With bookend stories about the fictitious piano student Olivia in his new book, I Wish I Didn’t Quit: Music Lessons, author Nathan Holder paints a picture first of an all-too familiar scenario and later an ideal scenario when it comes to studying music. Himself a member of the “I-wish-I-didn’t-quit” statistic, Holder writes from a collection […]
Ideas for Parents
Should You Consider a Rent-to-Own Piano? – A Guest Post by Drew Guifarro
Note from Natalie: I learned early on as a piano teacher that I had to ask prior to even conducting an interview with a prospective studio family if they owned a piano. Beyond that, I learned the hard way that I had to insist that they purchase one prior to beginning lessons, and that it […]
Best Composer Research Resources for Piano Students
Our Vanishing Voices studio practice incentive theme has been a huge hit so far this year! The students are enjoying collecting composers for their portfolios, and I’m enjoying learning tidbits of new information from the research that they do for each composer. In fact, I can see how my whole understanding of the timeline of […]
Review and Giveaway of Fireworks in the Night
As if writing a book isn’t hard enough, author Sherry Miller has gone above and beyond by producing a full-blown audio track and lesson plan to accompany Fireworks in the Night, her first book in a series called Randy the Raccoon & His Musical Friends. The book is full color and beautifully illustrated – sure […]
Deciding on a Musical Instrument – What to Choose? – A Guest Post by The Tutor Pages
Most parents will consider these questions at some point: Is my child musical? Can we afford music lessons? Which instrument should we choose? Many parents are eager for their child to begin music lessons at a young age. However, some instruments are a better choice than others for young beginners. For example, the piano or […]
10 Non-Musical Skills that Children Can Learn from Piano Lessons
Lisa Phillips has an excellent article on the ARTSblog identifying The Top 10 Skills Children Learn from the Arts: Creativity Confidence Problem Solving Perseverance Focus Non-Verbal Communication Receiving Constructive Feedback Collaboration Dedication Accountability Be sure to read the post for specific insights on each of these areas and how they are developed through music lessons.
