Free Kindle Ebook on Piano Practice Tips

I found this free ebook on Amazon with some great ideas to motivate kids to practice the piano:

http://www.amazon.com/101-Piano-Practice-Tips-Keyboard-ebook/dp/B00H7LDXJK/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1437528007&sr=1-4&keywords=piano+practice

Concert Etiquette

“A painter paints his pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. We provide the music, and you provide the silence.” 

~ Leopold Stokowski, reprimanding a talkative audience

With a recital coming up in a week, here's a gentle little reminder of how we should act during a performance:

1. Don't talk during a performance.

2. Don't get up and leave while someone is performing.

3. Don't enter the room while someone is performing.

4. Keep small children with you during the performance.

5. Avoid doing anything distracting during the performing--moving around, fiddling around with something in your purse, checking your phone/texting, coughing, etc.

6. Turn off your cell phone.

7. Don't cheer or yell out after someone performs--this is appropriate for sporting events but not for performances.

8. Smile and offer non-verbal encouragement to performers.

A Fun Way to Explore Music

Kids love to make noise...er, music. A fun summer activity is to make your own musical instruments and experiment with rhythm and music.

There are YouTube videos and websites out there on how to make instruments. Here's a pdf file that gives directions, based on actual types of instruments (woodwind, string, brass, etc.): https://www.atlantasymphony.org/aso/asoassets/downloadcenter/Symphony%20Street%20Activity%20Sheets.pdf

Practice Every Day

I can't emphasize enough the importance of daily practice. It is so much better to practice a half hour a day than to practice three hours once a week.

Along this same line, it is important to not stop playing the piano for a while, during the summer, over Christmas break, etc. I have found that when students take time off, it always takes several weeks to get back to where we were before.

Musical Expresses What Words Can't

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.” 
--Victor Hugo

I remember, as a young teenager, the thrill of composing my first song. I had such difficulty expressing myself in words at that awkward age and I remember marveling that was finally able to express what was in my heart.

Victor Hugo was right.

Music Around the World

Music is enjoyed by people on every continent. Here's a great website that introduces children to music from other lands:

http://www.dariamusic.com

Learn about music and songs from other cultures. Discover how to make our own instruments. A fun website to explore.

Learning to Play Musical Instruments

Last week I subbed in a sixth-grade class that attended a school assembly given by a local junior high band and orchestra. The students loved it. At one point the band leader asked for a raise of hands of those in the band who hadn't had prior experience with a band instrument prior to junior high. Most raised their hands.

It brought me back to my junior high band years. Playing in the band was one of the few high points of my junior high career. So many wonderful, memorable experiences! I played the clarinet and later the bassoon and oboe. I had opportunities to play in small ensembles as well as symphony orchestras and everything in between.

I highly recommend that youngsters consider taking up an instrument--any kind of instrument. It can enhance their creativity. And it's a lot of fun!