Success Music Studio

Geoff

Geoff (pronounce Jeff) Keith has taught instrumental music lessons for over 30 years, and special needs students for over 20 years, accruing over 6,000 hours working with special needs and LD students. In the 1990’s, he developed FBC Sudbury’s Kid’s Music Club program (children’s choir). His articles on teaching music to students with learning disabilities have appeared in the Dyslexic Reader. The information in the blog is similar to the information he presented at Berklee College of Music’s ABLE Assembly, which is a special needs arts conference for teachers. Also, he has been included in Marquis Who’s Who biographies.

Color Coding Music for Success - Staff and Notes on a Yellow Background

Color Coding Music for Success

Want to read music? Does your child or music student have a hard time reading notes? Color coding music notation can help. I had a student with amnesia who would forget everything she had learned from the previous lesson. However, she was able to learn beginner level piano music with hands together. Find out how color coding helps students like her. Estimated reading time 11 minutes.

sing in tune with synth settings - man singing while playing a synth - Can Somebody Explain Why Power Chords Sound Powerful?

Sing in Tune with Synth Settings

Does your choir have pitch issues? Retune your synth to make examples of good sounding chords. After years of hearing pianos tuned to equal temperament, many singers cannot sing harmony accurately. The piano is a bad model for how well-tuned chords should sound. Read more to learn how to sing in tune with synth settings! Estimated reading time 4 minutes.

How to Micro Tune the Keyboard to Make the Chords Sound Awesome - a Red Keyboard - Can I Learn to Play Piano with a Mini Key Keyboard - What Does Intonation Mean and Why Is It Essential in Music

How to Micro Tune the Keyboard to Make the Chords Sound Awesome

Does it ever bother you that the piano chords sound out of tune? The guitar is not the only instrument that can be retuned. Retuning the keys to Supplemented Equal Temperament (SET) yields chords that sound better than equal temperament – the standard piano tuning. In SET, the triads sound incredible. Learn how to micro tune the keyboard using SET for awesome chords! Estimated reading time 4 minutes.

How to Color Code Guitar Tab to Empower LD Achievement - Guitar Tab and Coffee Cup

How to Color Code Guitar Tab to Empower LD Achievement

Tablature creates a picture of the guitar neck. However, many LD students become confused by tab despite its visual appearance.
In other words, they become dazzled by the shimmer created by the contrast of the black and white lines of the notation. Color-coding the strings helps reduce the confusion that students experience, assisting them in effectively reading the score. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

Color Coding Musical Accents - writing well crafted songs - Picture of Sheet Music on a Piano - Do My Hands' Sizes Affect Learning Performance on the Piano - Teaching Music Teachers - Vintage Sheet Music - What Purpose Do Accidentals Serve in Reading Sheet Music - What Does it Mean for Me to Interpret a Piece of Music - Is Playing the Piano a Suitable Activity for Autistic People - How Long Do You Take to Memorize a Piece of Piano Music

Color Coding Musical Accents Using the Shape Note Advantage for Accurate Special Needs and LD Performance

We approach accents differently than other types of articulations. It is not just about using color to make the accents pop off the page. Using shapes creates a guide for when to play louder. Consequently, for accents we take our example from shape notes. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

How to Color Code Music to Get LD Students to Perform Accurate Alternate Picking - Man Plucking the Guitar

How to Color Code Music to Get LD Students to Perform Accurate Alternate Picking

Even among typical learners, students find alternate picking and strumming challenging. It is one of the few color-coding strategies I use with every student. Using color-coded arrows as a guide to alternate picking effectively shows students how to accurately execute the picking patterns. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.