Music Mind Games

CORNERSTONES - The Philosophy of Music Mind Game

1. Without assuming any prior knowledge, believe that every student is brilliant and can learn.

2. Provide students with the right environment for learning and they will reveal great ability and intelligence.

3. Believe that joyous and satisfying learning is a natural part of life.

4. Successful learning occurs in many small steps rather than a few big steps.

5. If students are confused, it's not because they are slow, it means a different approach is needed.

6. Happy and relaxed students will hardly realize they are learning because they are having so much fun.

7. Students remember best what they do for themselves.

8. Help students feel successful and they will want to discover more for themselves.

9. Allow students to learn by providing interesting materials to challenge them without overwhelming them.

10. Strive to be kind, generous and encouraging since mistakes are a natural part of learning.

11. Develop an endless capacity to improvise and create situations that help all students succeed.

12. Be cheerful, a bit of an entertainer and have fun yourself.

13. Preserve everyone’s dignity by not embarrassing anyone. When mistakes occur, allow students to discover how to correct them.

14. Maintain a quick pace to interest and challenge students since they are capable of learning quickly.

15. Help students to learn the concepts first and then commit them to memory through repetition.

16. Remember that the true objectives of teaching are to inspire a love of learning. Help students to learn and remember well.

CORNERSTONES FOR STUDENTS

1. You are brilliant and can learn anything.

2. Be brave, try new ideas and you will learn many wonderful things.

3. Learning new things can be really fun.

4. Small, successful steps are a normal way to learn.

5. Is something confusing? Your teacher can try another way.

6. It’s easier to learn when you’re happy.

7. Do it yourself and you’ll remember the best.

8. Be kind to other students.

9. Neat materials make it easier to learn.

10. Mistakes are a natural part of learning something new.

11. Keep your spirits up and be positive about yourself.

12. Do you learn better if your teacher is cheerful? You sure do.

13. Be kind and respectful to your teacher who’s helping you.

14. Be enthusiastic and bright so your teacher knows you are learning.

15. Can’t remember yet? No worries, just play a game again and again.

16. Your teacher wants to help you learn and learn for keeps.

Music Mind Games are used to help students learn:

• the musical alphabet and intervals (e.g. seconds, thirds, fifths)

• solfege

• how to place clefs correctly on the staff

• n note names on the staff using various clefs (treble, bass, alto and tenor)

• melodic and harmonic dictation

• a fun vocabulary to make it easier to understand rhythms

• the values of basic notes and rests and their relationship to each other

• to keep a steady beat when reading rhythms

• to recognize and read note groupings

• fun “Blue Jello” hand signs to help understand rhythms easier and improve memory and comprehension of how notes and rests are drawn

• to sight-sing with Curwen hand signs

• to arrange notes and rests into measures in various time signatures

• to clap simple and complicated rhythms

• the meanings of musical signs, symbols and terms

• key signatures

• scales

• triads

• chords

• the relationship between the staff and various instruments