By Alyssa Cowell Music lessons are a valuable tool for developing growing minds, honing fine motor skills, finding a creative outlet for self-expression, and a myriad other personal benefits for young and old alike. Families who sign up for music lessons are making an investment in their child’s education, and should make sure they are getting the most out of that investment: Music Theory as a part...
Read MoreBy Patrick Fritz I am currently in the process of re-reading a helpful book about communicating effectively with children. A few years ago, after an influx of young students with very big personalities, I realized that I needed some strategies for more effective communication. The drudgery of endless pleading, coaxing, begging, bribing, and the over-enthusiasm I was using to get my point across was wearing me...
Read MoreBy Marc Powell I have not met many students who love playing their scales. Scales are the green vegetables that are left on the plate and passed off to the dog under the dinner table. Here are some quick tips to help inspire your students to enjoy their scales: 1. Change up the rhythm: If one of my students has trouble with the fingering of a scale, I...
Read MoreBy Jamey Mann The voice is one of the most important instruments/tools a musician can learn to use. Training the voice the proper way is essential if a student wants to study at the collegiate level and reach their full potential. In fact, at all major music schools ear and aural training are part of the curriculum that all students must take and pass. Because of...
Read MoreI happen to love holiday and Christmas music, and it is not just that the melodies are so classic and they conjure up wonderful old memories of enjoyable times growing up with my family and church in a rural Virginia farming community. What I’ve discovered as a piano teacher is the power of one of those old melodies to actually change a young life. It...
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