What's going on this week in piano: Bow and Arrow Shots!

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Sometimes I do tend to think way outside the box.  I've found that the more outrageous the activity the more engaged and excited my students get.  Well, I get pretty darn excited as well.

I had some pretty odd items on my Christmas wish list this year.  One of the things I asked "Santa" to give me was a bow and arrow set for my piano lessons.  "A bow and arrow set?", you ask . "What would she need with a bow and arrow set and how on earth would she be able to tie this into a piano lesson?"  Oh, but you can and the kiddos have been eating this activity up for the past two weeks.  I tend to showcase activities like this one for a "limited time" and bring them out once or twice a year to keep their interest up.  After this week, it's getting packed away.  This set was purchased from "toys to grow on" ® and it's called "My First Archery Set" www.toystogrowon.com

What I am doing with this "exercise" is putting the metronome beat to a very very slow speed and having  my students shoot arrows at the target every tied whole note (every 8 beats).  Actually I did that last week, this week they are shooting every tied dotted half note since they've gotten the hang of setting the arrows up and aiming.  At first, it seems painfully slow to them but they soon realize why I've chosen that speed.  It's so they have time to set up the next arrow in between shots. 

"My First Archery Set" from www.toystogrowon.com

Some of the younger students will need your help with setting the arrows up and shooting them.  They tend to want to help the bow along rather than just snap it and let the bow carry the arrow through the air.  The older kids LOVE this activity and they are quite good at it actually.  I am so impressed with how they can keep a count of the metronome beats in their head while setting their arrows up for the next shot!  It also has given me insight into their fine and gross motor skills.  Any bit of information I can gather about my students helps me be a better teacher.

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE what I do.  I never thought that I'd say that and I used to envy people who enjoyed what they did for a living.  This week a grandparent shared this with me after her grandson's lesson....."It's like my grandson just had a musical playdate with you.  This was so much fun, thank you".

I can't express enough gratitude to God for giving me this opportunity.  Until next time, Daphne Vasquez signing off......