about me
This is a large think tank for all music educators. It was created when I sat down one evening and continued to come up with nothing for a new lesson plan. The goal is to be a follower-based blog, where followers submit and post content for others to react and give feedback.
-radboyscout.tumblr.com
Two Unusually Powerful Ways to Strengthen Music Memory
The following steps will help you almost guarantee that a piece is securely memorized, once you’ve gotten the notes and musical ideas in your head. (Or waste hours playing the same passages over and over again– it’s up to you.)
And it works with pieces of any level.
If anyone has an issue with my last post, feel free to talk to me about it in the ask box. I will keep it private if you ask. I really hate snarky comments, so please just be direct and don’t be a coward.
Sincerely,
Nick
Petition to allow for NYS residents to defend themselves
In NYS, you must prove that you have substantial suspicion that you are in constant danger in order to carry a firearm on you. This is unacceptable. In lieu of recent tragedies across the USA, in “gun-free” places like NYS, we the people of the great state of New York are tired of not being able to defend ourselves against these nutjobs and criminals. I can’t say that Aurora would have been prevented if there was a person carrying a concealed firearm in the theater, but it would have certainly changed the odds in the victims’ favor. The incident today in NYC could have been minimized if someone was carrying and took the man out before he started turning his firearm on other people.
If you have a moment and feel like I make sense, please check out the petition and sign it. Thank you so much.
-Nick
Posting this here because I want as many people to see this as possible. Sorry if this is spam for you, but I hope you take a moment to read the petition.
Getting To Know You | Emily
Hi, all!
My name is Emily Trapp and I will be a senior Piano Performance/Pedagogy major (and Communication minor) at Goshen College in northern Indiana. It’s a tiny, Christian, liberal arts school that has been the best decision of my life for several reasons. I am originally from Canby, Oregon (suburb of Portland) and have been amazed with how much quality music I have been exposed to by moving to the midwest. Right now, I am in the process of researching 7 graduate schools for my masters in music (piano), which are Eastern Washington University, University of Oregon, San Francisco Conservatory (still on the fence about that one), University of Missouri at Kansas City, University of Texas at Austin, University of Wisconsin at Madison, and University of Michigan.
I have been teaching two beginner piano students for the past two years and helped them from their very first day of piano study. Although I am not declared “Music Education”, I will definitely be a music educator one day. My ultimate goal is to teach piano study at the university level after my masters degree and hopefully travel abroad to teach as well.
If any of you have suggestions or questions for me, please send them my way! My blog isn’t music related necessarily, but you can email me at emilymtrapp@gmail.com.
Thanks!
Emily
Getting to Know You: An Ongoing Project
For those of you who are new to the think tank, we have an ongoing project thing. You head over to the submit box and tell us your story. Just start talking about yourself, where you came from, where you are, and where you are going. When I started the project, we had 264 followers. Now we have 12,432. Thank you all for your continued support and please don’t be shy.
-Nick
Also, don’t forget to check out the introduction post. Click here for that.
Los Angeles Times. Jamie Wetherbe. August 17 2012.Summary : 23-year old Nicholas McCarthy was born without a right hand and yet just graduated from the Royal College of Music in London…after many music schools denied him auditions saying his disability prevented him from being a successful musician. Yet, he is making a successful career for himself playing many obscure left-handed works as well as adaptations of famous piano works for the left hand. Above, he is playing Liszt’s Il Trovatore Paraphrase, Op. 16 (arr. Pfeiffer).
I’d write for him. I didn’t know that it was a thing, to be honest. I figured most people with that kind of disability would give up. I should write stuff for people with disabilities like his. Inspirational.
I’ve been terrible and haven’t been posting on this blog a lot.
I’ve been busy and only occasionally surfing tumblr. I haven’t put much content out on any of my blogs. I’ve been a bad boy.
I am currently working on my campaign for NYS Senate. Plus, I just received confirmation that I will be the assistant conductor for a community choir in White Plains! Hey, it’s a start.
How’s everyone else doing? All 11,000+ of you……..
Baton raised! (Getting to Know You)
Hello,
My name is Kenneth Perkins and I am a first year music teacher at an elementary school in Columbia SC. I joined Tumblr to assimilate ideas from other music teachers like myself as well as veteran music teachers. I look forward to cultivating exciting and fresh ideas from you all!!!
window-bird: I just got hired as a middle school music teacher. What are some questions to ask when I meet with the school principal for the first time?
Again, sorry I let this sit for a while. I don’t have any experience dealing with administrators and that is partly why I decided to change my major from music education. Does anyone from the think tank have any ideas?
-Nick
simplymejenniferle: I'm currently working at a music camping and teaching a group of somewhat hyper 7-9 year olds. Do you have any ideas for good educational music games?
Sorry it took so long to answer, I’ve been busy. I’ve been out of the music ed loop for a bit, too. Does anyone have any good ideas? (Call and response games are fun. You might want to start with a certain goal in mind and work from there, like teaching rhythm, etc…)
-Nick
The new location for my campaign on tumblr:
Please take a look and follow if you get a chance. :)
I am running for NY State Senate
I am officially announcing my candidacy for New York State Senate to replace Senator Owen Johnson in SD-4. He served the great state of New York for over four decades and we are grateful for his service and we respect his decision to retire. I believe that my young, fresh eyes will bring a lot to the table and make some positive changes for New York. As a liberty-minded candidate, I plan on working towards reviving our Nation’s constitution and focusing on what our founding fathers believed was best for this country. I am currently running as an independent, but am seeking backing from the Libertarian Party. My name is not currently on the ballot, but if that does not change by November I will remain a write-in candidate. My team and myself are looking forward to the coming months and I look forward to making New York a place to always be proud of.
If you have any questions, feel free to go to my ask box. As of now, this is my official tumblr and campaign virtual headquarters.
-Nicholas P. Errico
NY SD-4
I made this announcement the other day. What are some education related topics that you would like to bring to light to a senatorial candidate? (Unfortunately, it’s only state senate)
