#MusicTherapy ists? Close to Missouri? Want #CMTE s?

Hello all you awesome Music Therapists! Are you in the vicinity of Missouri? Are you looking for CMTEs? Do you need to brush up on your piano accompaniment skills for therapy? Well then you need to sign up for the 2014 Missouri Music Therapy Institute to be held on June 21, 2014 in Columbia MO and come to my course!!

I am so excited to be providing a course specifically designed to teach music therapists to quickly, easily and functionally accompany themselves on piano using a variety of musical styles. I was talking to my good friend Tim Ringgold about this topic who said “we are taught to strum our guitars, but not our pianos”. This is soooooo true when it comes to how music therapists are taught to play piano in school (at least from what I have observed in the clinical and teaching world). We don’t need to know how to play classically… we need to know how to “strum” our pianos functionally!

The piano does not have to be scary! In fact, it should be just as easy as guitar, though unfortunately it will never be as portable… 😉 Here is the information below about the course! If you are interested you can go to this website to learn more or register! There are three other courses being offered that day as well! It’s going to be a fun time so I hope to see you there!

FUNCTIONAL PIANO SKILLS FOR THE FUNCTIONAL MUSIC THERAPIST: WHAT YOU DIDN’T LEARN IN SCHOOL: Leslie Jones, MMT, MT-BC

ABSTRACT: Functional skills are vital for success in utilizing the piano in music therapy sessions. However, most often music therapists are not taught functionally but rather classically. This course provides participants with hands-on learning of various piano-playing techniques to aid in functional performance in the music therapy setting across musical genres. Importance of rhythms and specific bass patterns are emphasized in order to easily and effectively replicate the musical styles including rock, pop, country, folk and hip-hop.

Full Description: Presentation will cover a variety of musical styles focusing on a functional approach to piano performance rather than classical. The intent is for participants to learn how to effectively accompany themselves on piano in a manner which is conducive to therapy. Musical styles including rock, country, pop, jazz, hip-hop and folk will be covered and repertoire will be presented that has been successfully utilized with a variety of populations in the therapy setting. Bass patterns and rhythmic accompaniment matching each style will be emphasized to create authentic replication of each musical style. Each participant will be required to perform what they have learned at the end of the course for assessment of understanding and learning of the piano skills covered.

Format

8:45-10:15- Introduction to different styles to be covered: Country (classic and newer), Rock (rock n roll, classic rock), Pop (includes implications for hip hop and rap) and Blues. Nine different patterns will be taught which will pair with the following genres: Classic Country= 1 pattern, Rock N Roll= 3 patterns, Classic Rock=3 patterns, Pop= 1 pattern, Blues= 1 pattern. Demonstrations of how certain patterns overlap to different genres of music will be explained as well (jazz, and folk will be indirectly addressed). Participants will play along on pianos as a group throughout the demonstrations to aid with learning.

10:15-10:30- Break

10:30-11:30- Generalization of knowledge will be tested during the remainder of the course. If additional time is needed to practice previously learned techniques this will also be done during this portion of the course. Participants will be asked to pair well known songs with patterns to demonstrate choosing appropriate accompaniment patterns for different styles of music. Participants will then perform well known songs using the previous learned patterns to demonstrate understanding of how to perform the accompaniments taught.

Learning Objectives (CBMT Scope of Practice Areas):

1)Participants will perform a variety of piano styles focused on a range of musical genres using functional accompaniment methodsIV, A, 6; IV, B, 2

to learn more about who I am click here!