Posted on

Halloween Party Fun

We all had a great time at the Halloween Party. Everyone played a creepy Halloween song and the we did a very scarey Halloween Word search and scavenger Hunt!

IMG_9007

Advertisements
Posted on

Time for Back-to-School and Halloween

Over the summer all of my students completed 5 one-hour lessons to keep up their technical skills, theory, and sight reading which get them ahead of the game for the new school year. They were all SO ready for September piano lessons and back-to-school! Right now they are busy with school activities and homework but they all make time to practice for their lessons. After all, music is an equal part of their educations- if Math isn’t optional, neither is music! Just look back to the ancient Greeks and their educational systems- we still base our education on these subjects today: grammar, rhetoric, and logic, geometry, arithmetic, MUSIC, and astronomy.

This year, our piano hands are becoming filled with stars (see photo)- each star represents one year in piano. My students are dedicated and have been studying with me for years! I couldn’t be more proud. This year we are working on memorization skills- our “practice” beads have been traded in for “memorization” beads. Every time my one of my students memorizes a page of music, they receive a bead for their chain…and the chains are growing already- WOW

October is time for Halloween party music, so each year we take a lesson to go “shopping” for a piece. This means that I play through a number of  Halloween songs and the student gets to choose which piece they want to play at the party. I think its a tie between this and Game Week for my students all-time favorite lessons of the year!

I know it feels too early for Christmas, but not in the piano studio! Some of my more advanced students have already been preparing their Christmas pieces for a couple of months- it going to be a great concert this year; bell choir, percussion ensemble, Jazz Christmas songs, as well as our favorite traditional Christmas pieces. Stay Tuned!

 

Posted on

October Creepy Piano Fun!

img_6769
Tommy played the “Pumpkin Patch” game- he placed the pumpkins on the music staff (i.e. the pumpkin patch) by their name and then ‘picked’ them by placing them on the keyboard by flashcard.
img_6772
Josie played the “Skull Master”Game by placing the skulls on the keyboard by name and then putting them back by by flashcard…..BUT, in order to be a “Skull Master” she had to name each note before putting it back — by its enharmonic name!
img_6775
Noah played the “Candy Corn” game by matching the letter to its place on the staff and then to the piano key.
img_6777
Great job Noah! You got them ALL right!
img_6778
Andrew and I played a game of “Stepping Up and Down” on the piano.
img_6779
Can you believe it? We tied!!
img_6783
Emily played the “Circle of Spooks” game. I drew a letter and she had to remove the pumpkin or Owl from its location on her Creepy Circle of Fifths.
img_6798
Aaron is a new “Skull Master”! He learned a lot about double sharps and flats!
img_6802
Tommy and I played a “Musical Spelling Game” by spelling each word in ascending order on the staff using Halloween characters!
img_6804
Josie picked all the pumpkins from the pumpkin patch and correctly placed them on the piano keys! Nice job, Josie!
img_6807
Noah composed his own song about Halloween. He even sang it for me! It was the BEST SONG EVER!
Posted on

Baroque Concert

The concert was a huge hit with parents and student alike- here is Allen is performing one of his three pieces on the harpsichord, while the audience enjoyed their afternoon high tea.

Allen performs at our Baroque Concert
Allen performs at our Baroque Concert
Afternoon Tea for my students and their families.
Afternoon Tea for my students and their families.