Have you ever been judging at a piano event and when you tell the student that they can take a minute to warm-up before playing they tentatively depress the notes of a C-major chord and then quickly assure you that they are ready? I’ve had this happen on more than one occasion. Sadly, I’m sure […]
Recital Ideas
Review and Giveaway of Old MacDonald Had the Blues Piano Book by Rebekah Maxner
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 […]
Inspiration from a Home Magazine
Somehow I started receiving a subscription to Traditional Home a while ago. Magazines are one of my weaknesses, so I usually like to skim through it and see if anything catches my eye! Well, as I was making preparations for my Christmas recital about a month ago, I was contemplating what sort of design to […]
Merry Christmas!
My studio is on Christmas break for the next couple of weeks, so it will be pretty quiet around here as well. The Christmas recital last Thursday was such a wonderful time! For those of you who didn’t get to tune in live, you can still access the archived videos on the Christmas Recital 2010 […]
Christmas Recital Tomorrow!
After many weeks of anticipation and many hours of work, the moment is just about here! Our annual studio Christmas recital is tomorrow evening. Our theme is A Collaborative Christmas: Proclaiming together the greatness of God! And remember, you’re all invited to attend! Just go to the Christmas Recital 2010 Ustream channel and you can […]
Monday Mailbag – Teaching Performance Skills
During your informal performances in group lessons, how do you prepare your students for how to approach the bench and to take a bow afterwards? Do you have them introduce their piece and/or talk about it? I really want my students to become more comfortable with performing for their peers as a ladder-step to performing […]
