Blog Archives

New Christmas Medley Songbook!

7/31/2017

I am happy to share my newest Composers Community release: a new Christmas songbook!

"Medley Magic, Volume 2" features intermediate-level medleys of Christmas favorites with famous Classical melodies, including works by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Joplin--and more!

Click HERE to see and hear the music from this new collection!

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My 5 Favorite Practice Techniques

7/26/2017

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One of my goals as a teacher is to help my students learn how to help themselves! Since most of the work of learning the piano happens outside of their weekly lessons, I want students to have a full "toolbox" of practice techniques they can use at home to help with whatever practice problems may arise.

Below are my top 5 favorite general practice techniques--the ones I find myself using over and over with my students. I hope they can be helpful tools for your students, too!

1. Eat the cake!
I have blogged previously about my "practice cake" method here. In a nutshell, the practice cake is a visual reminder to help students look for the different layers of information found in their music and learn ways to practice each one. This can be a great way to get students accustomed to goal-oriented practice sessions. For example, one practice session can focus on practicing the rhythm of a piece in several ways: counting and clapping, tapping both hands, counting out loud, using the metronome, etc. Another session could focus on dynamics: finding each marking in the music, mapping out the dynamic "high point" of the piece, practicing sections with quick dynamic changes, etc. I find that practicing with a purpose keeps the brain engaged and makes practice sessions more productive--and more interesting!

2. Post-it practice
If students are having problems with a particular area of a piece, I pull out the post-its! Using post-it notes, we cover everything in that section except for the tricky bit. This helps students to really focus in on exactly what is tripping them up. After playing this section several times, we move the post-it back a measure and play again. We keep playing, and moving the post-it note, until the problem section is mastered.

3. Backwards practice
Do you have students that master the beginning of a piece, while the ending remains shaky? Enter the backwards practicing technique! "Backwards practice" doesn't mean we literally play the notes backwards; rather, we choose a small section near the end of a piece to practice, then work our way backwards adding one or two measures at a time. This can combine really well with the post-it technique mentioned above!

4. Starting over practice
This technique works really well for students that have trouble playing a piece fluidly without mistakes. Starting from the beginning of the piece, we mark several "goalposts" in the music. Students must start from the beginning of the piece and play without mistakes until they reach the first goalpost. If they make a mistake, they must stop and start from the beginning. We work this way on each section until students can successfully play the entire piece without mistakes. This may seem counter-intuitive, since this is the opposite of what we do when we perform! However, I have found that starting over practice really helps students to slow down and think ahead, because they know if they miss a note they must start over! It also prevents mistakes from becoming part of their muscle memory, because students are interrupting the "wrong" movement and starting over from the beginning.

5. Performance practice
The opposite of starting over practice, performance practice means we keep going, no matter what! I ask students to get into character and perform a piece from start to finish, just as they would if they were at a recital. Sometimes we can get so caught up in practicing that we forget that the end goal of any piece is to truly perform it--and this takes its own special type of practice to do well!

What do you think? Any favorite practice techniques you use with your students? Please share in the comments!

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Special Pricing on New Hardcopy Books!

7/11/2017

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Piano Pronto is offering special pricing on my two newest Composers Community hardcopy books!

"Let's Quest! Volume 2" features early intermediate solos and duets inspired by video games, fantasy, and sci-fi.
"Medley Magic" features fresh early intermediate arrangements of your students' favorite Christmas tunes.

Pre-order now for just $10, and they ship on July 14th! Click on the covers below to see and hear the music in these books.

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Double the Fun by Teaching Duets!

7/10/2017

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Playing the piano can be very lonely. We pianists often spend many hours practicing alone, while our other instrument-playing friends are jamming in concert band or orchestra practice. It doesn't seem fair, does it?

It doesn't have to be that way! I love teaching duets because it provides my students with the opportunity to make music with a friend--or sometimes to make a new friend through music! Ensemble playing can help build a sense of camaraderie in your studio--not to mention the benefits to your students' reading and rhythmic skills!

I would like to share a few tips that I have found helpful when working on ensemble pieces with my students. With these tips in mind, you and your students will be ready to double the fun with duets!

Choose the right level of repertoire. I find that it is best to assign repertoire that is a level lower than the least advanced student in your duet pair is currently playing. The extra focus required to play with good ensemble and balance between parts makes duet playing challenging enough. Set your students up for success by giving them a piece that will allow them to focus on these challenges without being overwhelmed.

Assign your parts (and your players) carefully. You want at least one player in your ensemble with a strong sense of beat, preferably playing the part that provides the rhythmic foundation for the piece (which is usually the secondo). Pair your students so that a rhythmically weaker student has a stronger player to work with. Or, if you have two students that struggle with rhythm, be sure to assign them an even easier duet than you normally would so that they can be successful!
Make sure students are confident in their own parts before rehearsing together. My students have to pass a 3-part "test" before they are allowed to practice their duets together. Each student must be able to: 1) play their own part successfully on their own; 2) play their own part successfully with the metronome, and 3) play their part while I play the other student's part. Once a student can do these 3 things, the duet fun can begin!
Work on balance between parts by color coding the melody and harmony. One of the most challenging elements of good duet playing is being able to balance the melody and harmony between the primo and secondo parts. I find it helpful to have students go through their parts individually and color code each section to show if they are playing melody or harmony. Then, when students rehearse together, ask them to "play" the entire duet but only play out loud the parts where they have the melody. This is a great way to help students hear the melody throughout a piece and know how their parts work together!

So, are you ready to double the fun in your studio? Do you work on duets (or trios and quartets) with your students? Please comment below!

P.S. Check out some of my own fun duet compositions on my YouTube channel HERE!

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New Christmas Medley Songbook!

My 5 Favorite Practice Techniques

Special Pricing on New Hardcopy Books!

Double the Fun by Teaching Duets!

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