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 […]
Resource Reviews
Review and Giveaway of Reflections CD by Sandy Skinner
I remember growing up listening to church pianists improvise the old hymns and wishing that I knew how to add in all those extra notes like they did. 🙂 That’s what the new CD, “Reflections” by Sandy Skinner reminds me of. In a world that is ever bustling with activity, it’s nice to still be […]
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 […]
Free Practice Guide for Beginning Music Students
Mike Saville, of the fabulous How to Practice blog, has put together a beautiful ebook called, “Complete Beginner’s Guide to Practice.” Once you register a free account on the site, you can download the colorful 55-page ebook for free. In addition to lots of great tips and inspirational quotes, the book contains handy lists and […]
Review and Giveaway of Goal-Oriented Practice!
Within days of reading Gretchen Saathoff’s ebook, Goal-oriented Practice, I was already referring to it in conversations with students during their lessons. The 39-page book is an easy read – written in a conversational and easy-to-understand style. Sections of the book include: Your Practice Environment Warming Up Learning the Music You’re Off to a Good […]
