Last week, I learned how to play the piano. This may sound strange, as my bio clearly states that I’ve been playing piano for 47 years.
I’m pretty sure I have never taught the same piano lesson twice in a row. Even if my student – you know – DIDN’T PRACTICE ONE BIT. I tend to start new things, rather than reiterate last week’s lesson.
After years and years leaping at every opportunity and upskilling myself as much as humanly possible (and often more), I’ve learned five things that I think every person aged 8 or up who’s got that perfectionist streak needs to hear. Everything in moderation – especially moderation! Here they are.
Ok, so this probably sounds like a very far-fetched analogy, right? But I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the different factors involved in riding a bike, and how similar they are to the factors involved in a successful piano playing experience.
Learning to read music seems synonymous with Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit. But are mnemonics really the quickest and easiest way to learn letter names?
All sorts of things can go wrong in a performance. A cockroach can scuttle across your pedalling foot (this has happened to me). The music may fall off the stand (this has happened to me)….
Recently, I decided to learn the guitar. You would think that given my musical knowledge and background, my good ear and great fine motor skills from playing piano for over 40 years
…and the Consequence of Copies Call me old-fashioned, but I love using music books. I insist that all of my students buy them. To me, a music book is something you have for life, an addition to a library, a nostalgic possession that can be passed on to the next generation of musicians. However, I […]
If your child loves to practice, and never has to be reminded, ordered or bribed to do it, then that is wonderful. However, you are in the VAST MINORITY. Most children will baulk at practice, and below are the top 10 reasons why. 1. No routine If a child senses that practising is optional, most […]
It has been a while since I’ve instigated a competition of sorts with my students. In the past I’ve had things like the House Points system which tallied up minutes of practice and the 50-piece challenge which tallied up actual pieces learned. However I felt there needed to be something new, a bit of a […]