Adventures in Music Listening - Christmas

We had our first Adventures in Christmas Music Listening classes this month. Six students came on the first two Saturdays in December for 2-1/2 hours each day. We learned about changing forms.

We started with origami.

Changing four squares of paper into a Santa.

We then combined some odd objects to make a wind chime. By odd I mean, nails, bolts, nuts, rope, dowel rod, fishing wire and beads.

We played games to help us compose a Christmas Rondo. All five rondos will be posted on my website at http://www.cindyspianostudio.com/ once I get them into the computer. You'll be able to see the music and hear the compositions.

Of course, you can't spend 2-1/2 hours with children and not have snacks. We had lots!

The parents were supposed to take these 5 hours and go shopping without children or wrap presents. Did they do it? I wonder?

Have You Heard About B Flat

Check out this fun and interesting song that Andrew told me about. It was featured on NPR.

http://joshadam.com/Audio_Bflat.html

ETA-3 Concert

Makala and I enjoyed our evening together at the Jamestown Concert Association's presentation of ETA-3. The program by Tomoko Nakayama, piano; Emily Thomas, flute; and Alexey Gorokholinsky, clarinet was beautiful. The sounds from the very moment they began were breath taking. The atmosphere was set so beautifully when Emily Thomas began Debussy's Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun". She waited until all was quiet and then seemed to become the faun in her playing. Her playing of Ian Clarke's Zoom Tube later was so amuzing and in such a different character. She must be a very good actress as well. Makala enjoyed talking with her after the program and learning about how she got started in her music career and her acting on All My Children. Alexey Gorokholinsky displayed wonderful technique and velocity and musicality on the clarinet solo by Tchaikovsky, Russian Dance. He was fun to talk with afters also. Very down to earth and easy to communicate with. Being pianists, of course, Makala and I were watching Tomoko Nakayama very closely. Awesome! She was accompanist extrodinare! I sympathized with her on the page turning! She never missed a beat. Makala enjoyed seeing a professional's technique and watching her play was a delight.

All three were so friendly to both of us after the program during the reception. Oh, and I can't forget to mention the manager...now what was his name? He was very cute and fun! Oh yes, Reggie Bahl from Manhattan Music Ensemble, INC.

A very enjoyable evening.

Fall Lessons Begin

It's the beginning of another exciting year at Cindy's Piano Studio. I have plans for two recitals with my studio this year:

an ensemble recital - students will play in groups of four, each will have their own part and instrument

a techno party recital - we'll use all the technology I can for this one: video, slideshow, orchestrations, keyboards, lights, camera, action!

There are three APT recitals also; however, I think we will only participate in the November 14th recital at Loyalton.

This year we will focus on nine composers, one each month. We'll listen to their music, read about their lives, and play some of their pieces.

I'm really looking forward to seeing all my students this week.

Happy Practicing!

A.P.T. Presents A Music Salon

I just returned from a wonderful evening filled with talented Chautauqua County area musicians. The program sponsored by Jamestown Association of Piano Teachers was held at the Sheldon House. The program included works by Joplin, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Haydn, Rachmaninoff and others. Area performers ranged from teachers to students to business professionals such as a chemist and a construction worker. This was the third program presented by A.P.T. Each year gets better and better. Ruth Dodds did a wonderful job of setting it up and made all the delicious desserts. Yea Ruth!

For more information on A.P.T. go to http://www.cindyspianostudio.com/apt.html.

Anyone need a piano?

I just got a call regarding a good Baldwin console piano that is for sale for $850. If you are interested, call Sandy Brogan at 571-214-2480 (cell phone).

Adventures in Music Listening - Sweden

Goddag, Good Day! We traveled to Sweden this week. We found Sweden at the top of the globe at the same height as Canada. We saw pictures of the Riksdagshuset (house of Parliament) where the Nobel Peace Prizes are awarded. We also saw a lighthouse that reminded us of ours in Chautauqua County. After talking about the clothing for ceremonies in Sweden and in the US, we saw a picture of a Nyckelharpa and heard what it sounded like. Then we danced the Hambo to a song from the CD, Hambo in the Barn.

We discussed animals of Sweden like the Elk or reindeer, the Mediterranean Gull, and then colored a picture of the dala hast (horse), while I read the Swedish folk tale, Peder and the Water Sprite. After a game of Tic Tac Toe, which originated in Sweden, the children left with a snack of Swedish Fish.It was a fun day of learning with the children and moms. I'm hoping they had as much fun as I did.

Adventures in Music Listening - Australia

G'day Mate!

That was our password upon entering the class. It was fun to hear the children's voices speak it with joy.

After finding Australia on the globe, we learned about some animals and sang Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport while watching a YouTube video of the song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D-LmRNdQiQ sung by Rolf Harris. We then looked at some of the Aborginal art at http://www.aboriginalartonline.com/shop/region.php?type=10&local=14.
It was interesting to hear and see the didgeridoo at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC9w4KWEgJE.

We then danced the pieman to Waltzing Matilda, Australia's unofficial national anthem. We talked about some slang terms used in the song like swagman and billy and tucker bag.

After a game of Ostrich Tag,


they colored a kookaburra while they listened to the song and the bird laugh at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iygkpxzbVt8.

They ate a snack of chocolate covered carmel (milk duds) which are popular in Australia and as they left they took a boomerang home.

It was a fun morning at Lakewood Memorial Library.

Words That Describe Cindy's Piano Studio

A while ago I started a list of words that I thought reflected my business, Cindy's Piano Studio....

Making Music Fun

Fun, Musical, Expressive, Awe
Learning, Technology, Rewards, Recognition
Sought after, Needed, Peaceful, Stress-free
Music, Piano, Keyboard, Games, Teach, Encourage, Demonstrate, Correct, Perfect
Create, Listen, Train, Ensemble, Together, Team

If you are a student, do you have some more words to add? Please comment...

Are you practicing?

The Glorian Duo Concert

Kendra and I went to The Glorian Duo concert sponsored by Jamestown Concert Association at St. Luke's this past weekend. Wendy Kerner Lucas, harpist and Donna Milanovich, flutist presented a beautiful concert of music through the ages from Concert Royal No. 4 in e minor by Francois Couperin (1668-1773) to Serenade No. 10, op. 79 by Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987). My favorite pieces was Suite Francaise, op. 114 by Paul Bazelaire (1886-1958). It has five movements that were beautiful. Ms. Lucas also played First Arabesque by Claude Debussy which was adapted from piano. The also played Nocturne for Flute and Harp by J. Naderman and J. Tulou, On Wings of Song, op. 34, no. 2; Sunday Song, op. 34, no. 5; and Suleika, op. 34, no. 4 by Felix Mendelssohn, Fantaisie, op. 124 by Camille Saint-Saens, and Cafe 1930 from Histoire du Tango by Asto Piazzolla. The majority of the music was by French composers. It was a very enjoyable evening. Even the ice cream at Friendly's after the concert tasted wonderful!

APT Recital at LSS

Six of my students performed at the Association of Piano Teachers recital today at Lutheran Social Services. They all did splendiferously! How's that for a big word. The next recital is in June. I hope the rest of my students who didn't play today will be able to play then. You can check out today's performances at http://www.cindyspianostudio.com/studentperformances.php

Another End-of-Book Recital finished

Sydney has just completed her third End-of-Book Recital using the Hal Leonard series. She played Joy, In Concert, Dixieland Jam, Bounces, Alouette, In the Hall of the Mountain King, Chorale, Alexander March, and Fresh Start. In Concert and Fresh Start were played with orchestral accompaniment. You should listen to her performance, especially if you are in the same series as she is. You know the one with Party Cat! When you listen, you'll hear music that you might want to choose for your recital too. Sydney is now working on a Pop Solos book from that level and going into her fourth book.

Congratulations, Sydney!

End of Book Recitals

There are a few students finishing their books now. Makala's end-of-book recital is at http://www.cindyspianostudio.com/studentperformances.php and Sydney's will be out there in a few days as she just did her's today. Olivia has written a composition entitled, Pearl in the Sea, which you can see at http://www.cindyspianostudio.com/Documents/olivia.html. I'll post more EOB Recital info here in the coming weeks, so keep checking. These are good to listen to and watch especially if you are going into the same books. You can hear other student's favorites from those books.

Makala's End-of-Book

Congratulations, Makala, on finishing your first "end-of-book recital". Her video will be on the website soon. Stay tuned...

Piano Par-Tea

Our first piano par-tea was fun! We had Cream soda, punch made with sparkling water, cherries, and lemon juice. It was pretty good especially when the glasses were dipped in lemon juice and colored sugar.The cake was fun to make. I used two 1-1/2 quart bowls and 2 cake mixes. The lid is cut from one of the cakes. The spout and handle are mazipan. We decided marzipan taste a little like candy corn. I broke the handle as I was putting it on so I "glued" it back with frosting.

We playedpieces for each other in our hat as any proper young lady would do.

We made shrink art teapots and one young lady made the "lizard".

After playing the piano and creating art, we were ready for some snacks.

We enjoyed cake and punch and more

conversation. The decorations around the teapot in this picture are little muffins that turned out too hard; so I added tealights and flowers on top of the frosting and threw them away after the party!

In the Mood

After playing Great News a few times and recording it, Taylor said, "That song puts me in the mood!" I love it when students are enjoying the music as well as the lessons. It makes me feel like my time with them is worthwhile.

A New Year

Tomorrow starts another new year for Cindy's Piano Studio. I'm looking forward to seeing all of my students after our two-week break. I'm sure some will not have practiced and then others will. It will be good to get back into the routine of teaching and lesson planning again.

Speaking of planning...I'm thinking about a piano par-tea which would be for five students at a time. We'll play our pieces, make some shrink art, and eat dainties and tea (black raspberry kool-aid).

I'm planning a duet session too. I need to keep these students busy so they stay out of trouble, right?