The Final Showdown!

Three students arrived at the Practice Cactus for the final showdown and successfully completed the Wild West practice challenge! They've learned good practice habits, how to add their own special touch to their songs, and then performed them for family and friends this past week. Hopefully we'll be hearing some of these songs at our spring recital! I'm looking forward to more students making it to the Practice Cactus because I have a lot of yummy prizes to give out.
I'd also like to welcome Cadence, 6, to piano lessons! She started lessons this month and is full of giggles and smiles, loves music, and is so much fun to teach!

We're Breaking the Rules!

Just about everyone has gotten to spend a week at the Repetition Ranch. My favorite comment from a student was: "I didn't want to get stuck at the Ranch!" She then proceeded to play a beautiful rendition of "Vivace". Efficient practice really works!

Last week several students got to move to "Creative Canyon". They have been busy exploring how to personalize their songs and break the rules. Some of them have gotten quite industrious and added chords, eighth notes, and new rhythms to their pieces, while others have been focusing on their dynamics and making the music come alive.

WANTED: Amazing Practice-ers!

Christmas break is over and we are back on our normal schedule! Let's face it...sometimes it is HARD to get back on a routine after a fun couple weeks with family, friends, way too much sugar, and a flexible routine. I miss all my students when my studio is closed over Christmas break, but it is hard for me to get back on a steady routine as well. That's why we're starting the year with a Wild West themed practice event! Over the next four weeks we're going to learn practice techniques that are both fun and efficient that will help aspiring pianists be successful all year long. Dust off your piano books and I can't wait to meet you at the Repetition Ranch this week!

March Notes

Okay, the month of March has flown by, but in spite of how busy both I, and all my students have been, several students managed to squeeze in some great accomplishments. Here's a quick rundown:
Paisley, 13, is finishing level 5 of Faber Piano Adventures. Since she's interested in majoring in music in college we're about to get very serious with classical music and theory. A big job, but something she'll not only be able to tackle, but master.
Nicholas, 10, finished level 2B and has moved into 3A...but since he's let me know how much he loves the Beatles we've also been spending a lot of time working on songs from the stack of Beatles' music he's been bringing to his lessons.
Will, 10, not only completed level 3B and moved onto level 4, but he also played all of Fur Elise with both hands this month! We still have some rough patches to work out, but overall, its sounding good!
Samantha, 9, started level 2B and is getting ready to catch up with her sister.
James, 12, has mastered the second page of Fur Elise, hands together, and it was pretty close to being the best I've ever heard that page.
I've been wanting to spend a lot of time outside in this gorgeous weather, but if your allergies have been driving you inside try spending some of that extra indoors time practicing. Also, we will be not be having lessons the week of April 1st due to spring break. Enjoy your time off and I'll see everyone again the week of April 8th.

Prioritizing Practice

Everyone's been back in school now for a couple weeks and gradually getting into their fall routine which will hopefully be accompanied by cooler weather. I know I'm ready for it!
I've had many students excitedly start piano lessons. It's new, it's exciting, it's fun...and then, a couple months into lessons, practicing is no longer new, exciting, or fun. So what do many students do? Stop practicing! A few months later they're frustrated as they crawl their books not progressing and struggling to pick out simple tunes. I'm never surprised when a student stops progressing shortly after they stop practicing.
Piano practice needs to be looked at the same way as soccer practice or math homework. Whether or not you like doing math, you have to eventually work through the problems the teacher has assigned or you'll never be able to progress to the next level. Just like many boys and girls spend a couple hours a day practicing for one 80 minute soccer game, it takes several days of practicing 15-30 minutes to be able to successfully play all your assigned pieces.
Instead of thinking as piano practice as "optional" this fall, determine to set aside a specific time each day to practice piano. It could be ten minutes before you leave for school in the morning or before bed at night. I could be right before or after homework. Once practice becomes a priority, success will follow...I promise!