April 2019 Piano Newsletter
- aelzinga
- Mar 31, 2019
- 3 min read
April 2019
Hello Spring! I hope that you all had a great spring break and were able to spend some family time splashing in puddles and enjoying the great outdoors. My girls have been loving it! My kids aren’t school age quite yet but it was definitely nice having my husband home this week to help with things. We were able to get a lot of projects done around the house and I was also able to get in quite a few kid-free guitar playing sessions which was a lot of fun for me!
This past month in the studio:
St. Patrick’s themed IMPROV, THEORY games and COMPOSITION! Recording Session - last lesson before Spring Break. Bullseye Practice Challenge!!! Landmark Note Practice
More to come in March….
30 Bull’s Eyes Practice Challenge!!! (Final day will be the 23rd/24th of April) Landmark Note Practice Continued - look for the theory practice sheets Composing a “Trash To Treasure” Masterpiece! More GAMES! SAVE THE DATE: May 28 (10-11:30am)
We had so much fun in studio last month with our St. Patrick’s Day activities! We practiced rhythm writing with a syllable game, played a “rainbow ring” dice game to reinforce finger numbers (beginners), and tried an exciting Improvisation/Composition activity - St. Patrick’s version! (I think this was the favourite, yet again! :))
The culminating event this month was a Recording Session that happened at the last lesson before Spring Break. Students were challenged to improve upon their “performance skills” as they attempted to get a “mistake-free” recording for each of their songs. It was a great testament to weeks of practicing and I’m so proud of everyone!
I’d love to further celebrate our learning and build some community this next week at lessons so we will be having “next student mini concerts” the first week back from Spring Break! The student who’s lesson is ending will be asked to preform ONE piano piece for the next student. In the case of siblings, we will have the first student perform at the beginning of the lesson for the student before. Please have your child pick ONE of his/her recording songs for this purpose this week!
The 30 PRACTICE BULL’S EYES CHALLENGE that started in March is still going this April! Aim for 4-5 practice sessions a week (or more if you have to catch up!), until the end of April. Remember, the goal is 30 practice sessions by the last full week of April. (23/24). Students who accomplish this will receive a big prize!!
*SAVE-THE-DATE: May 25, 10-11:30am will be our Piano Party! (My house) It’s the most fun when ALL the students are able to come and play for each other and participate in the games….be there or be square! :)
“LANDMARK” NOTES - What are they?
Landmark notes are notes that act as a reference points to help give a “clue” as to what other more unfamiliar notes may be. Students who learn their landmark notes will be more successful sight readers as they will not be using so much time reciting a mnemonic device over and over. Please watch the following short video (4 min) for more information - better yet, watch it with your piano student child(ren)!
Practicing Tip of the Month:
Play Little and Often for Best Results!
It’s tempting to skip practice for five days, and put in a mammoth session the day before your next lesson. Even 15 minutes per day is far more beneficial to muscle and mental memory than two hours once a week. Make it a habit and you’ll be surprised at the difference it makes.
Advanced tips: - Goal-based practising can give a much stronger sense of achievement and direction than playing for an allotted time. - Set achievable goals, no matter how small! ex: master one bar hands separately, then play the whole piece hands separately, slowly yet relaxed. Then work towards larger goals in future sessions.
http://www.roland.co.uk/blog/how-to-get-the-most-from-your-piano-practice-time/
“What do you all a laughing piano?” ——— “A yama-ha-ha-ha!”
“What do you call a cow that plays the piano?” ——— “A moo-sician”!
APP Highlight: “Dust Buster” (a few versions)
A great app for kids even if they don’t know how to play the piano! In this game students help granny dust off her piano while collecting points and bonuses. Piano Dust Buster is a great tool to get your students excited about playing and practicing their piano.
I still have a space or two left for lessons so if you know of anyone that may be interested, please pass on my information. Thank you to all of you for your continued support!
댓글