Winter Piano Seminar, Grade 6 Resources, Sight Reading
Hi there Blitzers,
Winter Piano Seminar - Sydney - Only 9 Days To Go!
Only 9 days to go! Registrations have been pouring in for this fabulous event. If you have plans for Friday July 16 you may want to reschedule them and come along...
UPDATE: We are giving away over $120 worth of books and materials to every teacher!
All this on top of fabulous sessions, delicious food and lots of prizes to be won on the day. Click here for full event details.
6th Grade Resources
I am asked all the time whether I have written any books for 6th grade. The answer, sadly, is ‘no’. Although BlitzBooks are a user-friendly and fun resource, I really feel that by the time one gets to a 6th grade level, there really isn’t any single textbook that can suffice!
However, because there is a rather big difference between Theory and Musicianship (click here and search for 'comparison' to download a full comparison of Grade 6 including Music Craft), many students who are attempting Grade 6 Musicianship may find some of the content of the Grade 5 Theory BlitzBook (of which a new edition has just been released) quite helpful. It explains modulation and contains many pages on 4-part harmony. It also has worksheets on woodwind instruments, which is part of the Grade 6 Musicianship syllabus. (Grade 6 Theory students study brass instruments, which in turn is part of the Grade 7 Musicianship syllabus. Theory is one grade ‘ahead’ of Musicianship in terms of instrumental study from Grade 4 onwards!)
There are also a few general harmony worksheets on the BlitzBooks website that can help with 6th grade Theory or Musicianship. Ironically, most of these are in the Music Craft downloads!
Interesting fact: Did you know that there is an 8th grade Musicianship, but there is no 8th grade Theory? After 7th grade Theory goes straight to Associate level!
Free Music Downloads
Be sure to check out the full range of downloads on the BlitzBooks site. There's more than 100 downloads now and they're all free (of course). You can download them now from the BlitzBooks site.
Sight Reading on the Improve
"Thank you for the [June] newsletter. I am having great success with poor sight readers using 'Blitz sightreading' books; one student in particular has improved SO much she is amazing me, and her parents with her sight-reading skills. Well done!"
From Helen Roach, WA (a mostly retired music teacher, has been teaching since 1957)
This is just one of the many messages we’ve had from teachers saying how much their students’ sight reading is improving as a result of using How to Blitz! Sight Reading. It is wonderful to receive such positive feedback! The Blitz sight reading books break down the elements involved in sight reading so that students really know what they’re looking at when attempting to read music. Progress through the book is very measured, with tests at each level before moving on to the next. Teachers are also saying that their students really love the stickers... even the adults!
To your music education,
Samantha
Samantha Coates
BlitzBooks
PS: We hope you like our new monthly email newsletter. Let us know what you think (please email me). If you've been enjoying our regular snail-mail newsletters don't worry - we'll still be sending those out too.
PPS: Make sure you read my BlitzBitz blog - where I regularly discuss music theory, upcoming workshops and new downloads.
Upcoming Music Event - Winter Piano Seminar
As mentioned above, we're very excited about the upcoming Piano Seminar on Friday 16 July 2010.
Click here for full details.
Help us promote the event
Please forward this email on to your work colleagues if you think they will benefit. A tweet about us would be appreciated!
Community
There's tons of excellent music resources available online for teachers, parents and students. Here's some that caught our eye:
Online Exams
Did you know that online AMEB exams are now available in some States? This is a great initiative by the AMEB which will really benefit students who find it difficult to travel to exam areas. For more info visit AMEB Online Exams.
ABRSM
ABRSM is a leading authority on musical assessment and a source of materials, from albums of repertoire for the earliest stages of learning to scholarly editions of the great composers. More information is available on the ABRSM site.
Got a recommendation?
Got something worth sharing? Please email me with your recommendations and I'll add them in to our next newsletter.
About BlitzBooks
BlitzBooks is the series by Samantha Coates that has revolutionised music theory teaching. Students are no longer bored with their theory books! Since January 2001, music students have been able to ENJOY their theory education with fun, user-friendly texts. The conversational, easy-to-use format has made BlitzBooks incredibly popular with students as well as making teachers’ lives easier.
The BlitzBooks series covers the AMEB syllabus for Grades 1 to 5 in both Theory and Musicianship as well as offering fantastic publications in the areas of beginner music theory, sight reading (piano) and general knowledge (any instrument).
Each Theory/Musicianship workbook is complemented by a comprehensive Teacher Guide and separate Answer Book, a feature no other theory series offers. There are many additional music resources on the BlitzBooks website, as well as constant updates relating to revisions and changes to the AMEB syllabus.
BlitzBooks remains on the cutting edge of music theory education, making this series the number one choice for students and teachers in Australia and overseas.
The BlitzBooks titles are available from all good print music retailers.
You can learn more about BlitzBooks at Blitzbooks.com.au.
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