Piano Escapades

Be My Valentine

2012-02-03T10:20:00.000-08:00

Valentine's round the corner and I'm excited to share a little game and printable with you. This is a fun game for group lessons and students get to work on counting the number of beats for the different rhythms presented. The objective of the game is to give away all cards.

To play:

Distribute cards equally to each student with cards faced down
Students draw the first card from their pile and count the number of beats
The player with most beats will "own" all the drawn cards.
Students then chant "Be My Valentine" to the player who "adds" to their pile
Game continues until a student wins by "giving away" all his/her cards

I've included a few pages of rhythms and also a blank page to use for writing/printing your own rhythms or even other concepts for a quick Valentine themed game.

Print the cards double sided, cut and they are ready for use. Enjoy!

Upside Down Snowman iPad Background and Printable

2012-01-10T14:03:00.000-08:00

Following the last presentation on the Upside Down Snowman for triads and inversions, I am pleased to share an iPad background to practice writing triads and inversions on the staff with the matching snowman graphic.

I have also included it as a printable, hope you enjoy this resource. If you are using it in your studio, I would love to hear how it is working out for you and students so please share your comments :)

Triads And Inversions With Upside Down Snowman

2012-01-09T14:57:00.000-08:00

This post is inspired by one reader who asked how I am using one of the teaching materials I created with the Upside Down Snowman. Mr. Snowman has become one of the favourite characters in my classes and I have been thinking what fun it would be to bring it to live!

In response to the email, I thought about a video demo but that quickly turned into an idea of a little animation that I hope will benefit students as well.

The upside down snowman illustrates the concept of changing around the notes of the triad to form inversions. I have used felt circles in different colours to demonstrate how Mr. Snowman flips to 1st and 2nd inversions which has worked well and now I am excited to include a little animation to go along after I tell the story of the upside down snowman.

I hope that these presentations will engage students and the upside down snowman will lead them in the discovery of the triads & inversions for the other keys.

The Wonders of UJAM

2011-12-30T12:35:00.000-08:00

As I was thinking about composing in January, I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon an amazing song creation website called UJAM (http://www.ujam.com), currently in its beta phase. I was mesmerized by this concept and technology that enables anyone to make music with a simple interface. All one needs to get started is a melody line or musical idea which can be recorded using a microphone. Users can sing the melody or upload a file of a song played on an instrument.

Then the fun begins when users have the ability to select styles and listen to the music come alive with a professional backtrack. Even the simplest melodies could sound great with a few clicks with UJAM!

A few thoughts came to my mind as I explore this tool and its potential to inspire students to compose and learn the different genres and chord progressions that give the music its distinct character and mood.

I'm excited that the little ones can now experience how they can make their little tune transform with this tool.
Students can explore the different harmonies and chord progressions of selected styles. The chord names that accompany the playback are very helpful!
File sharing. Once a song is completed, users may save the file in mp3 format and even share it with friends and family on Facebook.

Amidst the wonderful benefits of UJAM, I did wonder if the presence of such technology could actually be detrimental for music students when students can easily become complacent and ultimately forego learning music theory at a deeper level. I certainly hope that this tool will open doors for students to unveil their creativity and above all realize the composer within themselves with ideas emerging from a UJAM creation.

Here's a little song that was created on UJAM to demonstrate its capabilities. I'm naming it "A Song From the Mayan Village". The journey through the Mayan village in Mexico elicited a melancholic feeling that inspired this melody.
Overall, I was quite impressed that the a song can be created in just minutes with a couple of clicks.

This song was first recorded on Garageband, then saved in mp3 format and uploaded to UJAM. On UJAM, I simply selected the style, the "mood" through the "edit chord" mode and finally I changed the instrument from piano to clarinet.

I think this will be a very interesting fun and educational tool for the piano studio. Would love to hear ideas surrounding this technology, please feel free to offer thoughts and comments if you have any to share.

2011 Christmas Recitals

2011-12-22T08:13:00.000-08:00

This December has been filled with wonderful moments to cherish with my family and students. Our family just returned from a wonderful trip to Mexico and it's holiday and time off that I really appreciated with my loved ones. We came back with lots of fun memories and photos we captured to remember this special trip.

Upon my return, I have been busy preparing for mini Christmas recitals in my studio. It was a full week of recitals and the students all performed with such poise and pride as we collectively celebrated each other's achievements and the spirit of sharing this season. Every year, the Christmas recitals are held in my studio and I have mini recitals that accommodate smaller groups of students instead of renting a large hall and piano for this event. This gives a more intimate setting and makes it less intimidating particularly for the little ones as it is the first performing experience for many of them. I have also had the pleasure of including a few parents in the program with solos, duets and the lovely singing of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" rendered with guitar accompaniment.

We played a few games after the recital. What FUN! Charades and Pictionary seemed to be the favourites and I'm so amazed at everyone's skills at this game. It is so funny how players could make out the name of a Christmas song by drawing just a few lines! I love adapting these wonderful games to our classes especially seeing how the audience warmed up and participated with great sportsmanship!

This season reminds me of everything I have been blessed with and I just am so thankful to reflect on these gifts and the wonderful families and students who have enriched my experience and life as a piano teacher. It's been a wonderful 2011 and here's wishing everyone a beautiful and blessed Christmas and a fantastic 2012.

Here's a slideshow I'd like to share that highlights the photos captured from the recital. Enjoy!

Treble Clef Ornaments

2011-11-27T10:29:00.000-08:00

I love this time of the year especially the days leading up to Christmas. The snow (although it's only been a day of light flurries so far in Surrey), the Christmas tunes always bring around a warm fuzzy feeling.

Around the studio, the students are making Treble Clef ornaments from shiny pipe cleaners and colourful beads, a craft activity that is inexpensive and nicely doubles up as a practice incentive. Students have been collecting a bead for each day of practice from 2 weeks ago.

This is the second year we're making the treble ornaments and I love how beautiful they look on the Christmas trees. I thought it would be fun this year to trade treble clef ornaments with other students from the studio. This week, we'll be making the treble clef ornaments in class and students will be dropping the ornaments in a basket. They will each collect an ornament at the Christmas recital to take home for their tree.

I'm excited to experiment with other musical symbols from the shiny pipe cleaners and beads, will share a photo if I am successful :)

Holly Jolly Rhythms- Background for iPad

2011-11-25T12:59:00.000-08:00

With Christmas and the holiday season approaching, I've had fun creating another background for the whiteboard app on the iPad. Just curious, is anyone using an Android tablet and is there a similar whiteboard app available? Quite sure there are more with Android.

I'm excited that students can get creative with rhythms to get ready for composing in January. Hope you have fun with the backgrounds (available for 2/4, 3/4,/ 4/4 and 6/8 time signatures)

And the winner is......

2011-11-09T10:07:00.000-08:00

Katie Kelting from Arizona! Katie, please contact me at pianoescapades@gmail.com and send me your mailing address.

Thank you all who entered the draw for the Cutie Critter Rhythm Spinner giveaway. I really enjoyed learning about your favourite teaching aids and appreciate all the wonderful comments and kind words!

Be sure to follow MyTeachingAide on Facebook to learn about future giveaways, new products, promotions and teaching aid ideas..

My Little Triads And Inversions Teacher

2011-11-04T00:53:00.000-07:00

Ever since the Major Minor Faces video, I've felt very inspired to create short instructional videos by students themselves to demonstrate specific exercises, concepts and technique at the piano. This adds to the fun in learning and I'm excited how this project will motivate the students to keep their focus and encouraged them to articulate what they know. When I announced my plans for this project, the students all seemed just ecstatic about the opportunity to see themselves on videos. Not only will students be performing their favourite pieces but they will also take on another role as teachers! I think it's so rewarding to see these students mastering the concepts and then relating back in their own words their understanding of these concepts and subsequently "teach" their peers.

I promised to share another clip so here's a first video featuring my little Triads and Inversions teacher demonstrating how he figures out the notes to play for the root position, 1st and 2nd inversion triads. Can't wait to work on more!

MyTeachingAide Giveaway

2011-10-29T21:58:00.000-07:00

I have been keeping busy but very excited that I'm finally ready to post about my new adventure with MyTeachingAide. Many of you may know about my profound interest in designing and crafts particularly anything to do with paper! Beautiful cards and artwork excite me and for many years, I've toyed with the idea of creating my own teaching aids and studio materials. My combined interest in music and designing has provided a unique opportunity to work on special projects and today, I'm thankful that I've been able to realize this dream of establishing my very own website! I am SO excited to be able to embark on creative projects, teach AND share my love for music all at the same time. It's been a very interesting journey planning and designing teaching aids and then coming up with the end product while learning new tricks at my computer :)

And NOW....on to something that I hope you find exciting, I'm extremely delighted to announce MyTeachingAide's first giveaway to celebrate the launch of the new web store .

This rhythm spinner features 2 rhythm templates on the board with a detachable plastic arrow. It also comes with 2 sheets of rhythm cards for a variety of activities with your students.

Use this for composing activities, rhythm exercises, counting beats and a memory game, see ideas here

Here are details to enter the draw:

Leave a comment about a favourite teaching aid in your studio
Follow MyTeachingAide on Facebook to receive another entry to the draw. If you like the materials from MyTeachingAide, I would be so thrilled to receive your support by clicking the "like" button below:.
I'll be posting updates on new products as well as promotions and specials on Facebook as they become available.
For an extra entry, mention this post on Facebook or your blog (if you have one) and be sure to add a comment to let me know about it.

To celebrate the launch of MyTeachingAide.com, I am glad to provide a special discount of 10% off all items from the store. Just enter the coupon code "GRAND" at check out to receive 10% off your entire order (offer valid till Wednesday Nov 9th)

I look forward to adding lots of fun ideas and inventing new materials for the music studio. I'm tremendously motivated by tools that engage and inspire students that also serve to teach and deliver each concept well. There will also be a special section on the website for free resources that I'd love to continue sharing in an endeavour to carry on the friendly support within the piano teacher blogging community. Hope you like my creations :)

The deadline for the draw is Tuesday, 8th November and I'll be announcing the name of the winner on Wednesday morning (9th November) at 10am PST. Good luck everyone and look forward to hearing from you!

Major Minor Faces

2011-10-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

I've been having so much fun capturing videos and just want to share this short Major Minor Faces video clip from one of my classes. I'm so looking forward to creating short instructional videos by these students themselves. I'm sure they would be much more excited watching themselves in the videos instead of plain ole Ms Wendy. For me, it's so fulfilling to switch places and watch these young musicians take their role as teachers and demonstrating their understanding of concepts learned.

Hope you enjoy this short video :)

Guest Post on "The Neuroscience of Practicing"

2011-10-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

If you have seen my recent post about the MYC West conference that I attended in Princeton, you may have noted that I had the wonderful opportunity of learning something about the "Musical Brain" through a presentation by Tara Gaertner, a fabulous MYC teacher in Vancouver whom I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know. I'm so excited about this post today which was inspired by one reader's request to share more about the "Musical Brain" (Thank you BusyB!). I decided to check in with the source and so thrilled that Tara has graciously agreed to provide a guest post that summarizes her points on the topic "The Neuroscience of practicing" she discussed at the conference.

Here's a little bit about Tara. Tara leads a double life. As "Dr. Tara", she is an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC), teaching Neuroanatomy in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. She holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Texas in Houston. As "Ms. Tara" she is a piano teacher to young children, offering Music for Young Children classes to young beginners and private lessons in her studio. She has two school aged children of her own.

Without further ado, I am pleased to introduce Tara as the guest contributor for today's post on the topic "The Neuroscience of Practicing" featured below. I'm sure you will all find this an interesting read with her points validating the optimum conditions for effective practicing that we all know and discussing how memory is formed and retained in the brain.

By Dr. Tara Gaertner

I recently gave a talk at the MYC West Fall Conference, in Princeton BC. The topic was “The Neuroscience of Practicing”. Here’s a summary of what I wanted to convey to people:

1. There are two main types of memory systems: explicit memory, for facts and events, and implicit (motor) memory, for skills and habits. We use a lot of implicit memory in playing the piano. We don’t have to think about every single note every time we play it. However, we should not let the performance of a piece get too automatic. We can do this by forming explicit memories of the piece alongside the implicit memories.

2. Automatic processes play a part in performing, but practicing should always be conscious and deliberate. The reason for this is that attention is required in order to learn anything. Studies have shown that if our attention is distracted while trying to learn a motor task, we learn much more slowly, if at all. This definitely applies to learning the piano. If your mind is not on your practicing, you are almost wasting your time.

3. A number of recent studies have shown the role of sleep in memory consolidation, both for explicit and implicit memories. Consolidation is an important stage of memory formation, in which recently formed memory traces are strengthened, made resistant to interference, and transferred to widespread areas of the cerebral cortex. Studies have shown that memory consolidation is disrupted by sleep deprivation. Getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis is probably the best thing you can do to improve your ability to learn.

4. It is well-known that people learn better if learning sessions are distributed across time, compared to learning in one big massed session. This is called the Spacing Effect. For instance, it’s better to practice once a day rather than one big practice session once a week. But what is the optimal spacing of our practice sessions? It seems to me that the optimal length and spacing of practice sessions will be determined by the material that needs to be practiced. A beginner student might benefit by practicing her short pieces in one-minute sessions, while an advanced student needs to spend more time at each practice session in order to really “get into” the practice and make some improvements.

5. Did you know that random organization of practice material leads to better learning, even though performance during the practice session is worse? Researchers believe that this is because mixing up the material during learning makes the learning harder, and so we have to use alternate strategies. This idea leads to some interesting conclusions about how we might structure our piano practice sessions. For maximal learning, we should mix up our practice material. The downside is that it might not be as satisfying to practice this way, because our performance during the practice session would be worse.

There is still much research to be done to understand the best way to retain what we practice, but these keys points are a good start for maximizing our practice time!

My sincere thanks to Tara for a wonderful insight to the "Musical Brain". I'm delighted to introduce Tara's new blog "Training The Musical Brain" that is dedicated to sharing a neuroscience perspective on teaching and learning music. Tara has written her first blog post that delves deeper into the first point about explicit and implicit memory and will be writing a series of posts that expands further on each of the points above. I think there is so much we can all learn from Tara's knowledge and expertise in this subject. Hop on over to say hello and be sure to follow her blog..

Halloween Composing Game

2011-10-06T18:22:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying some of the Halloween resources from a few wonderful blogs and thought I'd join in the fun to create a game for Halloween. As I was thinking about a concept for the game, I thought it would be fun for students to improvise and compose with some fun rhythms and Halloween verses. So here's a little game I am experimenting with and look forward to playing in a few of my classes.

To begin, students place their markers on"Start"
Use a regular or rhythm dice and follow the black dots to move along the notes. When students land on a note, they pick a card and improvise a melody beginning with the note they land on, creating a tune using only notes from the C minor pentascale and in the rhythm printed on the card. It would be interesting for students to also notate their little composition on a staff board as they advance through the game ...and even come up with funny lyrics!! :)
Game continues until a student wins when he/she is first to reach "Fine"

I've created 8 game cards and included a blank template for additional rhythms and different time signatures to customize and add to the game. Feel free to print this Halloween resource for your studio use.

For iPad users, I've also created 2 backgrounds in a Halloween theme (blank and another with staff lines) for a variety of activities and concepts you may be presenting this spooky season, enjoy!

MYC Conference in BC

2011-09-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

Last week, I attended the Music For Young Children teachers' conference for the BC region in Princeton, BC. I have to say it was one of the most rewarding experiences as a teacher and I really appreciated the friendships I have made and learning about all the amazing things that are happening at the studios of my wonderful colleagues!

We shared ideas and participated in many activities that were centred on making music and the learning process fun! It was like being a student once again and it just felt so magical coming together to make music. We sang, danced, played Boom Whackers, games and each group presented their own little song with choreographed movements, such fun!! There were also presentations by area representatives from all over BC to discuss various topics like planning recitals, studio organization, managing classes to help teachers become more efficient with all the various tasks we are challenged with on a daily basis.

We also had the opportunity to learn about "The Musical Brain", an extremely interesting and enlightening topic presented by our very own MYC teacher, Tara Gaertner from Vancouver who holds a P.HD in Neuroscience. Tara discussed the Neuroscience of practicing and shared some insights on memory formation and retention as well as the optimum conditions for facilitating this when practicing.

Last but not least, the highlight was definitely the "Excuses Concert" at the end. The teachers who performed had to simply provide an excuse to "why it doesn't sound better"! There was such amazing talent in the group and I am left feeling inspired and rejuvenated once again!

If there was anything that could have made this experience better, it would have to be the Zipline that I missed as a result of chickening out at the very end! The gorgeous weather didn't help pluck up my courage to go for it....next time Princeton!!

More Doodle Fun

2011-09-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun activity that will guarantee loads of giggles and reenergize a sleepy child :) Check out Face Doodle on the app store. It's 99 cents but worth the small fee to spice up your lessons, particularly when teaching in a group environment. I'm sure your students will have a lot of fun and encouraged to get their answers right (AND FAST!!) for a turn to select a nose, ear, hair style even teeth for the face. Best part is you can adapt the game and work on any concepts.

It was rhythm dictation time yesterday and normally, the kids would lay out their rhythm pieces on the floor after I clap the rhythm twice. I decided to add a twist with face doodling on the iPad. The children took turns to dictate a 4 beat rhythm verbally for a chance to "draw" the face. Curious what we came up with?

I saved the photo and emailed it off to the parents after class, something they would be able to archive digitally as a keepsake? I don't think the students will forget this photo in their adulthood :)

Wonky Street Background

2011-09-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

I created this Wonky Street background for the iPad at the request of my son who loves anything with wheels. This background can be used to practice steps, skips and intervals using a stylus (which is very handy) or even virtual stamps you might find in a free app like Doodle Buddy. Students simply move along Wonky Street drawing notes/adding stamps on the path that intersects with the lines and spaces. Continue until you reach "Fine". Have fun with "Journey on Wonky Street"!

All Ready For Tomorrow..

2011-09-05T17:39:00.000-07:00

WOW! Where did the summer go? I've been doing some last minute projects and decorations around the studio the last few days in preparation for the big day tomorrow. It's my first day welcoming all the students back to the studio! This year, I'll also be joined by 13 new students that I'm excited to begin a new musical journey with.

A few small projects over the last few days:

Here's a newly decorated cork board with the leftover fabric that I had from my studio project a month ago. Last year, I had my recital pictures on a piece of poster board and I certainly prefer how it looks on a fabric cork board. I was surprised that mounting the fabric and ribbon lining on the cork board was actually quite easy..All I needed was simply a pair of scissors and glue gun.

And some name tags that I have had the pleasure of making for the students each year. These actually fit nicely in the plastic sleeve on the front of the bag

And lastly, here's my favourite. I found these pretty little treble clef hooks that were on sale for $5.99 each from HomeSense. What a perfect addition to the studio and I really like how it gives a nice accent to the wall...

I'm ready to begin tomorrow and here's wishing everyone a happy teaching year! Look forward to continuing this friendly support and learning from your experiences.

Interval Snap

2011-08-30T10:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a card game I'm experimenting with and I'm quite excited to use in my classes to help students become more fluent at reading intervals. I've made up these cards that can be used on its own (as flashcards) or for a game of Interval Snap.

Instructions to play:

Distribute all cards equally to each student
All cards to be placed faced down. Each student opens the top card and the person with the largest interval snaps up all cards. If there is a tie, students continue to draw cards to determine who has the larger interval. Game continues until a student wins all cards.
For variation, the teacher calls out "move" and all students move to the right, playing the set of cards of the next student. Set a timer for a shorter game

You are welcome to print Interval Snap for your studio use. I've also included a card backing which is optional to print on the other side. There is also a template for anyone who wishes to create additional cards for patterning or melody playback activities. Game making is fun!....now it's time for a test drive with a few students :)

Student Spotlight Corner

2011-08-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

This post is inspired by Joy Morin's recent initiative with the new series of "Teacher Feature" on her blog. I really enjoy reading her interview notes and learning how other teachers run their piano studios. From Joy's wonderful idea, I thought it would give an interesting twist to interview my students and feature a "Student Spotlight Corner" periodically on my studio newsletter.

As such, I'm aspiring to be quite a lot more observant this year at taking note of special student interest, achievements, skills, funny moments to share when highlighting students in the student spotlight corner. I'm sure the students will be so excited to see a photo or video featuring a performance of their song. I'm thinking of creating a short video and sharing it via a private link with the families in my studio.

The video might have the student give a short introduction followed by a performance of their favourite song.

I have a feeling that this is going to generate some excitement amongst parents and students and I am really looking forward to starting this project in the fall. It will likely be a very good motivational tool and gives something for the kids to look forward to as they work hard to polish their favourite pieces.

Have you done something similar to feature students in your studio? If you have, please share your experiences, it's so interesting to learn how you plan a fun project like this!

Going Paperless with Noterize

2011-08-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

Another exciting discovery with a new iPad app called "Noterize". I have been writing down assignments on students' notebooks for years and this year, I am planning a change and was actually toying with the idea of emailing assignments to students and copying their parents on the email. When I received an email from an MYC colleague yesterday about emailing assignments from the iPad, it ultimately sparked my curiosity to find the perfect app that would do exactly what I want. I was looking for an app that would display pdf or jpeg files as a background so I am free to create templates and forms. Now there is a variety of apps that have this feature but this is clearly not enough. The next criteria was the ability to create text boxes, edit text, change fonts and move them anywhere on the screen. I thought finding the perfect app was tricky but I absolutely can't believe that an app is available and the best part.....FOR FREE! So, iPad users, hurry on to the app store and download Noterize! It is a must have in your studio if you're planning to do away with handwritten assignments.

To summarize, here are a few highlights of Noterize:

The best part: Users can create text boxes and have options to include a border or display as a sticky note!!. Edit text, change fonts, pen size, colour and move the text box anywhere you wish on your iPad screen.
How would you like to include audio clips to demonstrate a section of a piece, an articulation or phrasing?? It is now possible to attach an audio file to the assignment sheet. Share your assignments via email, dropbox, pdf, Facebook, Twitter or Google Docs
Highlight, annotate and erase your notes easily.
Importing a document is easy. Transfer your documents through iTunes or simply download it from a web browser or dropbox. So Dropbox fans, there is an easy way to download your templates to Noterize.
Noterize supports a variety of file formats: png, jpg, pdf, ppt

I created a template for weekly assignments that I am excited to try this year and here's a sample page that I had emailed myself from Noterize :) I think it's great that I'm able to save some printing cost and ensure that parents can be on top of their child's piano assignment when they are copied on the emails. The template is posted here if anyone is interested in this resource.

Things to Know About YouTube Videos

2011-08-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

Further to my last post about editing and creating videos, I had a question about potential copyright issues for broadcasting videos on the internet. Thanks to Anne Crosby for alerting me to the MTNA Copyright FAQ's page which was really helpful and certainly outlined important rules that I'd like to share in case anyone is interested in creating videos or have published them on the internet.

I have been quite excited about the video projects for a while so realizing that I am subjected to copyright infringement for a few videos I recently created had me quite anxious and a little sad. For this reason, I have had to remove a few videos on my YouTube channel and make adjustments to a couple of earlier posts that have videos attached.

To summarize my findings, I discovered that only videos of works that are in the public domain can be broadcasted and shared online. As a general guideline, any work published before 1923 is considered safe and free from copyright protection.

I contacted Frederick Harris Publishing and they suggested that I inquired with Canadian Mechanical Reproduction Rights (CMRRA), the organization that represents them on copyright related questions for media distribution.

Here's what I found out:

There is a cost of $30+ HST for each song you apply to cover their research cost. Then it will be sent out for cost and approval from the publishing company.
Any music and song in the public domain is available at no cost for web use (audio recording and video production). No application or license will be required.
An arrangement of any composition will require permission from the original composer. Otherwise, this is considered a violation of copyright law
The cost varies for media that is restricted to a particular region or shared worldwide. Apparently, the licensing cost is significantly more for worldwide broadcasting.

I hope this is helpful information for all my piano teacher colleagues and friends. Although this is not music to my ears, I'm glad that there are still many options from the vast selection of repertoire that fit within this timeline and that I will not have to completely eradicate this endeavour. I am still excited about a YouTube channel for the studio and will continue to work on videos. Just have to be careful about only posting performances of works available in the public domain. I really don't mind paying a fee to get properly licensed however, the process is clearly too cumbersome and costly.

Here are some helpful links for further reading:

MTNA - Copyright FAQs Page

The National Association for Music Education - Copyright Center

If anyone has more to add, I look forward to hearing from you so please share your comments.

YouTube Channel For The Studio

2011-08-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

This year marks quite a few changes with a new studio website, a new blog, a Facebook page, monthly newsletters and a few creative projects I'm excited to begin. Lately I've been trying my hands at video editing and I have to say it's very time consuming but SO fun!! I've caught a few video clips of student performances and watched quite a number of tutorials on creating movies. There is a big learning curve but definitely exciting for someone who loves to play at the computer.

I have been intrigued by the idea of creating a YouTube channel for my studio after watching several piano teaching channels. I think it is such a wonderful idea to start and archive videos of student performances. YouTube also makes it easy for the user to share videos publicly or unlist a video from search results. What really made me think about setting up a channel? All too often, I've seen students working so hard on their repertoire particularly when preparing for festivals and exams only to lose that wonderful performance when they move on to new works. I thought it would be nice to capture their very best performances that enable us all to appreciate them, even years after.

In anticipation of my plan, I handed out media release forms along with registration forms last September prior to the start of this project and very pleased that parents are in full support of this endeavour. It's funny when students tell me it's much more nerve-wrecking playing for a video recorder than a live person!! Students chuckle as I play back the videos and were more critical of their playing than ever!! And what else could teach more about style and presentation at the piano? My students laugh when they see themselves slapping their hands at the piano upon approaching the seat along with a smirk at the sound of a missed note. It's true that videos catch students' attention and do a good job amplifying my voice:)

Summer's coming to an end but I've had a good time learning and accomplishing quite a few things on my to do list. I'm still working to get the YouTube channel set up and look forward to adding videos over time. I'm glad that students have enjoyed watching their performances and sharing them with friends and family from all over the world. There seems to be quite a number of YouTube channels of piano teachers featuring their students performing which really inspired me to create my own channel. I think there is a lot of benefits to having a YouTube channel for the studio as an avenue for students to evaluate their own playing, learn from each other's performance and share their music with friends and family.

Although there is some excitement, I was recently cautioned that there may potentially be copyright issues with uploading videos on YouTube. Does anyone know what constitutes "fair use policy" and the general guidelines for compliance when works of composers and their publishers are performed and shared on YouTube? I would love to know if this is acceptable practice. If anyone has a YouTube channel set up for their studio, I would love to hear from you .....and do share the link to your channel :)

Home Concert Xtreme

2011-08-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

This has got to be the BEST iPad app I have ever seen! I was completely sold when I first learned about Home Concert Xtreme by Zenph Sound Innovations through Mario Ajero's demonstration of the app
Here's why it's SO cool. This app can:

Turn standard midi files into musical scores on your iPad

I thought about the collection and library of midi files that came with method books like Faber Piano Adventures, Alfred Publishing and the Hal Leonard series. They are all compatible with Home Concert Xtreme and the app displays the score right on the iPad once the midi files are imported. This alone is absolutely fascinating......imagine the entire collection of musical scores now available on the iPad. No more searching and carrying piles of music books around.

Turn pages automatically and provide orchestrations that match the performer's tempo, dynamics.
In other words, the performer is free to express his/her music as the app is intelligent enough to recognize the fluctuations in tempo and dynamics, imagine an orchestra or band that follows the soloist!!

I really salute the geniuses behind this amazing software. This app has provided me hours of fun exploring new music and I really look forward to using it during lessons. The library of midi files turned musical scores would also make a wonderful sight reading resource for students. It would be so much fun for students to play along with orchestrations and not to mention, this tool will definitely help students become more aware about the importance of staying on the beat.

There's much more that this app has to offer and I'm not going to go over all the bells and whistles on this post, feel free to read more about Home Concert Xtreme from Zenph Sound Innovations' website. In short, I'm really enjoying this app and this has truly become an indispensable tool in my studio. For those considering Home Concert Xtreme, you'll be happy to know that the app comes pre-loaded with a large collection of music and orchestrations from Faber Piano Adventures, Hal Leonard and Alfred Publishing to sample.

Meanwhile, here's a short video of Home Concert Xtreme in action with Christopher Norton's piece, "Celtic Lament" from Christopher Norton Connection Series. Yes, the midi files for the entire Connection Series are now available and compatible with Home Concert Xtreme. Enjoy!

Studio Decorations

2011-08-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

I've been in studio decorating mode in the last week and one of the projects I enjoy most is building a collage of student photos each year. This year, I decided to hang individual photos on a clothesline made of raffia strings and securing them with mini clothespins. I created a template of 2.5" circle shapes with a simple design on my computer and centred photos on each circle.Then I printed out the sheets (with about 9 circle shapes on each) and cut out the circle shapes. To give a little dimension, I adhered the circle cutouts to 2.75" scallop circle shapes. This little gallery has attracted much attention in the last 2 years and I love putting in the effort to make this a special corner in the studio.

Here's another section of my cork board now covered in red fabric with new trimmings on the edges. Circles and polka dots are my favourites so my bulletin board is not complete without these shapes. So I have arranged these little 2" felt circle pieces, all ready to use for patterns and solfege activities. I'm actually surprised how well they adhere to the cotton fabric. It's amazing how simple shapes in vibrant colours can instantly brighten up any space!

These A-F alphabet cards used to be stuck on the wall directly above each keyboard in the studio. I have been rotating these alphabet cards weekly so students attending group classes get an opportunity to play on a different keyboard each week. I was excited to find thin coloured dowels with mushroom shaped clothespins to clip on the alphabet cards. I attached small pieces of styrofoam on the opposite end of each dowel and the decorative rocks work like a charm to hold the dowel in place. And the lovely glass candle holders make it much easier to transport around the room, no more mess with sticking and peeling invisible tape :) It certainly feels nice to give the studio a little makeover. Anyone out there who is also working on studio decorations?

A Second Instrument?

2011-07-20T17:01:00.000-07:00

This post might not be relevant to my fellow piano teacher friends and bloggers but I thought I'd share my little excitement about continuing the violin again and I am curious how many of you play a second instrument. I have always loved the sound of the violin and it's been a lifelong dream for as long as I can remember to be able to play this instrument like the soul yearns to hear. As a child, I enjoyed accompanying my father when he played the violin and always wished I could play as well as he did, envying particularly the warmth and beauty that the vibratto brings. Piano was then my main instrument and having had to practice 2-3 hours a day on top of school and homework, I realized that I had to choose between the two instruments to keep up with the workload and still do reasonably well. Since then, I have been fortunate to advance on the piano but not without a sacrifice, leaving violin music purely for listening and appreciation.

A month ago, I listened to a CD recording of Midori's Mendelssohn's Violin concerto in E minor which deeply moved me. It got me thinking that perhaps one day I will be able to play the violin at a decent level that one might be able to appreciate. I had incidentally played the CD for a student who needed some direction with the concept of "a musical performance" and to experience what it means to have a beautiful phrase. I turned to violin music this time. We listened and examined a combination of dynamics employed, the expressive vibratto, the long lines shaping the melody and most importantly the performer's emotions that had communicated a message, eliciting a certain mood that we could both identify with. The result was astounding when we finished listening to the 1st movt. The student could instantly relate to the concept of phrasing, the rise and fall of a melody, the subtle nuances, the rubato and translate it to her piano music which made the 2nd rendition of her work quite musically sound! It would otherwise have taken many words and still not get the point across. The way the music communicated my intent was magical!
It was then I felt an overwhelming aspiration to pick up the violin from where I left off and make a lifelong goal to work towards attaining the sound and music I would love to hear from the violin. With this new goal, I set out on a google search for tutorials and was thrilled to discover the Violin.lab created by Beth Blackerby, whom I found inspirational and understanding of the challenges that adults face when learning the violin. This website is primarily created for adult students and offers over 250 videos discussing violin techniques from beginner to advance levels. I'm excited to explore the art of playing the violin and working through online videos at this stage. I hope that with a burning desire to play this instrument and through lots of perseverance, good time management and DISCIPLINE, I will be able to get where I want to be with the violin. Please share your story if you play a second instrument...how did you arrive at selecting the next instrument, did you pick it up in your adulthood?

Introducing Music Study Studio

2011-07-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

It is with great pleasure to share another great blog recently created by Lacy Range from Arizona. Lacy has a beautiful site with lots of fun and creative ideas and she has just added a new post about another interesting find on the iPad

Please join me in welcoming Lacy and hop on over to Music Study Studio to say hello :) I'm sure you will all enjoy reading her posts as much as I do.

Snowman Chord Progression Chart

2011-07-12T17:10:00.000-07:00

The snowman is indeed very popular in MYC and I'm sure my fellow MYC colleagues will be very familiar with this chart. Students are introduced to primary chords with cute little stories of snowmen and the chart above provides a visual progression of the chords when harmonizing scales. I'm planning to decorate my studio with colorful charts (with this being the first) and a gallery showcasing the students in the 2011-2012 musical year.

I'm glad to share this printable if anyone is interested in adding to their studio decoration or teaching aid collection. I also have this saved in jpeg format for use with the Whiteboard app on the ipad - check under iPad resources. The turquoise bar provides some space for students to write the letter names of the scales or practice chord letter names on a given key. Enjoy!

Embraceable You

2011-07-11T11:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a sweet note from a fellow MYC teacher, Charlene Valdo in Calgary along with her beautiful rendition of Gershwin's "Embraceable You" in response to my recording of Earl Wild's transcription for the piano. Charlene sang "Embraceable You" (arrangement by Dave Wolpe) with the Calgary based jazz orchestra, Estelle and recorded this song in a professional studio. She has also released the album "Only Trust Your Heart" that showcases her elegant interpretation of a wonderful collection of jazz classics.
Thank you Charlene for sharing your amazing talent. Your song is so refreshing to listen to and completely revitalizes my appreciation for the jazz genre.

I am sure this song will be enjoyed by many....

Parent Surveys

2011-07-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

It's been a week of sunshine here and I really am enjoying the warmer weather apart from having to water my lawn! Although classes are over and it's time to relax, I can't help thinking that I should be planning and preparing for the fall when the MYC program starts up again. Looking back in the last year, I think I have been relatively successful based upon my own judgement and also having received some kind comments from families in the program. However, wouldn't it be nice to know in more detail what aspects of my studio and the program these families and students are enjoying (or not). With this information, I will be able to effectively look into the "missing holes"and brainstorm some ideas to fill the gaps and ultimately enhance the studio experience. If anything, now is the time to collect some information since summer offers me a bit of time for my personal and studio projects.

Hence, I've turned to surveymonkey.com to create an online survey. I think this feature is pretty neat in that users can create questions in a variety of formats complete with comment boxes for each question. Best of all? It's free for up to 10 questions. Users can send the survey through email or embed it right on a website.
Other advantages to online vs paper based questionaires?

No more creating surveys on word processing programs and forgetting where you save them
Create surveys with beautiful and professional looking pre-made templates
Convenience! Receive real time responses. Users can even get more sophisticated use of the tool to generate a report!
Comments are saved and accessible anytime, no more rummaging through piles of paper to get to the response you need
Surveys are saved on a users account so these are available as templates for future use
Easy and Convenient for parents, surveys can be delivered via email, through a web link, by embedding on a website or shared through facebook.

I am working on my survey and quite excited to email it out this afternoon. To encourage participation, parents will be given an entry to a draw for a Chapters or Starbucks card for each survey completed. Just curious if anyone has tried or currently using this or other tools to collect feedback from parents? If you have, I would love to hear of your experience.

Spinner for iPad

2011-06-28T10:53:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, I had a chance to play around with the iPad and browse to see what's available on the app store. What a huge database of apps out there. Many of them are actually free apps and I'm just blown away by the vast selection of apps for virtually anything you are looking for.

I was curious about a customizable spinner template to review a variety of musical concepts and guess what I found? The amazing "Spin the bottle" app by Vitzu. There were a few other similar apps that are free but I chose this one for $.99 for the colorful graphics, full screen app and its ease to operate. Creating titles for the "wedges" is a breeze and each spinner allows up to 15 sections with a timer for each, if so preferred. To give an idea on how simple it is to customize and set up a spinner, I created my Tempo Spinner in less than 5 minutes!!

Yesterday, I used the app in my class for the first time and what FUN! The students had a blast reviewing tempos along with game cards that I threw in to add a twist to the game. Each student took turns to spin the bottle and complete the task from the game card in the tempo the bottle pointed to. For example, one student had to "dance accelerando"

I am absolutely thrilled to find this app and for $.99, I think it's well worth the purchase as it's SO fun and easy to use! I was initially thinking of creating a few spinners for studio use but with this app, I am happy that I can now devote my efforts to other initiatives this summer...

Resources for iPad Whiteboard App

2011-06-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen Anne's post on the "Multitouch Whiteboard for iPad", you must head over now! Thanks Anne for sharing this awesome idea!! I have to admit it's a fantastic tool that opens up a world of possibilities for its use as a teaching aid and adds a fun way for students to complete theory worksheets on the iPad. For those of you still on the fence about an iPad, perhaps this will finally convince you?? :) I was one of those people sitting on the fence months ago and today, I think it's probably one of my best purchases for the studio. The only downside is my inability to afford a class set of these awesome gadgets. An iPad with a larger screen size would also be REALLY NICE!

Anyway, the Whiteboard for the iPad. I thought it was great as an extension to the Crayola boards but what is exceptionally neat is the fact that users can create theory worksheets and save them as "backgrounds" for students to complete on the iPad. Backgrounds are simply resized and saved as photos on the iPad and they are incredibly easy to switch back and forth on the program. And it's completely paperless, no more printing and slipping in worksheets on sheet protectors.

I'm so impressed and excited that I decided this year, I will be spending some time designing and creating backgrounds for this program and sharing them on a page dedicated for iPad resources!! :) I'm even considering sharing these files with students and families so they can have access on their iPads at home.

I got a chance to resize and transfer the Circle of Fifths and Finger Dance jpeg files on the iPad. Quite pleased with how they look and function on the whiteboard app. I will be posting the resized jpeg files on my blog under "iPad resources" if anyone is interested in downloading for use on the iPad. Here's a picture to share...have fun exploring this app!

My Summer Project List

2011-06-23T14:14:00.000-07:00

Now that the recital is over, my summer break has officially started and I'm so excited to get started on projects and some work I've had to put off for a while. Most of the items on my to do list stem from the inspirations, discussions and wonderful ideas I've had the joy of learning from some fabulous blogs. While I really admire the enthusiasm and energy of teachers who are running music camps and their creativity with the curriculum, I think it's something I have to pass for now. Instead I opt to take the opportunity to relax, reenergize and smell some of the roses out there.

It's funny to think how life seemed so different just 3 months ago before I created this blog. I didn't recall feeling so inspired, didn't recall being excited about writing, let alone maintaining a blog. Writing was never my thing and I still remember the shivers at the thought of completing an essay. I was quite nervous about this blog and particularly anxious that I will not be able to keep it running for too long. Well, it's been 2.5 months and I am enjoying it especially getting to know so many teachers and the friendships I have made along the way. I actually look forward to sharing and learning from other piano teacher bloggers. Anyway, I am excited to share my summer project list and day 1 will officially begin tomorrow. This list is arranged in order of priority and I consider myself successful if I can get through half of my list for the summer. Fingers crossed!!

Gift Certificate?

2011-06-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

I was practicing one afternoon last week when I heard a knock on my front door. I was greeted by a familiar face and then the gentleman introduced himself as the husband of an adult student who used to take lessons at her leisure. I was surprised to see him but it was not long before I learned he would like a gift of piano lessons for his wife's birthday. How VERY sweet and thoughtful, his lovely gesture really moved me and more significantly, I felt honored that my lessons were worth something to this wonderful lady I had the priviledge of working with. For the longest time, I thought she had quit and I had failed to keep her interested.

The gentleman asked if I had gift certificates and wanted to know if he could have one right away. I thought that he really deserved a nicer gift certificate than a casual handwritten business card that acknowledges receipt of the purchase. Thank goodness he was patient enough to wait a few days considering my crazy schedule last week. Yesterday, he came to collect the gift certificate and the smile on his face really touched me....

Since I have the gift certificate created, I'm glad to share it with anyone who may need this for their studio. I've never had a request for one until now.....what an honor to know my service makes a worthy gift...:)

My Year-End Recital

2011-06-20T10:39:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, I had my studio's Year-End Recital on a beautiful, sunny day. I am SO delighted that the kids put on such a splendid performance of their recital songs. There was such amazing poise and confidence and the students all seemed so eager to be in the limelight. They practiced very diligently and I could feel the looming excitement to share their recital songs with the audience. The large hall and grand piano that stood on a stage did not seem to intimidate the performers at all and they each performed their solos by memory. Words simply couldn't describe the pride and joy I was feeling.

The program featured solo performances by MYC and private students, a duet and trio and ended with my rendition of Gershwin's "Embraceable You", arranged by Earl Wild. It certainly felt good to perform alongside the students. Then I presented the gifts and awards and what a time of sharing afterwards!

The event was indeed a memorable one and I decided to make a slideshow of the pictures captured to share with parents. Another year has gone by but it was one filled with much warmth, wonderful memories and amazing progress with these students. I'm excited to share the slideshow with all fellow teachers, hope you enjoy it!

Winner of My First Giveaway is....

2011-06-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

The random number generator says............Heidi!!

Congratulations Heidi, I'm so excited to gift this. Please contact me at pianoescapades@gmail.com and provide me with your contact and mailing address.

Thank you all who entered the draw and for your wonderful suggestions for my next giveaway. I am feeling inspired to create and I absolutely love all your ideas! THANK YOU!!

Recital Preparations

2011-06-15T23:42:00.000-07:00

Last week, I had a "kids only" class to work on a special project for their parents. It was doodle day and the kids were overjoyed when I pulled out sheets of drawing paper and crayons and then announced the creative assignment. Parents have attended a full year of lessons with their children and I thought it would be nice for them to take a break and for the students to work on a simple thank you gift for mom and dad. The kids worked within a 10 minute time limit to complete their artwork after which I quizzed them on musical terms, symbols and everything we've learned throughout the year.

Here's what a student came up with after 20 minutes of doodling and writing down the answers to my questions. I collected the artwork, rolled them into scrolls and attached a small packet of tea bags along with a thank you note. I'm planning a surprise gift that the children can proudly present their parents.

As for student gifts, I have been keeping busy with some frame designs that showcase each student's composition on one side and photos on another. The project is finally completed for 24 students and I am very excited to include this along with the certificates in a gingham sleeve to present on recital day. I am hoping this will be a special keepsake in the years to come....

When a Teacher's Heart Melts...

2011-06-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

One of the joys of teaching is knowing you have a special place in a student's heart. Recently, I was presented with a beautifully hand drawn card with the most heart warming message. It is pieces like this that really melt my heart and encourage me to be the best I can to provide a fulfilling musical experience for students. I am always fascinated by the work of a child, no matter how simple or intricate as I can reminisce with warm recollections of the time when the special gift was created and feel the sincerity and thoughts of the young mind behind a masterpiece.

Over the years, I have received quite a few cards and I have kept them in a photo box along with other treasures from students and parents. I feel I have been blessed with the most amazing families and students:)

To Perform Or Not..?

2011-06-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

I have had reservations about playing because as a perfectionist, I grew to believe for many years that there was nothing worth showing unless a work was 100%. And to have been born into a musical family, performing at a recital or concert hall was rather nerve-wrecking due to the high expectations imposed on me and the pressure of keeping up with surrounding musical prodigies, competition winners and piano students who were offered full scholarships to study abroad. One senior scored a full 100% at a distinguished Performer's Diploma examination with only one word in the comment form - BRAVO!! These were my very humble friends I got to know very well and who were visiting my home a few days a week. In my culture too, praises are few and far between and performing was often associated to "showing off" so in many ways, I felt self conscious and rather inhibited.

But for the last few years, my perspective has changed quite a bit when it dawned on me that music comes from the heart and is meant to be shared regardless of skill level. Of course that's not to say that one should never aspire to improve and train to meet the musical and technical demands of a given piece. But I view playing as an opportunity to share and be opened to constructive critiscms. A chance for the pianist to bring his/her performance to a new level of musical depth and technical proficiency, possible through one's humility and by the grace and kindness of fellow musicians who share the same love for the art.

Today, I encourage even my youngest students to perform for friends and family and I'm really happy that the students have so many opportunities to play at recitals and festivals. Last week, I delighted at the news of one of my students performing via skype to relatives in Europe. I learn to offer positive comments along with suggestions and tips as I like to put, rather than "constructive criticisms" to keep the students motivated.

I'm wondering how teachers feel about performing and sharing their music. Were you exposed to performing from a young age? Would love to hear your thoughts :)

My First Giveaway!!

2011-06-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

Eversince I won Leah's compound time teaching blocks, I've been inspired to reciprocate the generosity of an amazing community of piano teachers with my own creations. I'm learning so much and excite at reading what everyone is up to and what everyone is doing to raise the quality of teaching and making it a fun experience at the same time.

With this in mind, I'm excited to announce my first giveaway! A very humble project on musical alphabet cards complete with sharps and flats as well as a bonus set of 1" stickers set on wooden discs with magnet backings. This is my first attempt at creating something and I'm excited to give this away to one lucky winner.

The giveaway includes the following: - items #1 to 3 are printed in color on cardstock and fully laminated

3 sets of A-G alphabet cards (2.5" each)
7 pieces of sharps (1" each)
7 pieces of flats (1" each)
10 pieces of 1" stickers (set on wooden discs with magnet backing)
10 pieces of critter clothespins from this post

To enter the draw, you will need to

comment on this post and tell me what should my next giveaway be - hope this is an easy one :)
for another entry, be on my list of followers
and a 3rd entry, mention this post on facebook or your blog if you have one and make sure to let me know about it.

I will generate a random draw on Saturday, 18th June and post the name of the winner on my blog. Good Luck!

More Fun with Eraser Toppers

2011-06-05T18:23:00.000-07:00

I have been working on triads and inversions with the students and I love the use of my "crazy erasers" (as a student puts it) as a teaching aid. They seemed to be working really well functioning as visual cues to help students easily find the notes to the inversions as they try to simultaneously remember the finger numbers. To add to the fun, I clipped on miniature strawberry clothespins on the pencil eraser toppers and then set the students on their way to finding the root, 1st and 2nd inversions of the triad.

As usual, the room was filled with a chorus of giggles as students watched their "guideposts" fall. I love how these simple little pieces bring the fun and excitement in learning...
I'm now wondering if any teachers are using different tools, visuals or methods to introduce triads and inversions to a young student. If so, I would love to hear your thoughts and glean other ideas on presenting this concept.

BCRMTA's Spring Recital

2011-05-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I attended the Spring Recital organized by the BCRMTA South Fraser branch and it was so wonderful to watch all the students performing like stars. There was an admirable poise and confidence at the piano which was evident even with the youngest performer and I could tell the audience were mesmerized by the fantastic performance of all the students. We had a very interesting program featuring piano solos, duets and even a violin trio performed by students from all levels, beginners to ARCT.

The event was put together with the collaborative effort of teachers and I'm really glad that there are so many performance opportunities for my students throughout the year. The organizing committee did an amazing job acquiring a beautiful venue for the recital and creating a lovely program printed on colored glossy paper with a special keepsake in mind for parents and students. And what might be better? The event was recorded on DVD! I can't wait to get my hands on a copy as it will bring back such warm memories when I play this back years from now. Here's a picture of happy smiles to share :)

Faure's Dolly Suite with Music Minus One

2011-05-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

I was so thrilled to discover "Music Minus One" a month ago while browsing on SheetMusicPlus. Finally I'm able to play a duet with primo/secondo accompaniment or a concerto with full orchestral accompaniment on CD.

One of my favorite duets is definitely Faure's Dolly Suite. I used to play this with my father when I was little and this just brings back sweet memories of good times. So I was very happy to find this available under the Music Minus One series which provides the complete score and an accompanying CD for both primo and secondo parts.

Yesterday, I had fun playing Le Jardin de Dolly (no. 3 from the suite), recording the primo part and then mixing in the secondo part from the CD. Quite pleased with how it turned out :)

This summer, I'm thinking it would be really neat to work on Mozart's Concerto in C+ KV503 with full orchestral accompaniment from the CD:)

Leah's Teaching Blocks

2011-05-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

I was so excited when I came to know I had actually won a giveaway:) Probably the first thing I have won ever!

And yesterday, the package containing Leah's compound time teaching blocks finally arrived! The blocks were so well made and I am extremely thankful for the time and effort that Leah had put towards this project for the benefit of moi!

I've reserved a special spot in my studio to display these and I can't begin to tell you what a proud owner I am of this new teaching aid. Thanks Leah :)

Mini Invitation Cards

2011-05-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

Since I'm in recital mode, I thought it would be nice for my students to hand out business-card size invitation cards to their friends and family. I figure it would be a convenient size to keep in wallets so our dear guests will always have the information handy. As such, I've spent some time working on the designs and came up with these:

I'm planning to hand out a few cards for each family and if more are needed, parents are welcomed to print the cards themselves from the pdf files that I email out. I have a feeling that the students would love handing these out to their friends as a special invitation to their recital.

I am happy to share the word and pdf files and will be posting them under "Printables" if anyone is interested in using for your studio.The Microsoft word files contain text boxes that can be personalized with the recital venue along with the other information and subsequently be saved for studio use. I've also included the pdf files of the blank cards. Would love to hear how these are working for your studio. Enjoy!

Where Critters Come Alive

2011-05-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

This felt board has a special place in my studio ever since I started teaching the Music for Young Children program 2 years ago. The children have grown to love these critters from the first day of lessons with songs we sing about them, storytelling with the puppets and little pieces about these critters. The critters each have a special character and it's so much pleasure bringing them to life in our classes as they "meet" with the students and introduce their places on the keyboard.

The children enjoy echoing the cute little chants associated to each critter and I'm just so captivated by their enthusiasm and excitement about wanting to meet "the next one". As soon as they meet all the critters, the 4 year olds are already on their way to playing the C Major scale!

I'm sure my MYC colleagues all share the same sentiments about how much fun it is to teach this program and how strong the curriculum is. It is such a joy to be part of the MYC family and I'm thankful for the opportunity of collaborating with such wonderful colleagues who share the common goal of fostering the happy habit of making music, not to mention the lovely families I have the privilege of working and sharing my musical journey with...

Clothespins Project

2011-05-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to Anne Crosby's "Fun with Clothespins" and Leah's post on "Fingers Bee Strong". Their ideas really got me excited about another craft project to create cute little clothespins for my students.

A few months ago, I found some small wooden critter and flower pieces at a local dollar store and purchased them knowing that I will someday be using these for one of my creative projects.

And last week, I found a package of 48 1" wooden clothespins and absolutely thrilled about finally getting to work on the clothespins project. I really wanted something special for these children's toolboxes and something that the kids are excited receiving and using as a fun tool to build strength on the fingers.So I got my glue gun and it took me less than 5 minutes to adhere the pieces on the clothespins...so pleased at how they all turned out. Such is the fun of my work, I get to teach and get crafty! :)

Embraceable You by Gershwin, Arrangement by Earl Wild

2011-05-09T13:30:00.000-07:00

I've really enjoyed reading Jenny Boster's posts on "motivating ourselves to practice" and the wonderful weekend repertoire column on her blog, which really inspired me to get practicing. Finally I squeezed in some practice time in the last few days and really enjoyed working on "Embraceable You", a piece I'm looking forward to playing at my studio's year-end recital. One more month to go!

This piece is one of the many beautiful songs composed by Gershwin and Earl Wild did an amazing job with a beautiful arrangement for the piano.

So here I am testing out my first recording and posting with the free google mp3 player..

I don't have any videos yet, still learning how to put it together. It's a big learning curve for me but an exciting project for the summer :)

My Circle of Fifths

2011-05-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

By now, you must already figure out that I love polka dots :) I decided to create a Circle of Fifths card that I think would be nice to use as an insert to the amazing Crayola boards. I couldn't find a way to fit more than 4 circles on each side so this one accommodates up to 4 sharps & flats.

Finger Dance Card

2011-05-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

In recent years I discovered something else that I am passionate about. This was when a family member (an amazing graphic designer and photographer) first introduced me to Quark Express and magazine layouts. It was such fun playing around with different fonts, graphics and layout to showcase a piece of work and learning how a well designed page could really influence the reader. With tools like Adobe Indesign, Microsoft Publisher and Apple's Pages, I'm amazed by the world of possibilities for creative print and digital publishing projects

I'm quite excited about designing new teaching aids for my studio and look forward to creating materials that appeal to children and at the same time, serve its purpose to reinforce concepts introduced. I started with a simple test project and here's what I came up with...the Finger Dance Card!

I'm planning to use the Finger Dance card as a visual and guide to help students learn the common scale fingering. Students can use the card in the following ways:

Play scale away from piano with the "finger dance" - reinforces thumb tuck and 3rd finger over. (would help to say the finger numbers out loud as children perform the finger dance)
Print the scale letter names in the green boxes with a dry erase marker (on laminated copies)
Use as reference when practicing scales on the piano

It's been fun working on this project and I'm delighted to share this with anyone who might find it useful. Simply click Finger Dance Card to download

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-05-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

I know Easter is way over now but I thought I'd share a little game that I had lots of fun preparing.The students were hard at work egg hunting around the studio. It was definitely one of the games that the kids are most excited about every year.

More alphabet cards

2011-04-28T14:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a simpler version of the alphabet cards, also available for download

Spring Themed Alphabet Cards

2011-04-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you've all seen these cards before but I thought I'd create a set of new alphabet cards in a spring theme. The full resolution file is available here.

If you're downloading and printing these cards for your studio, I would love to hear how you're planning to use these in your classes. Hope you like it!

Don't Miss your Favorite Cartoons!!

2011-04-27T16:57:00.000-07:00

The last year and a half spent working and practicing with my son has been quite a learning curve for me from a parent's perspective. It's quite different explaining practicing strategies and sending students home with an assignment than actually being in the process of practicing with a student. I'm constantly finding ways to keep the focus and inject fun in hopes of motivating my 6-year old to enjoy the music making process.

So I was at the piano bench and my son asked " how many more times do I have to play this?", sounding quite evidently bored and hoping that I'd come up with a number he was looking for.... "Zero". He loves watching his favorite TV shows and it came to my mind that I'd create virtual cartoons made up of sections in his music.

When I announced the game, my son's eyes lit up and he regained focus in an instant! I made up "episodes" of Spiderman, Max & Ruby and Mighty Machines that he surely wouldn't want to miss. In order to complete a full episode, he would have had to meet a specific goal like observe the fingering or correct a wrong note in a given section. Much to my surprise, he was suddenly able to rise up to the challenges!

To add to the fun, I made up funny words to the melody. He said afterwards, "let's watch Spiderman over again, jump to Max & Ruby and play Mighty Machines backwards!"

It was odd and I never would have imagined being motivated to work this way as a young child but I'm glad it brought about enthusiasm while still achieving our practice goals...

This makes me ponder deeper into the power of focus and how much more students can achieve through mindful practice. To fellow teachers, I'd love to hear any thoughts you have on methods, tools or incentives you have found useful to promote a happy and healthy habit of practicing at home....

My own experience as a young student was simply a phrase my dad used to say that still resonates till today.

"LISTEN and USE your brain!!"

An Inspiring Moment

2011-04-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

This morning, I had the pleasure of attending a workshop presented by the world renowned Canadian pianist, Ian Parker. What a tremendous learning experience it was!

An amazingly delightful and articulate speaker, Mr. Parker shared tips about practising and preparing students for recitals, exams and festivals. His passion and wonderful sense of humor is unmistakable! He really captivated the audience with the most amazing analogies that simply find marvellous ways of revealing the most abstract concepts.

My favourite was definitely “The puzzle” analogy that is so relevant and something that kids can easily identify. I had always struggled with communicating the idea of playing and feeling in longer lines. But when Mr. Parker spoke about how learning a piece is like putting a puzzle together and smoothening the seams as he referred, this immediately clicked as I connected with this simple and yet powerful analogy. What a perfect way to explain!

It was such an inspiring hour that left me in good spirits all day. That leads me into thinking about how invaluable a coach is as teaching is indeed an art and lifelong learning skill. The energizing words of wisdom and encouragement go a long way in shaping my musical journey, both as a teacher and performer. I'm grateful for the gems I'm able to pick along the way...how this truly makes my musical path so rewarding and meaningful...

Weekend Project with Pointing Sticks

2011-04-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

I have always loved crafts even as a child. When I was at Wal Mart over the weekend, I came across Crayola's air-dry clay that got me really excited about the world of possibilities in my MYC classes.
One tool that the children really enjoy using is the pointing stick when they reverse roles so kids get to point for parents. They love pointing and counting out loud to make sure mom or dad keeps the beat and follows all the rules on the music! I had earlier found the wooden dowels and cute little critter pieces from the dollar store and along with the Crayola clay, I set out on a fun project to create new pointing sticks for my studio. I can't wait to surprise the little kids at their next class!

60 second Doodle

2011-04-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

There’s just something about children and doodling. When I was introducing the half rest yesterday to a group of 5 year olds, I gave each student a half rest cut from foam and asked what they thought it looked like. Of course it didn't take them long to blurt out "the hat" and I was ready to associate it with “2 beats of silence” when one child quickly said “ but it’s way too small for me!”

That caught me by surprise but gave an idea for a quick creative activity. The children squealed with excitement when I brought out a small white board for each child and announced the delightful “ 60 second Doodle Time”. I was amazed at how quickly they doodled away . And now, here’s a picture to share these cute little creations :)

My Beloved Piano

2011-04-13T01:28:00.000-07:00

I too was inspired by Joy Morin’s post when she asked “What kind of piano do you have in your home?” as well as Anne Crosby’s post on “A Trip through Time”. As I reflect on my past, it is a wonder how fortunate I am for what I am able to own today. Never in a million years would I have ever thought of owning a grand piano and Clavinova in my studio. I grew up with a Grotrian and then 2 Yamaha grands and there was an episode of my life when I had no instrument for years. This changed when I arrived in Canada and was blessed with a Yamaha Clavinova, then a Yamaha U3 and now a Boston GP178. I’ve yearned for a grand piano for years when my sweet husband purchased this beautiful piano 2 years ago. It’s not the Steinway Model “O” but it is more than I can ever dream of having and more significantly, one that holds a lot of sentimental value.

What else do I love about my piano?

It’s the profoundly rich bass and the warm, lush tone of the instrument that feels so magical..

A new Initiative with Parent Newsletters

2011-04-10T13:18:00.000-07:00

This year, I started a new initiative with monthly parent newsletters and I’m surprised to discover that I actually enjoy putting this together. It’s a short one-page newsletter that highlights photos, studio news, events, student achievements, practice and fun tips to enlighten parents on how they may offer support at home and play an active role in their children’s musical education. It’s been a fun experience so far getting to explore and be creative with this little project and not to mention, it certainly is very encouraging that parents are noting these tips to keep practice and music making fun at home.

I'm happy to share this newsletter template if anyone is interested in personalizing for their studio. Click here to download

The amazing work of Anne Crosby

2011-04-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

I was very pleasantly surprised to find the Barnyard Friends and a lot more amazing resources that were created single-handedly by a very talented teacher, pianist and Canadian composer, Anne Crosby. Her compositions continue to excite my students and her ideas; teaching aids and resources are such wonderful inspiration to me and many other studio teachers. Thank you Anne for the exquisite work!!

Fun with pencil eraser toppers!

2011-04-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

Recently, I had fun using manipulatives like pencil eraser toppers to help students remember the notes to their scales. We placed these eraser toppers on specific keys, like B Flat to help students anticipate playing the black key on the F Major scale. The children had a good chuckle watching these “guideposts” fall and didn’t seem to mind the repetitionJ

A step into the blogging world

2011-03-27T15:42:00.001-07:00

What an experience creating a blog! I have seen many of my friends blogging from years ago but this craze never really inspired me to create one of my own being a fairly private individual. And what might inspire me now?

I have had the pleasure of reading many wonderful articles about piano teaching, gaining incredible insights to the thoughts of many amazing teachers and benefiting from the vast number of teaching aids and great resources made available by some excellent teachers. This is my source of inspiration that this blog is created...it is my way of contributing back to the music educators’ community. This blogs also provides an avenue for sharing my thoughts in the realm of piano teaching, my interests in inventing creative teaching aids and I look forward to learning from other masters who do what I enjoy. Let the blogging journey begin.....