Piano Parent Podcast

Episode Highlights: Clinton Pratt is a piano teacher from Cincinnati, Ohio. He can be reached at PianoSensei.com Student reminder: “When you practice, go slow enough that you can play it easily.” Parent reminder: Clinton encourages piano parents to sit in on lessons occasionally so they can help with practice at home. Teacher motivation: He loves to see students get excited about a piece as they prepare for performance. He also enjoys seeing parents proud of their children. Clinton also enjoys attending music teacher conferences and learning from other piano teachers. Resources mentioned in this episode: Texas Music Teacher Association Piano Parent Facebook Page Sound Spectrum Visualizers: G-Force and Aeon Clinton’s Music Alive Summer Concerts Clinton’s student Adam, animated his Music Alive piece, Etude in C sharp minor by Heller. Clinton’s Composer Pick: A tie with Victor Borge and Sergei Prokofiev Victor Borge – as a child I remember watching his videos with my mom and grandmother. He was so funny using humor and comedy but also he was a very good musician. I loved how he engaged audiences. Watch Victor Borge accompany and opera singer: Sergei Prokofiev – His music is so interesting; it’s fun, sentimental, rhythmic, sarcastic and many things that I relate to. I would love to just sit and watch him improvise and compose! I chose this video of Prokofiev’s “Winter Bonfire” Suite because it showcases the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain. I think watching other children perform is a great motivation for beginning piano students. Listen to Episode 40 with other videos with Victor Borge and Sergei Prokofiev. Parting Wisdom for New Piano Parents: 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. You can guide their practice by asking questions like: * How should you practice this part? * Is that how it’s supposed to sound? * What did you work on with your teacher? * How do you feel about this piece? You can reach Clinton at PianoSensei.com Email Shelly with your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes. Thanks for listening!

Music is for sharing! Here is my list of ten YouTube videos I think you and your piano kid would enjoy watching together. 1. George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with video provided by Disney’s “Fantasia 2000” Anna Harwell Celenza’s book “Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue” 2. J. S. Bach’s Crab Canon – a musical palindrome with a Minecraft video twist that your piano kids will enjoy. 3. W.A. Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 – an animated visual of the notes played by the orchestra. This video helps students get a better understanding of pitch and duration of musical sounds and the notation that represents them. 4. Bobby McFerrin demonstrates the power of the pentatonic scale – who doesn’t love Bobby McFerrin? Students can create many songs and interesting sounds on the five black keys of the piano.  Try these songs on the black keys: Mary Had a Little Lamb, Hot Cross Buns, Jesus Loves Me, Amazing Grace. 5. The 5 Browns play Street Pianos – The Street Piano Project is a wonderful combination of beautiful sights and sounds available for anyone and everyone to enjoy. Learn more about the 5 Browns here. Find a Street Piano in your area here. 6. How Great is Our God by Chris Tomlin – This is a perfect song for your piano kid to play along with.  It is in the key of C Major and uses only four chords: C Major, A minor, F Major, and an occasional G Major. 7. Victor Borge – A Danish pianist and comedian. 8. Walt Disney and Sergei Prokofiev – I love this historical video that showcases and man behind the wonderful Disney company. I also love watching Mr. Prokofiev perform his own composition, Peter and the Wolf. Here’s the book I’m reading about Walt Disney right now. 9. Beethoven in Havana – What fun to hear and see all the sounds this artist makes on the piano! You can listen to Beethoven’s original version of his Symphony No. 7 here. 10. The Piano Guys – The Piano Guys visited a retirement home and played the wonderfully fun, Linus and Lucy from Charlie Brown.  It is wonderful to see people from all generations connect through music. You can see more from

This is a continuation of the get SMART project with my piano students. You can listen to the first part here.  The idea for recording this project came from a wonderful listener in Australia. Sue writes: “As a suggestion for a podcast, I would like one on your SMART approach to a music piece in action. Showing how you can change a learnt piece to a different rhythm, style, etc.” Get SMART with your music resource sheet Nicole, 10 “March Militaire” by Schubert from Piano Pronto Method Book Movement 1 Nicole changed the STYLE, MELODY, ARTICULATION and RHYTHM of this piece. Morgan, 9 “Horse-Drawn Carriage” from Piano Adventures Lesson Book 2B Morgan got SMART with this piece by reversing quarter notes and eighth notes. RHYTHM is something Morgan and I focus on during her lessons so it was fun for her to think about how to change they rhythm patterns. Haley, 14 “Chopsticks” from Piano Adventures Studio Collection 3A-3B Haley got SMART by transposing this arrangement from C Major to the key of G Major.  She also had to adjust the ending glissando to accommodate the new key signature. Finally, Haley broke the waltz-style chords into individual notes to change the STYLE and RHYTHM of this fun piece. I wanted to do more than just break the chords so I thought, ‘Why don’t I just change the key?’ Haley Hannah, 9 “Shave and a Haircut” from Piano Adventures Lesson Book 2B Hannah changed the ARTICULATION and TEMPO in her piece.  She also changed the time signature from 4/4 to 3/4 time in measure 3 and 4. Hannah also changed the MELODY by adding another repetition of the melody pattern in the last half of the piece. Tracy, 14 “Sakura” from Piano Adventures Lesson Book 3A Tracy really prefers to create her own music and play by ear. It is a challenge to slow down to process reading music for two separate hands on two separate staves. This piece gave her a good steady RHYTHM pattern for her left hand to play while her eyes read the treble staff for her right hand.  That constant left hand pattern also gave her a solid foundation to play while her right hand improvised a new MELODY on the white keys. Eva, 7 “Spanish Caballero” from Piano Adventures Lesson Book 2B Eva changed the STYLE of her piece by playing louder, lower, and slower. She also changed the MELODY by playing steps rather than skips in the introduction. Caitlyn, 9 “Pumpkin Boogie” from Piano Adventures Lesson Book 2B Caitlyn changed the RHYTHM and ARTICULATION by playing the introduction with a more jazzy, bouncy beat. She extended the ending with her left hand. It kind of felt like there was somebody going into a garden with pumpkins at night and the pumpkins came to life and chased the person! Caitlyn Amanda, 11 “Campbells are Coming” from Piano Adventures

Shanna Meads is the mom of five children, three of whom study piano in my own studio in Whitehouse, Texas. Eva (13), William (10), and Amelia (8) each have their own unique personalities and musical expression. They all learn and process music differently. How do you schedule practice at home? With five children at home, scheduling practice is very important. Some of Shanna’s children practice in the morning before school while others practice as soon as they get home from school or right before dinner time. It is the parent’s responsibility to make sure regular practice occurs during the week between lessons. What struggles have your piano kids overcome through piano study? Eva recently had a bad bicycle accident and broke her right arm.  Fortunately, she did not use this as an excuse to avoid practice.  Instead, she focused on reading single handed melodies and music theory worksheets.  Since she is left handed, the written theory work didn’t miss a beat! Mountaintop Experiences through piano study – A highlight for each year is when my children get to perform at the spring recital. They get the experience of being on a stage, playing a grand piano, and performing before a real live audience. It’s a highlight for me as a parent to watch them up on the stage playing a piece they’ve worked on and memorized and watching them take a bow before the crowd. It’s an awesome experience for all of us! A word of advice for new piano parents:   Resources related to this episode: Billy Joel talks about the important role his mother played in his music. Shelly’s studio bead challenge (It’s coming back in 2017-2018!!) Spring Recitals are a great learning opportunity.    

Episode Highlights: Becki Laurent is a piano teacher from Lubbock, Texas. She can be reached at msbecki@gmail.com. Student reminder: I want my students to own their learning and apply what they know. Playing piano is fun but it still requires a work ethic. I also constantly tell them two things: 1. Count  and 2. F’s are sharp and B’s are flat! “Talent is a great thing. But talent without a personal work ethic is useless.” Becki Laurent Parent reminder:  Parents have enough battles to fight with their kids. Piano practice doesn’t need to be one of them. I share the “Rule of Five” with my piano parents.  That is, their child should practice each assigned piece 5 times well.  That may take three minutes or thirty minutes.  I tell my parents to stop stressing about piano practice minutes.  They are told to tell their piano kids, “Practice your 5 and if you think Mr. Becki will be happy with how it sounds then you are done for today.” “Practice your 5 and if you think Mr. Becki will be happy with how it sounds then you are done for today.” I also teach them the “Rule of Age” for recitals. Students must play their recital piece well as many times as their age. Teacher motivation: The thing that most keeps me motivated as a teacher is the thrill of learning. I love to learn. I love to try new things and make new connections. Nothing thrills me more than to learn something new. I also love to see a student learn. It is so exciting to see that moment. It is a unique experience to watch learning happen in someone else’s head and I love to be there for that. Resources mentioned in this episode: Piano Maestro Yamaha Chord Tracker The Most Addicting Sheep Game Mind the Beat Soundbrennar Pulse Jelly Band Audio Ninja Blob Chorus Ultimate Guitar Tabs InFocus Pro MusicNotes Becki’s Composer Pick: Bach. I woud love to know what made him tick. What was he like in real life that led to such tremendous musical thought? How did he manage multiple lines of melody? I think he was the ultimate multi tasker and I’d love to know how he did it. I also think we would share a love of technology. I think he would explode with creative ideas if you put him in front of a Clavinova! Can you imagine? Here is a video sample of the genius of Bach. Parting Wisdom for New Piano Parents: 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! Contact Becki: msbecki@gmail.com Teachers, would you like to share your story? Contact me at

The idea for this episode came from a listener in Australia.   Sue writes: “As a suggestion for a podcast, I would like one on your SMART approach to a music piece in action. Showing how you can change a learnt piece to a different rhythm, style, etc.” Get SMART with your music resource sheet Lydia, 7 “King of the Land” from My First Piano Adventures Lesson Book B Lydia changed the STYLE of her piece simply by moving to lower and higher registers on the piano. I love that she sings along as the plays. This tells me her listening skills are developing right along with her reading skills. Ashlynn, 13 “Westminster Chimes” from Piano Adventures Lesson Book 3B Ashlynn also changes the STYLE of her piece by arpeggiating or rolling some of the chords rather than playing them as a block of sound. Ashlynn is a bit self conscious and prefers to read her music. Getting SMART isn’t something she is very comfortable with.  As her teacher, I want to encourage even the smallest creative spark that I see in her playing. Amelia, 8 “Mixed Up Song” from Piano Adventures Lesson Book Level 1 Amelia got SMART with the melody of her piece by moving some melody notes in the opposite direction from the notation. She also changed stepping notes into skipping notes. Quincey, 9 “Are You Sleeping?” (Frere Jacques) from Piano Pronto Movement 1 I’m so proud of Quincey and her mom for making arrangements for her to keep practicing at her grandparent’s home while her mother was out of the country. Not only did she arrange a Skype lesson during her regular lesson time but she also brought a portable keyboard to practice on. Quincey got SMART with her song by turning some of the melodic phrases “upside down”. Sadie, 11 “Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho” from Piano Adventures Lesson Book 3A Sadie decided to transpose her piece from A minor to D minor. Transposing a piece is a challenging skill for students to learn because they are reading the notation on the staff while their hands actually play “incorrect” piano keys. They are not playing what they read.  This causes students to need to read the relationship between notes – the intervals – in order to perform in the new key. Accompanists and church musicians use this skill a great deal to accommodate those they play for.  If a song is not in a comfortable key for a vocalist, being able to transpose to a higher or lower key is an invaluable asset. Luke, 10 “Rondo Alla Turca” from Famous & Fun Classic Themes Book 3 arranged by Carol Matz Luke experimented with the Rhythm portion of Get SMART. Rather than playing chords as blocks, he broke the chords into individual notes. Lexi, 11 “Beach Party” from Piano Adventures

Karen Farrell is the mom of three sons and a daughter, three of whom currently study piano with Ms. Becki Laurent at The Music Studio in Lubbock, Texas.  Though Karen isn’t musical herself, she knew that learning to play instrument was beneficial for her children; not only for them but also to help and serve others. How do you schedule practice at home? As a home school mom, Karen is able to incorporate music into her children’s curriculum.  Nathan, 15, prefers to practice first thing in the morning. Oscar, 12, practices from a personal sense of duty.  Her youngest child, Olivia, 8, benefits from reminders to practice and help from her older brothers. Piano kids often experience mountains and valleys in their piano study; times when learning new music is easier and times when it is a real challenge. Parents can be a huge influence on helping their children work through challenging times. What struggles have your piano kids overcome through piano study? Oscar is very athletic and sports comes naturally to him.  Studying piano has been more of a challenge and that has helped him learn to stick with a challenge. Nathan truly enjoys the process of learning new music. He enjoys the challenge. Mountaintop Experiences through piano study – Karen’s oldest son has diabetes and is pursuing Music Therapy in college. He hopes to use music to help children. A word of advice for new piano parents: Make practice less of  a chore and more of just part of your routine. Resources related to this episode: Music Therapy Childhood Diabetes The Music Studio Texas Music Teachers Association Find a piano teacher in the United States through Music Teachers National Association

Episode Highlights: Anne Robinson is a piano teacher from Madison, Wisconsin. She can be reached at akrpiano@gmail.com. Student reminder: “Music moves, you should too.” Technic begins with the feet. I work from the ground up, focusing on balance and body movement. Parent reminder:  Parents must practice with their child.  Parents attend lessons with their child.  They can’t expect a young child to remember what to practice or how to practice.  Take the time to be with them. Of course we want our children to be independent.  We can’t just make them independent by saying, “Go be independent.” We have to be side by side to teach this independence. Ask, “What was your thing in lessons today?”. Teacher motivation: I really love piano music and learning the next thing.  The same is true for teaching; each student is different and a new puzzle to understand. I love to practice! “There are eighty-eight keys on a piano and within that, an entire universe.” – James Rhodes In English, we call it “playing the piano”. If we were in Italy, we would call it “sounding the instrument”. In China it is referred to as “touching the piano”. For us, I like that we get to say ‘play’. Resources mentioned in this episode: Steinway & Sons, Madison Piano Safari – Anne studied piano pedagogy under Dr. Julie Knerr, co-author of Piano Safari. Dalcroze teaching method Music Moves for Piano Tales of a Musical Journey 70 Keyboard Adventures with the Little Monster Anne’s Composer Pick: Beethoven. She is currently practicing Beethoven’s Opus 110. She wonders if he would be able to hear her, depending on the time of his life that she could visit him and she would like to eat macaroni and cheese with him, his favorite dish! Follow the music with this performance of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Opus 110. Jan Swafford’s book on Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph. Parting Wisdom for New Piano Parents: Practicing needs to be a family, nurturing event.  Make it the most encouraging thing. Contact Anne: akrpiano@gmail.com Teachers, would you like to share your story? Contact me at info@pianoparentpodcast.com to schedule an interview.

Part Three of the three part series AKA “Linear Circle of 5ths” (Magic Wand is a much cooler name, don’t you think?) My students take the annual theory exam offered by Texas Music Teachers Association. The information I describe in this podcast coincides with the concepts students need to know for the Level 7 through Level 12 theory exam. In Episode 013: Magic Wand Part 1, we discussed the first part of the Magic Wand, seven major keys, which is useful for students taking the Level 3 and Level 4 Texas Music Teachers Association theory exam. In Episode 023: Magic Wand Part 2, we extended the original 7 keys (F C G D A E B)  to include all the major keys, from C♭ with 7 flats to C♯ with 7 sharps. This information is helpful for students testing at Level 5 and Level 6. It all starts with a goofy sentence about a Fat Cat: Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Bacon This is the sentence used to start the whole process of drawing the Magic Wand; it will also be useful for remembering the order or sharps/flats.  When drawing the Magic Wand on a scratch sheet of paper, students are instructed to draw a rectangle around these seven letters. (See step 2 on the Magic Wand free resource sheet.) This box serves two purposes:  1. To remember which keys do not require a sharp or flat as part of their name. Anything inside the box uses that letter only as the name of the key. Any letters written outside the box and to the right, require a sharp as part of the name: F♯, C♯ (think “sharps go to the right” just like they do on the piano keys.) Any letters written outside the box and to the left, require a flat as part of the name: B♭, E♭, A♭, etc. (think “flats go to the left” just like they do on the piano keys.) 2. To remember the order of sharps and flats as they occur in a key signature. Order of Sharps (♯) starting with F and reading to the right: FCGDAEB Order of Flats (♭) starting with B and reading to the left: BEADGCF Use the Magic Wand to identify major and relative minor key signatures: Identifying Major and minor keys and their corresponding sharps/flats is easy with the Magic Wand! Notice the number of flats listed at the beginning of a piece or on a theory test question. For example, two flats (♭) listed after a treble clef sign. Look on your Magic Wand to find the number two. Be sure to look on the left portion of the Magic Wand because flats go the left. The first letter below the number two is B♭.  This is the key of B♭ Major. The next letter below the number two is g. This represents the key of g minor. Every key signature represents a Major or minor key. What if there are six sharps (♯) listed listed as a theory test questions? Look on your Magic Wand to find the number six.  There are two number sixes on the Magic Wand, we want the one to the right of C because sharps go to the right. The first letter below that number six is F♯. This is the key of F♯ Major. The next letter below the number six is d#. This is the key of d# minor. Use the Magic Wand to create chord patterns: You can use the Magic Wand to create your own music and chord patterns! * Choose any letter from the Major portion of the Magic Wand.  This letter becomes your tonic or home key. For this example, I chose F. F is my tonic or the first note of the F major scale. We use it to create the I triad. * The letter to the left of F is B♭.  B♭ is my subdominant or fourth note of the F major scale. We use it to build the IV chord.

Episode Highlights On this week’s episode, I get to interview my two most favorite piano parents in the whole world: my parents, Jerry and Patricia Truett.  They were first introduced to the idea of piano lessons through a cardboard keyboard that was sent home from the Dallas Public School District. This was my very first piano lesson book. It was published by the Dallas Independent School District. Amazing! How did you find a new piano teacher after you moved from the Dallas area? Mostly word of mouth and recommendations from other parents.  We started with one teacher who turned out to be very strict and not a good personality fit for Shelly. After a few years, we found a new teacher, Mrs. Yancey, who was much more positive and encouraging, which was a great motivator. A while after that, Mrs. Yancey suggested we transfer to another teacher who could share more advanced piano music as well as how to embellish church music and hymns. Finally, in high school, Shelly studied with another teacher who helped her prepare for college. How do you schedule practice at home? Our piano was in the dining room so most practice happened in the afternoon while Mom was preparing the evening meal.  Even she wasn’t musically trained, she would still listen to my music and tell me if a song sounded right of not. Families may need to schedule home practice to help the student while still making time for other family activities. What motivates your child with piano practice and study? “You wanted to play for other people.  If somebody was at our house, you liked to play. You stated playing for church and the local nursing home. … The residents at nursing homes thoroughly enjoy it when someone comes. It gives the student the opportunity to perform for people who are not going to be critical.” Shelly’s note: My piano teacher would help me learn two hymns at the lesson and on Wednesday evening Bible study at church I would tell the music leader what songs I had practiced.  Those were the songs he had the congregation sing. Growing up in a small community with a small church afforded me the opportunity to learn, at an early age, how to accompany church worship services. What mountaintop experiences has your piano kid enjoyed through piano study – Learning to play “Somewhere, My Love” like Daddy had requested when I first started piano lessons and playing it at a wedding that he was officiating. Are you a musician? Mom says “No” but I think she has a lovely singing voice and I love standing next to her singing in church. Daddy is currently taking bass guitar lessons. You’re never too old to learn to play an instrument! ***If you want to know how piano lessons “did not work out” for my mom, message me on our Facebook page or email me at info@pianoparentpodcast.com*** What was the last music you listened to for fun? Mom: Southern Gospel Dad: Willie’s Roadhouse – old country music. Jamming at a local restaurant with other gospel and country musicians. What does your piano teacher do that you really applaud? They were encouragers and encouragement goes a long way. What does success at piano mean to you? Dad: When you could just sit down and start playing.  To be able to read a song you had never heard before. Mom: I remember telling you when you were practicing to not just play the notes but to make the piano sound like it’s singing.  That is comforting and relaxing and enjoyable to me. A word of advice for new piano parents:

Episode Highlights: Bonnie Synhorst is a piano teacher from Valrico, Florida. She can be reached at bjclarinet@hotmail.com. Student reminder: “Thinking is not optional.” Getting to the final result of a beautiful performance requires thinking and concentration. Parent reminder:  I remind my parents that I can see changes and progress when they may not be able to notice them. Even if their child doesn’t continue playing piano in their lifetime, learning these skills now is still beneficial to them. Teacher motivation: Bonnie enjoys seeing light-bulbs of recognition spark in her students. She also enjoys the challenge of translating abstract musical ideas into concrete elements that her students are more able to understand. Resources mentioned in this episode: Piano Maestro Bonnie’s Composer Pick: Mozart, John Cage, Stravinsky. Enjoy this animated video of Mozart’s Symphony NO. 40 in G minor, first movement.  I think these animations are excellent for students to watch because they show not only the pitch and duration of notes but the various instruments are color coded to make it easier to follow their musical line. Listen to and watch a lovely performance of Stravinsky’s Ballet. Parting Wisdom for New Piano Parents: Help your students by setting good and realistic expectations. Help them build good time management and practice habits. Contact Bonnie: bjclarinet@hotmail.com or on Facebook

Resources for sitting properly at the piano: The Well-Balanced Pianist has a great article, with before and after photos, about sitting at the piano for the most physical comfort, ease of movement, and beautiful sounding music. Nancy Faber, from Piano Adventures Method books, has a excellent video demonstration seating proper distance at the piano. This is the pedal extender I use in my studio.  I am not associated with this company at all but I am enjoying their nice product. Don’t pedal like this counting horse!

Internalizing a steady beat can be a very challenging concept for beginning piano students. This episode will offer some ways parents can help their piano kid. Feel the PULSE of the music Listen to music together Dance, march, stomp, or clap to the steady beat of songs you hear on the radio. Notice that music beats are grouped together Most popular songs in western music have beats grouped in fours Listening to the bass guitar player will help you know when a new group of four begins. Drummers often give clues for downbeats too. Clap the beat and the rhythm to a well known nursery rhyme Basic beginning rhythm symbols Some examples of various time signatures: Find the strong downbeats in this 3/4 time signature song by Journey, Open Arms.  Listen to the bass guitar, which changes on each new measure.  The drummer also gives an accented hit on the first beat of every measure. Another great song in 3/4 time, The Piano Man by Billy Joel. You can really feel the swaying motion of the beat.  The drummer’s “boom-chic-chic” helps move the beat forward.  While you on this channel, be sure to find other videos of Billy Joel playing the piano. This can be a nice inspiration for boys who might be leary about playing piano. (I was all too happy to pull these great examples from my younger days.  Ahhh…..the 70’s & 80’s!) For some more modern musical examples, try these songs with a strong 4/4 pulse: Bruno Mars: Count on Me – this one is a little tricky because the drums are clicking on the “off-beat”.  Follow the bass guitar, it is playing on the beat. Newsboys: God’s Not Dead – the bass drum helps keep the beat moving and steady.  The bass guitar changes on most of the new measures so you should be counting “1” with every note change. Katrina and the Waves: Walking on Sunshine – a favorite with my preschool music kids! Sonny and Cher had it right; the beat really does go on! By the way, if you decide to clap along, be sure to clap on counts 2 and 4. Clapping on 1 and 3 is just not musical! Here is a cool example of Harry Connick, Jr. “fixing” a clapping problem with an audience mid-performance .      

Dr. Mario Ajero is internationally recognized as an authority in technology in piano pedagogy and music education. He has been invited as a presenter and performer at conferences such as the MTNA National Conference, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference, and the Royal Conservatory Summer Summit. Dr. Ajero is Professor of Piano at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas where he serves as the Keyboard Area Coordinator, teaches applied piano, piano pedagogy, and group piano classes. Update: Hear Mario’s son Nio Ajero in his interview and performance with NPR’s From the Top Radio Broadcast. Congratulations, Nio! Mario started teaching piano to both of his children around the age of 3. His daughter Olivia is 8 years old and recently earned a Certificate of Excellence for earning the highest score in Texas on the Level 5 Piano exam from the Royal Conservatory Music Development Program. His son Antonio (who goes by “Nio”) is 12 years old and has won prizes at numerous piano competitions. Nio has the distinction of winning the National Gold Medal for earning the highest score in the United States on the Level 9 Piano exam from the Royal Conservatory Music Development Program. Highlights from this episode: Piano exams can provide students a tangible goal to reach that provides much needed direction in their piano studies. Piano festivals and exams can give both teacher and parent a much clearer picture of what their students’ strengths and weaknesses are, and this can help them become a more well-rounded musician. Make sure the student and parent are prepared to handle an honest assessment of their current abilities. Students who seem to advance through standard repertoire quickly and are interested in a bigger challenge and commitment might be well suited for the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) exams. The Royal Conservatory Music Development Program website has many resources to aid teachers and parents who have little or no experience with it to prepare their children for exams. Preparing for the RCM Exam: The Royal Conservatory of Music piano exams are a big commitment * Parents need to be aware that practical performance exams measure various aspects of musicianship: repertoire, etudes, technique, aural skills, and sight reading. * This is not the type of performance you can really cram for in a day or even a few weeks before the exam. It takes several months of preparation. * Depending on the level of the exam, students should set aside at least an hour of practice aside each day to prepare for it. * The sight reading and aural skills are probably the most neglected aspects of the exam. There are online ear training activities that can test the student in preparation for the exam. * As far as sight reading is concerned, doing a little bit every day helps of course, but parents don’t always know if their child did well on it or not. So perhaps they could record their child playing through some sight reading examples and either share it online with their teacher if they’re willing to watch or listen to it before the next lesson. * Parents might also consider hiring their teacher for additional lessons to help their child prepare for the exam. On the day of the exam * Be sure to get your child to the exam center well ahead of the appointed time. * They should dress as if it was a recital performance to emphasize the significan...

Episode Highlights: Marti Ahern is a piano teacher from Austin, Texas. She can be reached at mahern@austin.rr.com. Student reminder: Be working the hardest you can at the task you are doing at this moment.  “Are you trying the best you can?” Parent reminder: Encouraging consistent practicing.  Parents must be involved with their child’s practice at home and making sure time is set aside for practice. Teacher motivation: Marti is very active in her local music teachers association as well as on the state and national level. She attends additional workshops and presents workshops for teachers.  She is continually learning new things and meeting new teachers. Resources mentioned in this episode: Austin MTA Ingrid Clarfield MTNA New School of Music Piano Maestro (6 out of 6 teachers recommend Piano Maestro…so far!) Piano Parent Episode 005: Acoustic vs Digital Pianos Westminster Choir College Marti’s Composer Pick: Claude Debussy! I’d love to ask him “How did you hear these colors in your head before you decided to write them down?” Listen to a lovely performance of Debussy’s Reverie. Parting Wisdom for New Piano Parents: Remember this is FUN! We PLAY the piano! Contact Marti:  www.msmartipianostudio.mymusicstaff.com