Welcome Back to Piano

All fall lessons are starting up again this week.  I'm excited to see all of you again (through the computer) and can't wait to see each of your smiling faces!

I have some fun things planned for the year including a few new practice challenges, games and recitals.  

Remember to check on the calendar link for any important dates and follow us on instagram for studio happenings and behind the scenes.

 

It's almost time to restart our fall piano lessons.  As stated in the studio email that got sent out last week, we will be starting our September lessons virtually. I will continue to monitor the situation throughout the year with the intention that in person lessons will resume at some point.  

In the meantime, I am still planning some fun activities for our return - new music, games, and practice challenges will all be part of our fall as they normally would.   I'm looking forward to seeing each of you soon!

June and Recital Wrap Up

Our first virtual recital was Sunday!  If you missed it or just want to watch it again, the video is still available following the link that was emailed.  I want to give a huge thank you again to parents, friends and family who supported every student on their work in learning their recital pieces and preparing for the performance, especially as it was a completely new experience this year - I couldn't be more proud of how each of you played.  It maybe wasn't what we were used to but I'm so happy that we were able to have all the technology available to us to make it a success!

This week we start to wrap up our regular lessons of the year!  Here's a peek at what we will be doing:

1.  Debriefing the Recital - we'll talk about everything from favourite pieces, which songs they also might want to learn, and what they thought about the virtual recital.  We will also discuss that they thought of their own performance.  The goal of these conversations will be to help students to see the bigger picture and what we are working towards, why we make goals and why we do all that we do.
2. Finishing up our current topics - our final lessons are typically used to finish up our current pieces and review.  We want to make sure we go into the break with everything wrapped up.
3. Having Fun - We'll play through a favourite song or two from the year, play a game, pull out the ipad, do some review and talk about our accomplishments from this past year.
4. Make Goals - We won't learn a new concept but that doesn't mean we still can't learn new songs!  The final lessons see us learn a new song(s) that helps us review our learning from this year.  We will talk about what we can do during our time apart and make any goals for break.

Thank you everyone for a great year! I look forward to finishing up our final lessons and getting into summer!  

March Recap

Wow!  March!

What a crazy month this has been in every way!   The first half of the month went great - students were on track to complete books, memorize songs, learn new concepts and were looking forward to March Break.  Then March Break happened and oh my!

Online lessons started after March Break and I couldn't be more proud of each of you for how well you have done!  They definitely have their challenges on the technology side but so far I feel we are doing amazing considering the circumstances:  6 of you have completed your books this month!

In my new studio you can find:

- A webcam - above the piano for those times you need to see exactly what your hands should be doing

-laptop - for connecting to all of you and for all my main camera shots

-small white board - for when words just don't cut it - sometimes you need to see the staff/note/counting etc.

-copy of students books

-basket of games - yes the games will still be making an appearance when time allows 

-headphones - for when I need to hear you a bit better

Online Lessons for Piano - A Guide

How neat is it that technology lets us have online lessons for piano?! Thanks for doing your part to help us all stay healthy! This is a guide for parents and students to get the most out of their online lessons. 

THE SETUP:

For online lessons to be successful, you need a smart phone, tablet, or lap top.  For the smart phone or tablet you need some way to prop it up. You might have to be a bit creative here– ideas: a drinking glass to pop you phone into (the camera has to be above the rim), strap your phone to a music stand beside the piano, prop it up on a desk/shelf beside the piano using cans to hold it in place, you can wedge it onto the corner ledge of the piano.   If necessary you might need to get someone to hold your device for you.  Test out your setup by taking a selfie! I should be able to see the student’s side profile and their hands on the piano keys–you’ll have to play with the angles.

THE SOFTWARE:

Facetime: If you have an apple device, it is really easy! You send me your phone number, or the e-mail address that you have associated with your apple product and I will add you to my contact list. 

Skype: download and sign up for an account online at skype.com.  Let me know your email address or skype name and I'll add you.

TAKING AN ONLINE LESSON:

Surprisingly, online classes are very similar to in-person lessons. In fact, most things stay the same! It’s like I am right beside you teaching you at your regular lesson. I can hear you play, and we can talk about things. Some things that are different: you have to really listen, because we can’t talk at the same time! I won’t be able to play at the same time as you because there might be an audio delay. But we can still do a lot of fun things and learn together.

If you are one of my younger piano students, a parent or older sibling needs to sit with you during your lesson. This assistant will help me if you have trouble understanding my directions. And they can help you get set up before your lesson.

BEFORE THE CLASS:

Get ready with all your piano books, a pencil and an eraser. Have your phone charged and ready to go! Wait until I call YOU! I have some students that are back to back, so I need to make sure that everyone’s lesson time is uninterrupted. Be ready to go 5 – 10 minutes before your lesson. You can play through your songs while you are waiting for me!

Let’s have some fun!