10 December 2021 It’s Time To Prepare For Your Christmas Recital

It’s Time To Prepare For Your Christmas Recital

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Running a piano business is an ebb and flow of keeping your students excited. 

For many, students get started in new directions in August and September as the temperatures cool down and we start spending more time inside. It’s fun to dig into new pieces and discover talent all over again. 

Yet after weeks of practice, as the days grow shorter, attention spans start to wane in late October or early November. That’s when preparing for a Christmas recital can add pizzazz back into your piano students’ routine. 

The best place to start is by selecting your piano recital date and moving backward for planning purposes. Whether you meet in person or handle everything virtually, your students should feel prepared, not overwhelmed. 

Because a lot happens in the month of December, select a date that works for your students. The end of November or early December is often best. 

Then have each student choose their favorite music. You can help by ensuring the music they select is skill-appropriate. Will they have enough time to learn the piece? Will it be enough of a challenge to keep them on their toes? 

Stress that this process shouldn’t overwhelm. If they enjoy a song, it’s often easier to play the tune. 

Like other music they learn, they don’t have to be good at playing the very first time they sit down with the music. Break it up into sections, giving them a chance to learn the song in small bursts. Then put it all tougher when they’re comfortable with the individual sections. 

You can also work with your students to create different themes. Maybe you’ll focus on winter wonderland, or how about a gingerbread theme? This gives an added boost of excitement to the recital, knowing everyone who participates will approach the theme in their own unique way. 

As a teacher, you stress to your students that repetition is key. This is especially true now that a deadline is in place. Continue to stress that to your students as the big day approaches. Keep fun in the process by adding to the theme. Maybe they collect gingerbread stickers by practicing and achieving goals. If they receive enough, they get a “holiday surprise” on the day of the recital. 

On the day of the event, being present is everything. Make it a fun process for you, your students, and their families. While listening to every performance is key, you can incorporate other short games and projects into the process to keep everyone entertained. 

Make this a day to remember! It’s something your students will look forward to each and every year. 

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24 September 2021 Easy Ways To Improve Your Child’s Piano Practice Sessions

Easy Ways To Improve Your Child’s Piano Practice Sessions

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As you start your child’s musical journey, buying a piano and signing up for piano lessons is only the first step in a very long process. 

Imagine your child playing for years to come, enjoying all of the benefits that come along with playing the piano. None of that can occur if your child reaches a plateau, starts dreading piano lessons, and asks to quit for good. 

How can you ensure you pass through these hurdles with ease? How can you encourage your child to keep practicing throughout the years?

Talk with your child about each lesson – ask them to tell you one thing they learned. This interaction can keep the lesson fresh in their mind, and turn it into a positive experience even when they’re in a difficult place. 

Be there to help them talk through their weekly goals – sometimes a child can get lost in the sameness of the routine. Be there for them to talk through what they learned for the lesson, and how they’ll apply it to their daily routine. 

Establish routines – while they are practicing, what routines can others in your family have? Maybe it’s a quiet time for you to read and relax. Or start dinner if the kitchen’s nearby. If all have a routine and stick with the schedule, it becomes natural as brushing your teeth. 

Have impromptu concerts as they accomplish new goals – how about recording a video for a grandparent or other loved one far away? Thanks to technology, you can showcase five minutes of talent anytime, and bring all of your friends and family in on advancements. 

Why not turn your student into a teacher – have you wanted to learn the piano too? Why not have your child teach you a few things too? Then you can work on increasing your knowledge, and enjoy the results together.

Encourage creating their own pieces – with the skills they learn along the way, why not have your child develop their own songs? Then have them perform them for everyone in your family. 

One of the best ways to improve piano practice is to stay engaged throughout the process. If you’re excited, they’ll be excited. And they may just become a budding musician they’ve been dreaming about. 

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14 September 2021 Have You Ever Thought Of Online Piano Recitals?

Have You Ever Thought Of Online Piano Recitals?

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Nothing beats listening to a concert in person. That’s something we all thought pre-pandemic. Now we’re rethinking everything. 

While in-person recitals still are a great way to take in the hard work your students put into learning music, there are benefits to online piano recitals too. Holding online piano recitals can:

  • Teach kids and parents the latest technology
  • Get kids used to being recorded
  • Give students the opportunity to be comfortable in front of the camera

While online piano recitals might not take the place of playing in person, it may be a time to incorporate them more into your studio’s schedule. 

How do you do that?

Start with a platform

Technology changes every day. If you’re bringing online piano recitals into the mix, do a little research to find out what’s new. You’ll have to consider your current technology as well as what is available to each of your students. 

In general, you can hold a recital live, or have it pre-recorded. If students perform live, you may experience a variety of glitches and cut-outs as people have problems with technology. By having student pre-record their recital pieces, you give them the opportunity to create the best video possible, then use that to create a dynamic presentation to share with the crowd. 

Communicate with your audience

Think through every step of the process. It starts with an email to the parents helping their kids record their performance. Consider giving tip sheets and possibly even an instruction video to make the process as easy as possible. Remember, not all of your students will be technology savvy. Make the process as easy as possible. 

Share with them how to record the recital pieces, what size file to create, how to upload it, where to share it. If you need specifics, be sure you spell that out in your instructions. Give a deadline to ensure people meet your timeframes. 

Put the recital together

Depending on how you’re going to display the recital, you can edit the videos and create a full length recital program. Add a welcome video. Add title screens and applause tracks. 

Be sure to place the final recital video in a private or unlisted playlist if you use a program like YouTube. Also request parents and students leave the link to the video private, without posting it to social media accounts like Facebook. This is protection for everyone in the class, especially for those who prefer their images aren’t placed online. 

Have you experienced an online piano recital? What tips or strategies worked for you? 

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21 August 2021 What Would You Look Like Playing The Piano?

What Would You Look Like Playing The Piano?

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A lot of people talk about learning to play the piano, but not everyone follows through on their desires. 

When Ryan Gosling was to showcase his piano playing talents in the movie La La Land, he spent three months practicing two hours a day to perfect his skill. 

While few of us can hope to learn at that speed – we have busy lives too – there is something about his actions that we can all learn from. 

  • Set a goal and stick with it.
  • Choose the type of music you wish to learn. 
  • Pay attention to fundamentals and proper technique.
  • Learn common patterns such as chords and scales.
  • Remain dedicated. It’s the best way to learn. 

The best place to start is to see yourself playing the piano. Would you be sitting at home with a small acoustic piano? Would you be sitting in a grand hall at a grand piano, playing for an audience? 

This can give you the motivation you need to keep moving forward. It can also set the stage for where to invest your time and money. Choose the right piano for your needs. If you want to play on a grand piano in front of an audience, why not invest in one as you learn? 

It’s equally important to play what you love. While learning the basics is important, there are many ways to incorporate different genres of music into your daily learning patterns. Music comes in a variety of skill sets, genres, and ability levels. Work with an instructor who can help select the right training materials for you. 

Remaining dedicated is also the best way to achieve your goals. Schedule your practice and stick with it. Make piano a part of your life, and you’re more likely to continue with your goals. 

Finally, bring more music into your life. When was the last time you took in a concert, listened to a symphony, or attended group lessons? There are many ways to incorporate piano playing into your life. Get creative. You never know where it might lead. 

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17 August 2021 Is It Time To Tune Your Piano?

Is It Time To Tune Your Piano?

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When you invest in a quality piano, it can make beautiful music for years to come. 

But to keep your piano playing well, it takes a little TLC from time to time. 

If you want to create music that’s pleasing to the ear, it’s important to tune your piano regularly. 

For many piano owners, the thought of bringing in a tuner periodically throughout the year can be a little intimidating. While there isn’t a set schedule for when to call in a professional tuner, there are a few things you can watch for to know when it’s time for tuning. 

Listen to the piano’s pitch

Have you ever watched professionals tune their instruments? Even singers warm up by racing for the right pitch. That’s to ensure all instruments match while playing, and to ensure your piano makes beautiful music. You can test the note yourself. The most used test note is A440. This is the A note above middle C. When this note is in tune, it will vibrate at a rate of 440 times per second. When in tune, every instrument playing will be at this same pitch. 

Listen while playing different notes

Most acoustic pianos have, on average, 88 keys. This contains seven octaves plus three keys below bottom C. To allow all 88 keys to create sound, they are connected to around 230 strings. Each key will be attached to two or three strings, depending on the sound it will make. As you’re playing different notes, you may notice a wavering sound between the notes. That may be competing strings touching each other, or even canceling each other out. If it isn’t strung properly, it’s time for professional tuning. 

Play your scales

When properly tuned, you should be able to run up the octaves and have all the notes line up. It sounds “right.” When something is off, this quick repetition will highlight where problems occur. You can also test this by playing the same note in several different octaves – all the Cs, for instance. You’ll highlight any nuances in the way it sounds. The most common problem that impacts playability is temperature and humidity changes. If you hear a problem, it’s time for tuning. 

Should you try it yourself?

Do a search online, and you’ll find quick courses that teach you in a short video. But tuning isn’t something you can learn from a YouTube video. It’s something that takes years of practice with hands-on knowledge. 

Need more advice on tuning your piano? Give us a call today.

Filed Under: Owning a Piano, Piano Playing Tagged With:
4 August 2021 Why Your Piano Is Suddenly Out Of Tune

Why Your Piano Is Suddenly Out Of Tune

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You sit down to play the piano. You run through a scale to warm up. 

Something doesn’t sound quite right. It makes a terrible noise. 

That’s one of the top reasons piano players stop playing. 

What fun is it playing the piano when the sound you’re creating is anything but pleasant?

Where is it coming from? Is there anything you can do? 

Most pianos built today have 88 keys and around 230 strings to produce sound. Each string has the potential to move slightly, causing it to fall out of tune. What causes it? 

Everyday use

Every time you play, the keys move, the strings vibrate, and they move ever so slightly. Over time, they move enough to be out of tune. But don’t think your piano won’t change if you don’t play. A piano needs care throughout its life, no matter if you play routinely or not. 

Climate change

On the coldest days of the year, your furnace runs nonstop. On the hottest days of the year, your air conditioner pumps out cold air. Sunlight streams through the windows. Cool breezes float in through the windows. And all of it impacts your piano in different ways. Pianos are built from natural materials that can change in different circumstances. That’s why tuning a piano after different seasons is recommended. 

Piano movement

When was the last time your piano moved? Did you move it to replace the carpets? Did you move it to a new home? All of that jiggling can cause strings to loosen and make your piano behave differently. Even when you apply the utmost care, any movement can impact the way your piano sounds. 

Of course, these may be the biggest reasons your piano may be out of tune. But they aren’t the only ones. Because a piano is an intricate series of parts that move and change all the time, your piano is always at risk of going out of tune. 

New pianos need tuning more frequently as they meld into their new positions. Older pianos may be flexible and run the risk of moving out of tune due to older parts. 

It’s hard to predict what will impact the way your piano plays. But if you want great sound throughout its lifetime, it’s important to schedule tuning sessions regularly. 

When was the last time you had your piano tuned? 

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21 July 2021 4 of the Worst Habits You Can Develop as a Piano Player

4 of the Worst Habits You Can Develop as a Piano Player

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Some people naturally fall in love with playing the piano. From the moment they sit down at the keyboard, they know the piano will be in their lives for life. 

For some, that could be simply playing for pleasure at home, a simple way to relax after a hard day of work. 

For others, it might be to see how far you can take what you learn. Play professionally? Maybe. 

But before you start entertaining audiences, there are a few things you’ll have to overcome. Most pianists fall into one of these habits at some point in their piano playing career. Catch it quickly, and you can avoid the bad habits settling in and preventing you from perfecting your skill.

Wrong body posture

Humans are meant to be active. Yet in today’s society, we’re anything but. We hunch over computers hours each day. We sit on the couch, staring at the television, smart devices in our hands tapping away. 

Then you sit down at the piano, and all of those habits transfer over to your posture at the keyboard. 

To correct this, be conscious of how you sit. Choose the right chair or bench, and spend the first few seconds aware of how you sit. Pay attention to your body angle. Ensure your arms are relaxed, and the seat is the perfect distance to allow your hands to naturally hover over the keys. Too much tension can cause stress on your wrists. 

Using the wrong fingers

One of the problems with picking up piano playing yourself is you can fall into bad habits unknowingly. Can you imagine typing on a keyboard and not putting the right fingers on the correct keys? It’ll slow you down. 

The same applies to your fingers on the piano keys. Your fingers are a perfect stretch between the C-notes. If you’re singing the familiar song “Do Re Mi”, it would be Do to Do. This gives your fingers the proper spacing to play any song, and play it well. 

Having the wrong touch

This follows with not being positioned correctly at the keyboard. Without proper hand placement, your fingers won’t connect delicately with the keys. You’ll swipe at them, bang them, and create a sound that is anything but pleasing. It won’t feel natural. And more importantly, it’ll create stress on your hands and arms. 

It’s critical to have proper arm placement while you play. This puts your fingers in a natural position that gives them power to connect with the keys, yet a delicate touch that keeps them limber while they play. 

Practicing incorrectly

Oh, the struggle of daily practice. That’s what turns a lot of people off from playing the piano regularly. They schedule daily practice in thirty-minute increments, and sit down watching the minutes tick by. 3-2-1 – I’m free!

If you started out loving the piano, and want it to be a part of your life, it’s important to keep your practice fresh and new. Skip setting a time clock, and give yourself goals instead. Realize that some days you might only choose to play for a few minutes – that’s okay. By telling yourself you’ll play one song, learn one passage, or just sit down to have fun with it, you’ll give yourself room to play and explore. And ultimately, that’s a better approach than setting a time clock. 

Do you enjoy playing the piano? What habits have you had to overcome?

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7 July 2021 The Most Important Things To Learn as a Beginning Piano Player

The Most Important Things To Learn as a Beginning Piano Player

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Whether you’re learning piano as an adult, or you’re helping your child become a better piano player, one of the first questions asked is: What are the most important things I can learn as a beginning to help me as I improve my talent?

Sitting down and touching the keys can produce sound. But to truly master the piano and be good at it, it takes practice and work. But even that should be a bit methodical. People have excelled before you; what are the best traits to have as you move forward? 

Many pianists agree, if you want to play the piano for a lifetime, there are a few things you should do from the beginning. 

Slow down

When you first start to play, it’s easy to rush through and have the desire to learn an entire song at the beginning. How else can you check off results if you don’t complete a task – and learning a song is certainly a good way to do just that. 

Yet speed can also be an enemy to learning more. If you pick up bad habits in the beginning, you’ll carry them through to all you do. Don’t expect to be “the best” right away. Slow down, take your time, and learn how to play. 

Count out loud

Rhythm is one of the most important things to learn as a beginner. Pay attention to the way music is written. Clap out the tempo. Count out the measures and use a metronome as necessary. This can allow you to really understand how a piece was written, and play it to hear more drama within the song. 

Hands separately

It takes a lot of coordination to get both hands working together, your eyes to read along and convert the notes into the way your fingers play. Don’t get frustrated if that doesn’t happen right away. 

Instead, learn both hands separately before you put them together. Practice to ensure you understand the rhythm and the way the composer puts the music together. Then slowly, build up to putting the two together. This will increase your ability to read music and understand the nuances of transferring that knowledge to your fingers. 

Find a teacher

The good news is there are many ways to learn the piano in today’s world. Try group classes online. Learn in person with a teacher in your local community. Use an app to find a teacher who meshes with your way of learning – they can be anywhere in the world. 

Don’t be afraid to use different teachers for different things. One teacher rarely will carry you through for years. Learn what you can, and take recommendations to move forward, gaining more talent from other teachers. 

What do you find to be the hardest thing about learning as a beginning piano player? 

Filed Under: Piano Playing
3 July 2021 You Don’t Have To Read Music To Play The Piano

You Don’t Have To Read Music To Play The Piano

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I remember as a young child, watching my grandmother sit down at the piano and playing beautiful music. She carefully tapped out a few notes, found the right placement for her fingers, and played away. She never took lessons, never learned to read music, but she could play!

It wasn’t magic. It wasn’t a trick. She wasn’t a musical prodigy. In fact, most of us have the ability, it’s just left untapped. 

Why? 

Because we have an innate ability to understand music. It’s a part of us, and we don’t need to take years of lessons to play the piano for fun. 

Reading sheet music can help you become better at the craft of playing the piano. But to play your favorite songs? It requires listening and finding the right notes. 

It starts with paying attention to music. Make sure you use a high quality recording of whatever song you wish to play. Play it through a high quality system, great speakers, or headphones. Make sure you can hear all of the notes clearly, and can differentiate between the different tones. High quality recordings allow you to pick up on all the crucial notest that can make the difference in the way you play the song. 

The biggest part of being able to play by ear is not to rush the process. You can’t hum a new song and expect to play it perfectly the first time you sit down at the piano. 

Start by learning the music in small segments. Pick out five to ten seconds of a song, and convert that over to piano playing. Learn one part first, play it with one hand, and then try and pick up the other. You can do this over and over again as you make the sound more complex. 

If you master thirty seconds or so at a time, take a break. Come back another day and internalize what you’ve just learned. This helps you fully recognize the ability to play, and creates the pathways necessary to keep playing at this level. 

Then repeat. You can do this until you have your favorite song mastered, and can play it anytime you sit down at the piano. 

Of course, you can continue to do this with your favorite music. But if you prefer to take your piano playing to the next level, learning to read music will only improve what you know. 

But for now, it’s a great way to learn your favorite songs, and be able to play them whenever you desire. 

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28 June 2021 When Your Left Hand Doesn’t Keep Up With The Right While Playing the Piano

When Your Left Hand Doesn’t Keep Up With The Right While Playing the Piano

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It’s been close to two centuries that scientists have studied “handedness.” Yet even with all of these studies, they still aren’t quite sure why people give preferential treatment to one hand over the other. Anywhere from 70 to 95 percent of humans are right hand dominant. That leaves the vast majority of left hand dominance or ambidextrous to live in a predominantly right handed world. 

When your right hand is the leader, you automatically do things by reaching out and taking action with your right hand. If you’ve sat down at a piano and put both hands on the keyboard, it can feel like a foreign act. How do you make both hands work together, yet separately? 

It’s not your fingers or hands you have to retrain. It starts in your brain. 

When composers write music, by default, they are right handed too. They realize people can get more detailed with their right hand, so they put more of the intricate details into the right handed positions. You’ll find the right hand may play elaborate passages, while the left hand is more responsible for the harmonic undertones. 

That’s also why you’ll find higher pitches a part of more melodies and songs. Because compositions can be created and reached easier with the right, you’ll have accompaniments being written and played in higher ranges. 

When you first pick up a piece of music, you might find it easier to play the parts separately. Practice the left hand first. Learn the chord progressions. Figure out the structure. Put the notes into play, letting your fingers find the way.

Then practice your right hand. Find the way the notes move together. Pick up the rhythm and find your natural progressions. Hear the melody in action. 

Only when you’re comfortable with both can you put the two together. 

Eventually, this will become easier. You’ll be able to put the two together from the beginning, and hear the way the two play together to create beautiful music together. 

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