Listening: Christmas Fun

As we prepare for the Christmas season, I wanted to share a little musical fun from The Piano Guys.  Jon Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson are creating high quality music videos and arrangements of popular and classical songs. 

   Enjoy these festive and beautiful selections!

Do you know the names of the Christmas songs they are using in these pieces?  Listen carefully, there can be more than one song in a video.  Your parents might be able to help.

This is probably my favorite arrangement of this song that I have heard so far. 

Very, very beautiful.

Composer Spotlight: Phillip Keveren

  Today I begin a new series of posts about composers.  I plan to feature a different composer every now and then and provide examples of their music.  

  Today's composer is a contemporary composer who is still actively composing music today.  His name is Phillip Keveren.  

   According to the website phillipkeveren.com, Mr. Keveren composes in many different genres.  A genre  of music is a style or kind of music.

  Mr. Keveren has written piano music for the Hal Leonard Student Piano Library. He also has books of music called The Phillip Keveren Series. Some of you may have played some of his piano music.  
(You can find a list of some of his music here.)
  
  Piano music is not the only kind of music Mr. Keveren writes. He also creates orchestrations or music that is made for an orchestra to play.

In the videos below, you can watch performances of some of Phillip Keveren's piano music. Which pieces do you like the most?  Is there a piece you would like to learn someday?

Quick Spin in a Fast Car

Blue

A Misty Morning

All of these pieces were performed by Dr. Alan Huckleberry for The University of Iowa Piano Pedagogy Video Recording Project. This is a current project and they are adding piano music to it every week with the goal of recording 9,000 piano pieces that students can learn to play.

Make Practice Fun: Reward Repetitions

This time of year can mean that your family ends up with LOTS of candy or treats in the house.  You can use all those treats as a reward for doing repetitions during practice time. This is a fun way to moderate when your child gets those sweets, and to make practicing a positive experience.

1. Choose a small section of a piece (1-4 measures) that is tricky or has been a problem spot.  Make sure that the size of the section is appropriate so that your child can succeed at playing it with no mistakes.  Set a specific goal for the repetition.
        For example: Play the whole measure with no mistakes.
               OR
                               Get the jump in the right hand perfect, without a pause.  (In this case, you might let a different, small mistake, that only pops up once, slide.)

2. Agree on the exact way your child can earn their reward.  
        If you have small candies like M&Ms or Skittles, they might earn one piece per repetition.
        If the treat is larger, you might agree that 5 or 10 repetitions earns the treat.

3. Have your child play the section while you listen.  Did they reach the goal you set? 
      If they met the goal, give them the reward.  If you hear other things that you need to work on, let it go until the next practice time.  

Non-food rewards

You can do the same practice technique with other rewards, with just as much success!

• Use blocks.  Set an agreed upon number of blocks on one side of the piano. When child completes a repetition, they may move one block to the other side of the piano. When they finish, they could build a tower with the blocks they collected! (This also allows them to see when they will be finished.)
• Use pompoms.  These fluffy, colorful balls are fun to move from one side of the piano to the other, or to place in a basket. 
• Use pennies. Kids love to earn money.  Grab those extra pennies and let your child earn one penny per repetition. 
  
  Have fun!

Performance: For the Fishes!

   Music is a wonderful language that all the people in the world value. There are many kinds of music, and many places to perform music. There are all kinds of ways you can share your music with other people.  

   Here is a video of a cellist sharing the music of Johann Sebastian Bach in the National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD. Maybe some of you have been to this aquarium.  What do you think the fish thought about the music? You can see that people stopped to listen.

   As you watch Alisa Weilerstein play, you will see that she is very expressive with her body as well as with the sound of the music. How does the music make you feel? 

Caring for Instruments Part 1

  Today we will look at how to care for a piano.  In a future post we will talk about care for string instruments.

  Providing proper care and maintenance for musical instruments is important. 
  1. To be sure that the instrument is able to be in tune and to create good tone when it is played.  
  2.  To extend the life of the instrument.
  3.  Because you have invested money and time into the instrument.

The following are some basic guidelines for maintaining a piano.  Ask your piano technician if you have questions about maintenance or care of your instrument.

Pianos

1. Have your piano tuned by a member of the Piano Technicians Guild at least once a year, but twice a year is recommended since the changes in season affect the sound of the piano.

2. Since the instrument contains wood and felt which expand and contract depending on heat and humidity levels (affecting pitch and tone), it is best to place your piano near a wall that is away from windows and bright sunlight or doors that may open frequently, and away from sources of heated or cold air.  Keeping the temperature and humidity relatively steady around 68 degrees F and 42% humidity, will allow your piano to perform its best.

3. Keep all drinks or liquid filled containers (like flower vases) away from the piano. If spilled water goes into the action (inside the keys) of the piano, call your technician immediately. Since damage can be irreversible, prevention is the best idea.

   Click on the link to find out more information about caring for you piano, buying a piano, etc at the Piano Technicians Guild website.

Suzuki Resources: Preparing for Practice

  It is time to begin our regular lessons once again.  Now is the time to set up a practice routine for your child.  Take a look at the family schedule.  When will you be able to set aside an appropriate amount of time for practice each day?  Remember to allow for time to rejuvenate after a school day.  A snack will give a boost to their physical and mental state.  

There are all kinds of opportunities out there to involve your child in many activities.  Remember, taking instrumental lessons is not a once a week activity!  It is a daily commitment.  Be sure to look at your schedule before you sign up for other activities (sports, dance, drama, etc) to make sure there is still room for daily practice time.  If you have a child who is a morning person, you could try setting aside some, or all, of the practice time before they leave for school.  

  Suzuki parents are the "home teachers" in the Suzuki triangle of student, teacher, parent.  Prepare for quality practice time by taking detailed notes at lessons and asking your teacher any questions that come to mind.  Encourage your child at home by affirming the things they are doing well.  Help your child discipline themselves to practice the things that still need work.

  Every Suzuki parent and child relationship is unique, but there are universal challenges.  You can be sure that if you are struggling to get your child to repeat a passage more than 2 times, or if some days they say, "I don't like this",  you are not alone!  

  I highly recommend Edmund Sprunger's book Helping Parents Practice as a resource for Suzuki parents.  Mr. Sprunger has organized the book according to different practice issues.  You do not have to read the book from beginning to end, but can jump to any topic that fits your situation.  The book is full of great ideas for making practice fun and encouraging for your child.  

Winning Ways: Strategies for Suzuki Parents is a collection of articles from the American Suzuki Journal covering a variety of topics including Suzuki philosophy in action, motivation, and teenage Suzuki students.

 The Suzuki Association store has many other resources for parents and students.  You can find books by Dr. Suzuki, including Nurtured by Love.