Dear Parents/Guardians,
Welcome to music lessons with Miss Laura! I am honored that you have chosen me to show your child(ren) the wonderful world of music, and I look forward to working with you and your student(s).
A little about practice expectations: I realize that students have a large number of commitments and activities throughout the week, and this can interfere with the ideal of practicing everyday. Additionally, I don’t expect your student(s) to practice 30 minutes, or even 20 minutes at a time. Even 5 minutes of practice can help a student improve, if done with focus and precision. This being said, I strongly encourage you and your student(s) to create a regular practice schedule in order to help your student(s) best improve. Each week, I provide a practice chart, asking students to play a piece or section three times for the whole week. I suggest that at home, you set certain days as practice days, to ensure good progress (usually just two or three days does the trick!).
Below is a list of my favorite resources for you to use at home to help your student with his or her musical journey.
Lesson Books
Piano
Piano Adventures Primer Level:
Piano Adventures Level 1:
Piano Adventures Level 2A:
Piano Adventures Level 2B:
Keith Snell Level Two:
Keith Snell Level Two Lesson Book
Keith Snell Level Two Theory Book
Keith Snell Level Three:
Keith Snell Level Three Lesson Book
Keith Snell Level Three Theory Book
Violin
Sevcik School of Violin Technics
Wohlfahrt Sixty Studies for the Violin
Kreutzer 42 Studies or Caprices
Viola
Sevcik School of Viola Technics
Wohlfahrt Sixty Studies for the Viola
Kreutzer 42 Studies or Caprices for Viola
Recordings
Piano
Below are the playlists for each of the Piano Adventures books. My hope is that this will help you better aid your student, as you can listen to the pieces at home together, and see where the hands should be placed on the keyboard. You can select an individual song by clicking the icon in the top left corner (three lines and a triangle), and scrolling down to the desired song. Please let me know if you have any questions, or if you catch any spelling/page number errors!
Piano Adventures Primer Level:
Piano Adventures Level 1:
Piano Adventures Level 2A:
Violin and Viola
Below is a really great resource for you string students! This teacher recorded all the Suzuki pieces, and even has recordings at a slow tempo with a metronome for you to play along. You can select an individual song by clicking the icon in the top left corner (three lines and a triangle), and scrolling down to the desired song.
Suzuki Violin Book 1
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB606F40DF8A11AAE
Suzuki Violin Book 2
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8D16CA66785C19D9
Suzuki Violin Book 3
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQMVh7OBzwOmHpvzSlDhXWDfoyQ0Nt7UF
Suzuki Viola Book 1
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQMVh7OBzwOlEC9oa4gOUjc7k-8ACAMYx
Suzuki Viola Book 2
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQMVh7OBzwOnQ20YLUGiP92w5b_cfqRqN
Suzuki Viola Book 3
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQMVh7OBzwOlW4mhQsVjqUFWE21TmjSUv
Worksheets
Below are an array of worksheets to help your student learn different musical concepts, in addition to fun activities to keep busy!
Weekly Practice Worksheet
First, here is a practice calendar to create a clear practice plan each week. I encourage you to sit down with your student and create a reasonable plan for the week. You can either print it out and handwrite, or enter the text digitally.
Note Reading Practice
These are the basic worksheets I use to teach note reading, but the packets also include other activities for extra practice!
Treble Clef (violin and RH piano):
Treble Clef Note Reading Packet
Beginning Piano treble clef c-position
Bass Clef (LH piano):
Beginning Piano bass clef c-position
Alto Clef (viola):
Piano Worksheets
Finger Number Practice:
Keyboard Coloring:
Intervals:
Fun Music Coloring Pages
colorbynoterhythmhotairballoon
Online Music Games
There is also this great website that offers fun games for practicing note reading, piano keys, and rhythm. Just watch out for all the ads (only click the links in the tabs at the top of the page).
Laura Lopez 