bach around the christmas tree

Bach Around the Christmas Tree Piano Solo 18 Classic Christmas Carols

I love looking for new music!!  Check out this Christmas book filled with traditional carols set to the style of classical composers.  The arrangements are perfect and have pleased many of my piano students.   It is fun to see so many of them loving classical music!!   I am excited for my order to arrive!!

boo!

One of my amazing students asked if she could write a song for her monthly goal.  Of course!!!  She wrote an excellent Halloween song using everything she has been currently learning. Check it out on my you tube site:  Click Here for Boo!!!

happy musical halloween

I found great music this year for my students and it made Halloween piano playing super fun.  

play the piano in the mornings

I love how this sweet girl talks about why it is a good idea to practice piano first thing in the morning.

he's the piano man

This past month I had a very successful recital.  Let me tell you how it came about. Last spring, as I watched each of my 50 students individually perform, I couldn't help but noticed something that was happening in the audience.   Every time a boy/young man performed every single one of my other male students young or old would perk up and listen intently, very intently.  Mind you it was a long long recital.  But even with the lengthiness there were still those boys who would listen no matter what to the other boys around them.  I was fascinated by this.  I decided that it was time to have an all boy recital!!  It turned out so GOOD!!

A tradition of mine is to always invite local guest artists to perform at my recitals.  They could be someone with a beautiful singing voice, amazing piano skills, or even the talent of playing other instruments that are not often found at a piano recital.   I decided to search out a male pianist who was not only awesome and amazing but also would be perfect to talk with the young men and motivate them to always continue with the piano.

I asked a man who attends my church because I had heard him play Chopin once and was left mesmerized.  After he accepted to play and inspire my piano men he called a week later and offered to have our piano man recital in his home!  How perfect especially since he sheltered a nine foot Steinway grand!

The evening was perfect.  I loved watching all the boys listen again so intently.   They left that night all fired up and ready for a new piano piece at their next lesson. What could be better then this?

 A wonderful intimate setting that made for such a beautiful evening.

 A sign one of my amazing piano moms made.  She put names of famous composers all over the sign along with all the names of my piano men.

 They were all so excited to play on such a huge piano.

What an unforgettable evening! Don't they look so great!! I'm so proud of my piano men!!

happy day

 Introducing my new favorite thing:  THE MONTHLY VIEW PRACTICE CALENDAR!!

I have started printing out the entire month view each month and putting it in my student's piano folder.  At the bottom of the monthly calendar we make a goal together.  Most of the time it is a practice goal and so it is fun for both my student and I to see their practice progress throughout the month.

I was thrilled the other day when my little 7 year old student came into my studio with the best words hand written by her on the top of her monthly calendar.  I had to just take a picture of this.   Take a look and see if  this makes you smile.

rights to the lights

Rights to the finger lights in action!  Her scales are sounding so so great!

the pentascales playoffs

They have begun!!!

 

I have loved seeing how my students have progressed through this awesome competition.   I have seen fingering, rhythm, and tempo all improve.  Not to mention how quickly my students can find their starter notes.    The playoffs did not start until all my students took about three weeks to learn 12 major pentascales.  They had to also write out these pentascales on staff paper.  After all the staff paper was turned in and after I heard all 12 pentascales sounding amazing, the playoffs started.  Each student progressed at their own pace.  I kept close track of everything in their  assignment folder.

The playoffs began with me timing each student.  I had flashcards with the name of the pentascale on them.  They would quickly play the pentascale listed on the flashcards.  They had to have a steady tempo and correct fingering for it to count.  At the end of their first timing I would record their score.  Generally the score was 2 minutes 35 seconds.  Each week for the following three they had to improve their score.  Currently they are improving each week and it is so exciting to see!!

Their ultimate goal is to play all 12 major pentascales in a minute or less.  They have three weeks to improve their first timing or get it in a minute or less... whichever comes first.  When they receive a minute or less they are officially a pentascales champion and receive the following;

Their name up on my pentascale champion wall,  Bach Bucks to shop in the studio store and my favorite...  they get rights to the lights!!!   This has been the best part. Take a look at how awesome this is!!!

Rights to the lights include wearing the finger lights each time they come for a lesson.  Of course they must play the pentascales while wearing them and get up and dance afterwards, if they so choose.

how to get your piano players to love scales

Hmm....   why do my students not like to play the scales?  Probably because something fun needs to happen.  Probably because there needs to be a little competition.  Probably because they need to discover just how fast their fingers can move.

Introducing:   THE PENTASCALES PLAYOFFS!!   Let the finger games begin!!

The lesson just following our spring recital I handed my piano students a piece of paper that said:

3 WEEKS UNTIL THE PENTASCALES PLAYOFFS!!


Week 1:   C Major, G Major, F Major & D Major
Week 2:  A Major, E Major, D b  Major & A b Major
Week 3:  E b Major, B Major B b Major & G b Major


Learn, memorize and write out all Major Pentascales listed above for a mystery music prize.  
Playoffs will be at the end of three weeks.  Playoffs will include all 12 Pentascales above being timed and played in different ways including:  Legato, Staccato, Forte & Mezzopiano




WWHW




I made sure that each student read the title with their most enthusiastic voice.  I then went on to teach the "Major Pentascale Code"  (as I would like to call it)  WWHW.   I would tell my students that the piano keyboard has many different sounds but in order to find them we needed to use the magic code of WWHW.

I went on to explain or reteach (most of my students are playing with flats and sharps) the concept of whole and half steps.   All of my students were excited to open the unknown Major Pentascale world with their new found Major Pentascale Code.   My boys loved it!!  They felt like they were on a treasure hunt!!

I told them it was now up to them to use their code and find the four Pentascales listed under Week 1.  It was so exciting to watch them discover the Major sounds on their own.  I gave each of my students the task of playing these four Pentascales daily,  10 times each before they started into their songs.  Each student was also given the task of writing all four Pentascales out on staff paper (which I provided).  The completed scales written out and given back to me along with them showing me the Pentascales on the piano, would be their ticket into Week 2 or Round 2 as I would call it.

I repeated these tasks each week until all my students did the written work and had mastered the four scales for that week.  Of course, I would have my students always work on the scales they learned prior as to not forget them.


Most of my students have been through all 3 weeks/rounds!!

Stay tuned for the Pentascales Playoffs!!   They are right around the corner and all my students are getting excited!!

you've got a friend in me

She sits by me all the time
And forever she will play,
My ivory and wooden keys
In the most beautiful, special way.

For I know by her touch on
My soft keys how she's feeling,
If the day's been hard
Slow gentle tunes she'll be playing.

On happy days when nothing
Could possibly go wrong,
Her fingers dance across my keys
Till the end of the happy song.

With little patience I wait
Every day for her to come home,
To play my music
That she creates on her own.

I might make just music
To please some people's ears,
But I think I am more of a friend
Than an instrument to her.

-April Tomblin Clark

My beautiful sister wrote this poem and gave it to me when I was in high school.
It could not be more perfect.

jarflower performances

Jarflower Video Memories

Click on the link above for a wonderful collection of performances and fun moments.  Check back for more to come!

mission: music

And the winner is......................Hayley!!   This girl is brillant.  She strategically raced around the world and completed all her practicing challenges, made musical artwork, created a super fun theory game and composed a song with lyrics.  She went months without missing a day of piano practice.  

It was very exciting for me to give her the 1st place award at our spring recital.  She deserved the recognition and I was so proud of her!.  Winning this amazing piano race shows in her piano playing.  She is progressing at an excellent pace.  Congrats to her!!

lovely piano hands

I was happy to see that this was a senior picture for one of my piano students. How beautiful is this?

how about a round of grand staff twister?

I got this idea spur of the moment and it has been a huge hit among my students. I took a pretty good sized rug (not too large that it takes up a ton of room and not too small that we can't have some fun with it) I placed black electrical tape on the rug to form the grand staff. I printed off my bass and treble clefs.... and VOILA a grand staff appeared.

My first week with my rug, I had it turned over so that no one would even know that there was a grand staff under there. Then I would tell my students that we were going to play a game with the magic red rug. This always intrigues students especially when they say, "What does a rug have to do with the piano?" I flip the rug over and ask my students what it looks like. After they figure out that it looks like the grand staff I have them place the clefs in the correct places. After all this awesomeness then let the grand staff games begin!!!

My favorite game so far that I have created on the grand staff rug is none other then "grand staff twister" My students always LOVE this game!! It is best to play with two students on my smaller rug. I call out a right foot or left hand along with a letter from the musical alphabet. Since there is usually more then one "A" on the grand staff my students have to get to one of them first before the other. (There cannot be two different right hands on the same note)

I twist my students up real good and I get to see how fast and clever they are with the note names. It is a blast (:

white board love

It always makes me happy to read that my students deep down truly love coming to piano lessons. It is my goal and mission to see that my students remember loving their piano learning experience. After a lesson I found this written on my white board:

gathering around the piano

A mother just told me over the phone that her three daughters were doing so well at the piano. She told me that they LOVE to practice and will sometimes do it more than once a day!! She went on to say how much she loves to see her girls gather around the piano and sing while another plays. This brought such a smile to my face. If I can teach a child to love the piano then I feel successful.

bugle boys

Who doesn't want to see more of this amazing little girl?? She has this internal tempo skill going for her that will take her so far. She also can read notes like a champ and sometimes will even rewrite songs to fit her style and taste (: I love her creativity and take on music!!

an awesome piano player and cheerleader

I love how teaching piano is always filled with surprises. This awesome student of mine surprised me today with this:

It makes me really happy to see my piano students excited to have their lesson and even more excited to perform for me. I support this awesomeness 100%. I love it when my students learn the music as it is written on the staff and then I love it when they take their own twist on it. Everyone hears and interprets music differently bringing with them their own style of music. Watch it again and smile...

the four seasons

This year I decided to do mini Christmas recitals. Mini meaning that only 8-10 students perform. I had four wonderful nights of these performances held at the Four Seasons Assisted Living Home here in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. I really enjoyed these nights. They were simple, under 40 minutes, great oppourtunity to serve and the cute elderly people just as always warmed my heart. A few highlights I will always remember is Taylor (I'll miss you ! ) singing "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" in Latin, my piano families singing as part of an impromtu choir, all my students performing so well and a sweet lady joining us as we sang her favorite Christmas carol, "O Holy Night" She ended up doing the singing as she had this beautiful soprano voice that just cheerfully lit up the room. I think I have the best job in the world. I get to bring the joy of music into peoples lives daily. How awesome is that? Here are a few pictures from that evening:

My piano students and families singing Christmas carols for the sweet residents

A few of my amazing students, Steven & Cambrie

take ownership

I teach this very energetic determined girl who said the best thing the other day while playing a song for me. She was moving through the song with perfect tempo. All of a sudden she played an F when the note was a G. She stopped, looked at the music and just said outloud, "Wait just a second!! That's NOT MY G!!"

This put a huge smile on my face! I loved how she recognized that her many hours of practice were not matching up to her performance and she called it out. I love it when my students know their stuff !!

ode to happy

My student tonight was learning Ode to Joy by ours truly, Beethoven. In the middle of the song the melody takes to higher notes on the staff. I often amoung my students see a confusion there. When they are so often used to playing in the Middle C postion it is often such a transition for them to move their awesome hands up an octave. I showed my student the difference in the notes and then to check for comprehension asked, "so... why is it that we must move our hands when we see notes higher on the staff?" My student just energetically replied, "Because they are happy!"

Happy hands always play the piano the best (:

happy piano new year

I am really missing my students. I'm so excited to start seeing them tomorrow. I thought I would post this coupon just in case any of my piano families would like to add some music to their sheet music libraries.

The folks at Alberti Publishing are offering readers a $5 off coupon, good for any sheet music download from their site. Visit www.albertipublishing.com and enter the code APB560 at checkout.

Mission: Music is back in progress. Who will be the first to make it around the world?