Category: practicing

Recording Season Is Here!

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Every year my students look forward to the BIG CD RECORDING PROJECT. Every week from August to January they ask, “When are we going to do our CDs?” Well the time is finally here. Last year they designed their own CD Covers as well. I have found that this project is the single biggest practice motivator for my students. They want their CDs to sound great so they take extra care to practice well. And… the number one rule in the recording studio is that we do at least 4 takes of each track and then listen to each to choose the best. This helps them develop and refine their listening skills and ability to discern good quality playing.

Throughout the process you can see each child becoming more of a musician in thought and action. This is especially evident in the way they answer the questions in the interviews I do with them as part of the project.

To celebrate all our hard work we have a big CD Release Party once the CDs are complete.

I can’t wait to hear the titles that they give their CD Projects this year. Last year we had titles like ” Wonderful Songs”, “Piano Praise”, “Piano Playing Princess”, and “Music Splash Down”. Kids are so CREATIVE!!!

Do you do CD Projects with your students? I’d love to hear how you do it!

How To Eat A Piano Piece

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This is not how you eat a sandwich!

Piano students sometimes take on too much when learning a new piece. They attempt to learn a whole section at a time or even worse the whole song! When this happens in my studio I whip out this picture that my daughter so graciously agreed to take as a visual to remind students that we eat a sandwich one bite at a time. Then we chew. Then we swallow.

Translated for piano – we learn one bite at a time – maybe a measure or right hand only or whatever. Then we chew. Play what we learned several times before moving on to the next bite. By now the picture is enough to remind my students to take it SLOWLY!

Stay Calm!

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Recitals, performances, and anxiety – Oh My! Yes, it’s that time of year when limited time and looming performances can send piano students (and teachers) over the edge. So, I thought I’d share with you my new find that can lighten up the situation and make it more fun! Recently I got a new addition to go with the EASY button that sits on my teaching piano. It’s called the Panic Button. It features the familiar Hoops and YoYo characters from Hallmark and in true Hoops and YoYo style is HILARIOUS.
Whenever I see a kid approaching that point – you know the one where their eyes freeze up and frustration takes over – I say, “Quick Hit The Panic Button!” We both end up rolling with laughter as soon as they hit that button. I think this item is only available in stores but it is so worth a trip to the store!

The Crocodile In The Studio

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"Crocodile"

“Crocky Loves Music”

Besides the piano, this is probably the most used thing in my studio. Years ago when my children were preschool age someone gave them this toy crocodile game. To play, you push down his teeth one at a time. Apparently one of his teeth is bad and it hurts him when you push that tooth. So, he slams his mouth shut. The cool thing is that the bad tooth changes every time you play! All the kids in my studio love the shock of finding the bad tooth!
So, how does Crocky help us play piano? Well whenever we run into a tricky passage or something that needs to be played several times, we ask Crocky for help. The student plays the part we are working on and gets to push a tooth each time they play it. Once Crocky closes his mouth we know we’re finished working on that part for now.
The anticipated shock of Crocky closing his mouth and of guessing which one is the bad tooth keep the kids wanting to play their tricky piano parts over and over again! Sometimes they even ask “Where is Crocky” as soon as they enter the studio!
As I said, I’ve had Crocky for a long time, but you can probably find one at a toy store or maybe even online.
Do you have any especially fun props or characters that you use with your students to get them to do repetitions? I’d love to hear about them!