Quote from J. S. Bach

"The final aim and reason of all music is nothing other than the glorification of God and the refreshment of the spirit." ~ Johann Sebastian Bach

Continuing to Perform

I desire that all of my students love to make music and to continue to use the skills they have learned long after they leave my studio. Yet, I realize that most music students won't become concert pianists, famous singers, members of a prestigious orchestra, or have any sort of career relating to music. So how can I encourage my students to use their gifts?

1. They can volunteer for their church worship group.
2. They can play in public venues, such as music stores, libraries ect. During the Christmas season, these places may be looking for people to volunteer to play quiet music for their patrons.
3. They can host a recital/concert at a retirement or nursing home. They could collaborate with friends who play different instruments.
4. They can play at a benefits concert. The more adventurous performer could put one together to raise money for the charity of their choice.
5. They can host their own post-lesson recitals.

This is only a sample of things that our students can do to keep using their musical education. No matter whether they do one or all of theses things, we should encourage them to do it for the glory of God.

Recommended Reading

I would recommend that my fellow teachers head over to Susan Paradis' blog, and read her post on "Six Secrets of Successful Music Teachers".  Happy reading!

Music History: How to

It is a problem I am sure music teachers have all had at one point or another: how do you include music history into a short lesson? You can use all of their lesson time just giving new assignments and listening to the old.

Including music history into a students lessons can take many forms, depending on the teacher's style or the student's learning style. If you have an older student that has access to a computer, you could send them links to articles about the different music periods, composers, or instruments. (Be sure to preview everything you send to you students.) This frees up time in the lesson that would otherwise be taken up with history. Younger students can read short articles that you print off the computer for them. The really young students could color pictures of composers with a little information about the person at the bottom of the page.

During the summer when things are likely to be a little slower, you could give your student an essay or poster board assignment. This lets them be a little more creative when they are less likely to want to practice. Each student could put something together on a different composer and post them in your studio. Then as students wait for their lesson they can look at other students' research projects. Young students can merely answer the questions about a composer. You can assign your older students to do a paper, writing at least two to three paragraphs answering the questions you provide. Below I have included some questions to get you started.

Who is your composer?

When did he/she live?
What period did they compose in?
What country were they from?
What are they famous for?
What is a piece that they wrote?

What instrument(s) did they write for?

Avoid Apathy!

I have been reading Making Music and Enriching Lives by Bonnie Blanchard as part of a study on pedagogy. It has been a challenging read. The book is easy, but the challenges to be a better teacher are hard. One of the challenges (in my own words): Don't be apathetic, either about your student's progress or your own. Teachers need to be improving themselves to be better able to help their students. Don't neglect your practice time! It is important. As Bonnie Blanchard suggests, read books on all aspects of music, make connections with colleagues, join an teacher's organization, or join a local music group. Anything to keep improving as a teacher.

How to buy a Piano: Part 3

In this post on how to buy a piano, I will mention how to find one, advice on having an acoustic piano moved, and additional resources.

Newspaper ads and Craigslist (a website where local ads are posted) are good places to find used acoustic pianos in your local area. Your local piano store will also probably have some used pianos for sale. You will most likely have to buy a new digital piano to get a specific brand and model. Your local store should have a wide selection of digital pianos. You can also order a digital piano online if you can't find what you want locally.

If you buy an acoustic piano, you will then have to figure out the logistics of having it moved. You don't want just anybody moving a piano. You'll want to find a company that knows how to move a piano and lists it as one of their services. Otherwise, your piano might get damaged being moved by someone who doesn't know what to do.

This concludes my advice on searching for and buying a piano.  If you want to know more, Piano Buyer is a good resource for information on new and used pianos.  The Piano Book by Larry Fine is a another good resource for information on what to look for in a used piano, the different piano companies, how a piano works and more.  If you have any questions for me, you are welcome to contact me through the contact box on the side or in the comments below.

How to buy a Piano: Part 2

In the first post on how to buy a piano, I gave only some general advice on buying a piano. Here I will go into more details on electronic versus acoustic and cost estimates. All the information I have included here is meant to be used in conjunction with the advice you receive from your advisor.

So do you get an acoustic or a digital piano? There are benefits to both, but the preference most piano teachers are going to have is for an acoustic piano.

The benefits of an acoustic piano can be summed up simply: it is a real instrument. Acoustic pianos, if they are good quality instruments, will usually sound better than an electronic piano. They also provide a better incentive to practice, because the sound is more inspiring than most electronic pianos. Also, a greater amount of emotion can be put into the music being played. The downside to a real piano is the fact it will need to be tuned, and depending on the age of the instrument it might need repairs. If an instrument is inspected by a piano technician before you make the purchase, he can tell you what repairs might need to be made and what they will cost.

There are several benefits of an electronic piano. One of these is the ability to control the volume and the ability to use headphones. Also, it is never out of tune.  Another useful benefit is the ease of recording music. Electronic recorders can be connected to the piano, eliminating background noise. These pianos are also likely fitted with a Midi connection, enabling the user to connect to a computer. This can be a benefit to those interested in musical composition. Plugging a keyboard into a computer through a Midi connection can simplify the process for notating compositions.

There are some downsides, however, with electronic pianos.  Most low end keyboards do not have the same key action and pedal action as an acoustic piano. When a student who practices on an electronic goes to play on an acoustic piano, it can be more difficult to play because they are unused to the heavier key action and the different sound from the pedals. When learning, these issues can be overcome, but it takes extra thought and effort to do it. (While not a downside exactly, not all keyboards have 88 keys. You will want to make sure any you consider have at least 76 keys.) 
 

If you end up with a choice between an equal quality digital or acoustic piano (price being no object), I would choose an acoustic. However, I would choose a good quality digital piano over a poor quality acoustic piano.

I won't say much about the cost of acoustic pianos, since prices will vary from state to state, but I will give some general guidelines that should make sense.  The proverb "you get what you pay for" is most often true for pianos.  If you find one listed as "free" or at a very cheap price, have your advisor and a piano technician look at it. It is better to wait than to get one that is in poor condition and won't stay in tune. You should expect to pay several hundred to over a thousand dollars to get a good used acoustic piano off the private market, and it will be more if you go through a piano store or dealer.  New pianos will likely be over $5,000 to get a good one. If you go shopping at a piano store, take your advisor with you. They will be able to help you sort through the maze of piano models and styles. If you are looking for a digital piano, you may be able to find one used that might cost you a couple hundred dollars. If you are seeking to buy new, a good quality instrument will probably be about $1,000.

How to buy a Piano

Before starting piano lessons, there are several important decisions to be made: who is going to teach you or your child, and what piano are you going to get. Both of these decisions are extremely important, and are going to affect how much you or your child enjoys learning piano.

When buying a piano, it is extremely important to get expert advice. That advice, can come from the piano teacher you have selected, or someone you trust who is a serious pianist, or a piano technician. These people likely have the resources to help you find an instrument, along with giving you advice about whether or not a particular instrument would be a good buy.

Before you start searching for a piano, it would be good to talk to your expert about what you want a piano for and what your goals are as a musician. They can then help you decide what type of piano you need and give you an estimate of cost. Once you have found a few instruments you are interested in, be sure to have your teacher (or other advisor) examine them. They can then give you an opinion on whether the instrument would be a good fit for you. (As a side note, be sure to reimburse them for their time, it is a worthwhile investment.) Before buying a used instrument, if you haven't already, you should have it looked at by a piano technician as well as your teacher or piano friend. The technician will check the instrument out looking for breakages, some of which while almost imperceptible, could end up being really expensive fixes. For the older used instruments, most big repair jobs would cost more than the piano is worth. However, the technician's professional opinion will help you make a decision about the purchase of the instrument.
 

We wish you a merry Christmas, And A Happy New Year!!!

I was late for wishing everyone a merry Christmas, but I won't let New Years escape me.  I hope you all have a wonderful new year, and you meet some of your new goals for teaching or music study.