Make the Metronome your friend, not your enemy. ~ Vinnie Colaiuta

      Mention the word "metronome" in mixed company and you will get mixed response. The mix in our group includes ex-music students, current music students, parents of music students, and ongoing musicians who are not taking lessons now but are continuing their endeavors to improve their playing.  Each has a different relationship with the metronome, some positive and some not so positive.
      For many parents, the first thought is "Ugh! That thing drives me crazy with its incessant tick-tick-ticking!" Some students and ex-students may feel their heart racing to keep up with the tempo the metronome marks out for them, creating sweaty palms and shortness of breath.
      Others of us, however, smile at the thought of using the metronome in our practice sessions. Warm-ups, scales, and finger exercises can become a relaxing, almost zen experience with the rhythmic repetition. Learning a particularly challenging passage in a new piece will be less intimidating with methodical use of the metronome, giving us control and confidence.
      Introducing students to the metronome early in their musical experience prepares them to use it as a tool in the future when their repertoire becomes more difficult. Understanding the difference between "beat" and "rhythm" and how it applies to the music they are learning will help them give structure to the pieces they play.
      There are different types of metronomes and different places to find them. Of course, there is your local music store. (Visit Boothe Brothers in Spanish Fork. They have several styles in a variety of price ranges and you can see how they work and how they sound before buying.) You can order online. (Amazon.com has a bunch, as well as Wittner and eBay.) And you can find apps and online free metronomes. (JoyTunes app, simple.bestmetronome.com)
       As the renowned drummer, Vinnie Colaiuta, says "Make the metronome your friend, not your enemy."  (To see Vinnie's amazing drumming click here.)

This week's practice results:   Olivia practiced the most this week! Ava, Wesley, Krista, and Isaac all got extra credit this week, as well! You are all doing great! The practicing is showing in how well you are prepared for your lessons.

     

A Quick Update

     No blog entry this week. (I know. Everyone is heartbroken.)  But, here is the update for the practice contest:

     This week's top practicer was Daniel! He actually tied with someone else, so I had to make an executive decision. Daniel's performance at lesson was more polished than that of the person he tied with. (This is where focused practiced vs. just playing through your pieces comes in handy.)

     You will notice, however, that Wesley's marker is ahead. That is because he practiced AND he did extra credit which moved him up two, for the second week in a row! Extra credit can be used to advance one level 6 times. Use it to your advantage!

      Keep up the good work, Everyone!

Practice Does Not Necessarily Make Perfect!

          I had a neighbor a few years ago that changed the old cliche from "Practice makes perfect" to "Perfect practice makes perfect." In a sense, that is true, however, I don't believe most pianists can play every piece perfectly the first time they play it through. So, I am going to share with you some things to expect when your child practices, and some ways to encourage them.
        Your student will come home from lesson time with an assignment sheet all filled out (hopefully). Generally, to begin the lesson, we do Rhythm, Scales, then Technique, and Learn Notes. These teach and review many of the things the student will need to be able to do the rest of the lesson which is the Lesson book and Recital piece. Then they finish up with Theory.
        Did you notice that we do more to prepare for the Lesson and performance pieces than actually on the pieces themselves? That means at least a third to half of the student's practice time should be spent on those activities.
        Rhythm Menagerie is just one line per day, tapped or clapped no less than three times through. The student can have fun with this by using different surfaces or body parts to make the rhythm. For ideas, go here.
        Students using Scale Sheets will usually have three scales to work on every week. It takes three weeks for them to pass off each scale. They have scale maps which show them where to place their hands. Next week, I will post a tutorial video on how the scale sheets are played.
         Some students are in scale books, which have a little different format. They can be doing anywhere from one to three scales at a time.
        Technique builds finger strength and dexterity. It also teaches execution of articulations in music, such as legato, staccato, proper wrist and arm movement, and more. Building these skills is what gives a pianist's playing expression, meaning, and soul.
        Learn Notes is strictly for teaching note reading. It helps the students memorize the placement of the notes on the staff and on the piano, and the note names. The notes are broken down into easy-to-tackle groups so the task of learning notes doesn't feel so daunting and gives the students easily attainable goals.
       The Lesson book and Recital piece come next. It is sometimes thought that practicing just entails playing a piece through from start to finish a certain number of times. That is not the case. Many times, I will assign sections at the end or in the middle of the piece before the student is given the beginning. Sometimes I will give little warm-up exercises to do before starting the piece at all to get a certain pattern into their hands and minds.
        Look for notes in their Assignment sheet or on the music itself for how the student is to practice the piece. If you hear consistent mistakes, have them stop and go over that little section several times. That may be all they do during the time they practice their piece. It could be just going from one note or chord to the next note or chord several times.
       Consistency in practicing is the most important thing. Practicing at least 5 days a week will encourage progress and success. Most chldren won't accomplish this without parents reminding them, at least at first. Make piano practice a part of your daily routine, just like brushing your teeth.

(For more ideas, see this blog post by A.E. Krupp
   
       This week's practice results:  Kaelys practiced the most this week! As you can see from the photo, this could be anyone's contest. Ava, Wesley, and Olivia did extra-credit activities that moved them up an extra level. Very exciting!

     

Disney Practice Incentive

          We are one week into our practice incentive adventure. All of the students have worked hard and shown great enthusiasm. I realize that every week is different and there might be some weeks when your family won't have as much time to devote to piano practice. I have created some extra-credit activities to help the kids earn extra levels without having to rely solely on their practice time.
          The activities are as follows:
                       1. Do 5 theory pages
                       2.  Sight read 5 pages of music.
                       3.  Compose an 8-measure piece.
                       4.  Perform 3 different times. Can be for parents, over Skype, friends, etc
                       5.  Pass off a scale sheet or 6 scales. *
                       6.  Pass off "Learn Notes" sheet.  *
                       7.  Learn and perform a duet with someone. * (It counts if you perform
                             for me.)
                       8.  Attend a concert. * (Not Rock!!) Or watch 2 full-length concerts online.
         
           To move up a level on the practice chart, the student must complete 3 of the first 4 activities, or just 1 of the last 4 starred activities.  They can do any activity more than once. They can combine activities to reach 3, or do 3 of the same one to get extra credit. They can earn up to 6 levels this way.
           I will have music and extra theory pages and composition activities in my theory lab the kids can use while here to complete some of the extra credit. If your child wants to do some sight reading at home but doesn't have books available, you can borrow some from me. Just give me a call and I will see that they get a book at their next lesson.
            Here is a list of websites you can look up to find concerts. A musical play would be great, too. The concerts don't have to be classical. You can go to Jazz or New Age, as well. (Anything except Rock. Sorry. No Taylor Swift...) Don't forget to check for concerts at our local high schools!

• BYU        http://arts.byu.edu/
• UVU        https://www.uvu.edu/music/events/musicevents.php
• Covey Center        http://www.provo.org/community/covey-center-for-the-arts/community-production
• Utah Valley Events Calendar        http://www.utahvalley.com/events/
• Salt Lake Temple Square          https://www.lds.org/church/events/temple-square-events/temple-square-performances?lang=eng   
• Mormon Tabernacle Choir        https://www.mormontabernaclechoir.org/events.html

             I have posted some practice tips in the sidebar of this blog. I tell the kids, "There are 1,140 minutes in every day. I'm sure you could spare some of those minutes for practicing the piano." Just include it as part of homework time. 

           Congratulations to Samantha. She is our top practicer this week. (Just remember, we could have more than one student move up two notches in a week if you finish some extra credit!)

 Good luck to you all!  

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