Songbird Piano Lessons

Allegretto Fairly quick, but slower than allegro. (If you remember that it's fairly quick, that's good enough.)

   When I was growing up, my piano teacher always took us to seniors’ homes in the spring to play for them. It was the same for the seven years I spent in a handbell choir. And the lessons I learned from doing that were more important than any half-hour spent with my teacher. As I’d go around and greet the grandparents and great-grandparents who had come to hear us play, I realized how much it meant to them. They were so delighted to have children and young people come and play for them. Many of them wanted to talk, and I learned that they had interesting things to say – stories, words of encouragement, testimonies of their faith in God.    I want my students to learn to share their gifts with the community. And I want them to find what I did. Not only is it more blessed to give than to receive; but also when you give, you receive.    So this week, we had our spring recital at the Good Sam in Spruce Grove. I’m pleased to say it went well. Everyone played well, everyone handle

Grazioso Graceful

Hello to my piano parents!    I hope you all had a great weekend. It was a lot of fun running into a couple of you at the AHEA convention. I hope you came home with some great ideas. I came home with a few new great ideas for teaching -- but I'll share those later.    First things first -- the recital.    It's important for your children to know that you support them in their piano adventures. A lot of children get nervous about recitals, and it's up to you to let them know that, no matter what happens, it's all right. So here's a few tips for you to help them. ·          Before the recital day, prepare your child by going over everything  in this article together. That way they know what they're doing when they arrive. ·          Make sure you and your family arrive on time (2:00 P.M. or even a few minutes early). You will not need to bring finger food or dessert to this recital. The Good Sam usually provides some cookies for their young performers.

H ello to all my students!    Are you all looking forward to the recital?     No?    You'll do fine. In the meantime, here are some tips that will help you be prepared for Saturday.  ·          Maybe you find that playing piano in front of people is a bit scary. If so, that's OK -- most students feel this way! You can prepare ahead of time for the recital by playing for a lot of people over the next few weeks. Not only does this earn you points, but it will also help you to feel less nervous at the recital. Don't forget to ask your friends and family to sign in pencil! ·          A recital is a special event -- dress nicely, please! (But for this recital specifically, don't feel like you have to wear your fanciest clothes. As long as it's nice, not the same clothes that you take care of your horse or sheep or dog in, it's fine.) ·          When you and your family come in and sit down, find a spot close to the edge of the seats so you can g

Largo Very slow and broad    Here's a piece I strongly recommend you listen to (at least the first minute) to get an example of largo.  I know it sounds like a funeral march, but it is a really good example of very slow and broad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVsQv1Hg96U

I'll never forget it. I was standing by the church door with our handbell director and several fellow handbell ringers, thanking people for coming to our concert as they left the building. One of them stopped to express appreciation over the piano solo I'd opened the concert with. I told her, as I try to, that I had a great mom who had really helped me out the first few years of piano.    After the lady left, the ringer standing with me -- a gifted pianist himself -- smiled and said to me, "Yeah, now I'm so glad for all those years my mom made me practice."    I chuckled. Clearly our 'recipes for success' had the same ingredient . . . the 'tough' moms who simply wouldn't let us quit.    As parents, of course you want your children to enjoy music. You didn't send them to piano lessons (or maybe aren't considering sending them to piano lessons, if that's still in your future plans) to give them one more thing to complain about.

Dolce (pronounced: DOLE - chey) Sweetly