Motivating the Young Pianist

By John Hart

Ever have trouble getting your young pianist to practice?  While there are are some young students who are self-motivated, the majority (in my experience) require some extra help to stay on track. Here are some tips that may help:

Establish a reasonable time goal for one sitting, then set a timer. (Even 10 minutes of practice for a young student would be a good goal). Tell them they are to stay focused until the timer goes off, and then have them record the practice time in their practice record book.  At the end of the week, consider giving some kind of tangible reward for practicing. You know best what would be most appreciated.   As your children mature, more and more of what they will accomplish will be based on intrinsic motivation.

Now consider the time of day that works best for practicing and then establish a regular weekly routine. I recommend that the first practice be just after their lesson, if possible, so that what was taught has a better chance of being retained in long-term memory. Another important time for practice would be the day before the lesson. In general, a greater number of short practice sessions during the week will bring the best results.

Choosing the Right Keyboard

By John Hart

There are three main types of keyboards to choose from--synthesizers, digital pianos, and acoustic pianos. Regardless of which type of keyboard you choose, be sure that it has 88 keys, touch sensitivity, a sustain pedal, and a quality music holder.

A cheap synthesizer is ok to start with, but keep in mind that these are very limiting for a pianist seeking to grow in their ability to express music.  Plan to graduate to a better instrument as soon as possible.

Digital pianos are still fairly portable and typically have better quality piano sounds than synthesizers because the sounds are sampled from high quality acoustic instruments. Some digital pianos even allow for various levels of touch sensitivity.

The acoustic pianos typically purchased for household use are: spinets, (less expensive, but lacking in good tone quality), console pianos, (a little more expensive, but better in tone and expression), and baby grand pianos, (more expensive, larger in size, beautiful in tone, and very expressive.)  It's a good idea to have your piano tuned twice per year, and more than that if it has been moved or subjected to big changes in temperature or humidity. For information on choosing a piano tuner and caring for your piano, visit the Piano Technicians Guild website:  http://ptg.org

Stay tuned also - AWSOM will soon be offering piano tuning exclusively to its students!

Slow and Steady Wins The Race

By Michaud Savage

I remember making a decision early on in my decision to learn music, that I was going to be a certain kind of guitarist. Some folks decide to become a rock guitarist, some folks decide to become a jazz guitarist, some folks decide to become a singer-song writer. Each of these are wonderful, beautiful journeys into music, and are full of magnificence and wonder. Truly excellent.

I decided to become a guitarist who plays chords. No melodies, maybe some songs. I felt like it was too hard and like I'd never make it anywhere, no matter how hard I tried. The other kids I was studying guitar with seemed to have such an easier time with the guitar. I had been taking some guitar lessons and failed to practice everything my teacher instructed me to learn, and I ended up feeling discouraged, and I didn't play as much as I did at the beginning. Eventually I stopped.

Later, I came back to the guitar, and with some patience started relearning the chords I had forgotten. They came back to me more easily, and I found that I was able to learn new chords more easily. Even though I had stopped trying, there was still some memory of how to play the chords in my hands. I was amazed! What I learned later, was that the other kids I was learning with were practicing a lot, and were very patient with their learning. Today, I would not be where I am without a slow and steady practice routine.

What To Do When You Get Tired

By Michaud Savage

Sometimes we get tired when we're practicing. Maybe your hands starts to hurt, or maybe you feel like you're not getting anywhere, or maybe you just feel tired after your day. That's all okay, and it's something everyone struggles with at some point. You are not alone on your journey with music!

Firstly, it's okay to take a little break. One of the tricks I do for myself when I'm in a practice funk is to set a timer. For me, I usually set it at 20 minutes, and I'll do it for a lot of reasons. First, it helps me keep track of time and helps give me a sense of whether or not I've been working on something for too long or too short of a time, based on the other things I need to do. Second, it helps give me a short-term goal to reach for when I'm feeling low in spirits, and a little break or reward can help me feel better during long periods of practice. Sometimes on my break I just need to find something to take my mind off of the task at hand, so I can come back feeling fresh with the material.

Secondly, there are plenty of greats who've made use of this technique in practicing with greater focus, and for longer intervals of time. One of my teachers, Peter Mack, introduced me to this technique and it's been working out well for him.

Thirdly, we are only human. Sometimes we need to stop and take a break. And then get back to work. :D

Have fun practicing!!!!

The Key is he Bench!

By Andrew White

I often hear my piano students and AWSOM families talk about the new piano they are looking at buying. It’s an exciting process of bringing into your home a musical instrument that not only looks amazing but sounds amazing! What I don’t hear so much is talk of the piano bench. Nobody ever says, “Andrew! We went and saw the most amazing piano bench this weekend!!” One of the biggest keys to learning the piano is in the bench, and I’m going to reveal to you why…

As we sit and learn the piano sometimes for hours on end, we need the blood to be pumping around our body, especially to our hands. If we’ve got a piano bench that is too low we’re expecting our heart to push our blood up the incline in our arms to our fast moving hands! Similarly if we have a piano bench that’s too high, and we don’t have a footstool or some books to rest the little feet on, we can cut off blood to our legs. All of this is quite a painful experience when you’ve still got another 20 minutes of practice to do and can make kids quite lethargic during their practice time.

So what to do about it?

Find yourself an adjustable bench AND USE THE ADJUSTABLE PART! Kids grow fast, and I’m often adjusting benches as they go through their growth spurts. A properly adjusted piano bench will keep you or your child’s arms at a good right angle. If you can’t reach the floor, I highly recommend this bench from Amazon. It works wonders and allows kids to still use the pedals - something they look forward to from day one! If you already have a bench that you want to keep but isn't adjustable, have your kids sit on a cushion, or get creative with an ingenious method!

So jump to it! Find that piano bench, measure it up so your arms are at a right angle playing, if you have small and tall both playing in your house, find a happy medium. But don’t hang around! It allows you to practice for longer without feeling like your arms are worn out.

Give it a go and let us know if it helps!

Sight Reading At The Piano

By John Hart

Sight-reading is the reading and performing of a piece of music, especially when the performer has not seen it before. It’s a musical skill that develops over a long period of time, and requires diligent practice and much patience. Many beginning pianists mistakenly believe that their sight-reading skill will develop as they continue playing the same pieces over and over again. The truth is – excellent sight-reading skill develops more quickly when the student frequently becomes engaged with new music.

Here are a few practical suggestions for the development of music sight-reading skill:

• As much as possible, keep your eyes on the music, not on the keyboard. (It’s similar to developing typing skill: if you don’t look at your hands, you can type faster!)
• Focus on the direction of the notes. (Did the note move up or down? Did it move to a line or a space, etc.)
• Take some time each day to memorize the names of notes, as well as their position on the piano. (Each written note has a specific place on the piano where it is played.) With all the new technology that is available to us these days, it is very easy to find an application for practicing this skill. One of my favorites for the Ipad is called, “Music Reading Essentials v2.1” by Apricot Digital Publishing. Another is called “Piano Tutor” by Smileyapps.com. I use this one for intermediate and advanced students.
• Other than your recital pieces, don’t become overly concerned with playing all your pieces at 100% perfection. A good performance is only one aspect of musicianship; the other is on-going skill development. Some piano teachers advocate the use of a sight-reading book for daily practice which enables the student to develop sight-reading skill sequentially.

Suggested Apps:

Music Reading Essentials

Piano Tutor

Learning Music Should Be Fun And Full Of Feeling!

By Justin Tamminga

I teach guitar, bass and drums.  I have a deep passion for music and teaching music. Music has been my friend, my therapist and a way to stay grounded and vibrant.  I love that moment when one of my students’ “get it,” their eyes light up and they smile (or try to hide the smile and remain “cool”) while intently playing and FEELING the music.  The point where they are feeling it is when I realize that it is going to stick and I feel honored to have given them something that will help them and bring them joy for a lifetime.

In my humble opinion, simply practicing and repeating a flurry of notes and chords so that you can build the muscle memory and be able to repeat the song perfectly with your eyes closed is not why we were given music.  Music was given to us to add to the feelings and emotions we encounter on a daily basis.  It is there for us to tap into to make us happy, to push us and inspire us.  To help us experience deeper feelings that we may not even be comfortable with.  We all have that song that makes us feel like we are going to cry.  You either embrace it or run and turn it off - if you turned it off, next time embrace it and let yourself feel something.  Don’t be afraid to feel. 

Learning and playing music should be the same experience.  Learn as much as you can.  Challenge yourself to play more difficult parts but don’t forget to simply PLAY.  Even if it is a simple chord progression or two notes.. If it is able to lift you away or make you feel anything, tap into it.  Live in that moment for a bit.  The best songs are the ones with the simplest arrangements.  I encourage my students to practice the lesson we have been working on but to try to adapt it into their own style, find their own melodies and more importantly, have fun.  I feel that this is how you can truly learn and understand music and the instrument you are playing.  This way you are using music to it’s full potential and can contribute and connect to the world by sharing your own thoughts and feelings.

How to Prepare and Get Totally AWSOM Results From Your First Guitar Lesson

By Michaud Savage

Hey there! My name is Michaud and I'm the new guitar teacher with AWSOM. I'm very excited to be a part of this team of wonderful music teachers, and am looking forward to meeting all of you who want to learn guitar!!! But in the meanwhile, I thought it might be a good idea to share a few ways to help you get started before the first lesson.

First and most importantly- pick up your instrument :-D! Get comfortable holding your guitar; see how it sounds, how it feels to pluck each string; stuff like that. Remember, instruments can make big sounds, but they are fragile, so be careful and gentle. Play free! Playing free and fast! Playing free and slow..... Experiment!!!!!!

Next, go ahead a look online and learn the different names of the parts of the guitar (like the neck, body, face, back, the bell); this information is useful in understanding how to talk about the guitar in a lesson. And then, the most important thing of all when learning how to play guitar, is learning the tuning. The tuning is super important in understanding your instrument, and so if you can show up to your first lesson with that in the bag, you're going to be starting out with gusto.

There are some of the beginning things you can do to get a head start on your lesson. To review:

• Play your instrument

• Know the guitar parts

• ****Learn the tuning of your guitar****

Have fun getting to know your instrument, and I look forward to our lesson together!

Keeping Your Musical Balance

By John Hart

We’ve heard for years about the importance of maintaining balance in our work lives, our diets, and our exercise. In general, too much of any one thing is not good for us. This principle applies to the study of music as well. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the study of music was well-balanced, some time given both to reproducing the music of others as well as inventing one’s own music. In the late 1800’s, the emphasis shifted almost entirely to music reproduction. Even today, many piano teachers teach students only the skill of sight-reading with the purpose of performing someone else’s music.

My goal as a piano teacher is to teach a balance of the following 5 skills as students are ready:

1. Sight-reading (playing easier pieces that can be learned in approximately 1-2 weeks)
2. Performing (playing repertoire that has been polished over time)
3. Playing by Ear (playing without reference to sheet music)
4. Improvisation (creating music at the piano without preplanning)
5. Composition (inventing a piece using music notation)

Very young students should spend the majority of their time becoming proficient in the first skill before advancing to the others. For more information on this topic, read “Redefining the Teaching of Musical Performance” by Gary E. McPherson.” http://www-usr.rider.edu/~vrme/v16n1/volume6/visions/summer7.pdf

“But Mom! I Don’t Want To Practice!”

By Andrew White

When I was 8, I remember sitting on my bed in floods of tears coming up with every excuse why I did not want to practice! I couldn’t practice because my finger hurt, because the piano needed tuning, because I had lost my book, because my brother was practicing, because, because because... And now I run a music school! How did that happen?

Occasionally, I get to hear some great reasons for a lack of practice that week, and a handful of times have heard kids say “I just don’t want to play piano anymore” to which I reply, “Oh no! I said that when I was your age, and now I run a music school – be careful what you wish for!” Practicing an instrument is something that takes time and effort. At first it comes easily, but when pieces get more challenging it can become a tougher daily task to achieve.

Some parents take the view that their kids should practice on their own without any reminders – good luck! I love music but I also required daily reminders – “Andrew, you need to practice the piano!” Sometimes I happily obliged, sometimes I kicked up a fit. But, I appreciated the reminder because it made me all the more excited for my lesson knowing that I was well prepared for it. 

This week, try reminding your kid on a daily basis to practice their instrument, sit with them, enjoy their achievements in it and praise them for their efforts! I guarantee it will make their lesson day something they look forward to even more!

Interested in reading more about practicing? http://aficionada.hubpages.com/hub/Whose-Responsibility-Is-My-Childs-Music-Lesson-Practice