Resent articles by the "American Music Teacher" from The Free Libraryhttp://www.thefreelibrary.comen-usFarlex, Inc.Sun, 27 Dec 2009 02:58:15 GMT360http://www.thefreelibrary.comhttp://www.thefreelibrary.com/_/static/TFLbyFarlex.gif17565Tue, 1 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+gift.-a0214396264It was the first week of lessons in the fall, and my 11-year-old student Ivy and her father entered the house. She had spent the summer in China with her grandparents, so I hadn't seen her in months. As we greeted each other she offered a mysterious gift: a large scroll over two feet wide. "This is for you," she said proudly with a big smile. "I made it this summer."

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Officers

Ann Gipson, NCTM 

President

11500 Northview Dr.

Aledo, TX 76008

(817) 361-0661

a.gipson@tcu.edu

Benjamin D. Caton, NCTM

President-elect

Box 70661

ETSU Music Department

Johnson City, TN 37614

(423) 439-4405

caton@etsu.edu...]]>Tue, 1 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Danza!+A+Choral+Movement+DVD.-a0214396262
Danza! A Choral Movement DVD, by Sally K. Albrecht and Andy Beck. Alfred Publishing Company, Inc., 2009. www.alfred.com. (818) 899-5999; $39.95.



This DVD is intended for swing choirs that are staging 12 compositions, two thirds of which are composed and/or arranged by Sally K Albrecht, Andy Beck and Jay Althouse. Danza is the 11th offering in Alfred's "Choral...]]>Tue, 1 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Children+of+the+World%2c+Folk+Songs+and+Fun+Facts+from+Many+Lands...-a0214396261
* Children of the World, Folk Songs and Fun Facts from Many Lands Arranged for Beginning 2-part Voices, compiled and edited by Andy Beck and Brian Fisher, Recording orchestrated by Tim Hayden. Alfred Publishing Company, Inc., 2009. www.alfred.com. (818) 899-5999; Teacher's handbook, $29.95; Enhanced SoundTrax CD, $39.95; CD Kit: Book/CD, $59.95.



The Children of the...]]>Tue, 1 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Piano+Plain+and+Simple%2c+Volume+1.-a0214396260
Piano Plain and Simple, Volume 1, w/CD, by Cynthia Pace. distributed by Hal Leonard Corporation, 2009. www.musicdispatch.com; (800) 637-2852; 144 pp. $16.95.



Cynthia Pace's Piano Plain and Simple, Volume 1 is a method book for the adult beginner who wants to learn it all: reading, transposition, written theory, improvisation--the works. The method's newly recorded CD...]]>Tue, 1 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Piano+For+Busy+Teens%2c+Books+1-3.-a0214396259
* Piano For Busy Teens, Books 1-3, by Melody Bober, Gayle Kowalchyk, E.L. Lancaster. Alfred Publishing Co., Inc., 2009. www.alfred.com; (818) 899-5999; 55 pp. each. $9.95.



This three-volume series is a welcome solution to the dilemma that most teachers face: How can teens accomplish piano practice when each day is filled with homework, athletic practice and games,...]]>Tue, 1 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Jazz+Piano+Projects%2c+pre-jazz+level.-a0214396258
* Jazz Piano Projects, pre-jazz level, by Ann Collins. The FJH Music Company, Inc., 2009. wwwfjhmusic.com; (800) 262-8744. 71 pp. $9.95.



Many teachers struggle to find strategies to help their students develop the aural skills so important for improvisation and composition. The new Jazz Piano Projects, written by master jazz pedagogue Ann Collins, will be a...]]>Tue, 1 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Color+Me+Jazz%2c+Book+1.-a0214396257
Color Me Jazz, Book 1, by Lee Evans. The FJH Music Company, Inc., 2009. wwwfjhmusic.com; (800) 262-8744. 31 pp. $9.95.



Good late-elementary jazz pieces, difficult to compose, are hard to find. Thirteen pieces in this collection have introductory teachers' information and clean layouts. Some would be wonderful recital pieces, especially "Jazz Gospel Train" and...]]>Tue, 1 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Celebrated+Jazzy+Solos%2c+Books.-a0214396256
* Celebrated Jazzy Solos, Books 1-5, by Robert D. Vandall. Alfred Publishing Co., Inc. 2009. www.alfred.com; (818) 899-5999. 71 pp. $9.95.



There are several things that make jazz "jazzy"--ii-V-I chord progressions, circle of 5ths motion (backwards), syncopation, offbeat accents and non-triadic chord tones (color notes). This collection, a five-book series of pieces...]]>Tue, 1 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Making+More+Sense+of+How+to+Sing%3a+Multisensory+Techniques+for+Voice...-a0214396255
* Making More Sense of How to Sing: Multisensory Techniques for Voice Lessons and Choir Rehearsals, by Alan J. Gumm. Meredith Music Publications, 2009. distributed by Hal Leonard Corporation, 2009. www.musicdispatch.com; (800) 637-2852; 190 pp. $34.99.



From many years of experience working with singers, Alan Gumm has formulated systematic techniques to aid voice studio...]]>Tue, 1 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/From+Sight+to+Sound%2c+Improvisational+Games+for+Classical+Musicians.-a0214396254
* From Sight to Sound, Improvisational Games for Classical Musicians, by Nicole M. Brockmann. Indiana University Press, 2009. www.iupress.indiana.edu; (800) 842-6796; 168 pp. $21.95.



No longer the exclusive domain of jazz musicians, a renewed emphasis on extemporaneous music making can be found in nearly every corner of the music education community. Yet, for those...]]>Tue, 1 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+Dictionary+for+the+Modern+Flutist.-a0214396253
* A Dictionary for the Modern Flutist, by Susan J. Maclagan. The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2009. www.scarecrowpress.com; (800) 462-6420; 352 pp. $100.



Have you ever seen a picture of an Albisiphon? Do you wonder what the proper names of all the screws, levers and keys on a flute are? What are "Gardner's Fingers" and how do they affect technique? Is a "moisture...]]>Tue, 1 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Random+access%3a+21st-century+recreational+music+making.-a0214396252As baby boomers retire in droves and look for fun and fulfilling activities, the recreational music making (RMM) movement picks up steam. What better way to stay young and sharp than to play an instrument, especially in a social setting with friends.

]]>Tue, 1 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/It's+all+your+business%3a+8+recession+proof+business+strategies.-a0214396251If you have concerns about the recent ups and downs in the economy and how you and your music students are being affected, you are not alone. With foreclosures of family homes, job losses and shrinking budgets, there is reason for concern that music lessons may be the first casualty in family cost cutting. However, this is not a time for panic, but a time for action by music educators to...]]>