If student demand is any indication of quality, this music “re-telling” of classic folk songs is already destined for success! Shortly after receiving a copy of “Old MacDonald Had the Blues” from its composer, Rebekah Maxner, a student asked me what it was. I played him a sampling of some of the pieces and he’s […]
Repertoire Suggestions
Review and Giveaway of American Portraits Piano Book by Wendy Stevens
If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is an audio clip worth? In a departure from my typical process of reviewing new materials, I thought it would be cool to give you samplings of the actual music rather than mere words attempting to describe the music. In fact, didn’t some great musician say […]
Review and Giveaway of Showers of Blessing Piano Book by Jenifer Cook
Anyone who has followed Jenifer Cook’s The Church Pianist blog knows that she is a gifted pianist and teacher. Her ability to communicate improvisation and arranging techniques to aspiring pianists is unparalleled in my opinion! It’s one thing to be able to play and improvise well, but a whole different thing to be able to […]
Monday Mailbag – Christmas Music for Students
??I was just looking into Christmas music for my new student and was curious as to what books you recommend? In my studio, the Christmas recital has traditionally been our big event of the year. So I am always on the lookout for great music for my students to play. At the end of October, […]
Favorite Rote Teaching Pieces
Do you ever teach pieces to your students by rote? I have a couple of students that absolutely amaze me with their ability to watch me play something once and then repeat it almost perfectly and retain it in their memory all week long! Here are a few pieces that I frequently use for this […]
Free Curriculum – Musical Travels for Children
I just downloaded a 161-page free curriculum called, “Musical Travels for Children“! The course was created by Catherine Schmidt Jones and includes units on Europe, Asia, Africa, Americas, and Australia. Each unit is comprised of practical teaching ideas, printed music from the various continents, and additional notes and resource links. This would be fabulous as […]
