14 June 2020 4 Things To Think About Before Hiring a Piano Teacher

4 Things To Think About Before Hiring a Piano Teacher

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Ready to learn to play the piano? There are a variety of ways you can go about doing it. 

You can buy a beginning book and try to learn yourself. You can invest in an app and use it to become more proficient with the learning process. 

But no matter how much you try on your own, you’ll eventually find it works better by hiring a teacher. For you or your kids, there’s something better about working one on one with someone who already has piano skills in place. They can make you into a better pianist, and make your playing more enjoyable, no matter what you choose to play. 

What do you look for when hiring a piano teacher?

Start with your goals

Some just want to play their favorite songs. Some have hopes of turning it into a career. Depending on your goals should direct you to finding the perfect piano teacher. If you have hopes of a professional career, be sure to look for someone who is doing what you want to do. Their experience will be the perfect guide for your next steps. 

Don’t worry about location

In today’s world, you don’t have to rely on someone you can visit face to face. Thanks to technology, your perfect instructor can be a half a world away. The important thing is getting what you need from the instructor and learning all you can. 

Personality is everything

Learning piano is a lifelong challenge. It’s not something you’ll gain overnight. Instead, it takes hard work and endurance. And at times, you’ll become challenged, possibly even frustrated with the process. That’s when personality matters most. Do you have an instructor who meshes well with your temperament? Do they challenge you in the right ways? 

Price is everything

Look beyond the dollar amount. Is the piano instructor you are considering a good value? Will they help take you to the level of professionalism you desire? If so, find a way to include their fees in your monthly budget. You’ll be happy you did. 

Becoming a better piano player starts by having a great instrument to play. If you don’t have the right equipment, no matter how much a piano teacher pushes you, you’ll never achieve the results you’re looking for. Start with a great piano. Whether used or new, we can help. 

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10 June 2020 Using A Metronome For Better Piano Practice

Using A Metronome For Better Piano Practice

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Want to be a better piano player? The key is with better piano practice. 

Unfortunately, not everyone is an expert at understanding rhythm. Sometimes it takes work to get the beat right. 

That’s why incorporating a metronome into your practice will help you improve the way you play. A metronome can help you understand the right tempo and develop perfect timing for each piece you play. 

What is a metronome?

Metronomes emit a sound on each beat. It sets the tempo, then ticks off the counts to help you adjust the rhythm and understand the feel of the beat. Most metronomes can be set between 40 and 240 beats per minute. Some pianos have built in metronomes. You can also purchase apps that allow you to take it anywhere. 

How it can help identify technician issues

When you play without a metronome, you can glide over technical issues you might have with your playing. Spots where you’re dragging or rushing become apparent when you play it with the beat of a metronome. Practice the song with the clicking beat; you can do so just a few bars at a time. 

Getting up to speed

When you work with a teacher, they can help you through spots you might not be playing well. But most of your practice will be done alone. That’s where a metronome can help you along. Start by playing slower until you can play the notes effectively. Then speed it up until you’re at the proper dynamics. This works very well to overcome technical issues. It also ensures you play the music as intended by the creator of the piece. 

Do you have the proper tools to ensure your piano practice is effective? If not, we can help. From new and used pianos, to metronomes and sheet music, we can point you in the right direction to make every practice session its best. 

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25 May 2020 What’s The Most Effective Way To Practice Piano?

What’s The Most Effective Way To Practice Piano?

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Practice is one of the most important parts of piano playing. It’s how you learn. It’s how you get better. But like everything, piano practice can grow boring if you don’t have a goal. Is there an effective way to practice piano?

Start with a goal. “I’ll play several times a week” is not a goal. Instead, sit down every session with something specific in mind. “I’m going to learn to play ____ today.” “I’m going to learn the opening of _____ today.” Make sure the goal is achievable, given your level of playing and what you’re attempting to do. 

Slow down. Playing isn’t a race to the finish line. Instead, it’s about playing the best you can. Take the time to learn what you do perfectly. If it takes longer to move through a piece of music, that’s okay. The important thing is to learn, and do it well. 

Pay attention to fundamentals. It’s nice that you want to play music from your favorite band. But learning the fundamentals can make you a better piano player. Spend time mastering scales. Take the time to learn technical skills. You’ll see it in every piece of music you play. 

Use a metronome. It’s one of the best ways to bring a song up to tempo. But that doesn’t mean you have to start at tempo. Slow things done and focus on the notes and fingering. Master music in pieces. Then bring the metronome up to speed until you can play it as intended. 

Listen. Listen to the best piano players in the world. Go to concerts and see them in action. You may even wish to sign up for competitions to learn from others around. You’ll learn a lot from listening to what others have to say about your performance. 

End with fun. The last few minutes of your practice session should be designed for fun. What’s your favorite piece of music? Playing your favorites allows you to leave your session fully energized and ready for your day. 

What’s your most effective way to keep piano practice interesting? 

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4 May 2020 Piano Practice When Everyone’s At Home

Piano Practice When Everyone’s At Home

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Right now can be the perfect time to practice the piano. With everybody home and staying in place, finding the time is no longer a problem.

Yet with everybody at home, it can also be difficult to carve out a few minutes where you can practice alone. Everybody is around, trying to do their thing. And when noise has become the one constant in your days, how are you supposed to find quiet to think about piano practice in the right manner?

Place the piano in a quiet place in your home

If you’ve already found the perfect place for your piano, moved furniture and even decorated around it, moving it may seem like a hassle. But a lot of this comes from knowing who will be practicing regularly. Some people like to be the center of attention. Others may prefer a quiet space where they can practice without others hearing them. While you’re spring cleaning and organizing your house, this may be the perfect time for a little redecorating, and moving your piano to where it functions best. 

Schedule a time for practice

Even when the days all start to run together, they can seem like they fly by without the chance to make it through your daily to-do list. Carve out time during the day for each family member to be able to do something they really enjoy. While one practices the piano, another may choose to paint or draw. Keep the activities going on in the room complimentary, and you’ll soon create a space that everyone looks forward to each day. 

Use headphones

Did you know some acoustic pianos today come with the option of having headphones? It’s not just digital anymore. Being able to plugin headphones gives you the opportunity to practice no matter what else is going on in the room. It helps the piano player concentrate, and allows other family members to do their thing without interrupting.

Create a plan

Even in these trying times, having a plan in place helps. Try and create some structure in your days. Get up at the same time. Go to bed at the same time. Center your activities around meal plans. This will help everyone keep some sense of balance. That also gives you a chance to put what’s important on the calendar – like piano practice. 

The only thing we know for sure right now is we’ll get through this one day at a time. 

Piano practice can add a sense of normality no matter what’s happening in the world. It has calming effects, and can reduce the stress of everyone playing or listening. 

Stick with your piano practice – you’ll appreciate it even more in the weeks and months to come. 

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28 April 2020 Why You Should Learn Piano Right Now

Why You Should Learn Piano Right Now

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Looking for a new skill during the coronavirus? Is it time to find something to help you relieve stress? 

Maybe it’s time to learn piano. 

The arts have a meditative quality to them. Pick up a paintbrush and paint; you relax as the strokes move across the canvas. Touch your fingers to the keys; you feel your breathing calm as each note comes alive. 

And that really is the top benefit to learning piano. It requires your full concentration, full engagement of the brain as you work both hands together, while your brain activates by looking at each note on the sheet in front of you. 

If you do any research, you’ll quickly discover that music isn’t just for enjoyment, music therapy is used in all sorts of ways. Anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD. Science is finding sitting still and playing a song can help in many ways. 

While it may calm you down and act as a stress reliever, it’s activating the brain. Every time you practice a song, get better, and challenge yourself in new ways, it adds neural connections. That means your brain is learning, growing, and connecting to enhance your thinking skills. 

When people think about physical activity, they often push themselves to run and jump. But there’s more to it than that, and that’s where learning piano can help. Playing piano strengthens hand-eye coordination. It also increases fine-motor skills. You might not be able to play physical sports like soccer or football your entire life, but piano is something you can do forever. Plus it works to lower blood pressure, reduce cardiac complications, lower respiratory rates, and increase immune response. That’s good news right now when we need something to do all that and more. It also strengthens your arm and hand muscles, and builds your focus muscle too. 

You’ve always wanted to learn piano. It’s been on your bucket list for years. 

Whether you choose to pick up where you left off as a kid, or you’re ready to start something new, make this the year you find your musical self once more. Make this the year you learn piano. 

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10 April 2020 How To Teach Piano Remotely

How To Teach Piano Remotely

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Thanks to the coronavirus, we’re rethinking everything we do. 

It hasn’t taken away our desire to learn. Instead, it’s made us focus on new ways to teach. If you’re searching for ways to teach piano remotely, we have some tips for you. 

Think outside the box

In most cases, your student will be an active participant. Whether you have an adult who has more time to practice, or a child with a parent guiding them along, stay in contact with them and make suggestions for being creative in this time apart. 

Now is a great time to brush up on music theory and history. It’s also a great time for people to listen and observe as well as sit down and play as well. Places like YourClassical offer free classical music all day, and offer a variety of educational items for kids too. Chrome Music Lab makes music fun with a variety of hands-on experiments. You can also pull up a variety of philharmonic and orchestra websites and check out their online resources – just Google it. 

Keep it simple

To encourage your students to play, one of the easiest ways is to teach via the phone. While this isn’t an ideal situation, it can keep your students on track and provide you with a way to keep paying students on your schedule. Have your student place the phone near the piano and ensure it’s on speakerphone. Since you won’t be able to see them perform, you’ll have to rely on listening and asking questions. 

Step it up

If you both have the technology, upgrade your teaching methods by using Facetime or Skype. This gives you the added bonus of both sight and sound. Realize there is a learning curve for both of you. Spend time in your first session finding the perfect placement of the digital device so you can see your student in action as well as hear their performance. 

Above all, be patient with yourself and your students. Realize you’re each going to have good and bad days. Some days may be better for relaxing and having fun, using the space just to take 30 minutes out of a stressful day. 

And realizing that teaching remotely won’t last forever. But the important thing is to have fun in the process. 

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7 April 2020 How To Be a Great Piano Teacher Online

How To Be a Great Piano Teacher Online

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So you’re looking for ways to turn your skills into an online business. How about becoming a piano teacher online? 

Just like teaching in person, online teaching tacks a special knack. But if you love teaching, and piano is a hobby you’d love to share with others, maybe now is the time to set up your online piano teaching business. 

Here’s what you need. 

Competency in piano playing

This is obvious, but in order to be a great online piano teacher, you have to love what you do. And that means loving the piano so much you play whether you get paid or not. If you sit down regularly at the piano, and you want to share that joy with others, this is the perfect road for you to go down. 

Great communication skills

It’s a little trickier teaching online versus in person. You have to use technology to notice all nuances of a player’s ability, and be able to communicate corrective measures back in a healthy way. What about posture? Is your student sitting correctly? Why are they stumbling over the notes? What is their body language saying? You have to be able to take all that in, and communicate it back in a meaningful way. 

Credentials

What level of students do you want to take on? There’s a big difference between a beginning and advanced students. The more refinement a student needs, the more credentials you’ll need to help them along. This should give you motivation to keep learning too. 

The right setup

Technology has made online learning easier than ever before. But you and your students will have to have the right tools to make this work. On your end, you should have:

  • A stable internet connection
  • A computer with the right level of technology
  • A headset
  • A microphone
  • A decent HD webcam

Being a world-class musician won’t be good enough in the online world if you get stuck with the basics of technology. If you need to learn computer skills yourself in order to improve your proficiency, do that first before you start offering your services. 

Are you ready to become a great online piano teacher? 

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18 February 2020 The Benefit To Learning Piano With Headphones

The Benefit To Learning Piano With Headphones

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When people pick up an instrument for the first time, it can be a precarious thing. We’ve all witnessed a child blowing into a trumpet, or banging on a drum until we’re ready to take the set away. 

But a piano is different. We all have an innate skill to hunt and peck out a basic tune. Tap a few keys and it doesn’t sound all that bad. Of course, that all changes when you sit down with a piece of music and attempt to play a longer song. Suddenly, the hunt and peck method shines through. You play a few notes over and over and over … Let’s just say your family is ready to push the piano into a closet and not let you near it for a while. 

Thanks to today’s technology, you can sit in the middle of family living space and play without others having to listen to your hunt-and-peck practice methods, until you’re ready to play the tune for an audience. By learning piano with headphones, you can actually improve the way you practice and play. 

Listen better

Sometimes playing the piano can be a bit distracting. It’s hard to hear yourself play because of the ambient noise. Use headphones will allow you to hear every note, every tone. You can also use them for playback and carefully listen to where you can improve. 

Avoid distractions

Even when you’re sitting in your home, distractions are everywhere. Family members ask questions. You remember something else to do in another room. By putting on headphones, they can act as a blocker against what’s happening around you, allowing you to focus on practice and the music. 

Play on your schedule

A lot of busy families have trouble finding the time to practice. With headphones, you won’t make a sound, so you can practice whenever you choose. Practice while others are doing homework. Practice early before everyone wakes up. Or practice before you head to bed. Just plug in and you can practice as much as you want to. 

Listen to the greats

Sometimes motivation can help you become a better player. If you’re trying to learn Mozart or Beethoven, use your headphones to listen to every note. You can concentrate on certain passages, and then use that as motivation to create your own music. 

Of course, you’ll have to invest in high quality headphones. In this case, price does matter. Be sure they are full-sized, over the ear headphones to ensure they block out all ambient noise, and allow you to focus on only what’s important – you’re playing. 

Have you ever tried learning piano with headphones? Has it made you a better player?

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7 February 2019 We Have It All Wrong – 5 Reasons We Need Music In School

We Have It All Wrong – 5 Reasons We Need Music In School

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Most school districts around the country are facing tough decisions every year as they put together budgets. What should the keep? What should they give up?

For most districts, STEM classes have received two thumbs up. The arts – not so much. When school systems cut back, the music, dance, visual arts, and theater are the first to go. And that’s not a good thing. 

Music is important – for some kids, it’s the only reason they show up. Maybe it’s time to rethink what kids receive in instruction throughout the day. 

Music engages kidsWe Have It All Wrong - 5 Reasons We Need Music In School

For most STEM classes, the curriculum is one on many. The teacher talks, the students listen. And for many, the only way they’d describe these classes is – boring. When you weave in music programs, it allows kids to express themselves in lively ways. They participate. They show off their skills. They take part in creating something bigger than themselves. And if these classes help motivate them, they’ll be more likely to stay engaged in the STEM classes as well. 

Music builds self confidence

With music, kids get a sense of accomplishment every time they learn a new song. They can see their own skillset changing. They can feel better about themselves based on the music they are playing. They learn how to set goals and stick with them to improve along the way. 

Music builds imagination

Creativity is an important skill to have. It adds innovation into our society. But slowly, we’re taking away the activities that build our imagination skills up. Music allows kids to explore. The arts allow kids to get messy, express themselves through movement, and through the sounds that they make. Music develops the whole brain, both by listening and be using their skills to create their own sounds. 

Music improves academics

Studies consistently show that kids that engage in music do better in all subjects across the board. They rank higher on their SAT scores, and they are more likely to get into medical school. Music develops critical thinking skills in a way sports never will. 

Music teaches a lifelong skill

No other skill can provide enjoyment throughout your life as music can. And playing the piano is something virtually anyone can do. You can learn piano at any age, and perfect your skills a little at a time. With such a wide array of music available, you can be playing your favorites in a short period of time. 

Music benefits and engages us like no other. To create well-rounded children that can use their skills throughout their lives, add music to their lives today. 

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17 January 2019 Piano Lessons and Learning Disabilities

Piano Lessons and Learning Disabilities

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Every child has their own outlook on life. Every child excels at what matters most to them. But finding what that is can be challenging at best for a parent. 

So, like any good parent, you plod along signing them up for classes and teams, hoping something will stick. 

That changes when your child has learning disabilities. If they have trouble concentrating, if they can’t read or write in a manner a traditional classroom asks, it’s up to you to find what helps. 

Music might be the solution. Music builds up the muscles of the brain – audio, visual, and motor skills. This is what controls language, reading, comprehension, math, problem solving, focus, concentration, and attention to detail. 

Studies show that some children with learning disabilities can benefit from starting up the piano. Especially where background noise is a problem for learning, music helps build up attention, focus, self-esteem, and self-expression. 

What can you do to enhance this skill?Piano Lessons and Learning Disabilities

Follow the rhythm. We each have our own unique circadian rhythm – it’s your biological clock that helps control your sleep/wake cycle. This clock is attuned to our heart beats – thump, thump, thump. It’s a natural rhythm that allows us to focus and stay on task. Focus in on this. Play music with distinct rhythm. Your child can also clap their hands or tap out a simple beat to feel the power of the beat. 

Dance. Movement is especially helpful with certain types of learning disorders. As a child moves, it helps them tune in on both physical coordination and the ability to concentrate throughout every move. 

Listen. You can easily bring in different types of music right through your home music system. But take it to the next level too. Attend concerts. Watch for special evenings with your local symphony – many have special programs just for kids. 

Sign up for group lessons. This can be something as simple as a dance class when your child is a few years old. It doesn’t have to be formal or with purpose – just a basic class to start feeling the rhythm. 

Private lessons. Piano lessons can help tremendously with focus. Just be sure you find the right instructor that understands the issues your child is facing and has the experience to work with them each week. 

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