The piano a wonderful and versatile instrument. Have you ever wondered how we got the piano? Here is a helpful (short) video about the history of the piano. Enjoy!
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There is nothing like a practice challenge to motivate you to practice. And that is why we are having a practice challenge for the month of March. The challenge is to practice all 31 days this month! It is quite a lofty challenge, but completely doable. Let's go practice!
Several months ago, I attended a workshop for piano teachers and the topic was how to teach 5-year-old children the piano. Before the workshop, I had only had a little experience teaching kids that young and figured that maybe some people really love teaching 5-year-old kids, but it was not my “thing’”. But after the workshop, my mindset has totally changed. I have started a few 5-year-old kids with Faber’s My First Piano Adventure books and it has been a blast! The books move very slow (it takes 3 books to cover the material in the Primer level) and are full of fun songs and games. They even have an app with all the songs recorded (with kid voices) so the kids can sing along. So do I teach 5 year old kids? Yes! And we have lots of fun!
Moving provides a great opportunity to organize and rethink how you do things. At least it has for me! Here are some things that I am loving as I get back into teaching here in North Carolina:
It's time to say my goodbye to all my wonderful students and their parents here in Rockford, IL. My husband and I are moving to Wake Forest, NC in less than two weeks. Thank you to all those who allowed me to teach you or your children while I was living here. It was certainly my pleasure to do so! Goodbye! May you continue to grow in your musical abilities!!
1. Building Blocks Rhythm can sometimes be quite tricky to teach. Some students pick up on basic rhythm patterns very quickly but for others it takes more time. I saw on Pinterest the idea of using building blocks to teach rhythm and it caught my attention. I tried it with the Grandma of one of my students and it worked very well! Those blocks are definitely something I will keep on hand in my studio. 2. Drum Pad and Sticks Who doesn’t like banging sticks together? I have been using my practice drum pad and some drum sticks quite a bit in lessons recently (sometimes we just tap the sticks together without the practice pad). They are a good alternative to clapping (aka “boring”). I have a couple of students who have no interest in counting rhythms correctly, but when I hand them the drum sticks, they suddenly can tap the rhythms correctly and do many more repetitions than I could normally have had them do. It’s certainly a win in my book! .Circle of 5ths
I have several students who are trying really hard to learn all the key signatures and this adorable printable has been helping them learn. I found it at teachpianotoday.com. I printed them off on card stock and may laminate them. I used clothespins with little stickers on them to be able to match the key signature with the letters. Randee's Music just announced it is putting on the 2018 Clavinova Festival. It is a two day festival where students come and use a Clavinova piano to make their piano piece sound extra special (using all the cool features that a Clavinova has). Students who participate will receive a t-shirt, certificate, and a trophy...plus, they are entered to win a Yamaha digital piano valued at $600. If you are interested or have questions, call John Larson at 815-399-1500.. Registration is due April 1, 2018.
This is the big question on every musician’s mind: how long do I have to practice? I know that when I was younger and taking lessons, I would often try to fill the time that my teacher required with as little work as possible. Lazy student? Yep, I was. So how do I answer the question of practice time? Here are some of my thoughts:
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HoursMon-Thurs: hours vary
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Telephone630-346-6508
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313 W Pine Ave.
Wake Forest, NC |