piano lessons – HiltonMusic Studio

November 11, 2017

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!

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!

October 12, 2016October 12, 2016

October Creepy Piano Fun!

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.

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!

Noah played the “Candy Corn” game by matching the letter to its place on the staff and then to the piano key.

Andrew and I played a game of “Stepping Up and Down” on the piano.

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.

Aaron is a new “Skull Master”! He learned a lot about double sharps and flats!

Tommy and I played a “Musical Spelling Game” by spelling each word in ascending order on the staff using Halloween characters!

Josie picked all the pumpkins from the pumpkin patch and correctly placed them on the piano keys! Nice job, Josie!

Noah composed his own song about Halloween. He even sang it for me! It was the BEST SONG EVER!

June 30, 2016August 2, 2016

Summer Lesson Fun

Summer Lessons are in full swing and my students are working on advancing their music theory knowledge, technical skills, and sight reading skills…not to mention few fun lesson additions like our SUMMER LESSON CHALLENGE.

Students can choose a challenge from any of the clothespins- but they MUST do the challenge if they pick it. Challenges can include naming and playing all 88 keys on the piano, playing scales prestissimo and staccato, or even sight reading Happy Birthday. Two of the clothespins have a prize of NO HOMEWORK for the week!

“Oh, but I LOVE homework in the summer!”, said no one ever.