I’ve just started using the books, so I can’t say much yet about their effectiveness, but I really love the approach of focusing on one key at a time, building an understanding of patterns within that key, doing a little bit of ear-training and improvisation, and playing a few simple duets with the student. The layout is so attractive and organized to make it easy to establish specific habits as you work with the student to learn and implement effective sight-reading approaches.

Even though (or maybe because!) sight-reading has always come easily to me, it seems like many of my students are challenged in this area. (I always posit that God gave me a studio full of play-it-by-ear students that I can’t relate to at all!) I’ve tried a few other approaches over the years that haven’t been especially successful, so I’m hoping this relatively new series is the magic cure. Haha. Actually, I think consistency is probably the biggest factor in becoming a better sight-reader, so I’m hoping to stay focused on it with these books and a few students and then re-evaluate after several months to see how it’s going.

Has anyone else used these books? Or have you used another series that you think works really well? I’m definitely open to ideas!

One of my all-time favorite collection of composer biographies is Ben Lansing’s The Bigwigs of Classical Music (Your student might be interested to know that Ben was homeschooled, too! You can read an interview I did with him here.). A couple of the books I mentioned last week (My Life with the Great Pianists and Lang Lang’s biography) might be of interest as well.

Also, these aren’t books, but the In Search of Beethoven and In Search of Mozart films are very well done and I think would be of interest to a middle school and/or high school student. I also really like and occasionally reference the book Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers by Patrick Kavanaugh. It includes interesting stories, well-written historical information, and a highlight on a character quality exemplified by the featured composers. Honestly, I haven’t read many other biographies of composers or musicians that come to mind, so I’m hoping some others can chime in with suggestions!

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!

Here’s my list from last year:

Talent to Treasure: Building a Profitable Music Teaching Business
Marcia K. Washburn

A second-generation piano teacher with many years of experience, Marcia Washburn sets out to help aspiring music teachers get started on the right foot. Many of the tips and principles she shares are ones that I had to learn the hard way! Although every teacher will have different approaches to the way they run their studio and do their teaching, Marcia’s book is sure to help new teachers think about issues that are all-too-often completely overlooked.

She covers a wide variety of topics, including: evaluating your motive for launching a music teaching business, preparing for the practical side of running a studio, establishing appropriate policies and practices, learning how to communicate effectively, and some of the nuts and bolts of what and how to teach. This is a great starting point for a teacher, and even experienced teachers will probably take away a few new ideas, tips, or insights that will help them become better teachers and business owners. I know I sure did!

Journey of a Thousand Miles: My Story
Lang Lang with David Ritz

A fellow piano teacher recommended this autobiography of world famous pianist, Lang Lang, at a music teachers association meeting. It was a quick read, but wow was it fascinating! I had absolutely no idea the kind of dedication and work that lies behind some of the young prodigies that emerge on the world scene. According to Lang Lang, in China it is everything to be Number One. Propelled by his father’s obsessive drive and his mother’s enduring love, that’s the pianist that Lang Lang was destined to be ever since winning his first competition at the age of five: Number One.

As a piano teacher, it was interesting to read of the different personalities of Lang Lang’s teachers and how they impacted him – either positively or negatively. Even in the cruel, critical world of competitive piano playing, Lang Lang blossomed and enjoyed music the most when his teacher, while highly qualified, was encouraging and cared about him as a person. Even though Lang Lang suffered at times because of his father’s indefatigable pressure to be Number One, I appreciated his desire to honor him and reconcile their differences. He also acknowledges that he wouldn’t be who he is today were it not for his father. Lang Lang’s story paints a vivid picture of what it looks like to be wholly devoted to a cause. Even though I love playing the piano, I am mindful that ultimately my cause is Jesus Christ. I am inspired to make my devotion to Him more of a living reality every day.

My Life with the Great Pianists
Franz Mohr with Edith Schaeffer

This book is a natural appeal for pianists, but I think it would be equally inspirational for anyone who is devoted to maximizing their impact in their given field for the glory of Jesus Christ. Some of the finer details about pianos and tuning may be lost on the non-musical reader, but the real message from this concert technician is how one person, by being skillful in their field, can gain an audience with many to make an eternal investment in their lives. I was reminded often of Proverbs 22:29, “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” I loved the little anecdotes from Mr. Mohr’s interaction with pianists Horowitz, Rubinstein, Cliburn, Gould, and others, and I came away from the book with an even greater appreciation for the beauty of this instrument – the piano – that occupies so much of my life!

>>You can see a complete list of books I read last year in my Year of Reading in Review post on the Pajama School blog.>>

As is obvious from the book cover and the website verbiage, the whole thrust of this series is toward boys. And what do boys like? Loud, fast, repetitive patterns, right? Thankfully the books offer more variety than that, but you do have to think of each of the pieces more as mood music or the soundtrack to a movie in order to connect with them musically. It also helps incredibly to listen to Andrea playing excerpts of the pieces:

Each episode of the series contains the same pieces written at three different levels: Early Elementary, Elementary, and Intermediate. The Piano Music for Boys crew has kindly offered to giveaway one set of Episode one to a Music Matters Blog reader. Just leave a comment below to be entered in the drawing. The winner will be drawn using a random number generator at noon (CST) on Thursday, September 15.

Ever since I first came across them several months ago, they’ve been tweaking their games and adding new ones. From the circle of 5ths (I really like this one!) to rhythm to pitch and tone recognition, Theta Music’s wide array of games is sure to be a hit with music studios everywhere. They now have twenty games and a whopping four hundred levels available!

The developers of Theta Music Trainer have generously offered to giveaway a free month of full access to all games to one Music Matters Blog reader. To enter, just leave a comment below. The drawing will be held at noon (CST) on Thursday, September 1. The winner will be drawn using a random number generator. Wouldn’t this be a fun way to kick-off a new year in your studio?!

If you’ve been thinking about subscribing to MTH, but are still on the fence I encourage you to give it a try. You can always unsubscribe at any time if it doesn’t work for you. But I can’t adequately express how much it has streamlined the business side of my studio. In the last several weeks I’ve interviewed several prospective students and every one of the families was immediately impressed with how organized and professional everything was. By the time they made it home from the interview, they had an e-mail waiting in their inbox with their account login information and the ability to pay on-line via credit card and/or set up a recurring subscription payment for lessons.

Even though I use it constantly throughout the year, it’s especially now when I’m enrolling new students that I’m reminded of how much I appreciate MTH and all the time and energy it saves me!

The films are a collection of interviews with historians and musicians, commentary on the times in which the composer lived, and incredible live excerpts of of performances of the composer’s works by leading symphonies and musicians from around the world! What I loved most was getting to travel progressively with the composer through his life and gain a better understanding of the chronological order of his compositions and the events and experiences that inspired each one.

The films are very professional and insightful and last approximately two hours.  The In Search of Beethoven film comes with a bonus disc of special features, including deleted scenes, an interview the director, and complete movements. These would make a marvelous addition to the library of every music lover, teacher, professor, and student!

Seventh Art Productions is generously offering one of each DVD as a giveaway to Music Matters Blog readers! Just leave a comment below to be entered in a drawing to win one of these excellent films. The winner will be drawn using a random number generator at noon (CST) on Thursday, August 18.

I contacted the author about the books and she kindly sent me a couple of review copies to look over. I am really impressed! The books are so colorful and fun! Influenced by American shape-note music, Charlotte Mason, and Shinichi Suzuki this series is an approach designed to enable children as young as two to enjoy musical experiences at the piano.

The books (so far Volume 1 and Volume 2 are available) are well organized and the layout is clean and beautiful. The three units in the first book cover: Notes, Tempo, and Melody. The second volume covers: Repeated Notes, Rhythm, and Octave. Students learn to play real songs like, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” “Jesus Loves Me,” “Jingle Bells,” Mary Had a Little Lamb,” and much more! Now…what little toddler (and their parent!) isn’t going to love that?!

I love how Jenni guides the teacher or parent through each unit and song step-by-step to make it a successful experience. I am really fascinated by this whole approach and can’t wait to find someone with a 2-year old who will let me try it out on them!

Now…for the best part. Jenni has offered to giveaway one copy of each volume! Two Music Matters Blog readers will be the special winners this time! Just leave your comment below, and the winners will be drawn using a random number generator on Thursday, August 4, at noon (CST).

Scales & Modes

I have to admit, as a very visual person the first thing that attracted me to this app was the beautiful design. But if all it does is look good, an app will be pretty short-lived. Which is probably why this one is still around and going strong. The functionality is incredible! I love the fact that it has way more scales/modes than I will ever need for my own purposes or for my students. It’s not like I’m going to be teaching the Lydian Augmented scale anytime soon…okay, ever. But you know, it’s nice to have it there – just in case.

The navigation is super simple. Just select your root note, then your scale type and voila! you have a screen with the letter names spelled out, the notes placed on a staff, and the keys pictured on a keyboard. With a click, you can switch over to the guitar view and see what it looks like on the frets. And in either mode you can play the audio recording and hear what the scale sounds like. Super cool! And great for both aural and visual learners!

Metronome Plus

This sleek design is perfect for a metronome! With a quick tap you can change the tempo marking, alter the beat structure (to alternate sounds every 2, 3, 4, beats, etc.), or select a different type of sound for the beat. They are also currently working on a Tap Tempo feature and the capability to listen to your iPod while the metronome is going so you can check tempos, etc. This app is already becoming a must-have in my studio!

And now, for the exciting news! Both of these app developers have generously offered to giveaway three copies of their app to Music Matters Blog readers! Just leave a comment below to be entered in the giveaway. The six winners will be drawn at noon (CST) on Thursday, July 21 using a random number generator.

• Make Me a Blessing
• Holy, Holy, Holy
• Amazing Grace
• No One Understands Like Jesus
• The Old Rugged Cross
• My Jesus, I Love Thee
• Jesus Loves Me
• Wonderful Peace
• When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
• He Giveth More Grace
• I’d Rather Have Jesus
• Why?
• Beneath the Cross of Jesus
• Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

In addition to enjoying it yourself, this would also make a great baby gift, I think! And Alicia has provided the opportunity for one special Music Matters Blog reader to win their own copy of this CD! Just leave a comment below to be entered in a drawing to win. The drawing will end at noon (CST) on Thursday, June 2, and the winner will be drawn using a random number generator.