Piano Parent Podcast

Sometimes, through social media, we only see the perfectly positive perception that others portray. On this podcast and on my social media channels, I hope to be honest and upfront with you.A piano family broke up with me last week. I can only speak from my point of view and I will do that in the kindest way possible because… I want to learn. I want to help you (piano teacher and piano parent) avoid common mistakes. I want to resume a relationship with this family if they choose to. Anything I say here I will be very careful to give them the respect and kindness they deserve. I would not be ashamed if this mom heard this episode. Three lessons I learned: 1. I need to nurture my piano families more. I was on autopilot with this familyI saw the signs – lack of practice, last minute recital prep, late arrivalsThey seemed frazzled during the summer sessionA phone call would have gone a long way. It would have been better than fragmented conversations after lesson or trying to communicate through text messages.I didn’t follow up with they didn’t send in the fall registration informationThis mom needed encouragement mom to mom more than she needed a piano teacher.* Moving forward I will be more proactive to nurture struggling families. 2. I need to communicate my policies and stand by them more firmly. This mom asked about skipping a week between lessonsFrom experience, I know this is not a good model for children. Adults, maybe, but children need more structure than that. Skipping weeks results in:Procrastination (We talked about this in last week’s episode)Poor progressI still agreed to allow skipping lessonsShe missed the registration deadline.I often allow longstanding parents to sign up late so missing the deadline wasn’t really a problem but I should have contacted her to see what was going on.Moving forward, I think grace gets you farther than rules so I should be in touch to see what’s going on and how I can help. 3. I need to be more intentional with my student’s pieces. These students were eager to play bigger pieces so they would jump ahead in their bookTheir mom was eager for them to be engaged in home practice and she hoped playing familiar songs would facilitate that. She would request certain songs and I would try to comply.These aren’t bad things but I need to maintain better control over the path my students follow.As a result,

PPP107: The First 24 Hours - Teacher chat with Dawn Ivers and Becki Laurent Today’s episode brings you not one, but two teachers! Today, Becki Laurent, Dawn Ivers and I chat about the topic of practice and the value students receive when they practice within 24 hours of their piano lesson.Becki and Dawn are not strangers to the podcast. You can hear their previous episodes here:Becki LaurentEpisode 037: Teacher Interview with Becki LaurentEpisode 046: Our Favorite Music Education Apps with Becki LaurentDawn IversEpisode 061: The Importance of a Good Practice Environment with Piano Teacher, Dawn IversEpisode 080: Ten Books to Read with Your Piano Kid Today's topic idea came from Becki's session at TMTA Becki presented a session at the Texas Music Teachers Association Convention this past June. Hosting one of the most active conventions for students, the Texas state convention also has many parents and grandparents in attendance. Becki seized this opportunity to share the value of practice, and practice that occurs as soon after the piano lesson as possible, with parents.I am so glad that Becki and Dawn agreed to bring this conversation to the podcast today! Different Types of Practice Practice happens in your home all the time. Students are practicing chores (or how to avoid doing chores), homework, social skills. Children learn and hone their skills through practice constantly.Different teachers of various subjects have different practice rules:Driver’s ed includes written work along with active driving with the instructor critiquing along the way.  Until a student earns their permit, ALL their practicing must be with the instructor.Competitive swimmers practice daily and their coaches are often instructing from the side of the pool. Unless they have access to the pool at other times, ALL their practicing is done with the instructor.The same is true for sports, dance, gymnastics, etc.Piano lessons are not the same as these other activities. The majority of practice happens away from the teacher. Teachers use lesson time to instruct and correct, yes, but in essence, teachers use the lesson time to teach students how to practice at home on their own.Many times, after a piano lesson, students won’t get back to the piano until the next day or after several days.That is a problem….  The Curve of Forgetting

Today’s topic is specifically musical. The last several episodes have had to do with getting the new school year off to a strong start. We’ve talked about the non-musical benefits of studying piano, being careful not to overbook our child’s schedule, and last week was all about setting up routines. Today, let’s talk about the nuts and bolts of reading music.For a more detailed description of the staff and it’s history, listen to Episode 004. Reading music is like reading any other language I’ve tried to learn Spanish here and there. I know a few words but I always associate them back to English. When I try to read something in Spanish, I’m looking for English clues or associations to help me understand. I am not fluent in Spanish. In my opinion, to become fluent, I need to stop associating and adding a second step in my thought process. For example, when I say Gracias, I’m thinking ‘Thank You’.  I simply need to trust the Spanish words and let them stand alone. The closest I may have come is the word Bienvenidos. I first learned it in a song when I was on a mission trip to Costa Rica years ago. I didn’t learn the English equivalent – still don’t really know the equivalent. Think about how children learn to read books When your child learns to read books, they follow a fairly common path:They hear words as you read to them. You might even track the words with your finger as you read so your child begins to associate letter symbols with the sounds you are making.They learn to recognize individual letters, call them by name, and know the sound they represent. We might say, “A is for apple. B is for banana. C is for cat.” When they see the new letter, they connect it with a familiar object to help them remember the sound.They start putting groups of letters together to form words. Cat. Hat. Mat. You wouldn’t take the time to draw the objects next to the letters when they are trying to read. For example, when spelling the word CAT, you wouldn’t draw a cat, then an apple, then a turtle, would you? That adds too much work to the process and now the child is so busy trying to remember what each drawing means they can’t focus on the original task – C-A-T spells cat.As children mature and gain experience with letters, they are able to put more letters together to create and understand more complicated words, put words together to make sentences, and sentences together to make stories. They learn to add inflection to their voice as they read to make the story more interesting. The letters are not the focus anymore, they are the tools used to create a bigger picture.Children do not wait to speak and use the words they know until they can read fluently. Spoken language generally comes first.

The Blessing of Routine We all know what a routine is. We follow a routine, whether good or bad, every day. Get up at a certain time, get ready for work or school, the route we drive to get to those locations.The Miracle Morning and The FlyLady are two well-known websites geared to help establish good routines. Have you used these? Summer - a blessing and a curse I love the free time with a loose schedule, staying up too late, sleeping in. However, the reality of summer is that I get less accomplished. If I don’t “have” to do it now, I tell myself I will do it later but really it doesn’t get done.The beauty of a routine or schedule is that things get finished, not pushed back. School = Schedule When school starts in a few short weeks, we will get back on a more predictable schedule. We know what will be happening Monday through Friday and what needs to happen after school.There is no room for procrastination. Homework must be done each night or it will compound and be even more overwhelming. Supernanny - too many bosses I watched this episode of Supernanny on YouTube the other day. The parents of these five children were well-intentioned but they were distracted by their own interests and lazy when it came to instructing their children.They had plenty of help with a grandmother and nanny on their team. Instead of helping, this added to the problem. There were too many bosses but no one was really in charge.Supernanny’s outside perspective helped them set things in order. She reminded the parents of their responsibilities and helped them learn to set up routines and delegate responsibilities and clear expectations to the other adults on their team.This resulted in less chaos, less stress and more order. Everyone was happier; especially the children who now spent quality (and quantity) time with their parents. Decide NOW Now is the perfect time to sit down as a family and determine what your fall routine will be.

PPP104: Tracy Selle Piano teacher, Tracy Selle, has been an independent piano teacher in North Texas for 16 years. Tell Us Your Personal Piano Story Started playing in 3rd grade.Became the pianist of my church when I was 13th. Continued that job through high school.Graduated from VA Tech. I did study some music, but ended up focusing on science and became a TV Meteorologist. But still worked at a church pianist on the side.Once my son was born, I knew I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. That’s when I transitioned to teaching piano. Were You A Good Student? Define “good.” Haha!I was REALLY busy with dancing and other activities. I could have practiced more. (Although my mom made sure I DID practice each week.)In hindsight, I think it “forced” me to be a good sight reader.Playing the piano for my church was the very best thing for me as a pianist. It gave me a “purpose” for my music. It also “forced” me to have the music performance – ready each Sunday. What is one thing you often say to your piano students? “One more time!” This is a huge joke in my studio because I say it about a dozen times. Students laugh at me because they know it’s never ONE more time. Haha! Is there a common struggle your piano parents deal with? How do you help them through it? Maybe just finding time to practice. Families are SO busy and parents tend to think that practice has to be a 30 minute session. I try to explain that 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there really adds up. I also stress the importance of consistency.You can read more of Tracy’s practice suggestions in her book, “101 Practice Tips”. What keeps you motivated as a teacher? I love reading. Books like The Dynamic Studio inspire me. I love connecting with other Upbeat teachers on Facebook. (Piano Teachers will be interested in Tracy and her partner Sara Campbell’s website and blog for teachers, Upbeat Piano Teachers.

Introductory remarks Definitions Manipulation –        handle or control (a tool, mechanism, etc.), typically in a skillful manner.      control or influence (a person or situation) cleverly, unfairly, or unscrupulously.Causing the child to believe that he or she will only be loved by complying with the parent’s wishesCausing the child to feel excessive guilt for failing to live up to the parent’s expectations/demandsWhat does this look like with piano lessons or practice? Shouting at your child to practice or punishing them for not practicingCoaxing them to practice with false praise or excessive “If you loved me you would play that song for me.” “If you practice you can buy…. Or eat…”Comparing your child to others in a way that makes them feel less about themselves.Inspiration –        fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.       to breathe in. (encourage, motivate, brainstorm)Helping a child find ownership in completing a taskTeaching a child to learn to be self motivated, even the task does not seem enjoyable.What does this look like with piano lessons or practice?Reminding them when it is time to practice. Keeping calm if they don’t respond right away.Genuine praise for the music they are making. Thank your child – for practicing, for obeying you….the first time. As consumers, we know when we're being played We know when we’re being manipulated. We’ve seen infomercials with wild claims about their product. We may have even been compelled to “Act Now!” because “Time is running out!” My defenses kick into gear when I feel like I’m being played. Even if we buy their product, are we loyal customers to that company? Excerpt from the Start with Why blog Read the full article hereManipulation vs. Inspiration“There are only two ways to get people to act: manipulate them or inspire them.  Both are effective strategies, but only one is capable of generating a sale AND a  lifetime of loyalty.Manipulations (dropping your price, having a promotion, using a scare tactic) can be very effective, but the gains are usually short term.  Over time, manipulations tend to get expensive – marketers must keep coming up with bigger and better manipulations sometimes at the expense of profits and always at the sacrifice of developing loyal relationships with customers.”I’m going to reread that last paragraph from a piano parenting perspective:Manipulations (unnecessary bribes or treats, punishment or other scare tactics) can be very effective for getting your piano kid to practice, but the gains are usually short term. Over time, manipulations tend to get expensive – parents must keep coming up with bigger and better prizes,

Can you believe that it’s already the middle of July?  As we get ready to head back to school and all the opportunities that are offered, I’d like to talk about squirrel syndrome or being too easily distracted. In terms of parenting, I think of Squirrel Syndrome as being compelled to sign our children up for every extra-curricular activity we are aware of. My fear, instead of giving them the opportunity to be successful at any activity, we are causing them, and ourselves, to be pressured and stressed out and stretched too thin. Parents want the best for their children As parents, we want what is best for our children. We want to be able to give them opportunities that we didn’t have. We want our children to be well-rounded, through team activities, or additional academics. These things are well and good, within reason. For me, I didn’t push my children when it came to extracurricular activities. I wanted them to have as much of a normal high school experience as they were interested in. It is up to you as the parent to decide how much you want your child to be involved in and invested in. The blessing of boredom Too much of a good thing is simply too much, right?My idea of luxury is to be alone in my own home (in small doses). I love my family, but it is nice to have some downtime to think and recharge. I htink the same thing is valuable for children. To let them have unscheduled and unstructured time for them to think and to create and entertain themselves. Children are naturally creative and many times that creativity is squelched when they are overloaded with things to do. Michelle Caskey from Homeschool Your Boys.com gives four tips for giving your children the blessing of boredom. She suggests staying home sometimes, turning off electronics, playing outside, and finally, don’t tell your children what to do – let their imagination flourish. How did you decide what to do? The responsibility falls on your shoulders. You are the parent, you get to decide what your child does. How do you decide what to add and what to eliminate? My suggestion is to create a schedule. Writing out your schedule allows you to see where you can add an activity or where you need to reprioritize. This chart, the 

PPP101: Encouragement for Piano Parents with Cortney Toumayan Cortney's personal piano story When Cortney was three years old, she discovered her love of music through a popular musical – “The Phantom of the Opera”. As she listened to the music over and over, she eventually began to pick out the melody on the piano and her parents decided to try out piano lessons. Over the years, Cortney learned from four different music teachers. She began to seriously consider music as a career when she was 16. However, after being told that music wouldn’t be as sustainable, Cortney went into the dental field for a few years before quickly returning to her first love – music.For many, there is a mindset that music is just a side business, a way for stay-at-home moms to earn some extra money. But music is important! Cortney realized, just as lawyers and doctors had someone to teach them and guide them in their profession, the same goes for musicians; “Music is language and math and communication and emotion… wrapped up in one…and you have to have someone to guide and nurture [that].” And so for piano parents, if your child seems to be particularly interested in music, don’t discourage that. There are so many outlets they can be music teachers in private studios or colleges or they could be band directors. In an interview with Lisa Donovan Lukas, she talked about in her early days, she lived in Los Angeles and worked with and edited film scores. There are so many more options in the music field than a lot of people realize. What is your personal teaching style? “I think as far as teaching style, it varies from student to student. When I was first beginning to gather students, I had the idea that everyone should be taught the same. Everyone was in the same method book. Everyone had an expected amount of time to learn their pieces. We did the same type of games, so everyone was kind of on the same schedule and I had a high turnover rate and students would last a year and a half. And so that was hard. I kept thinking, what am I doing wrong? And I finally had this epiphany of which I should have had at the beginning really of my career, people weren’t the same. Students aren’t the same. They all learn differently and I started changing my style. And so now I individualize. For example, let’s say that I’ve got a very hyperactive child. It may not be the best technique, but if we’re having a day where we just cannot sit still on the bench, we’re going to take the bench away and we’re going to let him stand up while he plays with songs. And so I think it greatly depends on the student and what their desires are and how you teach them and really taking the first three or four weeks to get to know that child and, and look for those little signs. How do they learn?” What is a common struggle you see in your studio? “I think a lot of times in the lessons, kids will play the way that they think you want them to play,

Today, the Piano Parent Podcast is celebrating it’s 100th episode! The Piano Parent Podcast has been downloaded 28,821 times from people all around the world. Thank you for listening and thank you for sharing the podcast with you piano parent friends.While this is a podcast milestone, it is also our 10th “10 musical somethings” episode. So today, I would like to give you 10 non-musical benefits of studying music! Over the years I’ve spoken to lots of teachers; some would argue that music is worthwhile simply for the beauty of music. I don’t disagree with them. When teachers at the schools where I teach approach me about using music to enhance their subjects, I get territorial. I encourage them to use music in their classroom for memorizing multiplication tables or historical facts but I cannot take up my limit music time with the students for those things: there is already too much music-related information I want to share with the children – just for the sake of music.Within that, however, and as they’re learning beautiful music, I love that all these other benefits come into play in a music lesson. 10 Non-Musical Benefits of Learning Music * Listening – Learning to listen to their teacher and the instructions they are giving, as well as to listen to the music they’re making. Are they playing the correct rhythms and melodies? Can they identify the different parts of the music like the bass line, melody and harmony? Learning music gives your child an extra opportunity to practice their listening skills.* Problem Solving – Each week, your piano child is faced with different challenges within their lesson. Whether it is sight-reading, identifying new musical symbols, breaking down a difficult passage, or just getting their fingers to do what they want them to, your student is learning new ways to problem solve and overcome the challenges they face.* Self Correction – As your student works with a new piece of music, in order to learn it well, they must learn how to self correct. Does the music they’re playing match the music on the page? Are they making those connections themselves or are they completely reliant on others to point out their mistakes? Music gives students the opportunity to practice self correction, and to remap their brains to avoid the same mistakes in the future.* Interpretation/Discernment – Learning music is like learning a new language. They are taking black dots and lines on a page and creating beautiful music from it. Instead of just mechanically interpreting what they see, your piano kid learns to read between the lines and interpret the meaning and purpose of the music they are creating.* Patience – In a world focused on instant gratification, the effort it takes to learn music is a great way for your child to practice patience. Mastering a new piece of music takes lots of time and pa...

On this day: July 2, 1956 Elvis Presley records “Hound Dog” and “Don’t Be Cruel” Every piano teacher is as uniquely different as each child they teach. Teaching methods, learning styles, personalities and more all interact and impact the effectiveness of your piano teacher, your piano kid, and the lessons that they share.Today, I want to talk about a few ways you can determine if your piano teacher is the most effective for your piano kid.  Goal Setting as a Tool for Gauging Effectiveness Last week, we discussed “exit strategies“. Now that you’ve had a chance to think your exit strategy for piano lessons, what are some goals you have in mind for you child? What does effective mean to you? Are piano lessons recreational, social, or is it preparing them for a musical future? Determining your goals will help you find a teacher that will help you reach those goals. When setting goals, use the S.M.A.R.T. method – Is your goal Specific? Is it Measurable? Attainable? Relevant? Timely?Examples of some goals: * number of pieces learned each semester* getting to a certain point in a book* sight reading at a certain level* higher theory score or rating* reaching a certain level on ‘NoteRush’* any other combination of measurable goals! Does your piano teacher support your goals? Do they have different goals in mind that don’t align with your motivation for piano lessons? Are the goals you have set for your student being reached? Measuring your goals can help you assess if your teacher is effectively teaching progress.  Recitals and Studio Performances as a Gauge for Effectiveness I am not recommending that you compare your piano kid to other performers. That is unhealthy and unproductive. Every child is different! I am saying that you should observe your teachers recitals and performances as a way to gauge the effectiveness of the studio as a whole and how that aligns with your goals. Observe type of music being performed, the anxiety level of the students, how the teacher engages with their students, and whether or not the studio is showcasing the skills you want your piano kid to learn. If not, what are the steps you need to take to help make your piano lessons more successful.You’re not making a determination of whether the teacher is “good or bad”, rather you’re determining if they are able to help your piano kid reach their musical goals.  Study Your Child to Gauge Effectiveness

According to the dictionary, the term “Exit Strategy” has three definitions:* A method or plan for extricating oneself from an undesirable situation* A plan and timetable for withdrawal from a military engagement* The method by which an investor intends to cash out of an investment.Today, I would like for your to consider your “Exit Strategy” or plan for piano lessons?Once you start piano lessons, how long will they last? What will be the reason you decide to stop? If your child seems uninterested, how will you know it is time to quit? Career Strategy Considering what the end will look like determines the decisions we will make and the actions we will take.Once we determine what we “want to be when we grow up” we can set our course to achieve that goal by selecting extra-curricular school activities, college programs, and opportunities that will help us.When the time comes to leave one job and start another, an exit strategy will help avoid rash decisions based on emotion or external circumstances.Wade Cottingham spoke about changing jobs in last week’s episode. Family Strategy Even family relationships come to an end for one reason or another.Have you considered what you will do when your parents die? Are you being intentional about your relationship with them now to store up memories to treasure after they’re gone?I believe a lot of marriages die because both spouses do not have a solid exit strategy. I hope you and your spouse have determined to honor your wedding vows for life. If you recognize that you are going to be with your spouse for the rest of your  life, you will filter your words and actions.Even our children will not be under our primary care forever. Our exit strategy for them should be that they become productive citizens who contribute to society. It is my job now to train them to take care of themselves. They need to learn to be responsible and self disciplined. Those skills begin now, while they are under my primary care. Piano Strategy Do you start piano lessons thinking about what the end will look like? Have you decided on your minimum commitment? Will your strategy help your piano kid to continue lessons through the up and down emotional roller coaster? When practicing isn’t as new and exciting anymore, will you let your piano kid quit or will you teach them perseverance by ins...

PPP097: A Jazzy Conversation with Wade Cottingham Piano teacher, Wade Cottingham, owner of Lakewood Piano Lab near Dallas, Texas. According to his website, he uses his lab as “a place of discovery and growth”. He is more than the typical piano teacher who interacts with their students in the traditional sense, Wade creates jam sessions where each student learns to use their musical voice. Wade's personal piano story... While there was a baby grand piano in Wade’s childhood home, his mother was reluctant to enroll him in lessons because of the negative experience she had in lessons. He convinced his mom to sign him up for piano lessons but they only lasted three years because he quit to run a paper route. In high school his father arranged lessons with a jazz teacher but that didn’t last very long either.He was able to study in short spurts with a teacher in London while he was there for a travel study program and a professional pianist in Los Angeles (more on that later).I played piano growing up and majored in music and English, but became a computer programmer and part time piano player.  I got sick of computer programming after 14 years of it, and began teaching part time. I moved to full time teaching in 2002.  My teaching experience changed around 2008 or so when I changed my name to “Lakewood Piano Lab”.Wade remembers his mom’s one piano piece that she enjoyed playing, “My Blue Heaven.”Were you a good student?I was a good piano student as a kid until I quit in order to use my afternoons to do a newspaper route. During my one year in high school with a great jazz teacher I was very absorbent and influenced and learned stuff, but he did have to yell at me a little for not practicing.  I was a good piano student in college. I argued about having to do technical exercises though. Wade's teaching style... What is one thing you often say to your piano students?Did you go to school today?Even though I was surprised by Wade’s answer, he explained the practical aspect of this question. If the student didn’t go to school because they were sick then he knows to keep his distance. He still teaches them if they’re sick (within reason)….with caution.Is there a common struggle your piano parents deal with? How do you help them through it?No. I look at the process as joy and progress and expression and try to convey that more than how to deal with struggles.In the audio file, Wade mentions a book he found years ago, “How to get your child to practice (without having to resort to violence).” That book helped him establish his own practice guidelines for parents. He teaches the parents in his studio to follow th...

The theory of birth order and the impact it has on our children is an interesting thing to consider. I believe it is something to consider regarding piano study as well. Two different points of view These are the two articles I refered to on the podcast:Parents.com article “How Birth Order Affects Your Child’s Personality and Behavior”PsychologyToday.com article “Is Birth Order a Myth?”The idea of birth order is simply a theory, it is not a definitive statement of what to expect from your child depending on their placement in your family.More important than the order that your children are born in, your parenting style and your family dynamic will have a greater impact on their personality and their behavior and their success. My experiences with my own children My husband and I are blessed with four wonderful children.Justin, our oldest, fits the first-born profile with his definite sense of right and wrong, he takes charge but only when he sees the need. He’s not bossy like first-borns tend to be but he doesn’t mince words.Keri is our oldest daughter and, in my opinion, fits the first-born mold more so than the middle child mold. She is more structured and cautious. She can be bossy and controlling – but that’s only because her ideas are better than yours! LOLAustin is absolutely the middle child. He is a generous people pleaser with a large social circle. He would give a stranger the shirt off his back and the money in his wallet even if that meant having to skip his next meal because he gave away his money.Tracy is our youngest. I will admit that we definitely treat her like the baby of the family, not only because of where she is in the line but also because of her heart defect and other health issues. She doesn’t fit many of the items on the Parents.com list for last born children but she is a bit self-centered and quick-witted…..maybe that’s because she’s 15. (??) As far as piano goes….Justin fired me as his piano teacher when he was in 7th grade. He then picked up guitar and hasn’t stopped playing and singing and writing songs since.Keri continued piano lessons with me through high school. She loved to play melodies by ear with her right hand only. It was a struggle for her to get over the hump of playing with both hands together. She was able to use her piano skills to excel in band playing the flute and to help her classmates with vocal warm-ups in choir at school and used her vocal skills to earn a scholarship in the choir at her university.

Image source Disclaimer: I am not a neurologist or a brain expert. (My family can testify!) These are simply my observations about what I’ve read concerning the way our brain makes neural connections and how that applies to piano lessons for our children.Repetition is a very valuable part of learning. This is true for anything you learn and it is especially true for our piano kids learning to play the piano and learning new music.  Is once enough? Many students think they are successful if they can make it through to the end of their piece….ONCE!When I was learning to play piano and working on a new piece, I would start at the beginning of the piece and play until I made a mistake. I wouldn’t study the mistake or try to figure out the problem, I would just start over, as if getting a running start would help me get over the hurdle the next time I came to it.By starting over every time I made a mistake, I was repeating the opening measures of the piece and learned to play them very well. If I ever made it to the end of the piece without any mistakes, do you think I went back and practiced it again? No way!!This resulted in my knowing the beginning of the piece very well and barely being able to play the end of the piece.Repetition is a good thing as long as you’re getting enough repetitions on all parts of the music, not just the beginning.Learn more about how to approach a new piece of music here. Remember those old fashioned paper maps? Other than frustrating the person trying to fold the map back into it’s original compact shape, old-fashioned paper maps were a great tool to use to get from one place to another before the modern convenience of GPS.My dad would pull out our old maps and plot out all the cities we were going to visit on our upcoming summer vacation. My husband goes the same thing except he uses Google maps and spreadsheets to track our destinations.

Jeanine Wheeler is a piano teacher and music therapist serving the Lubbock, Texas and Abilene, Texas communities. Jeanine's Musical Journey Jeanine comes from a very musical family. Her father plays bassoon, her mother learned cello, her older sister studied violin. Naturally, Jeanine wanted to play an instrument too.Her parents didn’t enroll her in lessons immediately but Jeanine was persistent and begged for lessons for over a year. They finally allowed piano lessons to begin then Jeanine was nine years old.Growing up in Michigan, close to Michigan State University, the first college in the country to offer a music therapy program. When Jeanine was twelve, her mother took her to a lecture presented by Dr. Deforia Lane. She also got Dr. Lane’s book, Music as Medicine, for Christmas which set the course for Jeanine’s musical career. This inspiring Ted Talk by Dr. Lane brought me to tears. I am amazed by the healing power of music. What is Music Therapy? Music therapy is using music as a tool to meet the needs to whoever your client is.Jeanine works with children, many of whom have medical needs or multiple disabilities. She uses music to help them with skills they are addressing in physical therapy and occupational therapy, as well as learning to cope with anxiety. If my daughter, Tracy, had been at the hospital where Jeanine works, she might have used music as a productive activity to fill the time waiting for a procedure to begin. This is not only a way to help the time pass but it is also a wonderful way to alleviate any anxiety she might have. This activity is a huge help for parents as well! Music therapy in action Music therapists often co-treat with rehab teams to assist patients who may have had a spinal injury and are working to get out of the bed for the first time. The rhythmicity of music will encourage your movement; it helps you with motor planning. Watch the change music makes in this gentleman’s ability to walk….and dance!