Student Original Piano Compositions - Part 2

From time to time, I will be adding videos of my students performing a composition they have written. Each student is at a different stage in their learning process, and several students have learning challenges. But, each one of these students has learned to create music that they and their families can be very proud of. In my student's compositions, I give them plenty of "wiggle room" when it comes to musical form. I give them a basic chord progression, but they can add additional chords into their music and "go outside the box" -- as long as it sounds good to them. Through this process, they are learning how to "hear" what sounds good together, as well as learning the theory behind WHY it sounds that way. The students learned how to write their compositions from my book "Chord Piano Is Fun!" I hope you enjoy these videos!

You can see Part 1 of Student Compositions by clicking HERE.

"Russian Rainfall” by Audrey F.

This haunting song is called "Russian Rainfall" and was composed by Audrey F., one of my 12 year old students. It is written in the key of A Minor. We hope you enjoy it!

"Uncharted Course" by Justin Z.

Justin is one of my 12 year old students who has written and performed the following song. I asked him if he could make it longer, because it finished too soon and I wanted to hear more! 

"Stand Proud" by “Mr. Watts”

This is a fun song by one of my youngest students, Stuart, affectionately called "Mr. Watts". He likes to write his music with this pen name.

He wanted you to know that he worked very hard on this song and although it is not perfect, he did his best work and likes how it turned out. His teacher is also very proud of him! Good job, Mr. Watts!

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Student Original Piano Compositions - Part 1

From time to time, I will be adding videos of my students performing a composition they have written.  Each student is at a different stage in their learning process, and several students have learning challenges. But, each one of these students has learned to create music that they and their families can be very proud of. In my student's compositions, I give them plenty of "wiggle room" when it comes to musical form. I give them a basic chord progression, but they can add additional chords into their music and "go outside the box" -- as long as it sounds good to them. Through this process, they are learning how to "hear" what sounds good together, as well as learning the theory behind WHY it sounds that way. The students learned how to write their compositions from my book "Chord Piano Is Fun!" I hope you enjoy these videos!

 "Sailing Over Seas", written by Zoe N.

This wonderful composition was written and performed by Zoe N, who is only 10 years old. She used the chords in the key of A minor and loves the use of broken chords and arpeggios.

"Graceful":  A piano composition by Sydney B.

This beautiful piece is an original piano composition written and performed by of my students, Sydney B, who is in 5th grade, and is a fairly new student to piano. I sprung it on her during lessons yesterday that I would like to videotape her song, "Graceful". She "gracefully" obliged.

[I had to crop this video because the reflection in the picture above her head showed me swaying back and forth and it was embarrassing...If you want to know why I do that, you can CLICK HERE. Just FYI.]

"A Chance For Hope", by Mallory M.

This lovely song is an original composition written and performed by another 5th grader, Mallory M.  It is written in the key of A Minor, and she included the use of broken chords with each hand.





"Fireflies in the Starlight" by Megan F.

Megan F. has been playing piano for only about 2 months.  In her first piano composition, she is "comping on the fly" using the C, F and G chords with her left hand and mostly the C, D, E, F, and G with her right hand.  She loves the slight "jig" sound and thinks this song sounds like fireflies. (Plus, she has a snappy new hairdo.)

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New blog up and running!

Hi everyone!  I just wanted to let you know that my OTHER new music blog is now up and running.  It is called "Music Maker's Musical Musings" and is found HERE.

Please stop by, and for those of you with TSA, this will be the site that I will be using from now on (but you are welcome to come back here as well!)

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Mark Diamond -- an up and coming "gem"...

Mark Diamond, Baritone

If you have never heard of this young man, you will soon. Mark Diamond is the nephew to my sister and is an up and coming baritone soloist. What a powerful voice! I am typically not a huge fan of opera, but when he comes to the Houston Grand Opera to perform this fall I will be there!

Please take a listen and enjoy the gift of this young man's amazing voice!







If you are in the Houston area, and would like more information about the Houston Grand Opera or wish to purchase tickets to any of the shows, please CLICK HERE.

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AND THE WINNER IS....

And the winner of the giveaway contest for Chord Piano Is Fun is:

LISA!

Congratulations to Lisa, and I will get in touch with you to arrange getting you a copy of Chord Piano Is Fun!

Thank you to everyone for commenting and joining, and I would like to offer a discount of Chord Piano Is Fun to followers of this blog: The 193 page book will be available to you for a limited time for $18.95 instead of $24.95. This will be available until March 31. You can go to http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/chord-piano-is-fun-contest/15167332 to purchase this book. It is also available as a download for $13.95.

Thanks again for following and commenting on my blog, and God bless!  Hope you come back to visit again soon!

TK

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Only a FEW DAYS left to enter!

Hey, everyone! There are only a few days left to enter the free giveaway contest for Chord Piano Is Fun! Contest ends on Sunday night, March 20...

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO...

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FREE GIVEAWAY FOR CHORD PIANO IS FUN!

Thanks for coming to my blog site! And because you are here, I am offering a GIVEAWAY CONTEST for a free copy of my book, CHORD PIANO IS FUN!

CHORD PIANO IS FUN is the perfect book for the person who has played piano in the past, but wonders, "What have I done with my piano?"  (And this doesn't mean that it's hiding somewhere.)  Maybe you walk by your piano every day and wish that you could remember something that you learned when you took piano lessons all those years ago.

OR, this book is for the current piano student who wants to learn how to play popular music, learn to play by ear, or learn to write music.  It also teaches you how to play the blues!

OR, this book is for the piano teacher who is looking for JUST the right book to teach your students how to play chord piano and learn to read lead sheets or chord charts.

If you are any of the ABOVE, then this book is for you!

Here are a few reviews:  

I have to tell you that I have only made it through three lessons so far and I already feel so successful! This is fantastic!

Danny, Portland, Oregon
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"Chord Piano is Fun" really is fun. I took piano lessons when I was a teenager, and again when I was in my forties, (I am now in my eighties) but I am so poorly coordinated I could never get two hands together. Both times I gave up before I really learned to play anything. Now I do a mean rendition of "When the Saints Go Marching In", and other recognizable pieces. This is something I can do so I am grateful for this book and wanted everyone to know!

Myra, Clear Lake, Texas

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Max's book came yesterday, he opened it this afternoon when he got home from school and he's pretty much been play ever since! =)"

Leigh Ann, West Virginia

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As a seasoned piano/vocal teacher, I have been looking for a book to teach a chording method without having to write it myself! This book is exactly what I have been looking for!  Read more...

Laura Beasley, Music Teacher, Mandeville, LA

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Don’t you just love it when someone else does all the hard work and puts together a systematic approach to teaching something that is just the way you would do it? Honestly, it’s pretty rare to find something that’s a perfect fit, but T.K. Goforth has done just that with her book, Chord Piano Is Fun!  Read more...

Natalie Wickham, Music Matters

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"Chord Piano is Fun!” is the perfect resource for those that long to play piano but can’t seem to make sense of all those black dots on the page....This book is very well put together and the kind of resource that I wish existed when I first desired to play piano in my teens....Read More
http://www.chordpianoisfun.com/reviews/

Marty Nystrom
Songwriter and Author
 

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This is an EXCELLENT book to have for your music library or if you want to learn more about how music is made up and how you can make more of it yourself!  And, you can WIN copy free for yourself or a friend!    

Here's what you have to do (BOTH of the items):

1. Become a "FOLLOWER" of this page to the right by either "Google Friends" (see "Stalk this Page via GOOGLE FRIENDS") or Networked Blogs.  (You'll need a Google account if you follow Google friends, but if you already have a Gmail account you are set.  If not, it will lead you through the process.)

AND

2. POST a comment about the book in the comment section below. (BE SURE to click on the pink link "Subscribe by Email" to the right of the POST COMMENT button to get updates via email and to know if you have won!).  Please make sure your comment "takes", but checking the comment section below after sending your comment.  If it doesn't please try again.

This contest will last until Sunday, March 20. The winner of the drawing will be informed on Monday, March 21.

I will contact you via this blog if you are the winner, so be sure to follow! I will be using a random count generator to pick the winner.

ALSO, if you enter, you will be able to purchase Chord Piano Is Fun at a discount and I will give you all the details after the contest.  So enter even if you don't think you will win!


I will need at least 20 comments and follows in order to offer this giveaway, so be sure to tell your friends!!! Good luck! And, I'm looking forward to your comments! (Comments can be posted right below the "Share The Love" bar... Click on the link that says Comments with the number of comments made.)

God bless,
T.K.

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Music Teachers -- great offer for you!

Calling all Music Teachers!  

If you have a website or blog, and would be willing to promote Chord Piano Is Fun with a photo link on your site, you can receive a discount of over 30%!

Please complete the form below and I will send you all the details!  

MUSIC TEACHERS ONLY!

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Great review by Marty Nystrom for Chord Piano Is Fun!

New Review by Marty Nystrom, Songwriter ("As The Deer" and other worship songs) and Author of "Don't Mess With Moses!"


"Chord Piano is Fun!” is the perfect resource for those that long to play piano but can’t seem to make sense of all those black dots on the page. The book will get you quickly creating music at the keyboard through a step-wise and enjoyable understanding of chord construction. I like how things are broken things down to approachable and achievable bite-sized steps, which is especially good for busy adults. This is not only a great tool for the pianist but also for songwriters who want to write music at the piano. This book is very well put together and the kind of resource that I wish existed when I first desired to play piano in my teens.


Marty Nystrom
Songwriter and Author

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How to demand more money for piano lessons AND have a WAITLIST a mile long!

Music Teachers:
Teaching chord piano is a great addition to your teaching curriculum

As a piano teacher, I created Chord Piano Is Fun to teach my students how to play chord piano and be able to read chord charts or lead sheets.  Many of them wanted to learn how to play popular music, but were still too new in their ability to follow many of the popular music books' left hand line along with the melody line.  So, after spending hundreds of dollars on other chord methods to try to find one to teach well and for my students to follow, I realized I had to write my own.

A FANTASTIC benefit with teaching chord piano is that you will have a "niche" that other teachers in your area may not.  I advertise that I teach chord piano and because of that I can charge more for lessons -- and have a waiting list a mile long!

This is a very easy book to follow and use. Chord Piano Is Fun integrates very nicely with methods such as Alfred, Piano Adventures, etc., and gives a deeper insight into the theory of music.  Teachers have found that with use of this the students have a greater understanding of what they are learning and tend to progress at a quicker pace.  I use this in addition to and along with my other method books and music pieces for my students.

Because Chord Piano Is Fun is a spiral-bound book, it lays very nicely on the piano and is easy to flip through.  It is packed full of resources, such as How to Create All Types of Chords, All of the Family Chords for each Key (Major and Minor), All the Major and Minor Scales, Circle of 4ths/5ths, How to Write a Song, How to Play the Blues, etc.  With purchase, you will also be able to sign into the Customer Page to download new additions, such as Christmas Music, etc.

I have found that once the student understands their chords and how they are created, they are able to pick them easily out of their music, thus helping them to learn their pieces easier because they have a "visual" in their mind.

The Songwriting Chart in the book is a great way to get a child starting on writing his/her own song.  Once it is written, and with the help of a notation software (I use Capella), it's so exciting to watch a child create their first song, put a name to it, and the copyright on the bottom.  They are published!  I have each student perform their songs at a recital and with their permission give copies of each student's song to the other students so that they can try them at home.

Please see below or go to my Reviews page for reviews from other teachers and students.

I hope you decide to give Chord Piano Is Fun a try.  I know you won't be sorry!

And, please email me if you have any questions!

God bless!

T.K. Goforth
EMAIL ME!

Here are a few reviews from teachers using Chord Piano Is Fun:

From Natalie Wickham, Music Matters:

Don’t you just love it when someone else does all the hard work and puts together a systematic approach to teaching something that is just the way you would do it? Honestly, it’s pretty rare to find something that’s a perfect fit, but T.K. Goforth has done just that with her book, Chord Piano Is Fun!

The book begins with a fabulous introduction of How to Create a Major Scale, then moves into chords, scale degrees, chord inversions, key signatures, 7th chords, and more! All of this is introduced with the objective of helping pianists learn how to play from a lead sheet (a.k.a. fake book). The layout of the book is very clean, with lots of helpful images, and some of the most concise explanations I’ve read for various theoretical elements in music. This would be perfect for a student who wants to learn chording skills on their own, or for a teacher who is struggling to know how to introduce scales, chords, key signatures, and playing from a lead sheet to his or her students.

I love that the terminology used is accurate, but is broken down in such a way that even beginning students can begin to grasp the concepts. The one exception to this that I’ve discovered is the use of the term, “Family Chords” rather than “Primary Triads.” I could definitely work around this, though, for the value to be gained from the rest of the book. There is even a brief lesson on song-writing in the back that I think would be appealing to a lot of students!

The primary reason that I rarely use theory books with my students is due to a lack of relevance. The written material is divorced from the music that they are playing and it becomes more of a busywork assignment than a real learning tool. A book like Chord Piano Is Fun! is a wonderful approach to learning theory because what is being learned is immediately relevant to music and styles that the student wants to learn to play. I am excited to begin using it in my studio!

__________________________________________

From Laura Beasley, LHB Music:

As a seasoned piano/vocal teacher, I have been looking for a book to teach a chording method without having to write it myself! This book is exactly what I have been looking for! Chord Piano Is Fun is a fantastic tool -- a very clearly written, easy-to-understand, and thorough method of piano chording.  It can be used to self-teach as well as used as a method book with a teacher.   I have added Chord Piano Is Fun as a mandatory supplement for even my youngest students to the traditional method lesson and theory books.

I have found "Chord Piano Is Fun" to be a very helpful tool in the areas of ear training and improvisation as well as a fun way to teach my students how to play popular music.  I have further found that some of my students who were not responding quickly (or at all) to the basic method, yet were very bright as well as musically talented, were becoming so discouraged that they wanted to quit taking piano lessons altogether. At that point, in trying to salvage their self-esteem as well as their interest in piano playing, I gave them a copy of Chord Piano Is Fun and basically started over with them. What I found was renewed interest, increased passion, and a super sense of success in each of those students! At my last recital, one of those students accompanied herself with chords while she sang a beautiful song, and the other played a fairly difficult Disney piece (Under the Sea) using only the treble clef and chord symbols along with some improvisation on his part. Both were FABULOUS performances and I accredit both to the fresh start with Chord Piano Is Fun!

I also put two of my students with learning disabilities (particularly in reading) as well as ADD/ADHD students on Chord Piano Is Fun and all are excelling and enjoying playing piano when other teachers gave them no chance of learning how to play the piano!   THANK YOU FOR "CHORD PIANO IS FUN!"

__________________________________________

From Carolyn, Former Piano Teacher, Camano Island, Washington

"Chord Piano is Fun" is a well-written, easy-to-understand resource for learning to play the piano using chords. The book is so logically organized that it is possible to start at the beginning, with little or no understanding of HOW TO PLAY or HOW TO BUILD CHORDS, and to complete the lessons with the ability to play many songs in various styles! The method is not just for beginners, but also for the seasoned pianist who wants to play with the freedom chords allow in many kinds of music from hymns to pop. It is especially useful for the church musician who wishes to embellish the hymns or praise songs.

As a retired public school music teacher, private piano teacher and church musician, I know how valuable learning chords can be in the areas of theory concepts, ear training and just enjoying playing whatever you wish. I regret that I did not have this book when I was teaching, as I spent many hours creating my own worksheets for chord study. CHORD PIANO IS FUN.......REALLY IS!

ORDER CHORD PIANO IS FUN!

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Wonderful note learning software!

When I started teaching piano lessons, I was looking for a fun, easy way for the students to learn their notes. After searching the internet, I found Dr. Anthony Fernando's  software that I think you will love. It is easy, fun, and has great graphics.  Although it was written for children, adults have found it fun and helpful as well. There are fun rewards that provide motivation and keep the students wanting to succeed.

I highly recommend this software! Click on the screen shot below to check it out!

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Wonderful new review for my book "Chord Piano Is Fun!"

I just learned of a wonderful new review for my book, Chord Piano Is Fun!  The review is from Natalie Wickham, who blogs at Music Matters Blog.  This is an excellent blog with a lot of wonderful information for music teachers.  She is offering a free giveaway for my book HERE, so if you would like to enter a drawing for a free copy of my book, leave a comment on her site! 

Here is her review:

Don’t you just love it when someone else does all the hard work and puts together a systematic approach to teaching something that is just the way you would do it? Honestly, it’s pretty rare to find something that’s a perfect fit, but T.K. Goforth has done just that with her book, Chord Piano Is Fun!

The book begins with a fabulous introduction of How to Create a Major Scale, then moves into chords, scale degrees, chord inversions, key signatures, 7th chords, and more! All of this is introduced with the objective of helping pianists learn how to play from a lead sheet (a.k.a. fake book). The layout of the book is very clean, with lots of helpful images, and some of the most concise explanations I’ve read for various theoretical elements in music. This would be perfect for a student who wants to learn chording skills on their own, or for a teacher who is struggling to know how to introduce scales, chords, key signatures, and playing from a lead sheet to his or her students.


I love that the terminology used is accurate, but is broken down in such a way that even beginning students can begin to grasp the concepts. The one exception to this that I’ve discovered is the use of the term, “Family Chords” rather than “Primary Triads.” I could definitely work around this, though, for the value to be gained from the rest of the book. There is even a brief lesson on song-writing in the back that I think would be appealing to a lot of students!


The primary reason that I rarely use theory books with my students is due to a lack of relevance. The written material is divorced from the music that they are playing and it becomes more of a busywork assignment than a real learning tool. A book like Chord Piano Is Fun! is a wonderful approach to learning theory because what is being learned is immediately relevant to music and styles that the student wants to learn to play. I am excited to begin using it in my studio! And the great news is that you can win a copy for you or one of your students, too! Just leave a comment below (at Music Matters Blog) and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win your own Chord Piano Is Fun! book! The drawing will end at noon (CST) on Thursday, February 17, and the winner will be drawn using a random number generator.

Thank you, Natalie!

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The Suzuki Method for Piano???

I have never been a "fan" of what I had seen  regarding Suzuki Piano, and had somewhat ignored it, believing it to be a one-dimensional series that only taught memorization.    But, when I spoke with an adult student who learned piano with the Suzuki method and showed me the songs she was playing after six months, I started paying attention.

I'm looking very seriously into this method for some of my students.  I bought the book Studying Suzuki Piano-More Than Music along with Volume 1 of the Suzuki Piano School, just to see what it was about.

Studying Suzuki Piano: More Than Music : A Handbook for Teachers, Parents, and Students (Suzuki Piano Reference)Studying Suzuki Piano-More Than Music is essential for starting the Suzuki method, and it is recommended that you even get "certification" for this method, but I found some GREAT stuff in here.  It gives suggestions for all aspects of learning the piano, from the first lesson through the more difficult pieces in each Volume of the Suzuki Method.

After reading through some of the book today, I followed its suggestions and tried this method on my newest student, who is a wonderful 16 year old with ADHD and mild autism.  She took to the first lesson famously.  Because she wants to write music and play quickly, I had introduced the construction of scales and chords to her in her first few lessons from Chord Piano Is Fun.  When I opened the book to the first lesson, and showed her which "C" the song began on (Twinkle Twinkle), it was easy for her to follow and read.  She was excited that she was able to play Twinkle Twinkle with several rhythms (this is discussed in the Studying Suzuki Piano), so I gave her a quick overview of the rhythms with their useful phrases such a "Mississippi Hot Dog", and "Peanut Butter Sandwich" (for four 16th notes and two 8th notes). 

Suzuki does not include note reading, so that is something to do in addition to this, but they give suggestions as to which method is good for doing so.  Since the methods they suggest are too "young" for her, I will be using the The Complete Piano Player: Omnibus Edition (Complete Piano Player Series for her.  I plan on looking at the Music Tree series for the younger students, but may decide to stick with the Alfred method books, which have worked well for me. 


In addition, I will use Chord Piano Is Fun, which will provide a wonderful, well-rounded musical education for her, as well as my other students.  She will be hearing, playing, and writing her own music in no time!

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The Alexander Technique and Piano Playing

The Alexander Technique and Piano Playing

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New Year!

It's the start of a new year, and new things will come! I love New Year's in that I often need times of "refreshment" to put things back into perspective and start anew.

This year some of my New Years' Resolutions for piano lessons will be:

Incorporating site-reading "games" into lessons and even combining lessons for students with classes next to each other.

• Incorporating a Hanon "contest" for the students, with a reward for those who have mastered the most Hanons per quarter, based on ability.

• Making sure that each of my students truly understand the minor keys and their relationship with the major keys (Lesson 18 of Chord Piano Is Fun!.) 

• Have each student write a song in a minor key to perform at recital (Lessons 25 of Chord Piano Is Fun.)

• Planning another performance for the retirement center.

• Planning more "outings" to watch a piano performance.

• Making "piano dates" with my other piano teacher friends in the area to talk about new ideas, what works, what doesn't, etc.

• Connect with more piano teachers and their blogs and on facebook and twitter...what a great way to resource!

Would love comments on other ideas piano teachers might have for this new year!

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"Chord Piano Is Fun" is mentioned....

on Erfurt's Music Resources! 



Check it out!

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"Just Hear Those Sleigh Bells....what?!"

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned here how much I love Christmas and Christmas music.  I love, love, love it!  I'm one of those who will start listening to Christmas music on Thanksgiving Day.  Gets me into the festivities RIGHT NOW.

So, imagine my excitement when I was asked to sing a mini-concert of Christmas music to a large group of Kiwanis Club members in one of the swanky athletic clubs in the Seattle area.  I had not done specifically Christmas music before, although I have been a soloist for years, but this was right up my alley.  So, I got right on it.

I called my ex-roomy, who was an excellent pianist, and we met at her house to "rehearse".  We picked a set of songs and ran through them maybe once.  After all, Christmas music -- how hard could it be?!  Easy as pie.

As I sat up on the stage in front of these several hundred people I felt confident, maybe even a bit smug.  I was going to be singing the songs that I love the most and I was going to blow them AWAY!

How wrong I was!   The second I got up to the microphone I knew there was something wrong.  Something was rising up inside of my body that I had not ever felt to that extent before.  And, my friend felt it, too.  She started playing.  Fast.  Faster than we had practiced.  And all of a sudden I realized...."I DON'T KNOW THE WORDS TO THIS SONG!"

But, I could do nothing about it.  The intro had completed and it was my turn.  My turn to sing.  My turn to wow them.  My turn to make a complete fool out of myself...


"Just hear those sleigh bells ringling, rijerjlelijlkngln-ing, too,
Come on it's sdlkjf;oasdkf for a a;sldjfa;sodjf ;laskjfdl asf with you!
Outside the asodjfaslkdmf;l and oeoirj;oasiejr asff YOO HOO!
Come on it'sapsodfijaosdifja;soidf for a poajsdf;oajsdlkfja sdd with you!"

What had come over me and taken over my voice?  What was taking over me that I couldn't make stop?!  My mind is racing as quickly as my mouth is spewing out nonsense.  "Wait!  Those aren't the words!" I am thinking to myself!  But, I didn't know what they really were, and  it only got worse:

"There's a birthday party apsodfjalmwe;lrjlj asdpofjasdofj Farmer Gray,
It will fpeoajs;eljejfoij l  sadpofiasd of a perfect day!
It will poasijdf;laskdjfl;asdkjf o o;tijasoito sf asotija;soti;oisdj
POUOIWEurpoawesrj;laskjrpoasuerj;soifdoisaufd......."

I looked at my incredulous audience.  Many had their mouths open in disbelief.  Others were adjusting their hearing aids.  Many of the faces said to me, "I can't believe I have to sit hear and listen to another 20 minutes of this!"

But, in my professional training I KNEW I had to keep going, to not quit, and to keep a smile on my face like I knew exactly what I was doing.  And finally, the song was over.

It was not the end, however, as I had 5 more songs to peform.  And the rest of them were not much better.  It only got better when I got to "O Holy Night", my closing number, which I actually DID know because it is my favorite Christmas song on the face of the earth.

My friend and I left that place holding on to each other necks both laughing and crying together as we walked out to our cars.  Several weeks later, I called to ask when we might be receiving our checks in the mail.  The agent replied, "Oh -- that was a charity gig."

Needless to say, I use this constantly as an example to my students to know their music 100% or they will end up like me.  I hope they listen.

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Piano Parties - Woo hoo!

We are just heading into the Christmas season, and I can feel the excitement. My students love to play Christmas music, and for my Jewish students I offer Hanukkah music for them to play as well.

In the past, I have had a Winter Recital, which has been a great mid-season event. This is where they can play their Christmas or Hanukkah songs for the guests, as well as an additional song they have been working on. I have had up to 35 students, so instead of having one recital, I would do two on the same day, and it makes it so much more enjoyable for the listeners -- I have found that even with great music the guests get a bit restless.

However, this year I knew I would not be up to a full-fledged recital due to a recent minor surgery, so I have decided to do smaller "Piano Parties" in my home for the students to play their Christmas music. The kids LOVE these.

Piano Parties are events I have at my home the week before a recital, and are used as a "Dress Rehearsal". Parents are typically not invited -- this is for the students to perform their piece in a non-threatening environment and "work out the nerves." I show them how to walk in, enter the piano bench (if they need refreshers on this), play their piece, then exit the bench and take a bow. They also have to learn how to be good "guests". After they have performed, we embark on some fun games, and then they eat some nummy snacks – cookies/cupcakes that some of the parents might bring, and fruit drinks. The game of choice is always "Flash Card Challenge". I split the students up so they are competing against each other in two lines (two teams). The first child (in the front of the line) who names the note correctly receives the flash card and goes to the back of the line. Once all the flash cards have been "guessed", we count up the total of "points" and that team wins. (Typically the cards with ledger lines are “bonus questions.”) The winners get a small prize and get to choose from the snacks first. Piano parties typically have 8-10 kids in each party and usually run about an hour, and take the place of their lesson for the week. I have them sign up on the wonderful website that I use called "Music Teacher’s Helper."

This year, however, I will hold Piano Parties as mini "recitals". I don’t want to “jip” the parents out of hearing their children play their Christmas music, so I will hold Piano Parties next week that the parents will be invited to. They will not be long – probably 45 minutes long at the max, due to the fact that people are so busy during this season, and the kids are studying for finals, etc. I will offer three different evenings for these events, which they can register for using my Student Website at Music Teacher’s Helper. (If you are a teacher and have not checked out this website, please do so…they offer a free trial and website! It is a time saver and wonderful way to keep a calendar and do billing, etc.)

I'm so looking forward to next week and my Piano Parties!  So are my students!

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CHICKY GROOVY COOLNESS GADGET

It's 11 ...who?

Ok....so, my friend, A, just bought a whole set of Tiffany-priced ornaments that depict the 12 Days of Christmas -- with one ornament for each phrase. These things are beautiful, delicate, and the DETAILS!!! With bird feathers and everything...

However, we were a bit confused with the way they came down... A and her daughter, Merideth, were convinced that they had it wrong. Here's how the set was created:

12 Pipers Piping
11 Ladies Dancing
10 Lords a Leaping
9 Drummer's Drumming
8 Maids a Milking
7 Swans A Swimming
6 Geese a Laying
5 Gold Rings
4 Calling Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
1 Partidge in a Pear Tree

The confusion is in the first four... Isn't it
12 Drummer's Drumming
11 Piper's Piping
10 Lords a Leaping
9 Ladies Dancing
???

What do you think?

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CHICKY GROOVY COOLNESS GADGET

Great New Review of Chord Piano Is Fun!

The following is what I think is a very nice review about Chord Piano Is Fun.  She mentions the need for several more songs and more have been added since this review:

http://pianoaddict.com/2010/11/chord-piano-fun-and-3-practicebooks/

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CHICKY GROOVY COOLNESS GADGET