Twenty-eight years ago today, I walked into the town library and checked out two books on music notation. In so doing, I took my first step toward becoming a musician, composer, and educator. Now, on a beautiful April morning, I’m excited to bring you more than a quarter-century of teaching insight and experience. Breaking Barlines is open and ready for subscriptions!
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Not Every Good Boy Does Fine
If you’ve had piano lessons before, there’s a good chance your teacher taught you to read music with “Every Good Boy Does Fine” for line notes, and “F-A-C-E” for space notes. I used these mnemonic tools for a long time as a teacher, and with surprisingly limited success. The reality is, students who stop to consider the name of every note end up being very slow sight-readers. I should know––that’s how I read music for years! Here are some reasons why it doesn’t work well.
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