Piano Parent Podcast

Thank you for listening to the Piano Parent Podcast and visiting the website. Would you consider leaving a review on iTunes? You can leave a review here. Thank you, Aw Mountains, for your kind review. I’m so glad you find value in the podcast. Join the September #3020 Practice Challenge Today!  A Little Music History You Are My Sunshine has been an iconic part of the musical fabric of the United States, if not the world, for the last several decades. Like many folk tunes, the original history of this tune is uncertain. Here are some popular theories: It might have been written by a woman from South Carolina who gave it to the Pine Ridge Boys who were the first group to produce a professional recording of it. Maybe it was written by Paul Rice in 1933 as the result of a letter he received from a fan. Jimmie Davis, former governor of Louisiana, recorded the most well-known version and used it on the campaign trail. It could have been written by Oliver Hood, from LaGrange, Georgia. No matter who originally wrote the piece, it has been a popular favorite across the decades. Recorded by such greats as Bing Crosby, Gene Autry, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, and the Righteous Brothers, this simple tune offers a sort of musical trip down memory lane to hear how each artist added their own twist. In my research for this episode, I discovered a wonderful website that helps us take that trip down memory lane. Visit Second Hand Songs to hear many versions of “You Are My Sunshine.” I think learning the history of a song or piece of music helps make a personal connection for your piano kid. Learning more about the composer or the circumstance that brought the music about helps them appreciate the piece. Play by Ear Since this is such a simple tune, it is a great project one to try to play by ear. The melody moves mostly by steps (from one white piano key to the next white piano key) or skips (from one white piano key to another, skipping one white piano key in the middle) with some repeated notes. Playing by ear is a wonderful musical skill for your piano kid to develop. Please give them time to “noodle” around at the piano. Playing melodies by ear is definitely a type of practicing. Write it Down James King mentioned writing music by hand in his interview in Episode 054. Johann Sebastian Bach is known for copying his big brother’s music by candlelight at night. There is something magical when you take a pencil in hand and write things down, whether it’s music or a poem or someone’s phone number. Because I believe hand writing music is so important, I’ve created a worksheet to help your piano kid write the melody of “You Are My Sunshine.” Get the FREE melody worksheet here. Add Your Own Personality (even your brooding teenager personality) The thing that I found so interesting as I was listening to recordings from each decade is how much the music changed with each style. The simple melody with three simple chords has an endless possibility of styles depending on the creativity of the group or artist, the instruments they use and the speed of their performance all the way down to the mood – major or minor. With this next worksheet, students a guided in adding harmony with chords and changing to the minor mode if they want. Get the FREE harmony worksheet here.

Dear Piano Kid, Practicing is your responsibility. Your parents will help remind you. Your teacher will do their best to make it engaging but the responsibility of getting to the piano and making progress on your pieces falls squarely on your shoulders. I’ve talked about piano practicing in the past – it’s THAT important. Here are links to previous shows: Episode 001: Establishing Good Practice Habits Episode 002: Parent Teacher Relationship It’s not like sports or gymnastics where you practice together as a group. Piano practice is a solo activity. Sometimes that can be a bit boring or intimidating. We often don’t want to do things, especially if we think we’re not good at them. Unfortunately, the only way to get better at playing the piano is to work through the tricky bits. Think of it like playing a video game. You don’t complete a level until you’ve tried it several times, right? (If you can complete a level the first time it’s usually lame and way too easy!) Each time you play the game you remember where problems were from previous times. You pick up tricks and hacks to overcome the problems and finish the level. Working on a new piece of music, practicing the piano, is the same thing. The first time you try it you will make mistakes but if you keep trying you will learn how to avoid the mistakes. Your fingers learn how to move on the piano keys. You will anticipate obstacles rather than trip over them. Before you know it you’ve finished the piece and can play it like a pro. Practice doesn’t happen by accident. You have to be intentional about making time to practice. Your mom and dad will help you with this and I want to help you with this! I made a time chart for all 168 hours in the week. Use the 168 Chart to block out your responsibilities like school, sleep and other activities. Then use the blank spots to figure out when you will practice. Download your FREE 168 hours Time Chart here. Once you’ve decided when you will practice, make it a priority. Put a reminder on your phone. (I like to use Google Keep.) When your parents remind you to practice, don’t whine or complain. Just do it! Most of the time the biggest struggle is making up your mind to do something. If you put practicing off until later, you still play a mental game of tug-of-war. If you just get it done at the appointed time your mind is free from the extra stress. Your teacher most likely writes a weekly assignment and practice goal for you. Make sure you read his/her notes and aim to accomplish the goals they set for you. They will also help you know what pieces to practice and the order in which to practice your pieces. Here is the link to James King’s Practice Perfection Progress Game Board to help make leveling up more fun. Here are some previous shows where I talked about how and why to practice. Episode 008: How to Approach a New Piece of Music Episode 014: Realistic Goals of Piano Study Episode 020: Ten Reasons to Maintain a Play List Because I think practice is so important and because I know how hard it is to stick to a regular practi...

James King III is a piano teacher and composer from Key West, Florida. His studio is a mixture of children and retired adults. He says he began piano lessons by accident because of an old piano that belonged to his grandmother. James was fascinated by the sounds he could make on that piano and he enjoyed watching the hammers hit the strings inside the piano while he played. His parents, naturally, thought he was a musical genius and enrolled him in piano lessons. Piano Lessons The first year was easy and James didn’t really have to practice much to master his pieces. During the second year, his teacher helped instill better practicing habits. She also recognized that James was most interested in the “mechanics of music” – music theory. She gave him the tools to compose his own music. Early Career After earning his degree in Music Theory and Composition, James discovered that earning a living as a composer wasn’t as forthcoming as he had hoped. He took various jobs that afforded him the opportunity to include his composing skills. He provided an entire audio package for a local host while he worked as a radio DJ. Though he wasn’t passionate about radio, he was grateful for the opportunity to write music and have it be accepted and used. He served at a United Methodist Church in South Carolina where he was able to write music for the choir, including A Final Blessing, a vocal benediction piece. It was while playing for the church that James was asked about teaching piano. James realized he was gifted as a teacher because of the amount of patience he had with his students. If a student had a struggle with a music concept, James was eager to try different approaches to help them. The more difficulties they had, the more he was able to stretch himself as a teacher. For a number of years, James worked as a music editor for Warner Bros. Publications and FJH Music.  Listen to the podcast to learn what James has to say about finger suggestions in music editions. He still gigs for musical events in Key West. Composing One of James’ earliest compositions was called “Telephone Talk”. He wrote it as a young student to simulate the sound of a dial tone on the telephone. His teacher entered “Telephone Talk” in a composition contest and James won! His music was engraved the published in the local teacher’s journal. If a student is struggling with a musical skill or concept, James is very likely to sit down and write a customize piece to meet their need. This is similar to what Bach or Mozart or Beethoven would do for their students. While learning music does improve our test scores and provide other life lessons, why shouldn’t we also play music simply because we enjoy music?   Practice Tools Available from James’ Website Practice Perfection Progress Game Board – inspired by the 1980’s arcade game Gorf Helps students improve their pieces through intentional repetitions aiming for mastery to advance up to six level. Board Game Downloadable PDF Let’s Practice! Cards (Starter Pack) – Two decks are included: a 7-card Daily Practice deck and an 11-card Try This! deck.

If you do a search on Google for “Why to read piano sheet music” you will find lots of blog posts and websites telling you how to read music but not why reading lots of music is so important. On today’s show, I will share my opinion of why reading music is so important for your child’s musical development, what to look for when choosing supplemental music, and where to shop online for piano music. Why reading sheet music is so important Build fluency – The more music your child encounters, the more opportunities they have to practice the musical skills they are learning. Become more independent – Students need to learn how to decipher and interpret music independently from their teacher. They need to learn to listen to the sounds they make and compare those sounds to the notation in the music and be able to know if they have rightly interpreted what is written. Exposure to more sounds and more music – Sight reading music that is a little easier than what they are currently studying gives students the opportunity to explore many styles and genres of music. They are able to see rhythm patterns in different settings and read the notes of the staff in various locations. What to look for in choosing supplemental sheet music These are the levels I use in my studio – * Early Elementary – baby piano students in their first six months of study. Basic rhythm, very few notes on the staff (or non-staff notation), one or two staves per page. * Elementary – usually students are in their first year of study. Rhythm patterns are simple and repetitive. A narrow range of notes in the middle of the staff, usually with no more than four staves per page. Usually, only one hand plays at a time. * Late Elementary – students in their first two years of study. Starting to add more notes and rests, which create a wider variety of rhythm patterns. Hands begin playing together, sometimes with multiple notes in one hand or the other. Articulation marks are included to help with musical expression. Staves and notes are smaller on the printed page. Basic pedaling is included. * Early Intermediate – more complex rhythm patterns, a wider range of notes on the staff, more hand to hand coordination, more expression markings as well as phrase marks. Key signatures and articulation markings are more involved at this level. * Intermediate – Continual progression of difficulty. Intermediate and advanced music has more staves per page and more notes per measure with multiple note combinations offered. * Late Intermediate * Advanced For a reminder of common note and rest values, listen to Episode 029: Steady Beat vs Rhythm. Not all levels are created equal – Each method series can have its own term to describe beginning music: Early Elementary, Primer, 5-finger music, Beginner, etc. What one method labels as Book 1 might have difficulty to equal another series’ Book 2. Your best option is to look at the music your piano kid is currently studying and find music that has the same characteristics: same number of staves per page, a similar number of notes per measure, a similar range of notes on the staff. Sheet Music Plus has a helpful Leveling Guide. Resources for purchasing music Shop local if you have a music store in your community. My favorite music store in Tyler is Mundt Music. SheetMusicPlus.com MusicNotes.com

  Over the last year of producing this podcast, one of my favorite things has become the parent interviews. I have really enjoyed chatting with parents from my studio and other studios to learn how they motivate their children and help them face the challenges that come with piano lessons. One of the last things I ask them is to share their experience and offer words of advice for parents of new piano students. This week I’ve put together a compilation of all the answers from parent interviews so far. To celebrate the first anniversary of the Piano Parent Podcast, would you consider leaving a review on iTunes? You can leave a review here. Suzanne Tapley Don’t let your child quit too soon. Finish your commitments. Frustration is okay. If something is worth learning, it is worth working for. Sanette Brems Be patient ~ It won’t happen all at once. Practicing is as much your duty as it is your child’s. Find something specific to compliment your child on when they are finished practicing. Make the compliment genuine. Gladys Casper Take time and do the research to find a compatible teacher for your child. Help them find music they enjoy playing. Melissa Cornelison Start little and stay consistent. Be involved in their practice because I’ve never seen a kid who doesn’t love to spend time with their parents. Mario Ajero As a parent, don’t make remarks that place blame on the student such as, “well if you practiced more, then you wouldn’t have done so bad.” Help your child to take some accountability and think more toward the future than the past: “What do you think we could do to do better next time? Let’s work together with your teacher on a plan to make that goal!” Jerry & Patricia Truett Mom: The child has to enjoy lessons themselves. Parents, don’t push your child into something they don’t want. If they enjoy it and want to do it, then encourage them and brag on them. Be patient. As time goes on, they’ll get better and better and then you’ll be just as proud of them as I am of my daughter. Dad: When they’re playing  their pieces, walk over and ask them to show you how they did that. Let them teach you. Here is your link to Episode 009: Let your child watch you learn something new. Karen Farrell Make practice less of  a chore and more of just part of your routine. Shanna Meads Realize that each child learns differently. Some may struggle at times and some may just take off with natural abilities. You are there to encourage and help develop their talents and help them enjoy the process. Beth Hughes Keep the joy in it! Don’t rob your kids of the joy that music can bring – to themselves, to their family members, to other people. Sometimes we parents can have tunnel vision about certain musical objects and that can rob the whole joy out of music to that it just becomes another ...

Last summer when I first began producing the Piano Parent Podcast, I sent an invitation to the piano teachers in one of the Facebook groups I belong to asking teachers to do an interview with me. The men and women in this group are some of the best piano teachers in the world and their overwhelmingly positive response gave me the boost of confidence I needed to keep pursuing this online dream. Here we are, about to celebrate our one-year anniversary so I would like to dedicate this episode to those amazing and generous teachers. Thank you, each of you, for spending some time talking shop with me. I have learned from every interview! Thank you, each of you, for spending some time talking shop with me. I have learned so much from every interview and I know your interviews have been a huge help to new piano parents across the world! To celebrate the first anniversary of the Piano Parent Podcast, would you consider leaving a review on iTunes? You can leave a review here. Rondi Allen I find the most success is parents who pair practicing the piano with homework. Hetty Jagersma Behind every successful piano student is a parent who is a wee bit more stubborn and persistent than the student is. Emily Quiles If a piano parent can communicate with me, I will do everything in my power to help them. Chrisanne Holm You’ve heard this statistic, right? “20% of kids learn to play music. 70% of adults with they had.” Jennifer Foxx Most teachers put their heart and soul into their teaching so I think it’s important for parents to understand how special the teacher and student relationship is. Marti Ahern Remember this is FUN! We PLAY the piano! Mario Ajero Piano exams can give a much clearer picture of what a student’s strengths and weaknesses are, and this can help them become a more well-rounded musician. Bonnie Synhorst Help your students by setting good and realistic expectations. Help them build good time management and practice habits. Anne Robinson Practicing needs to be a family, nurturing event.  Make it the most encouraging thing. Make some music every day. Becki Laurent The day is coming (probably sooner than you realize) when you will look at your child and think “Wow! That was really beautiful! My child is a musician!” That moment? Worth every bit of practice! Clinton Pratt Be supportive at home with practice but don’t try to control the situation. Don’t correct your piano kid when they are practicing. Let them go through their own process. Corinna Neely Provide your child with consistent practice time. Being able to play music has gotten me through some of the worst time...

Sometimes parents just don’t realize the piano mistakes they make. By listening to the Piano Parent Podcast, you can save yourself some embarrassment and save your teacher much anguish by avoiding these common problems. To celebrate the first anniversary of the Piano Parent Podcast, would you consider leaving a review on iTunes? You can leave a review here. Here is that extra bonus link, The 50 Greatest Musical Numbers in Movie History, I was telling you about on the podcast. What NOT to do as a Piano Parent: 1. Show up early – Try to arrive as close to your lesson time as possible, no more than five minutes early. Early arrival can catch your teacher unprepared or cause a distraction for the student before you. 2. Show up late – Don’t expect your piano teacher to babysit your piano kid. Manage your time wisely if you run errands during your child’s lesson. 3. Make yourself at home – Don’t rummage through shelves or cabinets or wander around other parts of your teacher’s home. 4. Expect too much from your piano kid – Trust your teacher’s judgment about repertoire that is appropriate for your child’s skill level. Don’t think that your first grader, no matter how talented, will be playing Fur Elise within the first few months of lessons. (And approach the subject of Fur Elise very cautiously with your teacher! Some teachers have heard it played poorly so many times they just can’t listen to it anymore. I think that is sad and happily teach it to my students who request it.) Enjoy listening to this lovely rendition of Beethoven’s masterpiece: 5. Expect too little from your piano kid – Seriously, they can carry their own books.  Children need to learn to be responsible for their books and assignments. It is your job to help them learn to be responsible. 6. Think that your teacher can or will arrange a makeup lesson for last minute cancellations – This does not teach your child responsibility or commitment. You can’t assume that your piano teacher has another time available for you to have a lesson when you miss your appointed time. (Learn more about my position on this in Episode 12: What About Makeup Lessons?) 7. Overbook your child – Children have many, many opportunities for after school activities like sports, dance, gymnastics, etc. When you have your piano kid participate in too many activities, they don’t have the opportunity to excel in any of them. Parents are concerned about limiting screen time; they should also be diligent about saving some downtime for their children. It is okay for your child to be bored and have to come up with their own creative entertainment. 8. Wait until the last minute to re-enroll for the coming semester – If your teacher is worth their salt, their lesson times will fill up quickly. There is likely a waiting list of students hoping to be added to the schedule. The same is true for tuition payments; be sure you pay your teacher in a timely manner. They depend on this income to take care of their own families. 9. Ask to leave early from a piano recital – You aren’t getting off that easy!! Leaving early shows disrespect for your teacher, the other performers, and their parents. If you have heeded my caution from Number 7, then you have not overbooked your child and you will be able to arrange your schedule so that you are free on the day of the recital. 10. Be shocked when your piano kid doesn’t want to practice piano R...

Change is inevitable. Seasons change, needs change, locations change. It stands to reason that, at some point, you will need to change piano teachers. When that time comes, you need to ensure the easiest change possible for your child and your piano teacher. Why Leave Your Piano Teacher If you are moving to a new city, you will most likely need to switch to a different piano teacher. Melissa Cornelison (Episode 025) gave us a great example to follow when moving to a new location. You may need to go to a different teacher as a matter of convenience. Location does matter. An elementary student has more flexibility to travel a further distance for piano lessons than an older student who is also involved in extra-curricular activities. I am so grateful for the respect the teachers have for each other in my local music teachers association – ETMTA. Your piano kid and their teacher may have a personality conflict. As I mentioned in Episode 002, your piano teacher has weekly, uninterrupted time with your child. If that time is not positive and productive for your piano kid, then a change must be made. When to Leave Your Piano Teacher If there is any physical or psychological danger to your child, remove them from lessons immediately. In most cases, try to avoid quitting lessons in the middle of the school year or semester. This will help your child learn to honor their commitments and to persevere when facing challenges and difficult situations. It is far better to finish the season. This gives your child and their teacher an opportunity for closure and to finish lessons on good terms. Be sure to observe your teacher’s studio policy. Some teachers require 30 days notice before quitting lessons. Aim to respect their policy. Recognize that they depend on tuition for their livelihood.     How to Transition to a New Studio Be upfront with your teacher – Chances are they will not be surprised that you and your piano kid are wanting to make a change. This idea of switching teachers may be new to you but it’s probably not a new concept for your teacher. Having students leave their studio is part of the business. Though some teachers may take this news personally, it should not affect your decision. You must act in the best interests of your child. Ask for recommendations – Many teachers belong to local, state, and national music teachers associations. I belong to Texas Music Teachers Association, which is also an affiliate of the Music Teachers National Association. This provides a network of teachers that can make recommendations for families needing to relocate. Make the transition as smooth as possible – Switching teachers doesn’t have to be awkward. In my small town, I am sure to see former students at the grocery store or school functions. I don’t ever want a student to think I am not grateful to see them. I am proud of their musical accomplishments, even with other teachers. In conclusion, we learn from every experience I learned valuable lessons from each of my piano teachers. For that reason, I am proud to dedicate this episode to all of my former teachers: Rose Blackwell – who taught me to have compassion for my students Kathleen Yancey – who taught me to celebrate the achievements of my students and to know when I should help them find a more advanced teacher MaryAnne Dean – who taught me to seek out the learning style of my students to make a positive con...

Veronica Garcia is the mom of three children, two of whom study piano in my own studio in Whitehouse, Texas. At the time of this recording, Veronica’s daughter, Eva (7), was her only child taking piano lessons with me.  Since then, Eva’s little brother, Eli, has also started piano lessons. Veronica wanted her children to study piano for several reasons: to boost academic skills, to develop the creative side of her brain, and to introduce her to various styles of music and culture. How do you schedule practice at home? Veronica incorporates regular piano practice as part of her children’s after school routine. After being cooped up in school all day, Veronica is intentional about give Eva some outside playtime for about 20 minutes. When outside playtime is done, Eva spends 20-25 minutes at the piano. While Eva is at the piano, Veronica keeps her other two children occupied so that Eva can practice with minimal interruptions. Eva begins her practice session with her assigned pieces for that week. After she’s made progress on her assignment, Eva reviews older, favorite pieces until her practice time is done. How do you assist your child during home practice? Although Veronica doesn’t read music, she is still able to help Eva with practicing at home by keeping practice as part of her routine and by keeping her younger children occupied so that Eva can practice without interruption. What motivates your piano kid regarding piano practice? Piano practice and school homework must be completed in order for Eva to be able to watch a short television program. In addition to this reward, Eva has a genuine love of music and enjoys the beautiful sounds she is learning to create. What struggles have your piano kids overcome through piano study? Eva has always preferred to read music as opposed to memorizing a piece. One year at recital, she refused to memorize her recital piece, but then saw the other students playing from memory so Eva attempted to play her piece by memory also. She stumbled with it and her piano teacher helped her through it. Eva stayed until her performance was complete and I was proud of her for not getting embarrassed or running off the stage. She made sure to memorize her recital piece the next year! Mountaintop Experiences through piano study – Eva loves Christmas music. She plays it year round and sometimes when she wants to get away from her younger siblings and the hustle and bustle of the house. I think it clams her and brings her peace. What does success at piano mean to you? Going to college on a music scholarship would be a great dream come true! But, besides that, just having my children develop a love and appreciation for music. When they look back I want them to say, “I’m glad my mom had me study music.” My goal is for my children to study some sort of instrument until they are 18. As a mom, there have been times when I didn’t think Eva was making progress like she should. Eva wasn’t frustrated or bored but, without a gauge to measure against, I wasn’t sure if she was moving forward. Then all of a sudden she would make huge leaps in her playing ability. This has taught me to be patient and consistent. Even if it seems like she is not improving when she plays music she has already mastered, she is playing the piano. That activity is building neural pathways in her brain; I just can’t see it at the moment. Episode 006: Progress is not always a straight line A word of advice for new piano parents: Make sure to keep piano fun. Make practice time age appropriate. (A general rule of thumb is to have them practice their age multiplied by three.) Don’t be discourage if the student doesn’t’ appear t...

Episode Highlights: Bonnie Kraxberger is a piano teacher from the Portland, Oregon area. She can be reached at info@maestromusiclessons.org. To celebrate her tenth year of teaching, Bonnie invited five other teachers to join her to establish Maestro Music Lessons where students of all ages can learn a variety of musical instruments. Student reminder: I tell my students that I am working myself out of a job. I want them to imagine what I would say if I were sitting next to them when they practice. The Penny Trick: choose three pennies or three objects and place them on one side of the piano. As the child plays the assigned section correctly, focusing on their goal, they move one of the pennies to the other side of the piano. If they play the section incorrectly, the pennies have to go back to the starting point. They continue working until all pennies can be moved over in a row. Parent reminder: Give your child permission to make mistakes. Do not correct your child when they make a mistake. Rather, ask questions, “Can you play this piece in a sad way?” “Can you play it happy?” “What is your goal for this piece this week?”                   Teacher motivation: Bonnie really loves the joy she gets when a students gets a concept. She calls these “Aha moments”. Bonnie also enjoys searching out practice challenges, games and other incentives for her students as well as ways to motivate the teachers in her music school. Bonnie’s Composer Pick: Bonnie loves the ability to connect with modern composers. In her music school, Bonnie incorporates music from these modern composers: Trevor and Andrea Dow , Jennifer Eklund, Daniel McFarlane. Parting Wisdom for New Piano Parents: You are investing in your child – not just on an instrument but in life skills – perseverance, trying new things, exploring and creating.                   Learn more about future music offerings, like Four Chord Fantasy and Baroque & Bordeaux, open to the Portland community through the Maestro Music School. Bonnie can be reached at info@maestromusiclessons.org.  

Welcome back, Becki Laurent! We first spoke to Becki in her teacher interview on Episode 037. Today Becki and I are discussing our favorite apps for helping kids learn to play piano. Apps help teachers and students isolate a specific skill for improvement in understanding and performance. Once students are confident and fluent with these basic skills, they are more able to play harder, more interesting music. Using apps at home will allow your teacher more time to work on other concepts during the lesson. Here is the list of apps we discuss on the show plus loads of other apps for you to check into. Notation Sightreading Piano Maestro  – a portion of the app use is free through iTunes. The full music library is available for an annual subscription. Students play a wide variety of music along with backing tracks. Piano Maestro helps students process reading skills, feel pulse/steady beat of music, build quicker responses with their hands and fingers and have a lot of fun in the process. Becki wrote an ebook, “The Parent’s Guide to JoyTunes’ Piano Maestro” to help parents and their piano kids use Piano Maestro at home.   NinGenius – student edition $2.99 iTunes NinGenius is a flashcard app that allows students to choose a variety instruments and clefs to drill note recognition. Students identify written notation and match it with a letter of the alphabet, piano key or fingering on their instrument.   Flashnote Derby – $4.99 iTunes / $2.99 Google Play Flashnote Derby is another flashcard app that allows students to select specific notes to drill. Teachers have the ability to select notes within the app for a certain student and email that deck directly to the parent for home practice. The parent clicks the link in the email on their mobile device and Flashnote Debry will be automatically preset with the notes the teacher selected. Flashnote Derby has the ability of hearing the piano keys directly. This helps students learn to associate a note on the staff with a specific piano key; an essential skill for fluent notation reading.   NoteRush – $3.99 iTunes/Google Play NoteRush is Shelly’s pick for a favorite flashcard app. This app also listens to the piano keys students play and features a variety of themes for staff notation. Students are timed as they find notes and are able to level up as their reaction time decreases. Rhythm The Most Addicting Sheep Game – $0.99 iTunes Students learn to feel the beat of the music as well as discern between small and large intervals. Understanding and recognizing intervals (the space from one note to the next note on the staff and on the piano keys) is vital for fluid music reading. Students must be exactly on time with their rhythm or the sheep falls off the grass. They also must keep going and not go back to fix errors,

Corissa Caccitolo is the mom of three children, all of whom study piano in my own studio in Whitehouse, Texas. Corissa wanted to foster a love of music and piano is a great instrument to get started on. Even small children are able to press the keys and make a sound. “There is nothing very wonderful about it; you have only to hit the right notes at the right moment and the instrument does the rest.”         ~ Johann Sebastian Bach How do you schedule practice at home? Having three kids who are busy with other activities as well as piano makes home practice a bit of a struggle. Corissa treats piano practice essentially the same as school homework. They just know practice is something they have to do. How do you assist your child during home practice? Corissa helped her children more when they first started piano lessons. They were preschool aged and not quite reading yet. She also encouraged them to try to remember what they had been told in the lesson and try to do it themselves. Corissa attended the piano lessons when her children were younger. This allowed her to help them when they practiced at home. What motivates your piano kid regarding piano practice? Corissa’s children enjoy making music. Going to lessons has never been a struggle for them. I try to maintain a positive environment and individualize their lessons to help keep them interested in studying the piano. What struggles have your piano kids overcome through piano study? Preparing for theory exams is always a struggle for students. Working through difficult pieces can be challenging. You can see in their face that they are proud of their hard work.  One of the great things about piano lessons is that students learn to persevere and to continue even when things are challenging. Mountaintop Experiences through piano study – The achievement of being able to play for a family member or for their classmates at school is a mountaintop experience for the Caccitolo children. There is so much more that you can take from music besides learning to play an instrument. Success with piano, for Corissa, means that her children will enjoy music and have the confidence to play for others. They are listeners of music, players of music and they have been able to transfer those skills to other instruments. A word of advice for new piano parents: Parents need to provide the stability for their children to practice. Make it part of their routine; something they know needs to be done.

Episode Highlights: Corinna Neely is a piano teacher from Sarver, PA. She can be reached at musiclessons.com/musicstarsstudio Corinna was inspired to pursue music as a result of a writing prompt from her communications teacher. She originally took lessons when her siblings had to miss a lesson with their teacher. Flexibility is a very important quality in a teacher. ~ Corinna Neely     Student reminder:  Slow down. I would rather you play something slowly and correctly than to play fast and make mistakes.     Parent reminder: Let me know in advance if you’re going to miss a lesson. I’m happy to schedule a makeup if I’m able to. Kids are commonly over scheduled with after school activities these days. This makes it a struggle to make time for piano practice.                     Teacher motivation:  The thing that keeps Corinna motivated is seeing the joy the playing the piano brings to students and to see them make continual progress toward higher goals. Resources mentioned in this episode: Corinna’s Composer Pick: Nadia Boulanger and Julie Andrews Nadia Boulanger taught many well-known modern composers including American composer, Aaron Copeland.  This is one of Shelly’s favorite pieces by Aaron Copeland. Julie Andrews has recently partnered with Netflix to produce a children’s television show all about musical theater, Julie’s Greenroom. National Federation of Music Clubs Parting Wisdom for New Piano Parents: Provide your child with consistent practice time. Being able to play music has gotten me through some of the worst times in my life. Contact Corinna at musiclessons.com/musicstarsstudio

  Why should you plan to continue lessons during the summer? Highlights from this episode: Teacher’s Livelihood Your teacher (if they consider teaching as a primary source of income) is depending on their piano teaching income, even during the summer. You wouldn’t want to go without a steady stream of income three months out of the year so don’t expect your piano teacher to go without the same. Becki Laurent’s Interview Consistency for your Piano Kid By avoiding a three month break your child will be able to maintain the musical concepts they learned during the school year. It’s good for you, both mentally and physically. As a parent, you know how difficult it is to remember how to use a piece of software if you’ve been away from it for an extended length of time. The same is true for your child with playing the piano and reading music. Summer lessons allow your child to keep moving forward. If they try to work on a piece of music on their own, they might get stuck with a tricky rhythm pattern or finger strategy. Continuing lessons with your teacher throughout the summer will help them get past difficult passages more smoothly. Summer lessons are an investment When students don’t practice during the summer months, they often have to be retaught the same concepts when they return to lessons in the fall. This is a waste of both time and money. By continuing lessons during the summer, even at a reduced schedule, you are helping your child to maintain the skills they have acquired.  When the full piano schedule returns in the fall, they can pick up again right where they left off at the last summer lesson. Summer piano lessons offer a change of pace Because students aren’t usually bound by the normal school activities and homework, students have more time to devote to piano practice during the summer. Even extracurricular piano activities are halted in the summer months. Students aren’t having to prepare for exams, piano auditions, recitals and other performances. This allows students to play music that often gets overlooked because of studying music specific to certain events. If sight reading is a focus during the school year, perhaps improvisation, creativity and playing by ear can become the priority during the summer. My studio works with a flexible summer schedule Students purchase 180 minutes of summer instruction. This time can be broken down into six 30-minute lessons, four 45-minute lessons or three 60-minute lessons. I only teach two days per week during the summer session. This allows me to spend more time with my own children and to travel with my family. My husband and I were married July 9th so we always take a trip together the week of July 4-9. I never schedule lessons during that week.  What a treasure it is to be able to arrange my schedule to fit my needs and the needs of my family! Students who enroll in the summer are given priority scheduling for the fall semester. The summer session is also a time when new students are able to do a trail run with piano lessons before they commit to a full school year. Free Resource for summer music activities Included in this free piano parent resource are three activities to help you keep your piano kid engaged in playing the piano during the summer break. ♫  Play favorite pieces ♫  Song Sundae ♫  Composer Facebook Page Download your free summer resource by completing the form below.            

Beth Hughes is the mom of three children, two of whom, Ben and Hannah, study piano in my own studio in Whitehouse, Texas. Piano lessons were important to Beth for her children because she saw the educational value of learning to play an instrument. She knows that music is an activity that uses both sides of the brain. Beth also would love for her children to use their music to serve others as they get older. How do you schedule practice at home? As a home school mom, Beth makes piano practice part of her children’s daily routine. She tries to get all their practicing in during the week days to keep their weekends free for other family activities. My studio rule for practicing is the student’s age times three. Hannah is 9 so she aims to practice about 27 minutes each week day. Ben, at 12, tries to practice closer to 36 minutes. These practice times fluctuate during the year depending on various school and piano activities. How do you assist your child during home practice? Beth sees her role with home practice as the encourager.  She helps them work through frustration with challenging assignments. She also serves as an audience for her children occasionally. What motivates your piano kid regarding piano practice? Ben and Hannah enjoy playing music that they hear on the radio or in church. They get excited when they hear a song playing on the radio that they’ve been studying. It makes their music real! What struggles have your piano kids overcome through piano study? Entering middle school has given Ben a much heavier academic load. That has made it more difficult for him to work piano into his schedule. Ben and his mom worked together to figure out a reduced practice schedule that would allow him to continue piano. They didn’t want piano to be all or nothing. This was a great life lesson for him to learn; sometimes you have to approach difficult situations from a different angle. Mountaintop Experiences through piano study – When they finally master a really difficult piece. At first, when they look at a new piece, they may struggle.  Then they work one hand at a time or small sections and it finally clicks and they get so excited! As their mother, I always try to remind them that they have persevered. They worked through something that was difficult! They learn that sticking with something is worthwhile. They can say, “I did this! Nobody else did it for me – I did it!” What does success at piano mean to you? For me, it’s just persevering. Your piece doesn’t have to be perfect; I just don’t want you to quit. I want you to keep trying – try a little, try a lot, just try! Don’t give up. ~ Beth Hughes, Piano Mom Have realistic expectations and goals for yourself and for your kids. A word of advice for new piano parents: Keep the joy in it! Don’t rob your kids of the joy that music can bring – to themselves, to their family members, to other people. Sometimes we parents can have tunnel vision about certain musical objects and that can rob the whole joy out of music to that it just becomes another task. Guard your child’s practice time and piano studies. Do everything in your power to keep it from being a negative experience. Resources related to this episode: Get SMART with your piano music free resource KVNE Christian Radio