Songbird Piano Lessons

At first, I struggled mentally to find a topic to post about. It would have been easy not to write at all, but it is Friday and New Year's Eve, and I felt that I probably should. But, as it stands, the inner ideals of the artist and the harsh realities of life stand in sharp conflict with each other. As such, I found it difficult to find something positive and encouraging to write about.     Then I remembered a conversation I had earlier this year, with one of my dad's friends from church, a man who has become sort of an "honorary uncle" to us young folks. It went something like this:    I mentioned that I had been very blessed -- my former teacher is one of the best-known figures in the Greater Edmonton music community. I think my words were, "Nearly everyone in the music community in our Edmonton knows the name of [my former teacher]."     "Oh," he replied, "just like someday the name Sarah Wiens will be known?"    I laughed and said, ...

 Sforzando Suddenly loud

    "O come let us adore Him,     Christ, the Lord!"   --  "O Come, All Ye Faithful," Attr. John F. Wade My good friend, Bethany Fehr, did this arrangement of "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus," and features as the lead singer and whistle-player here. In case you missed it, Bethany helped me  put one of the songs I'd written on YouTube  this last summer.  Merry Christmas! 

 I have three bits of news to share with you today. I think they're all pretty exciting.  1. I got my diploma!    Yes! Here I am, holding my Associate Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music, for completing the requirements of the ARCT in Piano Performance. And while you can't really tell from this photo, I was super excited when this arrived!     Now I just need to find a frame and hang it on the wall. :) 2. First in-person recital since 2019!    Last Saturday, we had the first in-person recital in two years... and the very first recital for which I needed to rent a church.    This, however, had to do with restrictions, rather than number of students. Under normal circumstances, everyone would still have fit in our basement. But for one thing, that's not legal currently, and for another, it probably wouldn't be that smart either. Our basement is open-concept, but that doesn't mean there's room for everyone to social distance....

 OK, students, it's your turn! Here is your handy, one-stop guide with everything you need to know about our upcoming recital. Parents, please ensure that your budding musicians read this... all the way to the end. Or better yet, go over it with them. ;) On Friday, flag your books! Put a sticky note on the page with the song you are playing, so you can flip to it easily and quickly at the recital! If you have loose sheet music, make sure you have it with you (preferably in a binder and flagged). If you're playing from a book, and you have a page turn and haven't memorized the second page, get your mom or dad to photocopy pages so you don't have to do a page turn.  Does it make you nervous to play in front of people? If so, that's OK -- most people feel this way! So, leading up to the recital, perform a lot for your family and friends. This will help you not to be so nervous. Don't forget to get them to sign your music or notebook in pencil!  Recitals are special...

  I think I've got to go back to writing down what I need to blog about in my planner.     This post should have been out two weeks ago.     Sorry!     Anyways, parents, please read this in preparation for our Saturday recital. (It's our first in-person recital since the pandemic started! Yay!)      Make sure you and your family arrive at the church on time (a few minutes before 2:00 P.M.). Check the address ahead of time, so you know where you're going! Onoway may be a small town, but that doesn't mean you can't waste time driving in circles looking for your destination in it.;)      Please be respectful of church property while we are there, and remind your children not to run in the sanctuary, play with things in the church, etc.      Also please sanitize your hands upon entering.       Help your child feel relaxed before the recital. Many children get very nervous befor...

 Announcing, the big news you've all been waiting to hear.... 🎺    The winning team from Composer Month is....    ...the Handel team!     As you can see, someone (my teen student) got a little competitive. So the Handel team has the top score at 84 points, and also the highest personal score: the competitive person brought in 66 points. :) Congratulations, Handel team!     In second place is the Bach team at 34 points.    And in third place is the Purcell Team at 26 points. :) How did Composer Month work for online students?    Online students dictated their facts to me. I copied them onto an index card, then taped them to the poster. :)  Good work, everyone! 

 Fortepiano Loud, then suddenly soft. 23 days till Christmas! 

 Classical music lovers fall into two camps when it comes to Wagner: either they think he's awesome, or they think he's awful. Christians who are into classical music tend to completely shun him without completely knowing why. So then the question becomes, is this a fair case?     Growing up, my mom had a pretty good selection of classical music, but Wagner did not make her hit list. I hear rumours about this notorious composer, but then I hit Music History 3 and found that I was expected to actually study him. Of course, by the time one hits their ARCT in music theory, one has also amassed a collection of books that are not textbooks. Let me share with you what I learned about Wagner, and then we'll return to the question: Should Christians (or anyone else for that matter) listen to Wagner's music?    In order to answer that question, you have to know where you're going to draw the line as far as what music you will and won't listen to -- and why.  Mu...

 Presto Very fast

 Staccato Short and detached

 Whoops... I missed a tip for you parents in October. 😦    Anyways, another tip is here from my favourite unknown source.     Have a great weekend, and keep smiling! 

 Decrescendo Gradually getting softer

 Sorry to the photo lovers. I forgot to take pictures. Completely.    So, what's new in October?    Basically, what's new is me trying to be a balanced teacher by having weeks planned out for covering everything -- ear training, sight reading, technique, etc. And in trying to be balanced, somehow the theory books get neglected, and then I berate myself for not achieving my goal to teach a balanced course!     Of course, we had Canadian Thanksgiving in October, which demanded Thanksgiving-themed activities! (I was going to take a picture of the activities I used. But for some reason, maybe because it was mostly worksheets and composing activities instead of actual games, I can't seem to find the same sheets I used. I have the PDFs on my computer, of course, but none already printed out.) I try to use Thanksgiving as a time to get to know my students ("what are you doing for Thanksgiving?") and also to encourage them to be thankful. Which is probabl...

 Grazioso Gracefully

 I hate it when I remember things at the wrong time.    Like, falling asleep. Or when I'm in the middle of a conversation with friends. Or trying to make lunch. Or the morning that I'm supposed to be doing something that I completely forgot about up until then.     That's what happened with the October Update. That's also what happened with Composer Month. I remembered... last night.     But, as it stands, it is Composer Month again -- starting today! Here's a quick review of the rules of the game: Students are assigned their teams. This year we are back to the Baroque era, with the Bach, Handel, and Purcell teams! Each student brings in as many facts as they can for their specific composer each week. E.g. a student on the Bach team will bring in facts about Bach, not Handel or Purcell. Titles of pieces they composed and pictures of or related to them count too.  On December 3, I will tally up the points each team has collected. This yea...

 All right, music students, this week's post is for you.    Go on, make mistakes, and have fun knowing you tried something new! 

 Ritardando Slowing down gradually

    Last time I wrote a 'My Story' post , I mentioned how Mr. B's free-structured recital plan did not set well with me. I would not be doing Mr. B. justice if I left it at that. He was one of the key musical influencers in my journey.    Up until the time he began to play piano for church, I had drudged along in piano -- a typical, uninspired child who grumbled about practice. (I'm so glad Mom didn't let me quit in those days!) I had always loved to listen to music. I loved it when some of the young adults in our church would give a spontaneous, post-fellowship-lunch concert for us. I loved it when Mom would pop a classical CD into the player, and she and I would invent a story to go with each song on our way to the grocery store. I just didn't like to play piano myself.     I can't pinpoint the day, the moment, or the hymn number when that changed. I just know that it gradually began to change as I listened to Mr. B. playing in my early teens. I gues...

 Moderato Medium speed

Con pedaled With pedal

"In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 🍁🍂

 Largo Slow and broad

Back-to-piano was anything but mild. In fact, it was a little on the wild side.    Readers, welcome to the jungle.    (Fellow music teachers, helpful hint: If you're planning to throw a jungle theme, don't go shopping for plastic animals brand-new. Head to Value Village or Goodwill or some other thrift store. I got two bags of second-hand animals for two dollars less than that brand-new cheetah cost me. Bugs and snakes and everything.) (I even found one bag that had a plastic Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon in it. But I didn't get that bag. I was tempted, though. 😝)    Students helped the cheetah from the table to its home on top of the piano by correctly identifying the note/symbol on each flashcard along the path for first week reviews.    Animals helped young ones discover musical artistry in my homemade 'Hands and Sounds' game. Students rolled a dice to get a specific set of directions r...

 Cantabile In a singing style

Almost forgot.... Accent A note that is louder than the rest 

 Parent tips are hard to write for someone who is not a parent. So imagine my delight when I discovered I'd downloaded a whole sheet of parent tips from somewhere off the internet! (My apologies to the creator of the document. I honestly don't remember where I downloaded it from, and there's no watermark or anything to indicate who the rightful owner is. Whoever you are, thanks a million!)     Here you go: Parents, any thoughts? Is this the right amount of information, or do you want smaller chunks? Can you read the text on the image alright, or should I copy it? Comment below to complain -- I mean, give feedback. ;) 

I know I already posted this week, but this news is too good to wait.    In August, my friend and I, with the assistance of my brother, did a music video together of a song I had written. And it's up on YouTube now!    The video part didn't turn out that great. The audio is fine, but we didn't realize we were having issues with the camera until after my friend had gone home and we uploaded all the clips to the computer. Then we saw that almost all the footage was somewhat fuzzy. It has to do with my brother's camera being the kind that almost needs manual focus -- or something like that. I don't remember how he explained it to me.    Still, may the words and the melody speak to you and bless you today, whoever you are, wherever you are, and whatever you're going through.  (The video starts at 0:12. Yet another demonstration that we're definitely not professionals at this -- yet!) Blessings! 

 So. Here's how my new blogging schedule works:    Last week I did 'My Story.' This week, you get a meme. I'll try to normally make it an inspirational quote about music or a tip for the students, but I didn't have one this week. Next week, it'll be a tip for parents. After that, it will be time for a monthly update. And so the cycle will go. :)    Now for what you're really interested in:

 Forte Loud

 It's been a while since we've had a 'My Story' post. At least two years and three months, before I decided that getting my ARCT was a good idea. It's about time for another one, don't you think?    So, it goes like this: I'm not spontaneous, and while I like performing (occasionally) now, as an extremely introverted child, that wasn't always the case. Also, I always cried easily. Not proud to admit it -- but it's fact. That should set the stage for this story about... yes, a recital.     It was around Christmas. We were attending a small church (the same one we're still going to) that boasted two piano teachers: my teacher (whom we'll refer to as Mrs. A.), who made me feel comfortable with her quiet, elegant, gracious ways, and the male teacher (we'll call him Mr. B.) whose music prowess was, simply put, dazzling. You'd think there'd be some rivalry, but as it was, he lived nearly two hours away, and she was local. However, he di...

 Piano Softly

 Adagio Moderately slowly

 It's not quite fall yet, I know, but truth be told, I've missed blogging.     As you can see, I didn't upgrade to WordPress, and if you have subscribed to my YouTube channel , you know I haven't done anything on that either. (Although, stay tuned! With the help of a friend who can sing better than me and my camera-savvy brother, I am planning the release of my first-ever music video soon!) I did work on my LinkedIn  profile. Not that that's the greatest way to reach you, the parents, but I did connect with a former magazine editor/personal hero that I used to do some copy editing for. That was fun.     Anyways. You're not here to read about copy editing. (Maybe I should put that on LinkedIn. It might be more useful.)    What's new in my music life?      Passing the last exam for my ARCT!!! 😌😄😄😄🎆🎆🎆🎇🎇🎇    Now I'm just waiting for my certificate, which should come sometime between October and December. I ...

 Hello, all,    Two quick updates, both of which are very important but also very boring: Thank you to those who have subscribed by email to my blog as I've blogged! I know that you're mostly (all?) my family and friends, and I appreciate your support! You might have gotten an email from Google about FeedBurner going away. I'm no techie, and I'm not sure what all the implications are, but the way I understand it, you might not receive any more blog posts directly in your inbox after July. Which might not matter anyways. I'm thinking of switching to WordPress in the fall. Everyone says it's better. Who am I to argue with the experts? (If you're a WordPress user and have a comment or thought on switching, please... you know.) If I don't switch, I'm sure Blogger will create a different widget, so you'll have to go through the process again if you want to stay subscribed. At any rate, you won't be missing much over the summer. I know I haven'...

  Hi, all,    I'll get to the point. I've got this promotional video that I think you should see. The discount offered on it expires on June 30, 2021, so please, if you've been thinking about piano lessons, check this out.     Or pass it on to someone you think might be interested.  For more information on online lessons,  click here.  Or if you just happen to live in my area and want in-person lessons,  click here instead.

"There's no great loss without some small gain." I'm not sure who said it, but I first read this quote in a Little House on the Prairie book. Looking back over the last nine months, I can say that what I've gained is at least equal to what I lost.     I will be honest: my first half of the school year, I focused on what I'd lost (most of last year's students). Though I knew that COVID-19 was to blame, and that other teachers were undoubtedly going through the same, I still felt like a failure. That was in spite of the fact that, when one of my students did not finish an assignment on time, I told her something along the lines of not having failed as long as we learn from our mistakes. (How is it that we can tell everyone but ourselves the truth?)     But now I can focus on what I've gained. Let me share with you some of the new things this school year brought that proved to be gains: My first preschool student! This is a niche I've wanted to tap in...

  Students, recital day is just around the corner! To help you feel excited and not (too) nervous about your big performance, I have some tips for you. (Parents, please read and go over with young children.) Does it make you nervous to play in front of people? If so, that's OK -- most people feel this way! So, leading up to the recital, perform a lot for your family and friends. This will help you not to be so nervous. Don't forget to get them to sign your music or notebook in pencil!  Recitals are special, so now's a good chance to wear your best clothes! Dress nicely, and don't forget to put on your smiles. :) Check your piano bench before your mom or dad signs in to the recital. Make sure you're comfortable with where it is. When it's your turn to play, come and sit at your piano so we can all see you over the webcam and take a deep breath. Say your name and the names of both of your pieces.  If you make a mistake in your piece, don't panic. Everybody mak...

 Is the spring recital really only a week away? Wow!     I envy the teachers in other parts of the world who no longer have to do a Zoom recital. Or maybe I don't. If I were doing an in-person recital, it would be either at my house or a nursing home. That would mean I'd have to be better organized than I am currently. In-person is way more fun, but Zoom recitals are easier: All the teacher has to do is show up.    And give these instructions.     Please read! (Even if you're doing pre-recorded videos. Obviously the Zoom settings part won't apply to you, but you might get some ideas for watching the recital later on.)   Parents, to prepare for a live Zoom performance:  Be there -- not just you, but your whole family! The idea of a recital, be it in-person or over Zoom, is to celebrate what your child can do. Just because it's at home, don't make it an excuse for everyone else to be off in their own bedrooms playing video games while...

 Hey, everybody, last Word of the Week till Fall 2021! Summer break is just around the corner here at Songbird Piano Studio!  Vite Fast

 If there's one thing I want you to know -- one thing, from all the facts out there in the world -- it's in this post. So please read on:    Life is fleeting. (That's not the one thing. Keep reading, please!)    I was reminded of this last week, when I learned a childhood friend of mine, whom I hadn't seen in years, died in a motorcycle accident.     There's a famous statement called  Pascal's wager  that goes something like this: If God doesn't exist, and you live as though He doesn't exist, you lose nothing. If He doesn't exist, and you live as though He does, you still lose nothing. If God does exist, and you live as though He doesn't, you lose everything. If God does exist, and you live as though He does, you lose nothing and gain everything. (By the way, if you're really into science, philosophy, etc., I really encourage you to check out the link above. There's thousands of articles on every scientific topic you can think of. But th...

Lentement Slowly

 Lentement Slowly

 I went through April, teaching and studying and not giving a thought as to what I was putting on my blog this month. Until I read an e-book on the online-business side of piano studios, and came across a tip to "have original content" on your website/social media.    Original....    What do I have to say that another teacher somewhere else hasn't said already?     Never mind; I'm rambling again.     What did I do this month again? (Please tell me I'm not the only one who gets that feeling!)    Oh, yeah, I taught. Worked on recital songs with my students. Did theory, disguised as games. Speaking of games, I found a strategy that works really well for playing piano board games.  Basically, since I'm just using the laptop's webcam, I tilt the laptop screen downward so the student can see the table. This works well for demonstrating, too!  If you take a snapshot in Skype, you get both parties' views. I chose not to ...

 Schnell Fast

 Mit Ausdruck With expression

 Massig Moderately

 I almost forgot. :) Lansam Slowly

 In teaching, I have not had a creative flash in a while. At least, not since September or so.    Studying for my ARCT Analysis is not conducive to creative flashes. Neither is the pandemic. (Hey, if we're going to blame something, might as well blame a virus, right? It has no feelings to hurt. ;)    Last week I finally had a creative flash for my in-person students.    I had the need to teach the Circle of 5ths and the desire to keep lessons Easter-themed floating around in my head, and this was the result. Each egg has a key name written on it, and my student's job was to place the right egg on the corresponding key signature. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough mini-baskets to go all the way around, but we got all the keys between B flat major and A major covered. I felt pretty good about myself. :) At least, I did. Until I spilled water - an entire glass of it - on my new Circle of 5ths earlier today. :(    Ahh, yes....  ...