Welcome to my little video titled "Mini Toilet Plungers (+ FUNNEST Way Ever to Teach Pizzicato & Harmonics!)" in just 2 minutes and 26 seconds I share the funnest way ever to teach left hand pizzicato or harmonics + some fantastic philosophy & resources to help your students reach their potential and keep your creative juices flowing. You will learn 3 things in this video:
"Hey? Where can I get these cute plungers?" They are called Party Plungers and on Amazon for about $9 (click this link to find). What do you do to add creativity and fun to your teaching? Please let us know in the comments below, thanks!
6 Comments
Jessica Waite
3/18/2017 09:12:40 am
Fun!! One thing I do - I keep a container of little plastic colored bears handy. When a student is struggling with a specific thing (for example, a "pancake wrist"), I set a few of the bears on the music stand. I tell the student that the bears are watching him/her, and if they see that specific thing messing up, I get to take one of the bears. The goal is for all the bears to still be on the stand by the end of the song. After doing this with one student, we started calling them the magic bears, because she played her entire piece without making the mistake once! :)
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Heather
3/18/2017 01:28:20 pm
Hello Jessica, Thanks so much for posting and sharing your idea. This is a really fun way you are helping your students build awareness. I imagine that they love it when the cure little bears get to come out and be part of the lesson. Keep up the great work! Heather
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Jenna
4/29/2017 07:21:19 pm
Those plungers are really cute! Would they work well as a visual for helping students play with a straight bow?
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Heather
4/29/2017 07:45:41 pm
Great idea - I do not know yet but may try this out if the opportunity comes up. Thanks so much for the suggestion. If you try this out please let us know!!!
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Joanna
4/29/2017 07:25:21 pm
I love this idea! How cute and thanks for sharing! I am going to order some on Amazon. Yes--I completely agree. Games are so important to learning. And sometimes we teachers have to come up with something on the spot...sometimes it works; other times it falls flat. Some of my favorite games to have on hand are Chutes and Ladders (or Snakes and Ladders), Trouble, and Candy Land. Most children already know these games, and they get excited when I bring them out. After we choose our game pieces, I explain that we are going to choose a small section of their piece (sometimes only one measure), and whatever they roll, they have to play it that many times before moving ahead those spaces. I continually change or modify the section as the game goes on. For Candy Land, I divide the piece up into different colors so that they are practicing by section. I fall back on those games often, and the kids love them and ask to play them at their next lesson!
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Heather
4/29/2017 07:47:13 pm
Great comment thanks for posting. It truly is the secret to just about everything in life - make it a game :) I even do this for cleaning my house and paying bills and it makes it fun and efficient, a total win. I love your ideas and am sure your students do too. Thank you so much for taking a moment to post. Best wishes Heather
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AuthorHi! It's me, Heather. I absolutely love working on the Music for Young Violinists project and all the many facets: blogging, website, music, teaching materials, freebies, videos, newsletter and giveaway contests. The best part is connecting with you so feel free to drop me a line. You can learn more about me on the "ABOUT" page. Thanks! Archives
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