Notes In The Fastlane Competition

We began the notes in the fast lane competition a few weeks ago.  This year we have 2 groups competing. 

The first group is:

Sara
Joanna
Hope
Kaylin
Madelyn
Ethan
Andrew
Olivia

The second group is:

Alyssa
Riley
Natalie
John William
Addison

The notes competition helps students read notes on the staff quickly and correctly.  The student in each group with the fastest time with win a prize.  Winners will be announced at the Christmas concert in December.


Here are our fastest students from week 1 and week 2...

Week 1:
Group 1 - Kaylin with 55 seconds
Group 2 - Addison with 60 seconds

Week 2:
Group 1 - Olivia with 72 seconds
Group 2 - John William with 84 seconds

Music is more than black and white

I am always telling my students we need to play more than the black and white music that we see written in front of us.  Music is colorful and full of life!

Last Wednesday marked the 77th anniversary of the first recording for "Somewhere Over The Rainbow."  This song is one that everyone is familiar with and seems to be a classic song that never gets old.  PBS did a great interview on why this song is still so magical to so many people 77 years later.  I will attach the interview at the bottom of this post.

Yip Harburg wrote the lyrics to "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," and has a wonderful quote about music:

Words make you think.

Music makes you feel.

A song makes you feel a thought.

As musicians, our goal is to bring music to life, to make it colorful.  Take some time this week to listen to some music that makes you feel something and encourage your musicians to do the same.


Here is the interview...

https://youtu.be/RbKEB1v8McA

DATE CHANGE!!!!!

There are several conflicts with the current Christmas recital date.  So we will reschedule our Christmas recital for Friday, December 18 @ 6:00pm.  Please mark your calendars!

We will begin selecting our Christmas songs in the next week or two.  Please encourage your students to be thinking of a couple songs they would like to learn. 

Thanks!

Practice Time

Many studies show the best way to learn something is through repetition.  Repetition is important for our minds to remember something.  

Do any of you remember learning your multiplication tables in school?  Reciting them over and over?  I do!  I had a bright yellow card with all of the facts printed on it and we would work on it at school and at home until we could recite them all from memory.   Learning these took time and a lot of REPETITION.

Music is exactly the same way.  In order to truly master any instrument, we need a lot of repetition.  This repetition comes in the form of practice. Practicing at home between our weekly lessons is crucial to truly be successful with learning how to read music and play the piano. 

Practice time doesn't have to be a long and painful process.  Below are a few tips to help with making practice a little more maneagable for everyone.

1.  Practice a little bit everyday

2.  Set a certain time each day or several times each week that is scheduled time at the piano.

3.  Split your practice time into smaller chunks.

4.  Play sections of your song multiple times then play the entire song through. 

5.  Write it down - keep a log of your practice times to see how much you practice each week.

6.  If you have questions, please ask me! 

It makes a big difference when students have practiced all week and come prepared for the next lesson.   Please encourage your musician to find the needed time each week to work on their music.

Game Time!

Games are a great way for us to learn how to play the piano.  This game helps students learn the names of the keys on the piano.

This game helps has several methods to help with learning the keyboard and with reading music.  This picture shows Miss Addison working on her bass clef notes. This girl is unstoppable!! She has beaten Mrs. Jenn 3 straight weeks!

Congratulations!!!

Congratulations to Ethan.  He started this year off by moving up to a new book!  Awesome job!!

Great First Week!

We had a great first week of lessons!  It was great to see everyone again and welcome a few new faces too.  Most lessons last week were review from where we left off in the spring.   This week we will, hopefully, focus more on new content.  I made practice agreements with several students last week.   These agreements are taped inside your child's lesson book or notebook as a reminder of the agreement. Please ask your child if they got one, and review the agreement with them.  Practice is VERY important when learning to play an instrument.  I'm looking forward to another great week!