Here is a great link to an article regarding Musical Training and the enhancement of children's verbal intelligence after only one month of musical training. This is a recent Canadian study conducted at York University.
http://www.miller-mccune.com/education/music-training-enhances-childrens-verbal-intelligence
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Friday, September 30, 2011
7 Steps to Improve your practicing quickly
1. Plan your time: one of the most important ways to see consistent satisfying progress is well-planned practice sessions. Since learning piano is both a physical and mental process, regularity is crucial. Compare piano practicing to a physical workout. You would not see very good results if you spend one day a month in the gym.
2. Prepare you mental and physical state: to get the most of our your practicing, it is important to have a focused awareness of sound, touch and movement. At the start of each practice session, take a few deep breaths and find a balanced posture with relaxed shoulders and heavy arms.
3. Analyze and mark up: When beginning a new piece, sit down away from the piano and analyze the piece. Pencil in all important details like fingering, patterns, translations of foreign words and work out difficult rhythms and harmonic progressions.
4. Repeat correctly: repeat everything you practice four times correctly. Make no mistakes during your first practice. Practice slowly with a good mental focus. Always shape every phrase and bring out all the musical details right away and even with slow practice.
5. Practice the difficulties: When working through your pieces, mark difficult sections in pencil and spend most of your practice time on these parts.
6. Practice performing under pressure: Once a week or so, and most importantly of all a few days before a lesson or performance, make a video or audio recording of yourself performing your pieces at home. This is a great way to practice under pressure.
7. Be your own teacher: When you have made the recording leave it for a day or so and then listen to it again with untainted ears. Listen for the overall musical performance. Are you getting your musical ideas across? What can be improved? Listen for wrong notes and rhythms, missed dynamics and articulation etc... and mark them with a pencil on your score.
(these steps were adapted from pianostreet.com)
Happy practicing!!!
2. Prepare you mental and physical state: to get the most of our your practicing, it is important to have a focused awareness of sound, touch and movement. At the start of each practice session, take a few deep breaths and find a balanced posture with relaxed shoulders and heavy arms.
3. Analyze and mark up: When beginning a new piece, sit down away from the piano and analyze the piece. Pencil in all important details like fingering, patterns, translations of foreign words and work out difficult rhythms and harmonic progressions.
4. Repeat correctly: repeat everything you practice four times correctly. Make no mistakes during your first practice. Practice slowly with a good mental focus. Always shape every phrase and bring out all the musical details right away and even with slow practice.
5. Practice the difficulties: When working through your pieces, mark difficult sections in pencil and spend most of your practice time on these parts.
6. Practice performing under pressure: Once a week or so, and most importantly of all a few days before a lesson or performance, make a video or audio recording of yourself performing your pieces at home. This is a great way to practice under pressure.
7. Be your own teacher: When you have made the recording leave it for a day or so and then listen to it again with untainted ears. Listen for the overall musical performance. Are you getting your musical ideas across? What can be improved? Listen for wrong notes and rhythms, missed dynamics and articulation etc... and mark them with a pencil on your score.
(these steps were adapted from pianostreet.com)
Happy practicing!!!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Fall piano has begun!!
All of my students have completed their first week of piano. Now is the time for families to get organized and determine when would be a good time to practice each day. I expect at a minimum 4-5 practices per week so that each student can return to lessons prepared to move ahead. Practices do not need to be lengthy if everyone is concentrating and if we all accomplish what was asked us on on the lesson plan notes.
Tonic tutor computer assignments were well done this week. This is an amazing site that will greatly assist each student in understanding their music and is a wonderful resource for reinforcing musical ideas discussed and tried during lessons. Keep plugging away at these assignments---you will not regret it!!
Remember that you have been given a wonderful gift--the gift of music that will last your entire life. Cherish and nuture this gift. "Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it." --Thomas Fuller.
Tonic tutor computer assignments were well done this week. This is an amazing site that will greatly assist each student in understanding their music and is a wonderful resource for reinforcing musical ideas discussed and tried during lessons. Keep plugging away at these assignments---you will not regret it!!
Remember that you have been given a wonderful gift--the gift of music that will last your entire life. Cherish and nuture this gift. "Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it." --Thomas Fuller.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Spring and practice motivation
Birds are singing, the days are getting longer and everyone is getting outside a little more. Along with that comes the temptation to put your piano practice on the back burner. How can we keep motivated? Here are a few ideas:
1. Instead of practicing after school, try to get up a little earlier and get some of your work done before school.
2. Plan to give yourself a treat---like going out to a movie. Place the exact amount of money required into a jar beside the piano. If you miss a practice a dollar is removed and not replaced until you practice again. Give yourself one week to acheive the movie award.
3. Place a reminder to practice by your outdoor footwear and jackets.
4. Like the NIKE commercials says, "Just Do It".
5. Set a timer and practice for 15-20 minutes followed by a one hour break outside. Then come in and set the timer again for 15-20 minutes etc.....until your practice is complete.
6.Realize the virtues of self discipline and become more internally motivated rather than relying on your parent/teacher to do that for you. You can do it!!!
7. Have a check list of all that needs to be accomplished during your day. Do not allow yourself to go to sleep until it is all complete. You can even set up a time schedule to follow. The reward for getting your tasks complete is enjoying the outside!!! You will be out there before you know it.
8. Remember that recital is in 6 weeks and you would really like to impress your friends and family with your performance. So create some awesome invitations and hand deliver, mail them or invite via a social network. So now all you have to do is prepare accordingly. Plan a celebration dinner or party for everyone at your home after the recital!! Preparation is everything for a successful performance!!
1. Instead of practicing after school, try to get up a little earlier and get some of your work done before school.
2. Plan to give yourself a treat---like going out to a movie. Place the exact amount of money required into a jar beside the piano. If you miss a practice a dollar is removed and not replaced until you practice again. Give yourself one week to acheive the movie award.
3. Place a reminder to practice by your outdoor footwear and jackets.
4. Like the NIKE commercials says, "Just Do It".
5. Set a timer and practice for 15-20 minutes followed by a one hour break outside. Then come in and set the timer again for 15-20 minutes etc.....until your practice is complete.
6.Realize the virtues of self discipline and become more internally motivated rather than relying on your parent/teacher to do that for you. You can do it!!!
7. Have a check list of all that needs to be accomplished during your day. Do not allow yourself to go to sleep until it is all complete. You can even set up a time schedule to follow. The reward for getting your tasks complete is enjoying the outside!!! You will be out there before you know it.
8. Remember that recital is in 6 weeks and you would really like to impress your friends and family with your performance. So create some awesome invitations and hand deliver, mail them or invite via a social network. So now all you have to do is prepare accordingly. Plan a celebration dinner or party for everyone at your home after the recital!! Preparation is everything for a successful performance!!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Festival preparation
Music Festival competition is just two weeks away and here we are on a School March break. To keep your pieces fresh try these fun ideas: play them with the dynamics all opposite, record yourself, perform your pieces for neighbours and friends, test yourself by playing from memory landmarks (but mix them up). Be your own critic and listen carefully to yourself performing!!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Chopin preludes
It is important for all piano students to listen to recordings of performances. In this day of technology we can basically find someone performing almost anything a student is learning on the internet. Some performances can be great and others not so great. This learning tool enables the student to discern between the two after analyzing pieces of literature with their teacher/instructor. Below is a link to a performance of Chopins' 24 Preludes Op. 28 by one of his best interpreters Andras Schiff who is also performing on a Pleyel piano.
http://www.classicaltv.com/v1203/andras-schiff-chopins-24-preludes-op.-28
http://www.classicaltv.com/v1203/andras-schiff-chopins-24-preludes-op.-28
Monday, January 3, 2011
Happy New Year
Hello everyone---as we begin 2011 please schedule your time to include good practices on the piano and to complete your Tonic Tutor assignments. Report cards were sent out today. Some of you are doing great with the theory programs but many of you are doing horrible because you have not been working at it. Self discipline and sticking to a schedule will help those marks go up!!
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