Technique? Who does that?

I know many method books offer a technique section.  Some have it directly in the lesson book, others offer a separate book, and others hope you'll pick it up on the way.  I know in my lessons personally, it is quite challenging to cover songs, theory, technique, and continue making progress in only 30 minutes.  I'm sorry to say, sometimes things get left out.  Often, it's technique.  That's not a "fun" thing for my students, and even if I do assign an exercise or two, I doubt many students practice them.

However, if you make technique fun... then students will practice.  One engaging book I've come across is the Dozen a Day Mini Book.  This Mini is the first in their series and is for Elementary Students.

The goal is to practice a dozen exercises before practicing each day.  There are 5 groups of a dozen in each book.  Each exercise is about 4-5 measures long, and about one line.  Each has an engaging stick figure acting out the title, whether that's "Rolling Over" "Kicking with the Right Leg" or "Running."  The exercises are meant to be learned a few (or one) at a time, and once you've mastered the entire group, you can move on to the next group.

This first book starts out with only quarter notes, half and whole notes.  The first three exercises only use B, Middle C, and D.  Exercise 5 introduces E and A.  Exercise 8 uses thirds, 11 uses seconds.  The 12th exercise in each group has words about being able to play well.

This is not a book for your earliest beginner, but one who is comfortable with notes on the staff, slurs, and staccato.  In this book the following will be introduced and reinforced: holding a note while playing others, seconds, thirds, contrary motion, slur, staccato, skipping (melodic thirds), triads, crossing 1 underneath (as in the scale), crossing the left hand over, major and minor feel, flats, sharps, chromatic fingering, finger changes both on the same note and on subsequent notes,  Group V introduces eighth notes.

My students are captivated by the stick figures.  This is such a fun way to teach and reinforce concepts. Because the students only need to play a few exercises before beginning (not "play this page 5 times") I have found they are much more likely to practice.  I enjoy giving stickers to each exercise played well.  Because they are short, we often do 3 each week.  I encourage students to play the 3 new exercises and review the old ones to play a total of 6 per day.  They know they will be expected to play the newly assigned exercises at lessons but I will also ask for previously passed ones within the same group.  There is a definite sense of progress with these because they are so short, but effective.

You can look inside here.  It is $3.99 Available from Sheet Music Plus