I couldn’t stand it growing up when we would be playing a game or doing a competition that involved subjective criteria and the adult/judge would conclude that it was a tie and everyone was a winner. My competitive nature wanted there to be a real winner (preferably me, of course ). But I digress. I don’t think anyone will complain about the outcome of this!

We do have an official winner of the Music Ace Maestro giveaway. Drumroll, please, for Stephanie of the Music @ SWV blog! However, Harmonic Vision has extended a fabulous offer that is available to any Music Matters Blog reader! For a limited time you can receive a $30 discount off of Music Ace Maestro (making it only $97.95), plus receive a free copy of Music Ace Deluxe – PSE (36 lessons vs. 48 lessons, jewel case, no paper, no box) good for student use – a $39.95 value! All you have to do is enter this coupon code when you checkout at the Harmonic Vision store: MAMMMB55

Stay tuned, because we’ve got several other giveaways coming up soon!

If you haven’t yet done so, you have one final day to enter the drawing to win a free copy of Music Ace Maestro (worth $127.95). Just go to the original post and leave a comment and you’ll be entered in the drawing! The drawing will be held tomorrow at noon.

Congrats to Marsha Sanders, winner of all the studio wall decorations for the Exploring A Galaxy of Music practice incentive! Marsha, just e-mail me your mailing address and I’ll get everything shipped to you right away!

For years I’ve heard people – both parents and teachers – sing the praises of Music Ace. But I just discovered that they’ve combined the original Music Ace and Music Ace 2 into one software program with Music Maestro, a special program for music educators. The result is one software package called Music Ace Maestro!

I’ve been perusing the 48 Lesson outline, looking at the screen shots, and reading the game descriptions. It looks like a fun addition to any music studio or classroom. What’s even more exciting, though, is that one special music studio or classroom is actually going to win their own copy of Music Ace Maestro, thanks to the generosity of Harmonic Vision!

To enter the drawing for this $127.95 prize, just leave a comment on this post. And…since this is such a great prize, if you’d like to earn double entry, just post about this giveaway on your blog/Facebook/Twitter with a link back to this post, then leave a separate comment letting me know you did so. The contest will end on Thursday, August 19, at 12:00 noon CST. Then I’ll use a random number generator to determine the winner!

Also, if you haven’t already done so, you can click here to subscribe to the Harmonic Vision Piano News newsletter. Archived issues may be viewed on the Piano Teacher page of their website.

If you haven’t entered yet, you have just four days left to enter the drawing to win all of the studio decorations to go along with the Exploring A Galaxy of Music practice incentive!

Joy of the Color in My Piano blog! Thanks to all who entered the drawing for the copy of The Musician’s Way. I hope you’ll all still get a copy for yourselves and find inspiration from it for your own practicing and performing. You won’t be disappointed!

You would think that a book subtitled, “A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness” would tend toward dry, colorless explanations reserved for only the most devoted musicians. I can’t say that I was overly excited when Mr. Klickstein asked if I would be willing to review a copy of his book, but within the first chapter my perspective completely changed! In addition to being an excellent writer and communicator, Mr. Klickstein presents so much helpful information that you will be itching to sit at the piano with his book beside you while you practice. At least I was!

The book is divided into three parts:

1. Artful Practice, which includes chapters on: Getting Organized, Practicing Deeply, and Musical Collaboration.

2. Fearless Performance, which includes chapters on: Unmasking Performance Anxiety, Becoming a Performing Artist, and Performing like a Pro.

3. Lifelong Creativity, which includes chapters on: Injury Prevention and Succeeding as a Student.

Each chapter is further separated into sections with descriptive sub-headings, making it incredibly easy to locate information relevant to a particular need. The extensive Notes, Bibliography, and Index at the back of the further contribute to the value of The Musician’s Way as a tremendous resource that would benefit any music teacher.

The Musician’s Way exposed how much my own practice habits are in need of reformation and how critical it is for me to learn these principles of effective practice, performance, and wellness so that I can pass them on to my students. I am not quite done with the latter half of the book yet, but I know that this is one of those rare books that I’ll be reading and referencing again and again as I attempt to achieve higher levels of mastery in my practicing, performing, and teaching.

Mr. Klickstein is obviously passionate about his message, and has set up a companion website with a wealth of additional materials. And…most exciting of all, he has offered to give away one copy of his book here on Music Matters Blog! Just leave a comment below if you’d like to be entered in the drawing to win. You can earn a double entry by posting about the giveaway on your blog and linking back to this post. I’ll select a winner next Friday, May 7, at noon CST. This will be a wonderful read for any musician or music teacher!

The winning names have been drawn (i.e. chosen my a random number generator ), and three winners have emerged. Jennifer, Anatolia, and Michelle will soon be the recipients of their selected book from Music Motivation. However, be not dismayed if your name was not selected, because Mr. Simon has generously extended a special offer to any Music Matters Blog readers that are interested in checking out his books. Just enter the code: MusicMatters2010 to receive a 15% discount on your order (and free shipping for orders of $50 or more). It’s always fun to try out new resources and see what grabs each student’s interest!

Rebekah Maxner, of the Notekidds website, is hosting another Win Your Wish List contest this year! Just visit the Notekidds website, select $75 worth of your favorite materials, and fill out the simple form on this page. One winner will be drawn from the entries received and will be the recipient of their selected wish list items! There are lots of great materials to choose from, so have fun (but hurry, because the contest ends this Saturday, October 31)!

Here is a list of the winners of the drawing for The Right Note Assignment book:

#2 – Emily

#3 – Carla in MT

#9 -Rebecca (of Piano Teacher Blog)

#16 – Justin K

#23 – Shamra

Congrats to all of you! Just send me an e-mail with your full name and address and you should receive your colorful assignment book soon. I know you’ll love it!