Making Musicians

Teacher Spotlight

Let's Play Music has many wonderfully talented and super qualified teachers sharing the fabulous LPM program all over the United States.  Each month we want to spotlight our teachers so others can learn more about the wide variety of instructors we have, where LPM is being taught, and the joy that music brings into all of our lives!

Next up is Gina Weibel from Madison, Wisconsin!

1. How long have you been teaching Let's Play Music?  Since September 2007.  (This is my third year teaching)
2. What is your current teaching schedule?  First Year:  Mondays at 9:00am, Tuesdays at 9:00am, Saturdays at 2:00pm.  Second Year:  Tuesdays at 5:00pm, Wednesdays at 4:00pm, Saturdays at 3:00pm.  Third Year:  Tuesdays at 4:00pm, Wednesdays at 5:00pm.
   
3. How did you hear about Let's Play Music?  My son was a student in 2004 in Boston, MA with the fabulous Janalee Marriott.  When we moved to Wisconsin, I had to keep it alive!
   
4. What is your favorite Let's Play Music Song?  Magic Keys:  I love the way this song sounds great, is fun to sing, and demonstrates the magic of those black keys!
   
5. How many are in your family?  (Kids, dogs, cats, ect...)  With my husband and four kids (sons ages 9, and 6, and daughters ages 4 and newborn) I have no patience left for pets!
6. What is your favorite food?  The food is not as important as the preparation...I'd love a healthy home-style meal COOKED BY SOMEONE ELSE!!
7. What is your favorite pastime or hobby?  Playing sports!  Racquetball is my current favorite!  I try to get at least four hours a week of playtime in.  It doesn't take any effort to motivate myself to exercise hard when there is a little blue ball involved.
   
8. Do you have any advice for other teachers or any lessons learned while teaching that you would like to share?  Be organized!  As my program grows and grows, I've found that keeping my student records and payments streamlined saves time.  Having a single computer file where I keep recruit names (that I gather all year) organized by year makes it easy for me to contact them all when I have an open house.  When I make up an extra assignment for advanced students, I save the file because I know I'll definitely need it again next year.  And when I find ways to personalize the lesson or add an extra activity, I mark it in the teacher manual so I can do it again next year.  Of course I save all the emails I sent to parents each week so I can use them again and again.  Whatever you do, don't reinvent the wheel each year, but instead use that energy thinking up new, fun ways to help your students.
   

Thank you Gina for sharing with us  a little bit about yourself! 

Check back next month for another fun teacher spotlight!!

Taking Baby Steps

The innovative Curriculum Team at Let's Play Music is constantly improving and adapting to students' needs. Recently added to the Let's Play Music curriculum is this catchy new song, Taking Baby Steps, that helps to teach the ever so important "Baby Step" concept:

Listen to "Taking Baby Steps"

When baby brother started walking, this is what he did,

He took tiny little baby steps, it went something like this,

He'd go line space line space line space line space line space line space line

Those little baby steps are getting better every time. 

Start on a space and you can go just to the next line

Or from a line back to a space, is really just as fine!

Let's go line space line space line space line space line space line space line

We're taking baby steps and getting better all the time!

We know you and your kids will love it!  Soon you will find yourselves "getting better all the time" as you hum and sing the song and take "tiny little baby steps" all day long!!

Teacher Spotlight

Let's Play Music has many wonderfully talented and super qualified teachers sharing the fabulous LPM program all over the United States.  We want to spotlight our teachers so others can learn more about the wide variety of instructors we have, where LPM is being taught, and the joy that music brings into all of our lives!

First up is Tina Gosney from Meridian, Idaho!

1. How long have you been teaching Let's Play Music?  This is my second year teaching.
2. What is your current teaching schedule?  First Years:  Tuesday at 10am & 2pm, Wednesdays at 4:30pm.  Second Years:  Tuesdays at 4:30 & 5:30, Wednesdays at 5:30
3. How did you hear about Let's Play Music?  Shelle (the LPM founder) and I went to school together from the time we were in 4th grade.  My sister put her kids through the program and when I saw how great they were doing, I decided it was time to stop teaching private lessons and start teaching Let's Play Music!
4. What is your favorite Let's Play Music Song?  Solfeg Seafriends in the Green Turtles semester.
5. How many are in your family?  Me, My husband Micah, our daughters Taylor, Bethany, and Paige and one son Sam.  No pets.  We decided to be kind to animals and be a no pet family 8 years ago after we killed 3 birds, a goldfish, a rabbit and a hermit crab.
6. What is your favorite food?  I love Mexican Food and just about anything sweet!
7. What is your favorite pastime or hobby?  After juggling 4 kids, 6 LPM classes, and working to finish my degree, I don't have time for hobbies, but once and a while I get to play Wii with my kids.  They can beat me in just about anything, but my favorite to play is Guitar Hero.
8. Do you have any advice for other teachers or any lessons learned while teaching that you would like to share?  I know that there are way more experienced teachers than me, but one thing that I have learned is that Let's Play Music really works.  Believe in the program!  However don't get so focused on teaching the lesson exactly as outlined in the lesson plans that you forget about individual classes and students needs.  Adaptability within the focus of the lesson has really helped me to reach individual students who may be struggling with a certain concept or skill.

Thank you Tina for giving us a small glimpse into your life and for your great advice! 

Check back soon for more fun teacher spotlights!!

Making it Fun Makes a Difference!

Making it fun makes all the difference! This video makes going upstairs fun using music, Let’s Play Music makes music fun using games, coloring, laughing, puppets, and play! Making it fun is what Let’s Play Music is all about!

Happy Birthday, Let's Play Music!

WOW!!!  It was AMAZING!!  About 200 students and 350 family members gathered in Mesa AZ at XtremePlay to party!!  We had cake, prizes and fun, fun, fun!

Amber and Shelle with a lotta cake!

 

The winning Grand Prize family party: 

Stephanie Hogle's Thursday, 2nd Year Class!

 

The Advisors:

Amber, Jenny, Marci, Julie, Shelle

 

And in Utah, they were partying right along with us in Arizona!!

Suanne, Melissa, Carey, Julie and Alissa

 

Melissa, Marianne and some very happy students!

 

Hope to see you after another 10 years of Making Musicians!

The envelope, please......

new summer mini-classes!

We are thrilled to announce that mini-classes will be available this summer from a number of our teachers!  These playful, interactive 60 minute classes do not require parent attendance and are a perfect introduction or review for the complete semester classes available in the fall and winter.  Both courses are non-sequential which means they can be taken before or after each other or even at the same time!  These courses do not replace our regular fall/winter curriculum semesters, but you can use the same materials for them.  Please contact a teacher near you to discuss enrollment!

What's coming next year!

It's time to register for next year!  If you're going into the 2nd year, for your $58 materials fee (+ tax/shipping), you will get:

• 2 songbooks - Fun songs and exercises for work at the piano.  Also includes Assignment Log and Practice Chart.

• 2 CDs - Engaging, exciting songs that teach music theory and keep kids entertained!
• 2 fillers for binder - Home Study Guides, Theory Assignments and Parent's Reference Section.
• Crayons - in a Let's Play Music box!  For completing homework and exercises in the songbook.
• Bubble hand - a plastic ball that trains the hand!

If you are getting ready for the 3rd year, you can look forward to:

• 2 Songbooks - More advanced songs and exercises for the piano! 

• 2 fillers for binder - Weekly study guides, homework and helps for parents!
• 2 CDs - Songs to teach difficult theory concepts.  Kids and parents love them!
• Note naming flashcards - 26 double sided cards for naming notes and finding them on the keyboard!

 

chic shirts!

Get ready for the release of our chic new t-shirts for 2008!  Raspberry short sleeved shirt with scoop neck and our official logo - but tres chic!  We added these fun swirlies by Rhonna Farrer - who is a fabulous designer and happens to be my sister!  Lucky us! 

Let's Play Music teachers and moms will be able to purchase this shirt April 2nd!  Chic it up, baby!

announcing......