Mister Bass Clef

Faber Primer and Level 1 books are both the joys and bane of my teaching career.  Some kids just love them and thrive, others sizzle and burn.  I'm not exactly sure what it is about students' learning styles that determines whether they succeed at learning notes the Faber way.  But there is obviously something making a difference for them.

Don't get me wrong, I really like the Faber Method.  I enjoy how the songs have the feel of original compositions - unlike Bastien which can feel like a book of exercises.  But I really dislike how difficult the "Guide Notes" technique to staff reading seems to be for kids and adults to remember.  I've tried all kinds of different "tricks" to help students remember where Guide Notes are located on the staff, but with little success.  Repetition helps, but even then they just end up forgetting in the long run.

Joyce Lundeen

So when I recently discovered the new supplements to the Faber method created by Joyce Lundeen, I immediately jumped on the opportunity to try them out.  Joyce has done the work of reinforcing note teaching with Piano Adventures and the Alfred series for us.  Keeping things fun, her new series is titled "Mister Bass Clef," and includes fun pictures and lists "goal times" to encourage competitiveness.

I'm very excited about the potential for Mister Bass Clef Supplements and hope that they will turn out to be everything they advertise.  I will keep you posted with my thoughts as I try it out.  Stay tuned!

Have any of you tried Mister Bass Clef already?  Do you have any tricks or supplements that you like to use for kids struggling with guide notes?