When I come and tune a piano, I give it my complete focus and attention.  After tuning the piano, I check to see if it needs maintenance or repairs.   Then I’ll play through a piece of sheet music that I’ll leave for you to play.  If you refer 5 friends, you get a free songbook included in your standard tuning.  I also offer a maintenance plan where you can call me back free for a year if it loses its tune.  I’ll bet you’ve never had a piano tuner offer that before.

So, give me a call today at 208-366-7126 to schedule your tuning.

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Sometimes, there are people who really catch the vision of how it should be.  That’s how the staff at Ashbury Music Hall are.  They have caught the vision of how music can and should be more accessible to the public.  Everyone should have access to the best teachers in the world through video and the internet.  This is really the beginning of a new era in music history.  Check it out.

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Now, be careful with metronomes.  They are a very powerful and important tool in learning to play music.  However, you don’t want to perform like you have a metronome in your brain.  After  you learn a song and get all the accuracy you want, you need to loosen up a little or it won’t feel alive.  It will sound like a robot.

Metronomes are also used for click tracks in recording.  You lay down a track with clicks if you want to keep all the tracks together.  But, like I said, there are problems with sounding too mechanical and losing some feeling this way.

Metronomes are also useful when learning to play really fast passages.  You can start at a really slow tempo and gradually increase the speed as you practice over and over and over and over.  This helps to ensure that when you get to the really fast speed, you will play with more accuracy and it will be easier.

Another way to use a metronome is to check to make sure you are playing the song at the speed recommended by the composer.  It helps to check periodically throughout the song and also to make sure you are counting correctly when learning rhythms.  But, don’t hang on to the metronome too long or you’ll sound like a computer midi file.

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This is a great opportunity to learn how to play a beautiful instrument that is easy to carry with you wherever you go. It sounds beautiful and is requested quite often. People write many flute obligatos and solos because there is no need to transpose to another key. It’s a really popular instrument with a beautiful sound.

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How does it work? Once we establish a time for your lesson, you will receive a meeting link and you can click on that link to see your teacher and let them see you.  The lessons are each week and are taught individually, just as if the teacher were there at your house.

I want to take lessons.  What do I do? To learn to play online guitar, just fill out the form here and we will contact you to determine the best time for your lesson.

You will need the following items to be successful:

• guitar
• tuner
• high speed internet access
• web-cam
• music stand
• time to practice every day and a commitment to do so

I’m a teacher and would like to learn more about teaching online. If you want to connect with piano keyboard lessons and get referrals for students, you can fill out the following form and be contacted for an interview.

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I’ve been sick all weekend, and normally, I’d have to stop teaching for the week, and cancel my piano lessons to save my students from getting this crud! But, it just occurred to me, that when I launch my online piano lessons on March 16th, 2009, I won’t have that problem, anymore. In fact, you won’t, either.

Let me explain. One of the problems I’ve had with live lessons, is that there are so many legitimate reasons that come up to cancel lessons. And, I’m not one to argue when it comes to germs. I don’t want whatever it is that you have and I respect the same.

But, with online lessons, you can continue to attend and take lessons, whether you’re sick or even if your teacher’s sick, or not. Unless you’re deathly ill and can’t even practice, you can still take a lesson. And the beauty of it is, neither of us can pass those germs through the internet. So, less exposure to those nasty germs.

Just thought I’d share that little insight. Have a great day.

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Easy Piano Lessons

I know, I was a little skeptical at first, too.

Can people really teach piano without ever really meeting their students face to face?

And what about making all that easy? All this technology stuff sounds really scary.  Well, last year I would have had to agree with you, but since then, I’ve learned all kinds of things about the technology available today through my work with United First Financial.

It’s not as hard as you’d think to meet with someone over the internet.

Basically, you just need an internet connection.  I’ve got the tools to make the rest happen.  I can send you a link and you just click on it and you’ll see me and my screen.  It’s really cool.  Then, when you want me to see you and what you’re doing at your piano, we just click on another link and I’ll be able to see you, too.

So, now that we can see each other, it’s just like I’m there in your house, teaching you piano.  Pretty neat, huh? I’ll be able to help more people this way.  I’m so excited to begin, but I’ve got to get a few things in order before I start so that the transition to internet based learning will be a smooth one.  For one thing, I’ve got to develop a series of power point lessons and videos to help you understand the things I’ll show you.  Then, I’ll also need to get a webcam, since I currently don’t own one.  Not a problem since they are available all over for pretty cheap.

So, how do you sign up?

Just fill out your name, e-mail address, and phone number and I’ll call you to get you more information and see if it’s a fit for you.  There is no commitment, just an interest in more information at this point.

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Since this is my first attempt to teach easy piano lessons from a distance, you get a discounted rate if you’re in the first group.  The easy piano lessons are for beginner level and you will need to have computer access near your piano.

These are NOT recorded easy piano lessons, but live easy piano lessons with me. I will be at my piano and you will be at your piano.  We will be able to talk to one another and you will be able to play your songs.  I will hear how you do and give you tips to do better.  Everything will be customized for your learning style and we will work one on one. For many people this is easier than locating a teacher near them and trying to fit it into their schedule, driving all over and being embarrassed.  This is a less intimidating approach that helps you to connect with an expert right from the comfort of your home.

I work out of many different books, concentrating on teaching you to sound great from the very first lesson.  You’ll be playing songs that are not only easy to learn, but sound great, too.  If you’ve ever wanted to take easy piano lessons, this is a great opportunity to learn.

Fill in the form below and I’ll call you to talk with you.  Filling out this form does not constitute an agreement or commitment of any kind.  It is merely a way for us to see if this is for you.

Hurry!  Space is limited.

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piano for beginners

Learning the piano, for beginners, can be a little scary at first. Although it is exciting to start learning a new instrument, it can also be a bit overwhelming for a small child.  After all, the piano is so big and they are expected to sit still for a half an hour, usually.  However, there are steps you can take to make the piano for beginners very fun for a long time.

You need to make sure and be honest with why you want your child to learn the piano.  There are plenty of good reasons.  Learning to play the piano can help improve thinking skills, memory, and organizational skills. It has also been shown to improve scores and grades in school.  There are many people who will attest that playing piano is very therapeutic and helps to vent emotions. There is also the possibility that learning something hard and doing well will increase your child’s self esteem and improve their self concept.

But, far too often, the child is forced to play the piano because the parent wanted to be a piano player and didn’t succeed.  Then, they push their child into something they don’t want to do.  If you’ve ever tried to get your child to do something that they didn’t want to do, you probably already know that the harder you push them to do it, the more they refuse.  It can be the same way with learning piano.  Try to be supportive by providing structure and transportation while letting it remain their thing.  Don’t take over their playing and try to be their teacher while they practice.  Just enjoy the progress as they continue to learn.  As long as it remains fun for the child, they will be motivated to practice and they will learn at incredible speeds. Piano for beginners is an exciting thing and it should remain fun and exciting.

If you notice that your beginner piano player is getting a little frustrated or bored, think of asking their teacher for some different music options. Many times teachers avoid asking for new music because they don’t want to make piano lessons too expensive.  They worry that if they ask you to keep buying this music or that music that you might think that it’s too expensive and stop taking lessons from them.  However, the fastest cure for bored students is getting new music that they love. Find something that is the appropriate level for them and that sounds really cool to them.  Their teacher should be a resource for this.

If the music is too hard, it will only add to their sense of failure.  If it is too easy, they will soon become very bored. The way I check for the level of difficulty with my students is to have them try to play through it while I am there.  I listen as they play to see how many times they have to stop and figure something out while they are playing.  They should have to figure a few things out, but still play pretty fluidly the first time through. If they stop a lot, the song is too hard.  If they play it perfectly the first time, it is too easy.  Once they have the notes down, the technique and dynamics and style can be addressed.  The most common mistake in teaching is picking music that is too hard for the student to play. This can make piano for beginners too hard to attempt.  That can lead to quitting lessons before learning to enjoy the beauty of the music.

So, remember to keep the piano fun for beginners so that they can enjoy the benefits of playing the piano for their whole life.  It’s a beautiful instrument that can bring a lifetime of joy for those who play it and those who hear it.  The reason I am able to have time to teach and play piano is because of my flexible work at home job with United First Financial.

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The first thing to do is to join piano world piano forum and comment on the MOYD 2009 list, letting them know you will commit to practicing every single day, even if it’s just for 5 minutes.  Then, practice right now, today.  Make yourself a sign for your mirror or something to remind you to do it so that you don’t accidentally hop into bed without practicing for the day.

Then, practice every day this whole year.  Do your best because if you forget or get lazy, you have to go back to the forum and confess that you didn’t practice.  It will eat away at you until you do.  It’s amazing how well this works, so make sure you’re ready to change your life and your practicing habits.

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