Happy Birthday, Mr. Mozart!

Today is the celebration of a very important classical composer's birthday- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart! (1756-1791; a short 35 but very productive years as a composer)

*Extra: Students may redeem ONE practice day this week by watching the videos on this blog about Mozart and by answering this trivia question (answer found in the link to the fun facts page at bottom of blog): 

How old was Mozart when he finished writing his first symphony?

Tell me the answer at your lesson, and it will make up for any ONE day you missed of practicing this week! 

Mozart wrote lots of music- not just for piano. Operas, symphonies, concerti, sonatas, and the list goes on and on! 

Here's a super fun video of Mozart's Eine Klein Nachtmusik...with a bit of a twist. You will probably recognize the tune- it's one of his most famous! 

In fact, Mozart was SUCH a genius, that he wasn't always liked by other composers. He was composing by age 5. Yep, 5! Here's a funny clip about Mozart and another composer named Salieri, when Salieri had worked very hard composing something and Mozart made him look ridiculous by memorizing the piece the first time he heard it. If any students want to give this a try, let me know. :)

 

For some fun facts about Mozart, visit this page! 

Happy Birthday, Mozart!

Here's to a techy 2014!

It's been an awesome semester of piano lessons, thanks to many incredible students and their dedicated parents! Thank you, all! 

In an attempt to be more tech-y and make communication easier in the new year since my schedule is a bit hectic between SC/NC, I'm trying a few new things beginning January, 2014:

-Email communication: I've sent messages requesting email addresses from students/parents so I can more easily send newsletters/reminders, and also an invitation to the davispianostudio2@gmail.com Google+ profile, which allows us to share documents/pictures from recitals/etc., privately. 

-Calendars for each month: Will include events, my schedule, changes in schedule, holidays, etc. These will be emailed to you directly, as well as a link posted to this blog and to the Elizabeth's Piano Studio Facebook Page and will available for download from all venues. I write the calendars on a Mac computer, so they may upload a little quirky to GoogleDocs...I'll work on that. :)

-The Keyboard Discoveries Blog: Will have occasional fun 'assignments' for the students (which will be notated in their assignment books), and other things for students/ways they can make up for lost practice time during the week! Be sure to follow the blog so you will be notified of the most recent post. 

-Be sure to check the Studio Facebook page: Elizabeth's Piano Studio for updates, pictures, etc.!

I'm also working on getting a professional/official website up and going, so I'll let you know about progress on that. 

Here's to another terrific semester and great start to the 2014 year!

Choosing the first piano book...AHH!

When it comes to selecting a method book for young beginners, there are so many options available, it can be overwhelming. For all you parents out there who want to make sure your little musician has the best book possible, and for teachers who want the best bang-for-the-lesson, here are a few things to consider when selecting that first book.

*what's the age of the child? any previous musical experience? this will impact what kind of beginner method book you should select. (primer vs. level A, etc.)
*the first book should be really fun- including lots of songs that have words or familiar tunes so children can sing along while they play. This helps build musicianship. and it's fun.
*sequence of information- does the way it's explained make sense, and do the concepts build on one another, making it a well-rounded approach?

I could go on for a while, but these are among the most important to consider. Now that I've been objective, here's my very first pick for the young beginner (ages 3-6) and why.

Faber and Faber My First Piano Adventure Book A. 

Not only is it affordable ($9.95 at www.sheetmusicplus.com), it also includes a play/sing-along CD that corresponds with each lesson/song. Kids (and parents) love it! and so do I. Along with the playing book, there is also a writing book available with activities. 

I've found that this book is:

*easy to use- for non-musical/musical parents

*lots of pre-reading- the entire book!

*it's absolutely perfect for the really young kiddos, age 3-6, who aren't reading quite yet

*it has a great balance of familiar songs with new stuff they'll love

*great visuals with lots of fun colors

*easy transition into either My First Piano Adventure book B, or the Piano Adventures primer book A

*I love that there are holiday books available that correspond- Christmas, etc.

*it's super easy to integrate other pre-reading material with this book because of the sequence in which the information is presented- it just makes sense

So there you have it- my recommendation for the first piano book: Faber and Faber, My First Piano Adventure. There are, of course, other excellent resources available. For me personally, I find that this book fits my expectations and desires as a teacher, and also is user-friendly for parents and young tykes alike. Check out this book and others by Faber on www.sheetmusicplus.com! 

Dancing birds practice like crazy

For all three of you who are reading this, welcome to my new piano teaching blog! Thanks for checking it out! While the blog is still in its early stages, I hope to eventually feature lots of music recommendations, downloads, cool teaching tips, composer activities, practicing ideas, and nifty music clips- so, stay tuned for more! (no pun intended.)

I know what you're thinking- ANOTHER piano blog? really? I mean, why? 

Well, here are a few of my thoughts on the subject. 

Teaching is important to me. And, since I am a piano teacher, it's only natural that I should devote a majority of my time to acquiring and learning how to best teach children stuff. You know, the necessities of music; such as note reading, improvisation, blues, jazz, classical, ensemble playing, ear training, all the good stuff. And ultimately, our goals as teacher (and parents of little musicians) should be to help our students and children create their own music, and transfer what we've taught them to new areas. It's all about helping children reach their full potential and achieve in every area they pursue. That's how I feel about teaching piano. More on this later. 

So, to start off the blog for all you eager readers, I'm sharing my favorite music video of the week for your entertainment! Yep- it's a dancing bird. Ta-da! Really- it's way cool. This bird can improvise, and comes up with new dance moves and acclimates to tempo changes in tunes. Cool, huh? :) Can't wait to show this to some of my students- they will love it. And hey- this bird practices. Kinda motivating, right?