Disneyland Adventure Practice Incentive

         It is said that Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth. This past weekend I got to see for myself if that statement is true. I would have to say it is definitely a very happy place!
         In honor of Disneyland's 60th anniversary and my first trip there, I have decided to have a Disney-themed semester in Blue Skies Music Studio. The students are learning Disney songs for our December recital. Along with that, we have a Disney practice incentive going on.
         I have created a chart with Mickey markers with each student's name on it. As they practice, the markers will be moved up and the student will be awarded a Diamond. In order to move up one level the student must practice. It doesn't matter how much they practice (minimum 10 minutes). If they have practiced at least 10 minutes, they will be allowed to move up one level.
         Each week, the student who practices the most out of all the students will move up two levels and be awarded a large diamond. (We already have some stiff competition with two students practicing well over 100 minutes each in one week!)
         I have also provided some Extra-Credit activities, since I know that some weeks it is difficult to get the practice time in. Any student who completes activities that qualify on the Extra-Credit for Practice Challenge sheet will be moved up accordingly. If you or your student have other ideas for activities and want to see if they could be used for extra credit, ask me about it. I can be somewhat flexible on this. If I allow a student to do an activity that is not on the Extra-Credit sheet, I will post the idea here or email it to everyone so any other students who want to do the same thing will have the option.
         Every weekend, on Friday or Saturday, I will post a picture here on my blog of the chart so the students can see who the winner for the week is. I will also post the winning student's practice time. It will help the students see what they need to do to stay in the race. As you will see from the pictures below, all the students are starting at the beginning. Good luck to you all!
         On your marks! Get set! Go!!!

Major Scales & Triads and Inversions

     Over the past few weeks, we have been learning about the building blocks of music: Scales and Triads. Scales are the foundation upon which all music is built. Understanding scales and being able to play them quickly and skillfully helps in being able to sightread and tackle a new piece with greater ease.
     Ask your student what is the significance of the sentence "We Were Happy When We Were Here." They should be able to explain how that sentence relates to the building of a Major Scale. They should have the ability to make a Major Scale starting on any key of the piano.
     They also learned about the Primary Chords (I, IV, and V) and how they fit into songs built on a Major Scale. We will continue to explore this concept and introduce the students to harmonization, different accompaniment styles, and arrangements.
     Over the next few weeks, we will continue to explore scales and learn to identify key signatures.
     Triads are three-note chords that accompany and harmonize with the main melody of a piece. The students learned to invert the triads, creating the 1st and 2nd inversions of several different triads. They learned the concept of "Root", both the root identification and root position.
    Learning the Scales and Primary Chords is the beginning of understanding the construction of music. I hope to give the students opportunities over the next few months to try their hand at composing their own pieces, and possibly finding their own musical voice.
   

Practice Piano Like You Play Video Games

Learning a new skill, whether it is dribbling the soccer ball, hitting or throwing a baseball, or playing the piano, takes dedication and practice. That means repeating the same thing over and over again. Sometimes so much repetition can be tedious and boring. With video games, kids are accustomed to a certain amount of repetition in order to complete the required tasks to beat the level and move up to the next level. Their sense of accomplishment seems to be a great motivation, (not to mention all the stuff that burns up and explodes without getting them into trouble!).

At group lesson this month we talked about the similarities between practicing and video games. We explored different ways to practice to make practicing difficult phrases and passages a little more interesting. Each idea covers specific challenges. These are taken from a great practice companion called The Piano Student's Guide to Effective Practicing by Nancy O'Neill Breth.

Some of the ideas we discovered were:

Countdown: Draw a vertical line separating two parts that are hard to connect smoothly. Play up to the line, relax your hands, and float into the second part while counting up to 5. Finish the phrase. Repeat, but this time count to 4. Repeat until you get to 1. Then play three times without stopping. This is great for accuracy, balance, continuity, coordination, speed.

Baby Steps: Play a passage once from each white key (C, D, E, etc, up to the next C). Use the same fingering each time. This only works on passages that are only white keys. Variation: If there are black keys included in the passage, move up and down by octaves. Baby steps helps articulation, evenness, fingering, and speed.

Making Sense: Play the melody of one phrase in three different ways, using dynamics to vary the shape each time. Add the accompaniment and listen again. Choose the one that makes the most sense to you, and write in those dynamics. Use pencil, in case you change your mind later. Helps balance and expression.

Zeroing In: Play a scale or arpeggio passage at half speed, slowly. Play very expressively, with deep tone quality and dramatic dynamics. Then play the passage up to speed, listening for the same qualities you achieved in half speed. This is good for expression.

Stop & Go: Whenever you miss a note or rhythm, stop and play it correctly four times. Excellent for accuracy, continuity, and memory.

The Guide has 58 practice ideas altogether. It lists them in alphabetical order and also lists them according to the skills they promote. These tips are used by even the most advanced pianists when learning a new piece. They never go out of style. They will help the student become more independent in their progression.

And, Students, don't forget to do your theory assignments and come to Group Lessons to learn the Cheat Codes!!!

P.S. I am including a link to a YouTube video of LangLang and his interpretation of video games: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b85hn8rJvgw

Put Your Back Into It!

Last weekend I had the very fun opportunity to travel to Scottsdale, Arizona and attend the concert of Anderson & Roe, a piano duo that consists of Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe. They are powerful pianists that played moving lyrical pieces to loud boisterous rock songs. Greg's arrangements were mesmerizing and showed off the strengths of these two pianists.

They alternated between playing on two pianos and playing on the same piano. Many of the pieces they played on the same piano required a choreography of sorts to keep them from pushing each other off the bench. One in particular, Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, was actually written for two pianos. Anderson & Roe opt to play it on one piano because it was written on the eve of World War I and because of the complexities of the music, when played on the same piano shows the struggle for control of the piano keyboard, just as the world struggled in battle.
I had the opportunity to visit with them a few minutes and found them to be down-to-earth friendly people, enjoying the opportunity to share their love of music. I mentioned to Liz that she must have pretty strong fingers to play with such force and Greg said that she uses her back very effectively.

At group lesson on Wednesday I showed the kids a video of Anderson & Roe and we talked about their form, posture, and how they handled the loud and fast sections. Liz indeed puts her back into it and we talked about how the kids could do the same as they play with different dynamics. I also suggested that they experiment with playing their scales very fast just like the duo plays their runs. (We'll see if the kids really try it!)

There is really nothing like a live concert to help one appreciate the Arts. We have some wonderful venues close by to take advantage of. I participated just this weekend in A Little Night Music sponsored by the Payson Lion's club and held at the Payson Civic Center. A fundraiser to benefit Huish Theater will be held February 4 at 7 p.m. at Payson High School. Tickets are only $5! My piano tuner, Brigham Larson, also sponsors concerts. Check out his website for information.

One of our best resources is BYU. I am including a link for information about some family friendly concerts and shows. Be sure to check these out and make an effort to attend one live performance every year. In this age of YouTube and digital everything, a live production feels like a rare treat.

The Piano Tuner

Saturday was one of my favorite days of the year...the day the piano tuner comes! Brigham Larson has been taking care of my piano for many years now. I remember when he worked out of a little house in Provo, then to Mapleton, and now he has a workshop, piano showroom, and concert hall in Pleasant Grove. I trust Brigham's work and his advice. He knows pianos inside and out, and plays wonderfully, as well!

The students will attest to the fact that the high F# was a gimp. It thunked and did not behave properly. We were all frustrated with it! Brigham discovered that the key was split, (likely from old age...the piano is close to 120 years old) and fixed it right up. He glued the wood and then reinforced the sides with thin wood. It works wonderfully now.

Alex had the opportunity to come up and watch Brigham work. He got to see first hand the tools Brigham uses, both old style and new age. It was interesting to see the tuning wrench and the muting tool that allowed Brigham to focus on one string at a time.

When he was done, Brigham treated us to a short but sweet jazz concert, ending our Saturday morning visit with him on a great note!!! (Pun intended :D )

Here is Brigham's link

Our Christmas Recital

We had a wonderful recital on December 14th. It was a privilege to play at the Continuing Care wing of the Mountain View Hospital in Payson. Although the patients listened from their rooms, visiting with them afterward, singing carols with them, and giving them handmade Christmas ornaments was a reminder of the Spirit of Christmas.

All the students performed well. They have grown and progressed and it is fun to see them develop musically. I enjoy working with each one of your children. They each have a unique approach to the piano and developing their musical talents.

Please have a delightful Christmas and joyful New Years' holiday and I will see you all in January.

10 Performances

The November group lesson consisted of the students playing their recital pieces for each other. We played a game where they would roll a letter die that also had stars on it. When it would land on a letter, they would have to think of a music word that started with that letter. For example, the letter F might be Forte. The letter C might be crescendo. If the die landed on the star, the student played his/her recital piece for the group. This really helped the kids see how close they were to prepared for playing on the recital.

They were then given the opportunity to make a Performance record and instructed that by December 14th, the recital date, they need to play their recital piece--memorized--for 10 different people on 10 different pianos, for 10 total performances. In other words, they can't play for a room full of 10 people and count it as 10. They can, however, play it for each of those 10 people, but at different times and on different pianos. If they have to play on the same piano a couple of times, that's okay. The most important part of this is playing their piece 10 different times for 10 different people.

It really is easier than it sounds. When they visit their friend down the street to hang out, if their friend has a piano, they can say, "Hey! Let me play a song for you!" and then they can play it. That would count.

Speaking of the Recital... It will be held December 14 at 4:30 p.m. The kids need to arrive at 4. It will be held at Payson Mountain View Hospital. We will be playing for the Extended Care patients. I will be emailing more information next week. If any of your families want to perform other numbers for the patients, that would be welcome. Please just let me know. Also, Please bring a treat to share.

I am looking forward to this fun Christmas Recital/Service Project/Party, and I know the students are, too.