Piano Accents Review & Giveaway!!!

November 3, 2014November 7, 20146 Comments

The weather is changing and so should the sounds coming from your piano studio! If you’re tired of hearing the same pieces over and over again from the various method books, your students probably are as well. How about taking a trip around the world?! The above video is a song from the Latin America collection of songs arranged and composed by Neeki Bey and Gail Fischler. As a reader of the Kids and Keys blog you probably recognize Gail Fischler’s name. She is the creator of the Musical Words Game that I wrote about recently. Now Neeki and Gail have teamed up in an effort to publish “the finest music of cultures around the world”.

When you hear the term “world music” your first thought might be that it is not something you are interested in because it is so unfamiliar. Well, fear not and get ready to go on the musical journey of a lifetime with Piano Accents! Besides, due to the internet and smart devices today’s world is definitely global. We are communicating more and more with each other across oceans and continents. We know that music is a universal language, so why not try out some musical sounds from different parts of the world?

Right now on the website pianoaccents.com there are 3 collections available. Africa, Bollywood, and Latin America. Each book has popular music from the part of the world for which it is named.

Here are some features that I like about these books:

1. The songs are outstanding and well known in the given culture. This makes it easy to find YouTube videos of famous artists performing it. I think YouTube is an invaluable tool to introduce new music to students because today’s students are so visual. Seeing someone perform the music professionally gets them excited about learning it.

2. There are YouTube videos of students playing the songs. This is also helpful when introducing the music to your students because it allows them to see that students just like them can and do play this material successfully. It gives them an “I can do it too” feeling.

3. There are brief 3-step teaching/learning tips throughout each book.

4. Each book includes info to help the student and teacher gain a little background knowledge about the music of that particular part of the world. This is in the form of bios of famous artists and pictures of traditional instruments.

5. Throughout the books, lyrics are translated to help you and the student better understand the song and thus perform the music with greater understanding and meaning.

6. A wide range of emotions is covered in the material. From the smooth groove Mas Que Nada to the “pulling at your heartstrings” Mi’ Tripon you will laugh, cry and dance your way around the globe with Piano Accents.

There are 3 different books which can be purchased separately or in a bundle.

As you use these books you will definitely want to make use of the pianoaccents.com website. There you will find complete tracks for the songs in the Latin America book and a track from the Africa book under the Audio tab. If you click on the purchase tab for the Africa book you will also be able to listen to more tracks. If you are still not sure after listening to the music (and I doubt it!) there are samples of the sheet music available as well on the same page.

An Important Benefit To Consider For Your Studio

More and more people from all various parts of the world are living in communities together. How cool would it be for people of different ethnicities to hear your students playing music from their home? This will help you stand out even more as a teacher in your area and can possibly bring you families that you otherwise would not attract. With Piano Accents, your studio can be a living example of how music brings us together!

You can watch more videos on the Piano Accents YouTube Channel.

Purchasing Is Easy:

Visit PianoAccents.Com and get all 3 books for only $33 or you can purchase each book separately for $13 each. Individual songs are also available with practice track for $3.

Win A FREE Copy of Bollywood:

~~Neeki Bey has generously agreed to give one lucky reader their very own copy of Bollywood ($13 value).~~

~~To enter, watch the video below of one of the pieces in this book and comment on it here (not on the youtube page).~~

~~The deadline to enter is Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014.~~ This contest has ended! Visit pianoaccents.com for great music!

Winner Of Musical Words Game!

October 8, 20141 Comment

Congratulations, Heidi on winning Musical Words!

Thank you to everyone for all the FANTASTIC suggestions for the Musical Words Game. I will definitely be using these in the blank spaces on my copy of the game just in case Kennedy or another student lands on so many blank spaces again the next time we play!

Congratulations goes to Heidi N. of Heidi’s Piano studio.

And The Winners Are…

October 7, 2014Leave a comment

congratulations-hi

Thank you to everyone who entered the contests for the Sight Read Minor and Hanon Plus Apps. You shared some wonderful stories about your encounters with Hanon and about how you use apps in your lessons. I hope you enjoyed thinking back and gained inspiration from each others comments. I sure did! Alas, there can only be one winner for each app so without further waiting the winners are…

Geri Miller – Sight Read Minor

She wrote:

“I haven’t used apps at all in my lessons, but I recently got an iPad and would like to start using them. This sounds like a good one.”

Beth Yantz – Hanon Plus

She wrote:

“I was never introduced to these as a young student. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t because I didn’t need them, as much as the teacher must have known I wouldn’t practice these gems. Sadly I have been trying to get up to speed when I heard about them in college. .. still working on Hanon and Czerny. This app would benefit myself as well as my students!”

Now… If your name is not Geri Miller or Beth Yantz and you are still reading this, I have GREAT NEWS FOR YOU! Somehow with all the giveaways last week I think the post on the SightRead Plus Giveaway got lost and people didn’t see it. So, I am extending that giveaway but only through the end of the day TOMORROW, Wednesday October 8th. Leave a comment below for a chance to win it!

Student Review and Giveaway of Musical Words Game

October 3, 2014October 3, 201411 Comments

Kennedy Habeeb

Welcome Kids and Keys readers to our first student/teacher co-review of a music education product! 10 yr old Kennedy liked playing the Musical Words board game so much that she wanted to tell other teachers all about it so they could use it with their students.

Musical Words was created by Gail Fischler. If you read The Piano Addict blog, you are familiar with this amazing teacher. Her game is great for not only piano students but students of other instruments as well! The game is highly suitable for group lessons, buy Kennedy and I wanted to find out if it would work in a private lesson.

Kennedy’s song of choice was Fur Elise. This was perfect since she has the song memorized already and she was able to put all her thoughts on interpreting the piece rather than trying to read notes (which she does well by the way).

Initially I did not fill in any of the blank spots on the game board. My thought process was, “What are the chances she will even land on one of those spots more than once?” Well, what actually happened was that Kennedy landed on a blank spot on EVERY turn. So, we cheated and had her move to one of the pre-marked spots the first 3 times this happened. Finally I had no choice but to think of some words to put in the blank spots! One of the words I came up with was “popcorn”. Kennedy had a terrific time with that one playing the whole thing in staccato! On a different turn she landed on the word “Mysterious”. This was pretty easy for her to do considering her song choice of Fur Elise. (I mean, who really knows who Elise was?) Another memorable moment in the game was when Kennedy landed on the word “comical”. She began to play Fur Elise with a range of different expressions and then added in some nonsensical chords that just didn’t go with the song at all. The result was indeed comical. She laughed and I laughed at her creative genius.

If you decide to play Musical Words with your students (and why wouldn’t you?), there is no need to be afraid of the blank spots. You can just hop over to The Musical Adjectives Project page for ideas or get some ideas from your students.

Here is what Kennedy said when I asked her about the experience:

“I like the choices, but popcorn was my favorite. Do I think other kids would enjoy playing this game? YES! Some words I would suggest are roughly and smoothly“.

Kennedy also said she thought there were too many blanks. I believe that is my fault and the next time I will definitely fill them in!

As a teacher I like the fact that this game pushes the student to COMMUNICATE musical ideas. This is an excellent tool for performance preparation as well as improvisation practice.

Ready to play? There are 2 ways to purchase Musical Words.

1)You have the option to purchase a set that is already laminated and printed with FREE Shipping in the Continental US from Fistful of Notes for $34 or Music Teachers Store. You get:

Laminated Game board with velcro fasteners (2 pcs)
Directions & Tips (2 sheets)
6 card stock game card sheets
1 master card sheet

Free Shipping within Continental US

2) You can purchase a download to print yourself from Music Teacher Store. Studio and family licenses are $14 or you can purchase a school license for $50. (If you choose this option I suggest you take your file to a copy and print center instead of printing at home due to the amount of ink necessary to print it. It uses LOTS of color.)

Gail has agreed to give one lucky winner a FREE download with a single teacher license ($14 value). To enter leave an adjective that you would use to fill in one of the blank spots on the game board in the comments. The deadline to enter is Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014.

Sight Read Minor Giveaway!

October 2, 2014October 3, 20143 Comments

If you’ve been reading Kids and Keys this week, you already know about the Hanon Plus Giveaway and the Sight Read Plus Giveaway. Well, guess what? We have another one! Today’s giveaway contest is for the Sight Read Minor App. It works in much the same way as the Sight Read Plus app, but for minor keys. So, if you want to get in on this giveaway, leave a comment below telling me how you use apps during your lesson time. For example, I’d like to know if you use apps to begin a lesson, end a lesson, or if you use them for at home assignments or as rewards.

The deadline to enter is Sunday, Oct. 5th, 2014 at midnight.

Alrighty, on your mark, get ready, get set…GO!

SightReadPlus App Review and Giveaway!

October 1, 2014October 1, 2014Leave a comment

This is a review I did of this app last Fall. Read it now and leave a comment to get a chance at winning the app for your studio! Enter by Sunday, Oct.5th, 2014

Kids & Keys

Sight-Reading can be a very intimidating thing for piano students. We take a great deal of time teaching students how to practice to perfect pieces, and although they may not enjoy doing so, at least they get to do it without having an audience present. On the other hand a significant part of being a musician involves playing from scores that you have never seen. Hence, the need to practice sight-reading. The difference with practicing sight-reading is that you cannot stop and correct mistakes. You cannot play the same exercise multiple times because then you are not sight-reading! When using printed sheet music exercises for sight-reading practice students tend to practice in the same way that they practice their lesson pieces. All of this can be very frustrating for both student and teacher. That’s why in my opinion the iPad app SightReadPlus is such a great tool. Read on to…

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Hanon Plus App Review and Giveaway!

September 30, 2014October 1, 201411 Comments

Hanon. Pianists hear the word and immediately visualize pages and pages of exercises that have fingers running up and down the piano keys. As a young student I looked at people who already “knew how to play” and wondered how in the world they got their fingers to move so quickly and so freely. Then one day I was introduced to the Hanon Exercises. From Hanon I learned to control my fingers and to will each one to move on command. Hanon set me free from finger positions and taught me how to look (and sound) like I “knew how to play” as well!

Your students should meet Hanon.

Today’s students are lucky. They can get the benefits of Hanon exercises without having to guess whether or not they are doing them right only to get to their next lesson and discover that their fingering was all off. Today’s students have the Hanon Plus app by mTA.

The first thing that makes the Hanon Plus app so appealing for learning to play the piano is that it works with an acoustic piano or keyboard. While there are many apps that require students to interact with an on-screen keyboard they cannot compare to apps that allow the student to practice on the instrument which they are trying to learn. This single capability makes Hanon Plus worth a try for any serious student.

With the Hanon Plus app students can develop their technical ability and dramatically improve their sense of where notes are on the piano keyboard. This is a major plus for those students who can’t seem to take their eyes off the keyboard while playing (one of my biggest pet peeves).

The app comes with 20 built in exercises from Hanon Book 1 which students can practice in ANY major or minor key! Each one is listed by the fingers that will be strengthened. Hanon Plus1

The exercises are also customizable! You or the student can select 1 of 3 rhythm levels from beginner to advanced when playing the exercises and there is an option for 1 octave or 2 octaves. The tempo is adjustable as well. If you look at the bottom of the screenshot below

you will see these features. HanonPlus Screen

And…wait for it… THERE ARE NO IN-APP PURCHASES. I am especially happy about this fact because I always find it disappointing to purchase an app only to find out that the features I thought I was purchasing are not included in the price. With this app you get it all.

Some of my other favorite features of Hanon Plus are the green tracking bar that moves along as the student plays. I find this to be extremely helpful for students who have difficulty tracking while playing from a score. This app also allows the student to practice playing and reading both treble and bass notes at the same time. Of course this helps improve coordination between the hands. If you like the Fingerpower Series, you will LOVE Hanon Plus.

Besides all the benefits for students, Hanon Plus is helpful for piano teachers because it is self-evaluating. In other words the student can use it independently and get feedback directly from the app. I have used the app at the start of lessons and I have also had students who are early or waiting on a sibling to use it while they wait. (If you choose to use the app with a waiting student while you are teaching another student you will need to have a separate room they can use due to the fact that the app is using your iPad’s mic to hear the student play.) You can also have students purchase the app to work with at home in between lessons. The app only costs $7.99 which is about the cost of a book but with all the added benefits of interactivity.

This app is so helpful that YOU as the teacher m App Store Icon ight want to use it to warm up your own fingers while your students aren’t looking. Go ahead…I won’t tell!

Now that you are sold out on this fabulous app and you know that you have to have it, one super fantastic teacher will win a FREE download of the Hanon Plus App. To enter, leave a comment below about how Hanon Exercises were introduced to you as a piano student.

The deadline to enter the contest is Sunday, October 5th at midnight EST.

The Ultimate Music Theory Worksheet Guide

September 19, 2014September 19, 2014Leave a comment

In the world of apps, apps, and more apps, a lot of teachers have decided to stop using worksheets altogether. If you are one of those teachers or if you are thinking about joining them, WAIT!!! As one of my music mentors always says, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water”! While I love using apps with my students, I find that the act of writing things down often solidifies learning more than interacting with material on a touch screen alone.

Of course, you have to have some VERY GOOD worksheets to even get your students interested. That is where today’s resource tip comes in. Kristin at www.eartraninigandimprov.com has done a LOT of work to make our lives as piano teachers easier! Not only has she compiled the ultimate guide to music theory worksheets, she has also posted a video index of the worksheets on her site with links to the FREE PRINTABLES.

I know you will be able to find some worksheets that will fit exactly into what you are teaching. In preparation, here are 3 ideas on how to give worksheets a fighting chance with your app-addicted students:

1. Worksheet Relay Race for group classes:

Have students work in groups of where students complete a series of worksheets as a group. The catch is that each student must complete a worksheet one at a time and the next student cannot begin until the previous student finishes. The group that completes the most worksheets in the designated time wins!

2. End of Lesson Challenge: Have your student complete a worksheet or series of worksheets during the last minute of lessons. Yes, only 60 seconds. If they are able to complete the whole worksheet or series of worksheets before time is up they get extra time with an app during the next lesson. The more worksheets they complete the more time they get to spend on the app.

3.Beginning of Lesson Challenge: Just like the End of Lesson Challenge except it comes in the FIRST minute of the lesson. The student would then get extra time with app during today’s lesson based on how many worksheets they were able to complete. Note: This version will also give you an idea of concepts that may need to be worked on during the lesson.

So, head on over to http://www.eartrainingandimprov.com/resources/music-theory-worksheets/ and get yourself some FREE WORKSHEETS!

My Piano Teacher Introduced Me To A Legend: Joe Sample 1939-2014

September 15, 2014September 15, 2014Leave a comment

We were introduced when I was a teen. My piano teacher at the time gave me a tape of his music. Yes, it was on a tape because I met Joe Sample before the CD was born. At that time I knew little about any music other than Gospel. My teacher often gave me tapes of various artists to listen to, but I usually didn’t listen to them because, well I was a teen. Before he gave me the Joe Sample tape, he played it for me in my lesson. I was hooked. The only problem was that the CD had not been born and with tapes you had to guess where the song you liked was. This usually meant rewinding and fast forwarding for what seemed an eternity until you gave up and decided to listen from beginning to end – which could be up to 120 minutes depending on the length of your tape. Unfortunately my new friend Joe Sample and I lost touch due to the limitations of the tape.

tape

I never forgot how I felt when I heard that first Joe Sample song. It was a feeling of awe and wonder. I wondered who this person was and how his fingers could make music sound like that. Thankfully the CD came on the scene a few years later. One of my first CDs was of course a Joe Sample CD. By this time my piano teacher had passed away but I was so glad that he got the chance to introduce me to Joe Sample. Now, I never met Joe Sample in person, but music is powerful like that. It allows you to feel like you know the artist on a level that is different, deeper even, than how you could know someone in person.

Yesterday when I learned of Joe Sample’s passing, I was saddened. My “friend” was gone and I needed to grieve. I had long forgotten about that CD that I purchased so many years ago until last night when I was looking through my CD collection in search of music for this year’s Big Dreams concert. Guess what I found? Yep, that Joe Sample CD.

I smiled and said a quick thank you to my piano teacher and Joe Sample.

Now, don’t you want to know more about Joe Sample? Watch this interview with him by Zach Tate.

Cure For Practice Boredom

September 11, 2014September 11, 2014Leave a comment

bored

Are your students bored at the mention of practicing? Or maybe YOU are bored with your practicing? The truth is practice for practice sake is rather boring. BUT just because practice is necessary in order to improve does not mean that students or anyone else who has to practice (which is EVERYBODY who plays music) has to accept being bored. Boredom is simply the result of not having a goal for what you’re practicing. So, the next time you send your students home to practice, send with a goal or 2 or 10! OK, maybe 10 is too much but you get my point.

If you’re looking for ways to “fun up” practice, check out these previous posts:

Don’t Spill The Beans

Mystery Practice Assignments

Silly 6 Pins Can Help You Practice!

Don’t Practice