The Piano School Charms

Okay, you guys, I've finished creating the charms I was brainstorming before Spring Break, and I'm going to show you how you can earn them. There are eight sets of two (front and back) charms that you may collect in any order. The purpose of this incentive program is to reward you for memorizing your scales. There is a small cost, 25 cents per side, which helps me buy the supplies. Here we go! (Each picture shows the front and back sides of a single charm.)

C Major, G Major, and D Major scales,
memorized and with correct fingering.
One octave gets you The Piano School charm.
Two octaves gets you The Piano School and Piano Kitty.
25 cents per side.
(The Piano School logo is copyrighted by my studio.)

A Major, E Major, and B Major scales,
memorized and with correct fingering.
One octave gets you the Bach charm.
Two octaves gets you Bach and the Organ.
25 cents per side.

F Major, B-flat Major, and E-flat Major scales,
memorized and with correct fingering.
One octave gets you the handsome Beethoven charm.
Two octaves gets you Beethoven and Keep Calm and Practice Scales.
25 cents per side.

A-flat Major, D-flat Major, and G-flat Major scales,
memorized and with correct fingering.
One octave gets you Brahms when he was young and handsome! :)
Two octaves gets you Brahms and Raisin Brahms!
Don't get the reference? Click here.
25 cents per side.

A Minor, E Minor, and B Minor scales
memorized and with correct fingering.
One octave gets you the Bartok charm.
Two octaves gets you Bartok and Piano Puppy.
25 cents per side.

F-sharp Minor, C-sharp Minor, & G-sharp Minor scales,
memorized and with correct fingering.
One octave gets you 11-year-old Josef Hofmann.
(Josef Hofmann was an amazing pianist! More about him here.)
Two octaves gets you Josef Hofmann and Carnegie Hall.
25-cents per side.

D Minor, G Minor, and C Minor scales,
memorized and with correct fingering.
One octave gets you the Chopin charm.
Two octaves gets you Chopin and Music Genius.
25 cents per side.

F Minor, B-flat Minor, and E-flat Minor scales,
memorized and with correct fingering.
One octave gets you the Steinway Concert Grand charm.
Two octaves gets you the Steinway and the Harpsichord.
25 cents per side.

Spring Recital Countdown

COUNTDOWN FOR WEBSITE

Collectible Charms for Scales?

The basic look of the charms I can create

I've been working on a new incentive for students who master certain scales - collectible charms. I create them using a groovy charm maker I bought last year. So what kinds of charms should I create? Composers? Cool-looking pianos? General musical?

And how should they be earned?

Should they cost any money?

And what about boys? Are there any manly ways to use charms?

Here's what I'm thinking right now:

• Each charm would have to be earned with demonstrated mastery (memorization, correct fingering) of something like three scales.
• I don't know if I should separate the scales into groups myself or if I should allow students to select which three they want to do. If any piano teachers are reading this, I'd love to hear your thoughts. It seems like it would be easier to keep track of who has done what if each charm has a corresponding set of three specific scales. That way, students will be encouraged to master some of the tougher scales in order to earn certain special charms.
• I can hear future conversations between students now... "Oh, you have the Carnegie Hall charm! What scales did you have to do for that?" At least I hope to hear things like that.
• If you play these scales one octave, the back of the charm will be blank/empty. If you play them multiple octaves, there would be some sort of extra image on the back of the charm.
• Each charm would cost 50 cents. That would cover the cost of making them (I think), and it's affordable for students.
• Students could choose to wear or display the charms any way they like - on a chain, a bracelet, a hook of some kind, etc... Do you have any additional ideas about this? I'm particularly thinking about the boys and wanting them to dig the idea.

Possible charm ideas:

• Bach (C Major, G Major, and D Major) + 2 or more octaves ("Epic" on back)
• Beethoven (A Major, E Major, and B Major) + 2 or more octaves (Josef Hofmann on back)
• Brahms (F Major, B-flat Major, and E-flat Major) + 2 or more octaves (Diamond on back)
• Bartok (A-flat Major, D-flat Major, G-flat Major) + 2 or more octaves ("Beast" on back) 
• Grand Staff (A Minor, E Minor, B Minor) + 2 or more octaves (Chopin on back)
• Organ (F-sharp Minor, C-sharp Minor, G-sharp Minor) + 2 or more octaves ("Like" on back)
• Harpsichord (D Minor, G Minor, C Minor) + 2 or more octaves ("Ear Candy" on back)
• Grand Piano (F Minor, B-flat Minor, E-flat Minor) + 2 or more octaves (Carnegie Hall on back)

So, anyway, this is what I'm brainstorming. Got any better ideas? Tell me!

Where is the best place to nap during my child's piano lesson?

Here is a brief tutorial on parental napping during piano lessons.

Q: Should I nap during my child's piano lesson?
A: Sure!

Q: Should I nap in your piano studio?
A: No.

Q: Where is a tired parent to nap then?
A: In your car, your home, or perhaps the coffee shop?

Q: Why can't I just catch a few z's in your piano studio?
A: Are you really asking me this?

Q: Yes.
A: Because the studio policy states that parents must not nap in the piano studio. Because sometimes people snore when they nap. Because I don't like it when people sleep a few feet away from me while I am delivering world-class piano instruction. Because when my husband comes home from work and sees men sleeping on his sofa, he feels creepy. Because it's rude. Because I don't come to your workplace and take naps beside you while you're working. Because it undermines your child's study environment. Because it's inappropriate. Because you have to be awakened when it's time to go. Because it's gross. Because I told you up front that I didn't want you to nap in my studio.

Q: Don't you think you're being harsh?
A: Would you rather nap in another piano teacher's studio? Because maybe I can email my colleagues and ask if any of them are good with parental napping in their studios.

Q: Are you mad at me?
A: No. I just don't want you to take your nap in my piano studio.

And this concludes today's tutorial on parental napping during piano lessons.

Don't forget to vote for The Piano School (question 48) in the 2013 Best of Salem poll! Thank you! Here is the link: Best of Salem 2013 Poll

Fun Music Programs for Your iPad: Flashnote Derby and Note Squish

This morning, I did a workshop for our local music teachers' group about using iPads in our music studios. We looked at lots of neat apps, and I'm going to show you two of them here.

Flashnote Derby, $.99

Flashnote Derby

One of my favorite note-reading games is Flashnote Derby. It is a horse race format that is fully customizable to any reading level. If a student is just learning his/her first notes, you can limit the scope of the questions to just those few. If you have an advanced student who needs more of a challenge, you can adjust the settings to include note reading above and below each staff with several ledger lines.

In the screenshot above, you can see that some notes are yellow and some are black. The yellow notes are the ones that you have selected for drill in the student's game. I use this app with as little as two notes for my earliest readers, and it really seems to help them remember what they are learning in their method books.

Note Squish, $.99

Note Squish for iPhone/iPad

Note Squish is another note-reading game that many students love. It is actually an iPhone app, but you can easily use it on an iPad and enlarge the image size to fit. It is basically a musical version of the old arcade game, Whac-a-Mole. The object is to name the displayed note as fast as you can by tapping on the critter that has the correct note atop his head. You can get bonus points by also tapping the worms and rabbits that pop up through the mole holes.

Like Flashnote Derby, Note Squish is fully customizable to suit your student's reading level. You can limit the scope to as few as two notes on one staff or expand it to include all of the notes on both staves, reaching out to ledger lines above and below as well.

Note Squish settings

Each of these games costs 99 cents in the App store. You should get them!

Don't forget to vote for The Piano School (question 48) in the 2013 Best of Salem poll! Thank you!
Here is the link: Best of Salem Reader's Poll

The Piano School's Fifth Annual Masterclass is March 16

The Piano School's annual masterclass for middle and high school students will take place on Saturday morning, March 16, from 10:00 to 11:30. Last year, students voted on the theme for this year's class, and the winner was "Disney Music."

Our guest teacher will be Brooke Dezio. Brooke holds a doctorate in piano performance and is a fun and energetic teacher. She will give us lots of good ideas to try out with our music.

There will be prizes at the masterclass! After each student plays his/her piece (only a few students will play...the rest will listen), we will draw a name for a prize.

Don't forget to vote for The Piano School (question 48) in the 2013 Best of Salem poll! Thank you!
Here is the link: Best of Salem Reader's Poll

Secret Enemy of the Pianist - Do You Know What It Is?

You've been practicing your recital piece, and you know it really well. You love playing it over and over again. You realize that you are able to play it really fast! You must be amazing at it to be able to go so fast! Every time you walk by the piano, you quickly play your recital piece. Really fast! It's so fun to play it fast like that!

STOP!

NOOOOO!

DON'T DO IT!!

What do I mean, stop?

I mean, STOPPP! Don't play your piece fast!! It's the worst thing you can do before a recital, and I can prove it.

Try going to the piano and playing your piece slowly after you've been whipping out lots of fast run-throughs. Go ahead and try! Notice anything?

I will GUARANTEE you that you will make lots of mistakes and say something like, "I can't play it slow. I need to go fast." If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that, I would be able to buy a second home on the beach.

Why does this happen? Aren't you better at a piece if you can play it fast? Why does it matter that you can't play it slowly?

Your fingers and arms have muscle memory. This muscle memory was developed when you were playing your piece slowly. Now you can fly through your piece because of muscle memory. But when you slow it down in performance, and you feel nervous, this WILL NOT WORK. Your muscle memory is not reliable when you are nervous...especially if you've been confusing it by playing fast all the time.

If you really want to play your recital piece fast and wow all of your friends and relatives, wait until AFTER the recital to do it. Before the recital, you need to make yourself play slowly and carefully. Pay attention to what you're doing instead of mindlessly running through your piece. You'll be SO GLAD you did when you are able to play well in the recital. 

Trust me on this. 

Here's an article on another blog about this very thing: Is Slow Practice Really Necessary?

Pianist's Fingernail Quiz

One of the things that used to bug me as a teenager was that I had to have short fingernails for piano. As we approach recital time, it's sort of incumbent upon me, as the responsible party, to inflict this same misery upon my female piano students. Why would I do this to you? Because I want you to play your piece the best you possibly can in the recital.

So how short should your nails be? They should be short enough that when you tap the ends of your fingertips on a table, the only thing that touches the tabletop is skin. That's really short. I hear you. I don't bug you young ladies about fingernails very often, but I have to lay down the law at recital time. 

Now, let's take a quiz. Look at the pictures below and decide if the length is just right or too long. 

Ready? Set? Go!

Answers:

Just right

Just right

Too long

Just right

Too long

Too long

Too long

Too long

Too long

Just right

Just right

Just right

Just right

Just right (borderline)

Recital Countdown Chart for You!

Download your Recital Countdown Chart

Here's a picture of it!

Why I'm Thankful for You

Why I'm Thankful for You

"You" represents many different "you's"

• Your tiny fingers are adorable when they try to play a B Major pentascale.
• You get really excited about learning to play things you've heard before.
• You like to put upside-down smiley faces on those stick people in A Dozen a Day.
• Sometimes you can't wait to tell me what happened at school.
• You make me laugh inside when you're not trying to.
• You smile the biggest smile when you have a surprise to show me.
• You think you can sneak up on me when you arrive for your lesson.
• You say, "Already?" when your lesson is over.
• You color in the squares of your 1000-Minute Club meticulously.
• Your bio is hilarious.
• You play your favorite piece over and over and over again.
• You bring me rocks you find outside because they're beautiful.
• You wear your best dress to the recital.
• You succumb when your mom makes you wear a tie to the recital.
• If I play a fast scale, you say, "How did you do that!"
• You care about other kids.
• You've had the same pink sequined piano bag since you were a little girl.
• You order more than you can afford for dinner on a field trip.
• You didn't want to have a week off from scales that time you earned it.
• You stood up and cheered like you were at a football game when we won Battle of the Studios.
• You don't realize I've heard "Heart and Soul" before when you show me how to play it.
• You said my house is always clean.
• You don't believe people really live here, since it's a school.
• You say, "Play it as fast as the metronome will go."
• You gave me a music bracelet for Christmas and said, "I bet your husband won't give you something that good."
• You asked if you could have a sleepover here.
• You used to say that you were going to marry both of my boys.
• You gave me a big hug after your group lesson.
• When a little student leaves after his lesson, you start playing his piece.
• You say to your friend, "Oh, level two! I remember that!"
• You asked me if I was the same lady that cuts your hair.

...and there are lots more reasons I'm thankful for you. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!