You still have a little over one week to sign up for the NoteRunner Online Piano Competition. The contest is open to participants of all ages (including teachers!) and is designed to help promote the work of independent composers. Winners can receive cash prizes. Check out the list of songs to find a piece that […]
We Wish You a Merry Christmas?
If I was going to be completely honest (and I do try to make a habit of it), I would have to say that I really don’t like much Christmas music. I know that’s practically blasphemy to many Christmas die hards, but it takes all of about one day for me to be done with […]
A Fun Group Piano Class Rhythm Game
The last week of each month I hold a 1-hour group class in addition to the regular lessons for that week. This gives the students an opportunity to perform for each other, participate in ensembles, and play a variety of games to help reinforce musical concepts. Since one of our primary focuses this year is […]
Watch Two Piano Concerts Live from Your Own Home!
Cliburn.org recently announced that they will be airing two upcoming piano concerts live on their website and on YouTube. What a fabulous opportunity for those of us who can’t make it to these performances in person! Marc-André Hamelin will be performing on Tuesday, October 6, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. CDT at Bass Performance Hall (in […]
Celebrating 10 Years of Blogging at Music Matters Blog!
In doing some back-end work on the blog today, I had a little flashback and realized that it’s been 10 years this month since I first launched Music Matters Blog! My how the world of music education has changed since then! I distinctly remember my trepidation at starting a blog and wondering if I would […]
A Simple and Fun Rhythm Activity for the Piano Lesson
Since one of my main objectives this year is to help my students master rhythm skills, we are finding a variety of ways at each lesson to help students decipher, play, and notate rhythms accurately. Here’s a fun multi-sensory rhythm activity we tried this week that was very effective! This is adapted from Have a […]
