Barbara Fast
Workshops
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Smart Practicing: Utilizing Easy Technology and Latest Research on Learning
How to help students practice effectively are topics that come up weekly for music teachers. Based on personal research and implementation of practical ideas in private and group lessons, suggestions for efficient practicing that incorporate easy technology and the latest discoveries in learning will be shared.
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Overcoming the Brain’s Negativity Bias: Facilitating Student Empowerment in Teaching
The brain’s negative bias, remembering the negative over the positive, will be discussed related to teaching music. Practical ideas for teaching private lessons and group classes in ways that fosters student self-empowerment will be presented.
Building Blocks to Effective Sight Reading
While effective sight-reading provides a life-long love and ability to play the piano, it is frequently the least understood and most over-looked keyboard skill. The presentation features specific suggestions for teaching sight-reading that are based on research on eye movement and perception, and current findings in music education.
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Teaching Artistry at the Elementary and Intermediate Levels
Teaching artistry at the beginning levels is just as important as teaching any other aspect of piano performance. The technic necessary for emphasizing artistry at the earliest levels will be explored in detail, along with suggestions for continuing these technics into the intermediate levels of repertoire.
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Resources
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Read her research article about practicing in Music Performance Research (2015-co-author Dr. Jennifer Mishra).
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Practicing in Music Performance
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Watch Dr. Fast’s workshop, “Overcoming the Brain’s Negativity Bias,” presented as a webinar on the MTNA member site.
Overcoming the Brain's Negativity Bias
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Read her teaching article, “Questions About Teacher Observation.”
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Questions About Teacher Observation
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