quartz and digital metronomes are also popular today, and many keyboards and software programs have built in metronomes. Many play along jazz educational CDs have built in combos as a very cool way to feel the beat. In our Moppets programs, we build “human metronomes” into our playing in the form of a partner playing a steady beat duet to our songs.

Young students are captivated by the original metronome mechanism, and enjoy keeping the beat with rhythm instruments or with body movement as they enjoy their songs. A typical use for a metronome for an intermediate level student would be to practice a piece like a sonatina a bit under tempo, with very deliberate attention to staying with the beat of the metronome. The metronome identifies which passages a student might be rushing or hesitating on, and helps pull these passages into steadiness. It very often FEELS like it surely must be the metronome that is off, thus causing frustration for students who are not used to working with the metronome. A good way to become friends with the metronome is to begin practicing 5 finger patterns or scales. These are easier to keep a steady beat with initially than a piece which has many types of musical and technical complexities involved. A general feeling among music teachers is that metronomes help students in many ways, but that students also need to establish a good natural sense of internal beat that can be relied on without a metronome’s help.

For more about metronomes see www.en.wikipedia.org/metronomes