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Pianos: What definitely not to buy!!!

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 So....    I think we need to talk about the elephant in the room.    If you're going to sign your child up for piano lessons, they'll need a piano.    Pianos come in many shapes and sizes. And they are expensive.     Let's talk about going piano shopping.     The whole reason I'm writing this post is because I'm realizing that several of my students are under-equipped. Also, an instrument that worked just fine for them in their first year is not quite cutting it in their second year. Of course, a parent starting out doesn't want to spend $9,000.00 on a brand new upright. You don't have to. But there's very little point in getting an instrument that you'll just have to replace next year.  In A Nutshell     First, you want to make sure you get something that has 88 keys. Less than that is very much short-term planning. Second, you want something that has key touch capabilities. This means that, when your child plays it, it will sound louder when they

Word of the Week

 Last Word of the Week till next September!!! 😺🎆🎇🎉 Cantabile In a singing style

Recital Prep for Students

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All right, everybody! One week and two days till the recital! If your parents haven't read my last post, please remind them (nicely and respectfully)  to click here so they know what's going on, too.  But today, students, it's your turn! Read all the way to the end, even if you think you know this stuff and could do it in your sleep. Review never hurt anyone. ;)  On Friday or Saturday before the recital, 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, or glued to a piece of cardboard). 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. Unless, of course, you've already talked with me about having me turn your pages for you. (This does not apply if you're

Word of the Week

 Is still  Scherzando.  ;)

Recital Prep for Parents

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 I feel like I've done a million of these.     And if your child has been taking piano for longer than four months, you have undoubtedly read  at least one of these before.     Nevertheless, because there have been new students since January, and because review never hurt anyone, here we go again:      I know you're probably going to think this is obvious... but please make sure your child is practicing. Especially if they're doing a duet. It's not going to help their confidence if they lollygag about practice until the week before the recital. It's one of those times when it's perfectly OK to be the mean mom (or dad). Trust me, it will be worth it.      Make sure you and your family arrive at the church on time (a few minutes before 3:00 P.M.). Check the address ahead of time, so you know where you're going!       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,

Word of the Week

 Scherzando Playfully

April Update: Parkland Showcase, Duets, and how wildfires affected piano

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 OK, so here I am, dropping the ball again on blogging, and also mentally going, "Oh, yeah... what did we do in the studio again?'    Well, let's start with Parkland Showcase concert!     Out of my students who entered, this girl in the pictures went to Showcase and received a scholarship! That was exciting for me. As far as my judgement goes, this year's Showcase had a really good display of our area's talent. (I don't say Parkland's talent, because I don't live in Parkland County, ironically, and neither does the young scholarship winner above or her sisters who also competed. 😆) The addition of Speech Arts into PMF's syllabus added interest. Also there were some very good pianists, vocalists, and even a violinist. I enjoyed Showcase a lot this year!     Recital season is coming up, and this year I have quite a few students practicing duets for the recital.     I hope that's a good thing. I really do.    Right now, it's a stretching exper