In addition to starting the New Year with the introduction of the Mini Music Manual, I also wanted to provide some clear structure for students and a way to them to work systematically on their musical progress. Instead of “reinventing the wheel” I pulled out my tried and true Music Progressions Curriculum Guide and decided […]
Teaching
Inspiration for the New Year – The Mini Music Manual!
One of my favorite things about taking breaks from a regular teaching schedule is the opportunity it gives me to evaluate how I’m doing as a teacher and how my students are doing learning and retaining new concepts and skills. I love pondering possibilities to help me be more organized and intentional as a […]
A Neighborhood Christmas Concert
We always love to try new ideas in our studio, and this year we thought it would be cool to expand our annual Christmas recital into a Neighborhood Christmas Concert as a way to get to know our neighbors better and share our musical selections with them. So we printed up invitations about a month […]
Linstead Market – a Fun Piano Ensemble for 5 People!
At the beginning of September I mentioned a cool piano book I had come across called 4 Afro-Caribbean Songs for 5 Right Hands at 1 Piano. After much sweat and many hours of counting I am happy to report that we were able to pull together the lively Linstead Market arrangement. I think everyone is […]
Just Make it Up
Sometimes when students are preparing for a performance I encourage them to “improvise” when they get stuck or have a memory lapse. Some students understand this, but for others who are younger or more concrete thinkers, I found a very simple phrase this week to help them keep going in a performance. Around 1:27 in […]
Piano Studio Practice Incentive – Giveaway #4!
One of the highlights in our piano studio is the announcement of the new practice incentive theme for the year! This is something I started doing about 15 years ago and it’s amazing the excitement that it generates, along with the determination to work toward specific goals. I always incorporate 4 Components when I’m developing […]
