This summer, I am offering several options for families to make music part of their sunny (and dare I say, hot) summer days.

WUNDERKEYS™

Wunderkeys Piano for Preschoolers will continue this summer! This program has been amazing beyond belief & I am so excited to continue offering these private piano lessons for preschoolers ages 3-5. Students start this 3 book, 27 week series with Sorting Sounds. We learn all about high and low notes, long and short notes, loud and soft notes as well as learning number recognition, 1 to 1 correspondence & simple patterning exercises. So not only is your child learning about music, we are building math skills that they will use in Kindergarten. (It’s a 2-for-1!) We play games, lots and lots of games, and your child keeps moving from one activity to another so that they never get bored. This is by far one of the best ways to introduce young children to private piano study that I have encountered and one of the few available around the Oklahoma City area.

PRIVATE PIANO LESSONS

If your child is ages 6+, our anything-but-traditional piano lessons are just right for them. Students learn to play the piano through various means including technology based lessons & games as well as group classes & performances.  We cover all styles of music from Classical to Top 40 Pop and everything in between. If the kids want to learn it, we’ll try to play it! Students also learn through ear training exercises, sight-reading, composing & music theory. We do it all! It’s my goal that each child have a well rounded music education and that means teaching the eyes, ears, hands & head!

PIANO CAMPS

If multiple week lessons don’t fit with your summer schedule, how about a piano camp? These 4 day camps are available for students ages 6+ (sorry, no preschoolers this year) where we learn more about reading, writing, & playing music in an interactive group setting. Camps are small (due to limited space & keyboard availability) but we have a LOT of fun. Each camp will end with a performance by the students of various pieces we have learned and written during our camp time. Piano camps are open to students old and new, beginners & current students, and even those students coming from another studio just for the summer!

Summer 2012 Schedule/Rates:

Wunderkeys™ Piano for Preschoolers (ages 3-5)
Private Piano Lessons (ages 6+)

Offered various days/times to meet your schedule. Studio is open Monday – Thursday & daytime lessons are available during the summer months.

$140 for the 7 week session. May be paid all at once or in two installments due June 1 & July 1. A $40 non-refundable deposit is due upon enrollment to hold your spot & will be applied to your first tuition payment at the start of lessons.  Piano Camp may be added for an additional $40 per week of camp for students taking private lessons. (See camp dates & times below).

Piano Camp

Piano Camp 1: June 4th – June 7th 10am-Noon
Piano Camp 2: July 23 – July 26th 12:30pm-2pm

Camp Only: $70 per week. A $25 deposit is due upon enrollment and will be applied to your tuition payment due the first day of camp.
Camp + Private Lessons: $40 per week in addition to the cost of private lessons.

*Camps can be cancelled due to lack of enrollment in which case your deposits will be refunded or you can apply them toward private lessons.

More Helpful Posts:

1. Traditional Piano Lessons Fail Our Preschoolers
2. Preschoolers CAN.
3. Play Music. Grow Minds.

Some of the songs included: Diagon Alley * Family Portrait * Harry’s Wondrous World * Hedwig’s Theme * Leaving Hogwarts * Nimbus 2000 * Voldemort * The Chamber of Secrets * Fawkes the Phoenix * Buckbeak’s Flight * Double Trouble * Hagrid the Professor * Harry in Winter * Hogwarts March * Potter Waltz * This Is the Night * Dumbledore’s Army * Fireworks * Loved Ones and Leaving * Professor Umbridge * Dumbledore’s Farewell * Harry and Hermione * In Noctem * When Ginny Kissed Harry * Farewell to Dobby * Godric’s Hollow Graveyard * Harry and Ginny * Obliviate * Ron Leaves * Snape to Malfoy Manor * Courtyard Apocalypse * Harry’s Sacrifice * Lily’s Lullaby * Lily’s Theme * Severus and Lily * Statues.

Grab your copy here: Harry Potter — Sheet Music from the Complete Film Series

 
(The links in this post are affiliate links meaning that by clicking on them and making a purchase, NormanPianoLessons.com gets a small referral fee which allows me to purchase new music & supplies for my studio & students at no additional cost to you. Thanks for making your purchases through my link!)

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A few years ago, if you had asked me if I thought piano lessons for preschoolers was a good idea, I would have laughed. “Absolutely not!” I would have said and then gone into all the reasons why I couldn’t teach a preschooler to play piano.

They can’t focus
They can’t sit still
They can’t move their fingers
They can’t, they can’t, they can’t.

Then…I became a parent.

When my daughter was only a few months old, I remember her laying on her belly looking at me intently as I talked to her about folding clothes and my dislike of such a task. I finally stopped, look her in the eye and said, “You understand every word I’m saying don’t you?” She gave me that little half-cocked grin that can only say “Duh, mommy.” Whether or not she did understand or was just responding to my making eye contact I’ll never know for sure but that moment was an eye opener for me as a parent.

“Never assume they don’t understand. Never assume they can’t do it.” After the “duh, mommy” laundry moment, those two phrases became my parenting motto. And now, they apply to my teaching as well.

There’s a lot a preschooler can’t do but if we focus on what they can’t do, so will they. So let’s turn this whole piano thing around:

Preschoolers CAN focus – for short periods of time on engaging activities.
Preschoolers CAN sit still – for a reasonable amount of time & only if given the chance to wiggle and giggle as part of the deal.
Preschoolers CAN move their fingers – if given simple motions to help them learn control while focusing on larger muscle movements.
Preschoolers…can do anything as long as it’s designed with them in mind.

After searching for a long time through numerous wonderful programs, I finally found the one that appealed to the music teacher in me and that the parent in me loves.  This program was created just for preschoolers. It was created to meet them where they are, grab their attention through a variety of activities and get them learning about music & the piano (and a little math too!) on a level where they CAN be successful.

Because preschoolers CAN.

Find out more about this exciting new piano program coming to Norman by joining our Preschool Piano Newsletter! Just be sure to click the link in the confirmation email so you actually get added to the list!

More Helpful Posts:

1. Traditional Piano Lessons Fail Our Preschoolers
2. Preschoolers, Pianos and Playtime
3. Play Music. Grow Minds.

There are numerous psychological studies out there about the effect of music study on the brain. Notice I said “study”, not listening to music. Passive listening & active study are two very different activities and your brain treats them as such. Sure you can learn about discriminating pitches & rhythms by listening but not with the same effect as actively participating with it.

I’m not a neuroscientist but I am a long time studier & teacher of music. I could get into all the brain stuff – like how musicians have been shown to have thicker connections between their brain lobes and how people who studied music during their lifetime have improved cognitive functions in old age – but I doubt you really care that much about brain matter. So let’s just focus on what we can see happening with our kids.

Children who study music are learning far more than simply notes & rhythms. They are learning to focus their attention, build their motor skills (generally fine motor in piano as we need to move all fingers individually), improve pattern recognition (great for math!), develop rhythmic awareness, improve their counting, number & letter recognition, have higher self-esteem and, ready for this one, if they continue their study will actually have a higher chance of scoring better on their college entrance exams (you know, the SAT?) than students who did not study music!  Hmm…wonder if long term music study trumps a test prep class?

Kids who participate in the study of music do better in math, science and language than their non-music peers. Why? Because learning to read music and play an instrument work the parts of the brain responsible for processing these subjects. Music learning is like a gym – for your brain. The more you use it, the stronger it gets.

Music & Movement classes are wonderful. I think they are a fantastic place for you to begin your child on the path to music study and if you haven’t taken a music & movement class with your child I would highly recommend it. But…if you’re looking for something more and think your child, ages 4-5, may be ready to explore the piano, please join my Piano for Preschoolers newsletter below. I won’t spam you, I’ll just let you know when our lessons will be opening for registration. Be sure to click on the link in the opt-in email that will arrive shortly after signup so that you are added to the list!

More Helpful Posts:

1. Traditional Piano Lessons Fail Our Preschoolers
2. Preschoolers, Pianos and Playtime
3. Why No One Will Teach Your Preschooler Piano

image by Yaba via sxc.hu

Our traditional piano lesson format fails our preschoolers which is why many teachers will refuse to take young children as students. But as music teachers, I think we may be doing them a disservice. They instinctively explore and experiment and have the kind of courage that we lose as our brains begin to understand consequences to our actions. It’s not the kids that can’t learn piano. It’s the teaching methods that aren’t meeting them where they are.

Your preschooler needs to play. They learn through play. They build block towers to learn about gravity and stability (any future architects out there?). They throw things to learn about cause and effect. They sort shapes to learn about geometry and patterning. Wait. What?!? Who knew our toys were really teaching us math & science!

Just like our toys, music teaches so much more than just how to play an instrument and especially music that is in the ears of a preschooler.  We’ll look at all the brain stuff tomorrow but in order for your preschooler to learn they must play.

Preschoolers need to be hands on in their learning. This is why their piano lessons must engage them actively. Preschoolers need to be part of the show – not just an audience member. They need to touch things, explore them, experiment with them and move around with them in order for them to fully grasp what’s there. Think about it – doesn’t physics make more sense in the real-life application of seeing a roller coaster go upside-down or watching an ice skater spin than it did in a book?

If we want our preschoolers to learn we have to let them play. And what may seem like simple child’s play is actually building brain connections and thinking skills for their lifetime.

Let’s get playing! Preschool Piano lessons will be starting soon so if you’re not already on our mailing list, be sure to drop your email in the box below so that I can let you know when the big day comes!

I promise I don’t hound you with tons of annoying emails. You will only be notified of preschool piano news and you can unsubscribe at any time. But be sure to click on the opt-in email that will come right after signup so you actually get added to the list!

More Helpful Posts:

1. Traditional Piano Lessons Fail Our Preschoolers
2. Why No One Will Teach Your Preschooler Piano
3. Getting Started: How ready are YOU for your child to take piano lessons?

image by ChristieM via sxc.hu

Doesn’t sound very optimistic does it but let me say it again: Preschoolers will fail in a traditional piano lesson.  And it’s not at all their fault.  If you took piano lessons I’m sure you were taught the same way I was taught, which is the same way our parents were taught, and their parents and so on and so on. You go to the lesson, you play your technical exercises, you play your old songs, you review your music theory work, you get all new work and you go home and practice every single day. Snoozer. I don’t know about you, but I sometimes wonder how I survived as long as I did in piano lessons without going completely nuts!

Preschoolers are amazing. They are learning at a rate that you and I can now only experience through their eyes. Everything is theirs to touch, climb, play and experiment with. They wiggle, they squirm they run and they bounce. In fact, they never stop moving and if they do, you’re pretty sure they’re either doing something they aren’t supposed to or sleeping. Now think back to our old piano lessons…where in there do they move? Play? Experiment?

Our lessons, the ones you and I dutifully went through, were never meant to teach a preschooler. They were meant to work with the attention span, motor skills and brains of a first grader or older. This is why preschoolers will fail in a traditional lesson. And more than likely, those that start lessons in the “old” method will never return to them again. If it wasn’t fun at the beginning, how could it be fun later?

Preschoolers have very unique requirements for learning and if those requirements are not met, we lose the chance to engage them in the experience right from the start. This is why their piano lessons must be unique. Must be fun. And must be done so that your preschooler is successful, right from the start.

If you are interested in finding out more about our piano lesson designed just for the preschooler, please put your email address in the box below to be added to our preschool piano mailing list. Registration for our Piano Lessons for Preschoolers will begin soon and I don’t want anyone to miss their chance to be notified when it opens!

I promise I don’t hound you with tons of annoying emails. You will only be notified of preschool piano news and you can unsubscribe at any time. But be sure to click on the opt-in email that will come right after signup so you actually get added to the list!

More Helpful Posts:

1. Why No One Will Teach Your Preschooler Piano
2. Getting Started: How ready are YOU for your child to take piano lessons?
3. Getting Started: Why Do You Want Your Child To Take Piano Lessons?

There are actually real and important reasons behind most teachers’ refusal to teach piano to preschoolers. Most mainstream lesson materials are designed for students starting at about age 6. These methods assume that kids can read a little, have some slightly more advanced fine motor skills, and a longer attention span. They assume that the kids will go home and practice daily, that they will complete their writing assignments on their own and then come back the next week to do it all again for another 30 minutes. Because this is the way most of us were taught to play the piano, this is how many piano teachers still work. And as anyone who has ever been the parent of a preschooler can tell you, just focusing on one thing for 30 minutes is an unrealistic expectation.

Now throw in the fact that many preschoolers do not yet have the fine motor skills to play one finger at time on both hands (not just their dominant hand), cannot write letters well unless it’s the ones from their names and need to have more guidance from mom and dad on daily tasks and you can see how traditional piano lessons are simply a recipe for disaster. Many teachers know this and in order to prevent the meltdown and disappointment they know will come, they simply refuse to teach those students who don’t fit into their molded method books.

But what if there were piano lessons designed just for preschoolers? What if these lessons took into account the preschool attention span and the physical limitations of a typical 3-5 year old? What if preschoolers could explore the piano in ways that make them successful and set the groundwork for them to enter the mainstream methods?

Sounds great, doesn’t it? It’s coming. To Norman. Soon. Like, very very soon. I want to make sure you know when piano for preschoolers arrives so we can get your little one’s fingers moving! Just drop your email address in the form below and you’ll be the first to know when registration opens.

I promise I don’t hound you with tons of annoying emails. You will only be notified of preschool piano news and you can unsubscribe at any time. But be sure to click on the opt-in email that will come right after signup so you actually get added to the list!

More Helpful Posts:

1. Make Time for Piano Practice
2. Getting Started: How ready are YOU for your child to take piano lessons?
3. Getting Started: Why Do You Want Your Child To Take Piano Lessons?

image by: dropowtt via sxc.hu

Many times when I tell people that I teach piano lessons they respond with, “I would love to have my child take piano but we don’t have one / don’t have room for one.”  I think, for many people, their picture of piano lessons is the child sitting at a baby grand in a formal living room in their Sunday finest playing Chopin.  The reality is much, much different.  Many kids start their piano lessons on nothing more than an electronic keyboard picked up from their local big box store.

Teachers opinions on this vary but for my students, it is perfectly acceptable to begin your piano lessons on an electronic keyboard.  The keyboards available today mimic the piano in many ways and so for the beginning student, they are a fine alternative to an acoustic piano at a much smaller cost.  Electronic keyboards also require little to no maintenance where an acoustic piano requires tuning (an added cost) every six months.  If you think electronic may be your best option, you can visit this post to read more about selecting an electronic keyboard for your beginning piano student.

If you want to get your child an acoustic piano (which I highly recommend) you have many alternatives for getting one.  And with a little creativity, you can often get a good piano for very little cost.

Ask People You Know.  Many times people within your own family may be wanting to get rid of their piano but not know how.  Why not take it off their hands?  For a small investment of a piano mover you can often get a great piano that you know has been treated with care.

Check Online.  Sites such as Craigslist, eBay or your local newspaper website list classified ads for people selling pianos.  I can’t tell you the number of ads I see of people saying “Please just come and get it and it’s yours!”.

Used Or Rental Pianos.  Rent a piano?  Yes!  For $100+ per month you can “try out” a piano at home before making the big investment.  Used pianos can be a much less expensive purchase than brand new and are often in excellent playing condition.  Their boxes may be worn but as long as the insides are in full working order, all is well.  Don’t judge a piano by it’s box.

Purchase New.  If you’re really ready to make the big commitment and purchase a new piano, take the time to learn about all of the options available to you.  Upright or Grand? Digital or Acoustic? Uprights and digitals tend to be smaller so if you are short on space, those would be the ones to consider.  However, if you have the room, you just can’t beat a good baby grand.

As with any major purchase, you want to get as much information as possible in order to make an informed decision.  Talk with your teacher about their recommendations, visit music stores to talk with their sales people and read, read, read.  You wouldn’t spend $5000 on a car without doing a little research, so do your due diligence here.

More Helpful Posts:

1. Getting Started: No Piano? No problem! Start With A Keyboard
2. Getting Started: Why Do You Want Your Child To Take Piano Lessons?
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image by: marganz via sxc.hu

When I was in school, I had choices about where to practice.  I could practice in the basement of the dorms on the clunky old upright while hundreds of kids walked by on their way to and from class.  I could practice in the instrumental practice rooms where my friends would wander by and stop to knock on the doors just to say hi, or I could practice on the Steinway baby grands locked away in an upstairs hallway, away from everyone else.  Guess where I was most productive?

Your child needs a “Practice Zone” at home.  We probably can’t send the piano away to a locked and guarded tower so we have to make the most of what we have available.  These are some of the most basic needs of a home practice zone:

1) You need an instrument in good, working order ready to go at all times.  Don’t make finding the plug for the keyboard the first part of practice.  Place your instrument in a spot where it is always there, ready to go.  For some, the piano in the living room is the way to go, for others, a keyboard in the bedroom works just fine.  Find the spot that works for your family.

2) Your music should be easily accessible. One of the first suggestions I make to new parents is to keep all the piano music for lessons in a bag at the piano.  Have a backpack, reusable shopping tote, or even a paper bag your child decorates next to the keyboard at all times.  If we have to hunt down our music, we won’t be practicing it.

3) Have a practice tool box.  Practice isn’t just about playing music over and over again.  There are writing assignments, notes that need to be named, fingerings to be reminded of…and we need tools for those purposes. Have a small container on or near the keyboard stocked with sharpened pencils, markers, erasers, and paper clips.  Let your child know that these are for marking in their music books.  They can circle anything they keep forgetting, write in a finger number (or two) as needed, or even write a reminder to ask about a certain term in their book.  Children can be timid to write in their books but they shouldn’t be.  The best pianists usually have music so marked up it’s almost impossible to read by the time they have it learned!

4) Remove distractions.  If your piano or keyboard is in the middle of the home, make it clear to others that practice time is starting and that our pianist is not to be disturbed.  Even going so far as to put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on top of the piano can help signify to family members that this is not just free play time.

Giving your child the tools for a successful practice time can really help improve their chance of success in piano lessons as well as show them that you value their musical education.

Give this a try for a couple of weeks and let me know how it goes!

No related posts.

Image by: geri-jean via sxc.hu

As your child progresses through piano lessons, the time required for practice will increase.  Make it a point to block out that time now (even if only as a note to hold back an hour or so a day for creative time) to prevent over-scheduling your kids to the point where everyone is worn out by November.  Unscheduled time is so important for kids’ (and our) well being.

If you haven’t already, remember to SIGN-UP NOW for fall piano lessons!  Don’t miss out on all the new and exciting things going on this fall in the studio!

More Helpful Posts:

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image by: artM via sxc.hu

I loved playing the piano as a child. L-O-V-E-D to play.  I played as often as I could but it almost always seemed as though my favorite time to play was when my dad had just gotten home from work.  Now, I’m not bashing my dad here in what I’m about to say because as an adult, I totally get where he was coming from now. BUT…

it seemed as though every time I sat down to play, my dad would make me stop.  He had just completed a full day of work & what I’m sure was a stressful driving commute through the suburbs.  He was bombarded with information and noise all day long and now that he was home, he just wanted some quiet for a little bit.  But children are unaware of all that goes on in our work day to day and I just wanted to share my music with him.  He wanted nothing to do with it.  As an adult I have a different view of this whole situation but as a kid?  There is no gray area – dad doesn’t want to hear me play the piano so dad must not care about me. (That’s so harsh isn’t it? Totally not what he really was getting at but that’s how I saw it as a 10 year old.)

You as a parent are a vital part of this whole piano lesson experience.  You are not simply a taxi driver on this one.  Your support between lessons determines the level of success your child will achieve. (No pressure!)

Your child probably does well in their school work.  Why?  Because they are naturally gifted? Maybe. But I would be more willing to guess that it’s because you value their education.  You see the benefit of being a good reader therefore, you read to them daily.  You see the value in understanding math so you quiz them about cheaper unit prices at the store when they beg you for a box of fruity snacks.  You see the value in teaching them to be good community members by having them participate in charitable events.  What value do you see in music lessons?

Whatever the value is for you, are you willing to make the sacrifices to make that happen?  Are you willing to be the “time cop” by adding “when you’ve learned your lesson book piece, then you can take over the Jedi universe” to your already long list of after school demands?  Are you willing to DVR your family’s favorite show so that your child can practice uninterrupted?  Are you willing to sacrifice the “big game” weekend to attend recitals and performances without ever voicing your discontent?

Are you really willing to place value on their music lessons?

Our children succeed at the things we place value on because we make sure those things happen.  We prioritize our day based upon those values.  You need to determine whether or not you value the things that come from taking piano lessons among them creativity, problem solving, and time management.

You need to determine if you value music.

Discussion Question:
Was there anything that you valued as a child that you didn’t think your parents did?  How did it make you feel?

More Helpful Posts:

1. Getting Started: Why Do You Want Your Child To Take Piano Lessons?
2. Getting Started: You Do Have The Time For Piano Lessons
3. How A Coloring Page Can Help Your Child Practice

image by: juliaf via sxc.hu

When I started taking piano lessons I remember being so stupid excited about playing Jolly Old St. Nicholas.  It was the first song I could read music for that I actually recognized and I played it over and over and over again.  That music coming out of the piano was MINE. I made it, with my own brain and 10 fingers.  I owned that song and it made me feel awesome to play it.  Then I went to the next lesson and back into the oblivious world of random songs about dogs. Sigh.  I kept hoping another song I knew would come my way.  It did, eventually, and every time it did it sparked my desire to play the piano and continue to improve.

What is it about being able to play a song we know that’s so powerful in the learning process?  It’s real.  It’s concrete.  It’s the first honest to goodness event that proves to us that all those things we hear on the radio or iPod come from real people and that maybe, just maybe, we really could be one of those people someday.  It proves reading those dots does actually make sense.  It proves that my finger numbers really are important.  It proves that we can do it.  And that’s a powerful feeling.

You can help your child experience this “I can do it” moment by having Just for Fun music around your house.  After all, isn’t the point of all this hard work and practice to make music fun?

It’s important that the Just for Fun music be easy for them to play and not discouraging.  Many of the music books in the stores are just plain hard for young players so I’ve put together a list of books I think will appeal to a lot of kids.  These are all 5-finger books which are appropriate for students in the first 2 years of lessons who are reading music on the staff.  You can order them online from Amazon through my affiliate links below or you can print this out and take it with you to the store.  Parents of current students: if you’d like any of these books, let me know and I can also grab them for you and have them at your next lesson!

You can find more of my selections of easy sheet music for beginners here.

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As a student, I was involved in the usual things. I took dance classes, played in the school band, sang in the church choir, had a job, was on the badminton team (yes, it was a real letter winning sport, thank you very much), was on the pom squad, played handbells, was part of my youth group, had a decent social life…and took piano lessons. One of the many benefits of music lessons? Learning to manage your time well. And in a busy life, they don’t take as much time as you think.

The day of the lesson is the most time intensive. It requires travel to and from the lesson as well as time in the lesson itself. Depending upon the distance to your teacher, this could be one hour of your time. Not so bad right? And if you plan well, your teacher will live within close proximity to a grocery store or other areas where you need to run errands cutting down the time specifically for lessons even more. Double bonus!

What about practice?
Don’t we have to do 30 minutes every single day?
How can I possibly fit that into the family schedule?

OK, here’s the real deal truth on practice: the TIMING & the QUALITY of the practice is more important than the QUANTITY. Your child should run through their songs a couple of times on the day they get home from their lesson. Grand total of their time: 15 minutes. Why the day they get home? Short term memory is not permanent. After the first 24 hours they will forget more than half of what they learned in their lessons. After 48 hours, 75% is forgotten. After 72 hours, its like they were never there. By playing through it in that first 24 hours, they will retain most of what was talked about. Then they can get their practice in on the days when it’s most convenient. For beginning students, this practice time can be productive in as little as 15 minutes.

15 minutes.

If your kids are like mine, there are 15 minutes of random boredom scattered throughout their days. Plenty of time for them to turn off the TV to increase their creativity and boost their brain power at the piano.

As your child’s skill level increases, their practice time will too but by that time they have set their own priorities and other activities will have fallen away. And, unlike football or gymnastics which both generally fall by the wayside as our bodies age, piano lessons last for a lifetime.

A lifetime.

Isn’t that worth 15 minutes of your day right now?

More Helpful Posts:

1. Getting Started: Why Do You Want Your Child To Take Piano Lessons?
2. Getting Started: The Right Time To Start Your Child In Piano Lessons
3. Getting Started: No Piano? No problem! Start With A Keyboard

photo by: EvelynGiggles from flickr licensed under Creative Commons

How could I be wasting my money?

Learning to play the piano is not an overnight process.  You don’t eat a fancy little cupcake and suddenly become a virtuosic pianist.  It takes work, dedication, self discipline and determination and it takes time.  The more time we put in, the better we get.  The more time we spend away from it, the worse we get. There is no other alternative.  I took some time off of playing piano several years ago.  I was so busy working and being mom that my own performance skills were beginning to slide.  All of those pieces I had spent hours and weeks perfecting, gone, just like that.  Well, it’s wasn’t just like that.  I hadn’t done anything to make sure my skills were sharp.  I just flat out didn’t play anything for myself so when I did finally return to it, it was gone. My brain still knew what was supposed to happen, my fingers no longer could do the work.  It was dreadful. It was frustrating. And I vowed to never let it happen again.  No matter what, I would play something every single day.

During the school year, your child without doubt has a piano lesson every week.  Knowing that lesson day is coming, they spend a little time playing pieces so that when it comes, they don’t have to show up without improvement.  And you, knowing that you write that check every month, help to make sure it happens.  But during the summer months when the playground & pool are calling, lessons are few and far between and our schedules get a little flexible, the piano can become the “I’ll do it later” event of the day.  How many days have passed since your child actually played the piano?

Summer practice is not something that has to be rigid.  The act of playing anything is better than doing nothing at all.  It’s important to keeping up the skills that we all worked so hard to build during the school year.  So make it a point to help your child find a song to play every single day for the rest of the summer.  It can be something they already know or it can be something completely new that you pick out together from the music store or online (click here for some posts relating to sheet music).  Whatever you choose make it a fun and relaxed session.  This isn’t the time for drill sergeants.  This is the time for creating music just because we can.

Has your child been playing the piano this summer?  If so, what is the hot song on their playlist?

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photo by: eranbecker from sxc.hu

My kids and I were at a drive-in restaurant here in town where the waitress delivers the food right to your car. Rather than the usual “How are you today?” she says to me, “You teach piano lessons?  That’s so cool!  I play the piano but I never learned to read music.  I just play.”  We briefly chatted while she handed our items to us and I assured her that not being able to read the music is not all that uncommon.  Even for people who have taken lessons.

In fact, when I took over a piano studio from another teacher 12 years ago, a large percentage of the students there could not read a note.  They just knew where to put their hands and played the songs.  On the surface this was not a problem.  They could get through their lessons alright and for most that was fine.  But some students would come to me frustrated after spending many days trying to read their new popular music book they picked up from the store. Their 3 or 4 years of lessons had not prepared them for their ultimate goal of playing popular songs.  Their parents had failed to plan.

What should we, as parents, do?

We know that giving our kids music exposure at a young age benefits them in so many ways but before jumping into classes or lessons, I think it’s important to consider what you ultimately want from your  child’s music study.  Has your child expressed an interest in learning another instrument besides the piano? Do they already show great promise by playing difficult songs by ear? Or do they just like to play around and maybe it’d be nice if they could play that new single they heard on the radio last week?  Each of these children would benefit from very different courses of study and different types of teachers.

If your child is interested in pursuing another instrument, it may be best to start with a teacher that has a serious focus on music theory.  Reading and writing the music is the same no matter the instrument (aside from some small nuances that are instrument specific, like reading chord symbols for guitar).  If your child is expressing an interest in being a professional musician, you might want to look for a teacher that has their own current or previous professional performing credentials.  Someone who has been down that road can help you all anticipate the bumps in the road that lie ahead as well as provide valuable connections in the business.  And if your child is interested in just playing the latest popular music, you certainly don’t want to wander into the studio of a classically focused teacher who requires 45 minutes of scales and arpeggio exercises every day.  Don’t get me wrong, they have their place, but the popular music focused child will need to have a different approach to make them relevant.

I encourage you to sit down with your child as a family and decide what your ultimate goal is when taking piano lessons.  This goal will most likely change over time and could require you to change teachers down the road.  Don’t think you must start with the town’s most famous teacher who happens to be a former concert soloist just in case your child decides to becoming a performing pianist.  That’s like asking Tiger Woods for golf lessons when your child is 4 just in case he takes a liking to it.  (Sounds totally absurd when you think of it like that doesn’t it?)  Many beginning students just want to be able to play songs they know and are happy in that role for a lifetime.  But if your child has other ambitions, it’s best to know what you are getting into before ever beginning the journey.  Knowing what you ultimately hope to accomplish right from the start will make the experience the most satisfying for everyone and can ultimately prevent the dreaded “I took piano lessons when I was a kid and I hated it.”

 Let me know: how did you feel about piano lessons as a kid & what do you think contributed to your like/dislike? Leave your responses in the comments below.

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So in honor of the end of Harry Potter, I thought I would put together a list of easy, beginner level piano sheet music books and pieces from each of the Harry Potter films.

      Hedwig’s Theme 5 Finger Piano

There are only a handful of movie theme songs so easily recognized as this one.  We only need to hear the first 8 notes to know we are about to enter the world of Harry Potter.

     Themes from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

A slightly more challenging book than the 5 finger ones.  This book would work well for students who have completed 2 years of piano lessons (or are really ambitious first years)

    Double Trouble from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

This book is a compilation of the first 5 films for easy, 5 finger piano.  Students may still be challenged by this book, but the 5 finger versions really bring it down to a level they can relate to. *UPDATE* I’ve been using this book with kids in Piano Adventures level 1 Accelerated & level 1 of the Basic course with much success.  They have really been excellent for teaching them some new rhythms!

    Selections from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

A Big Note book version means that it’s a simplified, but not of the beginner.  Students completing years 2 and 3 will be the most successful here.

    Selections from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Another Big Note book.  Recommended for students completing years 2 and 3 (and up).

    “In Noctem” for 5 finger piano from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

First years dive in!  This 5 finger solo piece is right up your alley.

     “Obliviate” from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 for 5 finger piano

Another one for the first years (and beyond).  Solo piece.

UPDATE (2/2012): Alfred has just released a book that includes ALL 8 Harry Potter movies worth of music for easy piano! You can find more about the book in this post.

(The links in this post are affiliate links meaning that by clicking on them and making a purchase, NormanPianoLessons.com gets a small referral fee which allows me to purchase new music & supplies for my studio & students at no additional cost to you. Thanks for making your purchases through my link!)

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Happy Fourth of July everyone!  Have a safe and fun weekend!

NormanPianoLessons_YankeeDoodle – Early Elementary (Level 1A / Level 1)

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As with most teachers, the classroom music teachers have plenty of musical coffee mugs, notepads & pens to go around so when thinking about a gift for the music room I try to think about the things that I once needed when I was in their shoes. (Yes, elementary music teacher is back there in my resume too!)  While crayons & scissors are sometimes needed, what most music teachers need is, well, music!  Obviously if you’re not the teacher choosing a specific musical piece is not appropriate, but why not give them a gift certificate so they can make the choices themselves?  Music for schools is not cheap and in many cases cannot be photocopied – every child needs their own personal original copy in order to stay in compliance with Federal copyright laws. (And so the publishers, writers, & artists who created the resources get paid their royalties for doing so!)  As with your regular classroom teachers, music teachers too spend way more out of their paycheck to support their programs than they should be have to.  I’ve compiled a list of my favorite online retailers below, but you could just as well go to your local music shop and ask for a gift certificate there.

West Music – This music store based in Iowa City, Iowa (and one I spent WAY more time at then I would care to admit to) has become one of the best online retailers for classroom music supplies.  Your teacher can easily find some new instruments to purchase or music to use in the classroom next year as well as audio equipment for school productions. WESTMUSIC.COM

JW Pepper – This giant music retailer has every piece of music under the sun (literally I think – I’ve been to a warehouse).  From piano lesson books to full choral and instrumental scores & parts, they have it all.  Your music teacher would be THRILLED to get a gift certificate from here!  JWPEPPER.COM

Local Music Store / Teacher’s Store / Book Store – Your local music shop is another great place to give a gift certificate from.  Often the school music teachers work with the local stores to acquire any last minute items they need.  The local teacher’s supply store also has music items like instruments, recordings & award stickers & certificates that many music teachers use.  And yes, even the book store can sometimes be a benefit!  Our local shops carry sheet music books for piano & children’s composer biographies which make a great little library for your school music teacher.

AMAZON.COM – Let’s face it, Amazon has it all and their music supplies are equally impressive.

When choosing your gifts, keep in mind that most teachers don’t want anything else for themselves – it’s the classrooms that are in need.   Please help your school teachers save the money from their own pockets & give them a gift they (and your children) can really use.

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Happy Camper

If your child is young (4-6) or enjoys the social aspect of classes or has expressed interest in piano but you are not quite ready to commit to regular lessons, a piano camp is the place for you.  Children in piano camps cover the same materials as the first few private lessons do but they do so in a fun, cooperative group setting.  Children in the camps play games together, play songs together & have the chance to meet other children who are also starting out on this big musical journey.  It also can ease the transition to private lessons for children who may be a bit timid in a one-on-one setting.

Singular Sensation

If your child has expressed deep interest in piano lessons, works well on their own and you are ready to make a bigger commitment, it’s time for private lessons.  Summer is a great time to make piano part of your regular routine while the craziness of the school year is on a temporary leave.  Kids can take the time to enjoy the beginning stages of learning the instrument & the creative process of making music without having to deal with homework, sports & other activities that occupy their time from September to May.

Double Dip

Still can’t decide?  You can always do both.  Because private lessons are designed around your child’s interests and abilities, the skills acquired through piano camp carry right into private lessons and we just continue where we left off.  They don’t have to repeat material they have already mastered and they can begin lessons with the confidence that this is something they really can do, that is fun and creative & belongs to them.

If you live in the Norman area, and are interested in learning more about our summer piano lesson programs, please visit our summer piano camps & lessons page.

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New happenings this summer at The Taylor Studio:  We are holding our first ever summer piano camps! We have piano camps for Pre-k through 5th grade, no experience (or keyboards) needed!  For those students who have completed some lessons, we have a camp for you too. Of course, we will also continue to offer our regular private lessons for the 5 week summer session.

Choose your class below and click the links to register.   All camps require a minimum of 3 students to be held (so grab your friends!). There is a maximum of 5 students per camp. There will be no make-ups for missed lessons during the summer session.

Summer Piano Camps:

Pre-Piano Camp: Students entering Pre-K or Kindergarten in the fall; no previous experience needed.  $50
For our youngest beginners. This 1 week camp will introduce students to the concepts of the musical alphabet, high & low identification, basic rhythm reading & keyboard skills through a series of games & activities.  Students will create a book of all the concepts they learn. No at-home piano or keyboard is required for participation in this camp.
Session 1: June 13-17 9:00am – 10:15am
All Summer Session: Tuesdays July 12 -August 14  10:00am – 11:15am

Introduction to Piano: Elementary students who have no previous music experience. $60
Have a child interested in piano and want to test the waters? Introduction to Piano will introduce them to the finger numbers, keyboard note names, basic rhythm reading skills, & benchmark notes. By the end of this camp, students will have a basic idea of the concepts needed to begin private lessons in piano, voice or any other instrument!  Students in this class will receive a piano lesson book. No at-home piano or keyboard is required for participation in this camp.

Session 1: June 20 – June 24 9:00am – 10:30am
All Summer Session: Thursdays July 14 – August 11 10:00am – 11:30am

Piano Camp: Elementary students who have some previous music experience. $60
The most advanced of our camps. Students will continue to build upon their note reading, rhythm & theory skills as well as develop their aural skills through ear training and dictation activities. Students in this camp will need to have a piano or keyboard at home.
One Session Only: June 20 – June 24  3:30pm – 5pm

Summer Private Lessons:

All Summer Session: July 11 – August 12 Meets once a week for 5 weeks $70
30-Minute Private Lessons. Students receive individual instruction at the piano. New students will need to purchase a set of books ($15) returning students will continue with their regular lesson materials but will need to purchase a summer music book ($7). Students enrolling in private lessons are required to have a piano or touch-sensitive electronic keyboard with pedal at home. If you need to purchase one, I am happy to make recommendations.

Did you know that if you join my email newsletter you receive a coupon for a FREE LESSON? That makes your summer tuition only $56! Enter your email address below to get your coupon! (Coupon is not valid for camps or class tuition.)

Family Discounts are available on all camps & classes! Second student in same house saves 10%. Third and subsequent students in same house save 15%.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call (405-310-9413) or email us. If you are ready to register click here.

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It never occurred to her that the song could be “old”.  It was new to her, it was her discovery, and therefore should be shared with the world. I fear I may have burst her bubble on that one but it did bring up an interesting question – does how we introduce new music to our children matter in their acceptance of it? When she thought it was new, she loved the song. She couldn’t wait to share it with me and it really hurt her feelings when what was new to her was old to me. It was the process of discovery and sharing and I ruined it for her.

I decided that maybe we hadn’t been sharing enough music (aside from piano lessons) in our house and really encouraging the process of discovering music together. So a few weeks ago, I began an experiment. I made an account on Pandora Internet Radio (pandora.com) and created a station around something familiar to her. In this case, it was the soundtrack to “Harry Potter”. Then I let the station run as I prepared dinner every night for a week. When a song came on that they liked, the kids clicked the thumbs up button. If they didn’t like it so much, they would pass on it or give it the thumbs down.

You would think that the entire station would be filled with Potter tunes but instead, they realized that they like the music from lots of different movies, some they had seen and some they had not. They began playing to the music, acting it out in whatever way it moved them. My son has now taken to humming a few of the tunes when he plays alone. We can no longer just play Legos – there must be a soundtrack.

We’ve since created a Broadway station, a Kids’ Tunes station & a classical station. The kids love being the critics and deciding who stays and who gets booted off the station and I love seeing them discover something new. Would they have listened to show tunes if I had forced it on them as we drove cross country Griswold style? Probably not.  But giving them a chance to comment, even if only by a click of the mouse, has opened them up to a whole new world of music.

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Work. That’s what it’s become isn’t it? At first it was fun & shiny & new. Finger numbers & alphabets, note names & rhythms. But now, we’ve kind of settled in to a routine. The weather is getting nicer outside. That new video game from Christmas that they still haven’t mastered is mocking them from the other side of the room. They have other, more important, things to do.

Or so they think.

You and I know that piano lessons are more than just playing songs. It’s improving fine motor skills, it’s building up their spacial reasoning skills, it’s learning to set goals and work hard to meet them. But they don’t see it. They just see a box, a bench, and those books.

So what’s a parent to do?

First, talk with your child. Find out what’s going on without being judgmental. Let them know you just want to know how they feel about lessons, playing the piano, their teacher, the music, etc. This is not time to shout and fight. This is a fact finding mission. Maybe it’s not anything to do with the lessons, maybe someone at school is giving them a rough time about playing the piano. There are lots of things that can factor in and the first thing we need to do is open communication with the student.

Once you have an idea of where they are coming from, take some time to try to work out a solution with your child. Try to find a common ground to build upon. Too tired to practice right after school? Let them have a snack, take a mental break, and then do their practice. It could be as simple as moving their practice time to another part of the day.

At the next lesson, approach the topic with your teacher. Teachers often know, even before you do, that the waters may be getting rough, and often try to change course before the storm sets in. But sometimes, the storm hits without warning, and it takes the whole crew to right the ship.  Let your teacher know what concerns your child has about the piano (or any other instrument for that matter).  And although not a pleasant experience, if the student has expressed concern with the teacher, it’s extremely important to let your teacher know.  We want to help your child succeed and  have fun while learning just as much as you do and we are willing to adapt our techniques to make this happen.  Together, we can make a plan for the future that puts us back on track.

And together, we can teach your child that open and honest communication is vital to any relationship.

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This summer I will be offering weekly lessons as well as some fun “camps” for piano and pre-piano students!

Details will be arriving shortly, so in the mean time, be sure to follow me on Twitter & “Like” my Facebook page so you don’t miss a thing! (There’s even a surprise announcement coming along with it, and I guarantee you cannot afford to miss it!)

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The answer – no, it’s never too late!

Since piano lessons are private, your child is never “behind” or missing topics. Their lessons are designed just for them and go at their pace so starting in August or starting in January makes no difference. Every student starts at the beginning and moves through the topics at their own speed. So join in at any time, we’re glad to have you!

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Operation: 88 Keys is a game that I discovered through the Layton Music website.  This game helps teach & reinforce the names of the white keys on the piano which we are just now getting started on in lessons.  I designed some camouflage cards to go with her game which you can download here.  Print out 4 or 5 sets for this game and be sure to mix them up well!    Here’s how to play:

1. Each player takes their army man (or action figure, or princess doll, whatever you have) and places it on opposite ends of the keyboard.
2. Player 1 draws a card from the pile and moves his/her figure to the first available matching key on the piano.
3. Players alternate turns until someone reaches the other end of the keyboard.
4. The first player there gets to announce: Mission Accomplished!

You can use either the camouflage cards or you can write the musical alphabet letters (A-G) on separate pieces of paper and draw from a bowl.  However you do it, you are all sure to have a good time learning your white key names!

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This week, let’s take an oldie but a goodie out for a spin (sorry, I couldn’t help it).  “The Wheels on the Bus” is a classic kids activity that we have all probably participated in from time to time.  Some of you may cringe at the thought of doing this song with your child but there’s a reason why EVERYONE knows it – kids love The Wheels on the Bus!  You can do this activity on your own with your singing voice (don’t worry, we can’t hear you & your kids aren’t Simon Cowell) or you can download a fun & funky version of the song to add to your music collection.  My son and I love the version from Kindermusik’s Play website that you can download here (No affiliate link – I just like to share).

With your littlest ones, sing the song to them and let them move freely to the music.  You can tap your lap, clap your hands, or do the song’s motions to show your child what to do.  Your child may watch you in wonder and amusement the first few times but keep going – they eventually will join right along!  You can also give them a rattle or plastic bowl & spoon from around the house so they can play while they listen.  Show them where the beat is, but don’t expect them to keep it with you.  Yet.  Just like the motions, they will mimic as they get older and soon you’ll have your own percussion section!

With the older ones (we’re talking 3 & up here) get up and move!  Show them the motions for the wheels going round, people up & down, wipers, & crying babies.  The older ones love to play together and are more than eager to join the imaginary bus ride.  (My son channeled his inner dancer and was in his own little world).  If you can, encourage them to move their feet on a beat, like marching & stomping, but free movement is good too.  It’s the exploration that matters here!

No matter how you share music time with your child, whether it be in a class, car, living room or waiting room, it’s good fun for everyone!

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I am currently working to bring a preschool piano class to my studio.  If you are interested in a music class for your preschooler that goes beyond just music & movement, that teaches them about rhythm, note names, and the keyboard, please fill out this form (just email address & age of child is required) and we’ll let you know when classes begin!

You can also be added to our monthly Preschool Piano Newsletter with activities that you can do with your child at home!

Just click on the form below to be taken to our sign up page!

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Keyboard versus Piano

Here’s the scoop – yes, there are certain things that you can do on an acoustic piano (that’s the one you don’t plug in) that can only be done on piano.  The slight nuances that an acoustic piano will respond to are non-existent on it’s electronic cousin.  As your child is starting out they are learning the layout of the keyboard, loud versus soft, and short and long tones.  All of these are easily and accurately reproduced on both electronic and acoustic pianos.  Your child will also be using a limited number of keys on the keyboard.  Both types of pianos have plenty and will carry your child through at least the first year or two of lessons.  Electronic keyboards can even offer something that pianos cannot: headphone jacks!   As a beginning student, there is really no reason why your child can’t be successful on an electronic keyboard.

Great!  What Should I Look For In A Keyboard?

If you are heading out to buy an electronic keyboard for your beginning student, here are some key features to look for:

1) Full size keys – some keyboards have little tiny keys that are difficult to play, so make sure the description says “full size”, or if you are in the store, that they actually ARE full size.

2) It should have as many keys as you can afford.  There are as few as 61 all the way up to 88 (full piano).  Price obviously varies by number of keys.

3) Hammer Action Weighted keys would be ideal but if you can’t do that, at least look for Touch Sensitive.  Hammer Action Weighted will actually feel like you are playing a real piano.  Touch Sensitive will respond by how hard you press, but will not feel like a piano – the keys will go down very easily.  This is not a problem early on (and you may even find that you like the keyboard better overall – they do cool stuff!) but if you continue with piano, your child won’t build the hand muscles until he has the hammer action keys or a real piano.

4) Headphone Jack – Kids can play and not bother anyone.  Mom & Dad’s best friend.

5) Sustain Pedal – your child will need to use pedal in lessons, so you want to find a keyboard that has an optional add-on sustain pedal.  Most keyboards have a jack for one.

6) Music Stand – make sure it has a rack to put the music on!  They should anyway, but it would be a major bummer if it didn’t!

7) AC power – most will run on batteries but you will be charging or replacing constantly.  AC power is sometimes included, but often not, so you want to check.

Another option to consider would be a keyboard stand & bench so your child can have their keyboard at a proper height.  A table would be OK for a bit, but the angle of the hands can start to be painful if it’s not correct.  The main thing is that your child can sit and play with his elbows above the keys.  Phone books are good for this too.

Have questions about a keyboard you’ve seen or need a little more guidance on what to buy?  Feel free to contact me and I’ll be happy to answer your questions!

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Can your child recognize their ABC’s?
Can your child recognize numbers 1-5?
Can your child focus on one task for at least 10 minutes?

If you can answer yes to all three of these questions, then your child may be ready to begin learning to play the piano.  The age of your child also affects the type of lesson that you can expect them to participate in.  Preschool children are generally too young for “traditional” piano lessons.  However, there are several piano methods geared toward getting your preschooler ready for piano lessons down the road and they are really fun!  If you are interested in piano for your preschooler, please give me a call to discuss your options.

If your child is elementary aged (Kindergarten & up) they may be ready for a “traditional” piano lesson.  Children in this age group are engaged learners & generally do very well at a private piano lesson.  They are able to follow instruction, write music on their own, & learn about goal oriented practice time.  They enjoy the process of learning and really take away a lot from their lessons.

If your child falls into the elementary or older age group, there is one more important question to consider before signing up for piano lessons.

Does your child want to take piano lessons?

You may not like the answer but it’s better to ask the question before coming to lessons than discover several weeks in that they never wanted to be there.  You will have to decide for yourself if the no means “No” or if it means “Maybe, but I’m not sure about it”.  In my experience, the child that says “No” and means it is rarely successful in piano lessons.  Sure they’ll learn a bit about reading music & following through with commitments, but the end result will more often than not be, “My parents made me take piano.  And I hated it.”  As a parent, that’s not your intent I’m sure, so ask the question and listen to the answer.  Very often a child that expresses interest and says no now will become a child begging for lessons later.  That’s when you definitely start them immediately!

Do I need to wait until the summer or start of the school year to begin piano lessons?

NO!  Although generally we think in terms of school years, piano lessons can be started at any time.  Since each child’s lesson is tailored specifically for him/her, there is no reason why you need to wait until summer or for school to start.  When your child is ready, that’s the right time of year to begin piano lessons.

Think your child is ready for the musical adventure piano study offers?  Then call 405-310-9413 or register online to get started today!

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Did you know that The Taylor Studio now offers online registration & account management?  You can schedule lessons, change lesson times, view account balances, make payments & read the notes from your child’s last lesson all online!

Make Schedule Changes Online

It’s 2am & you just remembered there’s a soccer tournament conflicting with piano this week?  Jump online and let me know!  No more playing phone tag – just sign in to your online account, cancel your lesson through the calendar, pick any open lesson time to reschedule & I’m instantly notified of the change!  How easy is that?

Easy Online Payments

You can choose to continue to make your payments offline through cash or checks but you also may now pay online through PayPal.  This convenient method of payment prevents those embarrassing forgotten checkbooks & can be made at any time.  Your payment is reflected in your studio account within 24 hours and you can print your receipt right from the site.  Your online account will also show any previous payments as well as any new charges for your music books.

Read Your Student’s Lesson Notes

After each lesson, I enter notes about our week into your online account.  You can read the notes at anytime & you will always have a record of what happened that week.  So if someone else will be bringing your child to lessons, you can still see what happened through the online notes.  You can also optionally record practice time online.  This is not required but it can be a nice way for everyone to monitor the time spent working at home.

This new addition to our studio has been getting rave reviews from parents.  They are loving the simplicity of enrollment, lesson time selection & convenience of online payments through PayPal’s secure site.  If you have any questions about using the online account, please let me know at your next lesson!

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Photo by: Cienpies Design

In a previous post, I talked about the importance of just having musical instruments available in the house for your child to experiment with.  In case you missed it, be sure to check it out here, but today I thought I would give you a recipe for making your own instrument at home.  This can be a great craft for preschoolers & elementary students especially on rainy days or too hot days (which we have had a lot of here in Oklahoma lately) – you’ll find some options for other ways to get creative with it at the bottom of the post.  For now, this is a simple shaker recipe that you can make in just a few minutes!

Simple Shaker

What You Need:

Cardboard Tube (paper towels or toilet paper rolls work well)
Beans, Rice, Pasta or a combination of them
2 cupcake wrappers
2 rubber bands
Wrapping Paper (to cover the tube)
Glue dots, glue stick, or tape

What To Do:

Measure the height of your tube as well as around the circumference.  Then cut your wrapping paper to about 1/2 inch longer than the height of the tube.  This will give us some overlap.

Starting on one side, place your glue on your tube (or tape onto the paper) and slowly roll the paper around the tube, checking to be sure the edges are aligned with the top of the tube.

When you reach the end, seal the edge with more glue or another piece of tape to secure the loose end.

Cover one end of the tube with a cupcake wrapper & use the rubber band to hold it in place.

Fill your tube about 1/4 to 1/2 full with your beans, rice, pasta…or whatever else you can think of!  Experiment with different combinations of items – each will have a unique sound.

Place the other cupcake wrapper over the open end and secure with the rubber band.

Get shakin’!

Other Options:

• Use markers, paints, crayons, foamies…whatever craft items you have on had to decorate the outside of the tube before you fill it.  Be sure the tube is dry before adding the beans.
• Jingle bells, bottle caps, & beads also make great sounds inside your shaker.  Or hit the pantry and grab some cereal.  If it’s small & loose, it will work!  (Just be sure to choose items that will be safe for the age of your little one!)
• No paper towel tubes?  The plastic easter eggs will work, as will soup cans, plastic soda or even salad dressing bottles!  Head out to the recycle bin and see what you can find!

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Illustration By: Robert Proksa

Do you sing to your children around the house?  If not, why not?  You don’t have to know any “good songs” or be worthy of a recording contract.  Just the other day I was helping my kids find the cord for our portable DVD player.   While I was searching, I began singing (to no particular tune) about what I was doing.   And do you know what my kids did?  They sang back.

That’s right – no one told them to do it, no one announced that it was now time to talk in song, they just did it.  Because that’s what kids do, they mimic our actions (sometimes more than we would like them to!).  And they are always up for a game.  Do your kids grumble when it’s time to pick up?   Mine do. So I often will start picking up toys & sing the “Messy Mess” song from JoJo’s Circus (depending upon the age of your child, your mileage may vary here).  My kids can’t resist singing the song so they join in & they can’t sing without picking up!  It makes clean up time go so much faster & we have some fun in the process.   For older kids, let them turn on their music to make the time fly by.  You can even have them make a play list just for cleaning time (or getting ready for school, walking the dog, whatever task they are doing).  When the play list is over, their time is up.  And you’ll be amazed at how quickly those jobs get done!

The next time you are doing a menial task, like looking for the DVD player cord, turn it into a musical event!  Make up the words, make up the tune & engage your children in a small moment of music around the house!

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Each week, I’ll be linking to a new music themed wallpaper from around the web so if you want to be notified of a new find, be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed.

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Photo By: Jeff Prieb

As my students know, I’m not big on practicing for a set of amount of time. As  a young piano student, I was supposed to practice 30 minutes a day, so you know what I did?  I plopped the clock down on the piano, and sat there playing each song one time.  That took about 5 minutes – what was I supposed to do with the other 25?  Practicing was foreign to me.

Now that I am the teacher, instead of teaching my students to practice watching a clock, I teach them to work on goals.  We pick a goal for each practice and then, once it’s met, we’re done or we move on to the next goal, always being sure to play those pieces we have already worked on each day.   Having a daily goal gives kids something tangible to work for on an instrument that truly takes years to master.

To help keep track of our goals, I sometimes use a coloring page.  Various tasks are written into the page, and as the student completes each goal, the page gets colored in.  The overall task is to be sure that the whole page (and therefore, the entire lesson) is colored in before the next time we meet.  It’s a nice visual cue to remember to practice!

If your student is having trouble getting their pieces learned each week, try printing out a coloring page & helping them divide their practice into daily goals, such as “On piece number 1, I am going to work on getting the correct fingerings”.  Each section of the coloring page represents one goal.  Then help them determine how many sections need to be completed each day in order to be finished by the next lesson.  Once they have a practice plan, their time at the keyboard really flies & is way more productive!

Here’s a great simple music coloring page that you can use to help your child set goals for their practice this week.  Happy practicing!

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1. Track Your Practice This Week With a Thanksgiving Coloring Page!
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Photo by: Billy Alexander

I’m sure you’ve heard all the research about how studying music improves brain functions. Many scientists have studied the effects of music on the brain with some fascinating results.  Once such study took a look at spatial-temporal reasoning in children.  What is spatial-temporal reasoning & why do you care if your child improves it?  Two words: Math & Science.

Researchers found that children given piano lessons significantly improved in their spatial- temporal IQ scores (important for some types of mathematical reasoning) compared to children who received computer lessons, casual singing, or no lessons.

— Rauscher, F.H., Shaw, G.L., Levine, L.J., Wright, E.L., Dennis, W.R., and Newcomb, R. (1997) Music training causes long-term enhancement of preschool children’s spatial temporal reasoning. Neurological Research, 19, 1-8.

Spatial-Temporal reasoning is, at it’s most basic, your brain’s ability to take objects & mentally manipulate them over a period of time.  Doing puzzles works your spatial-temporal reasoning.  Your child sees a piece and mentally rotates it to decide if it’s the one they need.  They can tell, simply by looking at it, whether or not it’s the one that will fit.  This would appear to be a non-musical brain task, and yet, those children who took lessons on the piano showed improvement.  Another sign that music works a significant part of the brain – not just the parts we would assume are for music.

Give your child a leg up.  Let them play music.  Grow their minds.

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Photo By: Shannah Pace

The other day my daughter disappeared into her room for some alone time from her younger brother.  She was in there for a while, so I decided that I better go and see what she was up to.  As I approached her door, I heard her playing her song flute.  It’s nothing fancy, in fact, it came in a drum full of instruments from Target’s $10 holiday toy aisle many years ago.  She was trying to figure out how to play the theme from Harry Potter, and she wasn’t doing too bad either.  But it made me think about the fact that although I am a music teacher, I wasn’t teaching her to play a song flute.  She was experimenting & creating all on her own, all because the flute was simply in the house.

As reading advocates will tell you, just having books in your house can help foster a child’s love for reading.  You show them that books are important to you, and they mimic your behavior.  The same can be said for music – just having items available for your child to experiment with can help show them that you value music as a vital part of their daily life. (They don’t need to know that we are secretly growing their little brains too!)

If you do not have a small collection of musical instruments in your house, I encourage you to find some.  They don’t have to be fancy or shiny or expensive.  A good place to start is with a small shaker for the littlest of musicians, moving up to xylophones & drums for the pre-schoolers & guitars or song flutes for the elementary kids.  There a bunch of great toy instruments out there.  Get a few, put them in the house and let your child experiment with music.

But Won’t That Be…Loud?

I’m not going to lie – yes, it will.  But consider this: the attention span of a small child is not long.  Allowing them to be loud for a few minutes a day with a shaker or drum will have benefits that far outweigh the noise.  Music engages the entire brain.  It helps to make those connections that your child will need for walking, speaking, reading, math.  Isn’t that worth a few slightly loud moments of your time?

OK.  We Have Instruments.  Now What?

Get down and play!  Grab an instrument and show your child what to do.  Don’t force them to play it themselves.  Let them watch and join in when they are ready.  If they don’t like it today, don’t worry.  Leave the instruments out and allow your child’s natural curiosity to take hold.  They’ll experiment and gravitate toward the one they find most pleasing, eventually.  If your child is a bit older, turn on their favorite songs and have an impromptu jam session.  Get creative with your tunes and rhythms, and while you’re at it, dance too!  Music time is a fun time for the whole family!

Looking for toy instruments?  I’ve assembled a collection of my favorites here.

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Since we’re having a super soggy start to our holiday weekend here in Norman, I thought I would create a beginning piano arrangement of Yankee Doodle for you to download, print, and play!

Yankee Doodle for Beginning Piano (Easy)

To get your copy, head on over to The Taylor Studio Facebook Page and visit the Free Sheet Music tab!

Have a safe (and hopefully dry) holiday weekend!

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Be sure to “Like” The Taylor Studio on Facebook for even more ways to help guide and inspire your young musicians!

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Do You Have the Best Ears?

A fun little rhythm game at MusicTechTeacher.com lets students test their listening skills.  Student are shown 3 rhythm patterns.  The game plays 1 of the three rhythms and students must correctly identify which rhythm they are hearing.  They can replay the rhythm until they find a match.  This is a great game for improving your child’s aural skills (and is a big part of our ear training lessons!)

Are You A Master Sight Reader?

The Rhythm Performance Game from emusictheory.com asks students to perform a rhythm along with a steady beat.  This is a great exercise for helping students learn to keep a steady beat on their own.  For my young beginners, be sure you select “Easy” as the level and that the sounds are set to “Yes”.  Then just click away with your mouse to the written rhythm.  The game will tell you which notes were late and you can try it again until you get the correct rhythm.  How high can you score?

Are You The Fastest Note Catcher In All The Land?

MakingMusicFun.net has a fun arcade style music game where students learn to recognize a note value, catch it, and return it to the music press.  They can select the note value they would like to find then slide their octopus to catch as many as they can before the game is up.  But be careful, catch the wrong thing and your game is over!

Have fun playing the games this weekend!  (And remember that you still need to play the piano too!)

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1. Learn How To Play Rhythms With Fun Summer Words!
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3. Eight Basic “Sight” Rhythms Young Piano Players Should Know

Choose one line from your piece or sight reading lesson page then follow the steps below to take your sight reading to a whole new level!

*Remember: Do each of the following steps ONE TIME ONLY per practice session*

1. Do a quick look over your music line. What is your time signature? What parts look a little tricky? Do you see anything that repeats?
2. Do a verbal run through. Read through the rhythm using your rhythm words (see THIS POST for our summer rhythm word list!).
3. Play or clap the line ONE time.  How did you do?  If you made any errors, do NOT correct them now.  Make a mental note of it, and try it again tomorrow!

If you consistently practice sight reading, your skills will gradually improve over time.  If you find your rhythm is easy to sight read the first time, it’s time to pick a harder piece to sight read!

Parents: Challenge your student at each practice session with a sight reading exercise.  It can be rhythms only, or a short piece from an old book that maybe they haven’t done in a lesson.  And remember, the goal here is not to learn a new piece but to learn how to read a new piece.  Mistakes are OK and are not to be corrected – simply point out the error (or  ask your child to show you where the mistake was) and put the piece away.

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2. Learn How To Play Rhythms With Fun Summer Words!
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Since we are now full force into summer, I have put together a list of summer themed words that you can use at home to help your student learn how to perform various rhythm combinations.  Simply say the words as you play or clap your notes.

For example, a line of 4 quarter notes would be counted as Beach-Beach-Beach-Beach

Or this line of half noteswould be simply SA-AND SA-AND

You can use the words to match your rhythm in your pieces (and make some silly word fun while you’re at it!)

Download this rhythm word card here and get those rhythms fixed easily!

Parents: Print out the summer themed rhythm word card and place it on the piano for your student to see during their practice time.  Help them identify any trouble spots by writing in the words above or below the rhythm.  Do not mark every rhythm – only mark those that they struggle to remember.

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Wait wait, before you all run away screaming, let’s be real here.  You didn’t learn how to read just magically right? It took practice!  You listened to people read to you, you learned the ABC’s, you learned their sounds, you started to recognize things like the McDonald’s sign is really a giant M…

Learning music happens much the same way.  You have heard it, you have probably danced or clapped to it, so now we are just going to start working on it’s alphabet, it’s sounds, & recognizing that those small pieces make up the larger picture in our printed music.  When you learned to read a book, you probably started with sight words.  Words like: a, and, the, is & to.  Simple words that you just know when you see them.  You don’t have to sound them out or hunt down a dictionary to learn how to say them.  You just know.
Music has it’s own sight words only in this case, they are sight rhythms.  When beginning to play any instrument, there are some basic sight rhythms you should just know.  You won’t have to think about them when you see them so you can think about other things, like, which finger should be playing them or whether it should be loud or soft.   These are the eight sight rhythms every young beginning musician should know:

Quarter Notes
Eighth Notes
Half Notes
Whole Notes
Sixteenth Notes
Dotted Quarter / Eighth Notes
Dotted Half / Quarter Note
Eighth / Sixteenth Notes

These should be practiced each time you sit down to play until you just know them.  You can use flash cards, play them on the piano (or your instrument of choice), clap them out, tap them on the coffee table!

Parents: clap these rhythms with your child, ask your child to explain them to you & point to the notes as they name them. Then, make a game of it! Who can clap more rhythms correctly in 1 minute? 30 seconds? Who can name more notes? Who can identify the clapped rhythm first? Sitting down with your child at practice time not only shows your child that you care about their success, it allows them to see that even grown-ups have to work at new things!

You can download a set of Summer Themed Sight Rhythm Flash Cards here. Print them out, cut them apart & begin reading with your child!

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One concept that is really important in reading music is recognizing patterns, and the very first pattern we learn is that the musical alphabet repeats.  A lot.  Over and over, all the way up the keyboard.  Seeing this progression helps students to make sense of all those black and white keys and learn the assignments of the various letters to those keys.

Our next game is going to help your youngster learn how the musical alphabet repeats.  For this game, you will need at least 2 sets of our musical alphabet cards (but you can use as many as you want).  Have your child put the cards in order just like they have been doing, but this time, once they place the G, explain to them that the musical alphabet is really just a never ending, repeating pattern.  Then we show them that after the G, we put the A again, and continue the pattern from there.  Don’t get into the details with them, showing them will do most of the explaining for you.  Then, ask your child to put them ALL in order again, repeating the pattern ABCDEFG ABCDEFG over and over until all the cards are used up.  You can even begin to race them (I turn my cards upside down so it naturally slows me down and I don’t have to LOOK like I’m letting them get a head start).

Once your child has a firm grasp of this game, try starting the same game on a different letter (like D).  They can continue to build the musical alphabet from any letter, but the pattern never really changes.

Have some fun with these cards and repeating the pattern (I’ve been known to have a string all the way around my living room, over furniture, and even into the backyard!).  We’ll change the game up big time in a couple of weeks, so stay tuned.

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The big week has finally arrived and with all the exciting events about to come, let’s make our practice time even MORE fun!  This week, instead of filling out a time table chart, use a Thanksgiving printable coloring page to track your practice.  Each time you practice a piece, color in a section of the page.

Can you fill it before Thanksgiving?

You can download a very cute Thanksgiving coloring page and use it as a place mat at your dinner table!  ( there are other printable Thanksgiving table setting pieces on the Alpha+Mom site too!)

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

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12:00-12:45pm  Norman High School and Norman North Bands will be performing

5pm – 6 pm  Broadway Kids from The Studio of the Sooner Theatre

Come out and support your local youth musicians!

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Are you hosting Thanksgiving? Are you looking for an interesting way to involve your child in the big meal? Why not have your young piano player perform the Dutch hymn, We Gather Together as part of your meal’s blessing! Your student should be able to learn this arrangement for Very Easy piano in no time and give a stellar performance for the big family gathering.  Click the turkey to download the FREE sheet music now!

We Gather Together Sheet Music for Very Easy Piano

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All young music students need to learn the musical alphabet, which consists of only 7 letters A-G.  Many small children can already identify A-B-C so if you think about it, you’re already almost half way there!  So how can you help your child learn to identify and order the letters of the musical alphabet?  By playing games!

What You Need:

A set of alphabet blocks with letters A,B,C,D,E,F,G

or

You can download and print a set of cards below:

Dinosaur Musical Alphabet Cards

Hippo Ballet Musical Alphabet Cards

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Pick a movie your kids know well (in my house, if it has the D on it, they know it).  Then find some music (anything really) and turn the original sound off.  Play your chosen music in the background and have your kids watch a piece of the movie with a whole new sound.  Let them see a funny scene turn suddenly angry, or a sad moment become humorous, just by changing the music.  Let them pick a few songs to go along with it too, and before long, you have created your own version of the film.

Feeling more adventurous?  Why not make a family movie this weekend?  You can use still photos or video and create your own storyline.  Then have each person pick a piece of music that represents them to go along with it.  You’ll have a great snapshot in time of your family!

Have kids who love drama? (who doesn’t?)  Hit iTunes and find a classic movie soundtrack from one of YOUR favorite movies, and have the kids create a show about it.  Don’t tell them what the movie is about, see how they react.   They might hit it right on, or give you a look at something so unique, you’ll never watch that movie the same way again.  Then the kids get to return the favor.  Yes, you may have to do an interpretive dance to Hannah Montana, but it’s all in fun.  (Just be sure the video camera is mysteriously missing batteries after the kids are finished).

If you have young musicians in your home, then have your own play along music event!  Pick a movie with a strong character theme (Harry Potter or the Star Wars movies comes to mind right now, but I’m sure you can think of others as well), or a Broadway Musical turned Movie (Sound of Music, Annie) grab some sheet music, and join in with the orchestra.  Sure it may not match up exactly in the right key, or may be a little challenging technically, but it can give your kids a taste of what it’s like to be “in the pit”.

Have a great time making music with your kids this weekend!

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You can sign in to our studio website at thetaylorstudio.musicteachershelper.com to see our currently available time slots.

Please use the following information to access our demo account
U: thetaylorstudio_student
P: demo2

If you see a slot that you are interested in, please log out of the demo account, and register your own account. You are under no further obligation it just lets me know that you might be interested in a particular time and learning more about our studio. You new account will not be active until confirmed by me. Once confirmed, you will have full access to our studio site for scheduling lessons, seeing your account balances, and even making payment on your account.

You can also download our studio brochure here.

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As a step toward learning to goal set during practice sessions, try this at your practice time today:

1. Ask your child what the most difficult part of their lesson is this week (and ALL OF IT is not an acceptable answer, make them get specific, have them show you the part in their music, even if you can’t read it)
2. Let your child know that today, you would like them to ONLY practice that difficult section.  When they look at you like you are nuts, explain that you would like them to work on just that small section, and once they learn it, for today, they are done.  (There may be stunned silence here, just keep going).
3. Ask your student to tell you HOW they should learn this part of their music.  Is it hard to play hands together?  They should practice them separately and make sure each hand knows what to do, THEN slowly put them back together.  Is there a particularly difficult fingering passage?  Practice the small parts that make it up, through the finger shift on the keys, before taking the whole piece.  Or, is it a young beginner who is having trouble just reading the notes?  Have them tell you the note names before they try playing it.  Let their brain focus on one piece at a time.
4. Tell your student that they should begin and when they think that have it learned, they should let you know.  Then, let your student go to work.  (For the younger ones, be sure you stay close by so that you can answer any questions they may have.)
5. Once your student says they have it, ask them to play it for you.  Praise their improvement (as long as there is some, don’t let them get away with banging around on the keys for a while to make it look good).  Then let them know you are proud of their hard work, and tell them they are finished with their piano practice for today.  Then think of a piece that your child plays REALLY well (and that they really like) and ask them to play it for you before they go do something else.  It will only help solidify their sense of accomplishment today.

This short lesson in setting a goal, working toward it, and then going on to something new, will help give your student the groundwork for future productive practice sessions, and even carries over into other schoolwork as well.  “You’ve got a 450 page novel to finish in two weeks?  Let’s break it down into smaller, nightly chunks, just like you do with your piano music.”  (See how that works? )   It also shows them that you care not only about their practicing, but about the results that they are producing.  A little bit of parental support can make a huge difference in the piano lesson experience for your child.

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Friday 11/6

The Pride of Oklahoma has a rehearsal on Friday afternoons at 4pm. Did you know you can go watch? For free! It’s a great opportunity to show your kids how the band puts it all together and that no one just puts on a show without a little effort. Fair warning – it can be rather loud, so the little ones may appreciate a hat to cover their little ears. Bring a blanket or folding chair (and maybe even some snacks) to the practice field behind the OU softball complex.

Saturday 11/7

The Downtown Arts Market is happening this weekend in Norman.  With local artists and musicians, and activities for kids, it’s sure be a great outing for your family on what is supposed to be a beautiful weekend!  Little River Zoo will be there all day, and the Kidoodle Kid’s Art Zone will be there from 11am-2pm. There are live music performances scheduled throughout the day as well.  The Downtown Arts Market is held along Legacy Trail on Jones Avenue between Main St. & Eufaula (in front of the Santa Fe Depot).  And best of all, it’s FREE and open to the public!

If you know of another event that should be added to this post, or if you would like your event included on a future posting, please contact me!

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Friday 10/30

The Pride of Oklahoma has their last full rehearsal for the game on Friday afternoon at 4pm. Did you know you can go watch? For free! It’s a great opportunity to show your kids how the band puts it all together and that no one just puts on a show without a little effort. Fair warning – it can be rather loud, so the little ones may appreciate a hat to cover their little ears. Bring a blanket or folding chair (and maybe even some snacks) to the practice field behind the OU softball complex.

Norman High School’s production of Hello, Dolly! happens this weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday @7pm at Norman North High School).  Tickets for this are $10-$12, and all money goes to help fund choir needs for the school.  So you get a good show, and you’re helping them raise money to continue to keep the arts active in our schools.  It’s a win-win!

Saturday 10/31

Ok, this one isn’t music related, but it’s free! Sonic is sponsoring free admission to the Sam Noble Museum (http://www.snomnh.ou.edu/) on Saturday.  With coupons, and toys for the kids, it’s a great chance to visit one of our local museums free of charge. 10am-5pm

Monday 11/2

The Norman Children’s Chorus and University Chamber Singers are doing a concert Monday at 7pm in the Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall at the Catlett Music Center on the University of Oklahoma campus.  Come see our local students from all over Norman perform some international folk songs and classical children’s music.  Again, free, and open to the public.

If you know of another event that should be added to this post, or if you would like your event included on a future posting, please contact me!

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1)  What is your educational background? Don’t assume because they took out a full page ad in the yellow pages that they have a degree in music.  Many piano teachers (probably a lot more than you think) have no formal music education training.  That in itself isn’t a deal breaker but if you are looking for a well structured curriculum of music instruction, the degree holding or MTNA certified teacher is the one you want to find.

2)  Do you do any performing? Most piano teachers continue some sort of performing (accompanying vocalists or other instrumentalists, in their churches, at community groups, etc) but when the performing list is longer than the teaching credentials, it can be a sign that your teacher is only teaching for the income.  Look for a teacher who is a teacher FIRST.  Their interest lies with making sure your kids have the best possible musical education and they will work hard to make sure that happens.

3)  How long have you been teaching? Not an indicator of quality, but a useful piece of information for you.  I would never eliminate a piano teacher from your list because of length of experience – everyone starts somewhere.  You just may need to be a little more vocal about what is, and is not, working for your child.  If you do find you have a newer teacher, you can also ask if they have a mentor they are working with, or if they belong to any professional organizations.  This gives you an idea of whether or not they have help outside their studio walls.

4)  What are your expectations of the students? These need to be reasonable for your family.  If piano is one of 10 activities your child is involved in, a teacher requiring huge amounts of time outside the lesson may not be a good fit for you. Decide what your family can handle, and then don’t try to take on any more.  You may really want to say that your child studies with so-and-so, but if everyone is miserable and running ragged, what’s the point?

5)  What are your expectations of the parents? Listen carefully, and decide if you can meet those expectations. You will need to make sure practice happens, goals are met, lessons and recitals are attended and maybe even act as a partner in music writing work and games. If you can’t meet these expectations, then you either need to make sure someone else can, or wait until the whole family is ready.

6)  What is your teaching philosophy? Every piano teacher should be able to give you a short, clear vision of their philosophy.  These teachers have a plan in place for every student, and will work diligently to be sure that each child that passes through their doors is provided with the best possible experience, guided by that philosophy.

7)  What teaching method do you use? There are many, many methods available to piano students.  You don’t need to know about them all, but this question lets you know if your prospective piano teacher is flexible with their students or just pushes everyone through the same materials.  You can also ask about supplemental materials and if your child has any say in what is studied. A course of study that is tailored to your student’s interests and abilities will allow for the greatest success.

8)  What performance opportunities does my child have? Think about your job – you probably “perform” every day in meetings, on phone calls, and even just at your desk.  Music performances teach kids how to deal with pressure, and how to handle very public mistakes gracefully.  One recital a year is plenty, or if your child is really craving it, seek out the teacher who has many performances throughout the year.  You can also ask how they help prepare students for these performances.

9) What is your practice philosophy? Is it a set time?  Is it goal setting?  This is a philosophy that varies greatly with every teacher, and many are very passionate about their position.  Think about what you want your child to be getting from music lessons, and then find the philosophy that will help fulfill your wishes.

10)  Does your studio have a website?  Email?  How can I best contact you? You may know these answers already, but you may not know that the teacher uses an online billing system or that all practice records and lesson notes are maintained online for you to view at any time.  And what if you have questions during the week? You can’t expect them to be at your beck and call 24/7, but you can expect that any contact between lessons should be welcomed, they have a preferred method of contact, and probably have “office hours”.

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I have created this blog as a resource for parents of current and future music students.  You don’t need to be one of MY students to benefit from the information contained in this blog (though sometimes there will be posts just for my current students).  Whether you are looking for a new instrument for your child, some helpful tips for practice time or are just beginning to enter the world of music study with your kids and are trying to decide when the right time to begin piano lessons is or how to find a piano teacher, there will be something here for everyone.

Be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed and if you live in the Norman area, be sure to sign up for our email newsletter to keep up with all of the new and exciting things happening in the studio.  You can join the newsletter by entering your email address here:

If you have any specific questions you don’t see answered here on the blog, please feel free to contact me and let me know how I can help you.

Thanks for stopping by!

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