Oliver's First End of Book Recital

Congratulations to Oliver for complete his first book and end-of-book recital.  He is now promoted to Faber's My First Piano Adventures level B.  He did an awesome job at his recital.  The cool thing was that his grandparents in the Netherlands were able to join us via Skype.  Love that technology! 

Skype and Piano Recitals!

This was a first for Cindy's Piano Studio and hopefully the beginning of many more exciting global recitals.  Oliver had his first end-of-book recital at his home tonight.  His dad is from the Netherlands where his parents still live.  They were able to see Oliver perform live via Skype and we were able to see them.  What a great way to share in each other's lives even though thousands of miles apart.

New Studio Location - piano lessons coming to Bemus Point, NY

In August, I got the idea to check into renting space again so I could start up Cindy's Piano Studio classes.  The first few spaces were very depressing:  too much money, spaces needed to be bulldozed not rented, bad locations.  And then...we were driving around the lake after getting our last ice cream cone at Boxcar Barney's in Mayville and my husband saw a for rent sign on a building in Bemus Point.  We stopped and looked in the windows.  It looked perfect!  So I called the number, set up an appointment and prayed for favor. 

We met with the landlords, who are very nice, and decided to proceed.  The first step is getting a zoning variance; however, there have been businesses in the space for 30 years so we aren't too concerned about that.  I dropped off the application with check today and am now waiting for the zoning board meeting in October.

I'm 'sort of' excited but not really until the board meeting is over...then I'll be jumping! 

I'm planning on adding piano classes in Bemus Point on Thursdays and possible Wednesday evenings.  All private lessons will remain in my home until I have money to buy a grand for the studio.  Even then, those that are on the west side of the lake will remain in my home.  I'm hoping to add four classes this year and more next year.

Stay tuned!

Summer!

Yeah! Summer is here. School is out!  "No more lessons, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks!"  That includes piano teachers!  Ah, not really.  I don't give dirty looks; well, not often anyways!  Summer, a wonderful time to spend with family. 

Unfortunately, most students don't spend much, if any, time at the piano and so when lessons start up again in the Fall (if they haven't totally lost interest), we have to spend a lot of time reviewing concepts before we can proceed.

You can help change this by prompting your child to "visit" the piano at least two or three times a week during the summer.  Some students will have a big assignment to complete over the summer, such as:

•  preparing an 'end-of-book' recital for the Fall,
•  learning a new piece of sheet music to be played at a recital in the Fall,
•  reviewing part of the book so that the concepts remain fresh.

Summer vacation should be a great and refreshing time for all the family.  It is a refreshing time for me as a teacher.  When we start back in the Fall, I will be fresh and ready with new ideas for making music at the piano fun!

A Sad Car Story

Luke's dad sold his favorite car.  As it was pulling out of the driveway, Luke ran to the piano and played this for his dad....The Minor Mynah.  His lyrics are:

As the car drove out of the driveway,
I was so so sad.
I cried myself to sleep.

Poor Dad!

How Can I Help My Child Learn Piano? Encouragement

Everybody needs encouragement once in a while to help them move to the next level.  Your child needs to know that you approve of his piano playing abilities.

• Ask them to play for you and then praise them for the good (ignore the bad!)
• Talk about their piano playing with your friends while your child is in the room
• Encourage them to play for their friends that visit
• Encourage them to call or email me if they have questions or problems
• Ask them to play a piece that you enjoy from their lessons and then sit and listen to them with all your attention on them
• Encourage the rest of the family to sit and listen and praise them also

There is so much criticism in our lives that is seems to outweigh the praise.  Let's change that in our piano world and give more praise.  I think we'll see your child soar to new heights in music making. 

How Can I Help My Child Learn Piano? Snacks

Your child has a lot of demands for his attention.  We don’t want one of them to be his/her stomach.  Plan on giving your child a nutritious snack (NO SUGAR!) before the lesson or before practice sessions so that they can concentrate fully on learning.  Junk food will not help their piano playing unless they are learning a spastic piece!  If your child requires carbs due to low blood sugar, make sure that they have it  before the lesson or practice as well.  You know your child’s body better than I do.  Do what their bodies need before the lesson so that we don’t have to push so hard to maintain the focus needed to learn this new skill.  Your child and I will thank you for it!