Monthly Archives: September 2009

CATcerto – a modern composition

By joy (admin) | Published: 14 September 2009

Perhaps you’ve seen Nora the cat play the piano on YouTube before.  Well, the modern composer Mindaugas Piecaitis managed to compose a concerto out of Nora’s movie!  Check out the video below.    This composition is a great example of combining modern technology with music – and it’s delightfully humorous to boot!  The sky truly is [...]

Posted in composition, humor, inspiration | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Soprano on Her Head

By joy (admin) | Published: 11 September 2009

Amazon.com Widgets I just finished reading a marvelous book, called Soprano on Her Head: Right-Side-Up Reflections on Life and Other Performances, by Eloise Ristad.  My piano professor recommended I read this book during a lesson when we were discussing performance anxiety (which I experience frequently, I must admit). In this easy-to-read, humorous book, Ristad shares her [...]

Posted in advanced level, beginners / elementary Level, by student's level, humor, improving as a teacher, improvisation, inspiration, intermediate level, private lessons, resources / links, reviews, settings:, what I'm up to | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Earn 8% when you order sheet music

By joy (admin) | Published: 10 September 2009

Sheet Music Plus has begun a new promotional program for music teachers to earn 8% back in rebates when they or their students order from SheetMusicPlus.com.  I was thrilled to hear about this program last week, because I just so happened to need a few music books!   Other perks: $2.99 budget shipping. Going on [...]

Posted in repertoire / methods, resources / links, what I'm up to | Tagged | Leave a comment

Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom

By joy (admin) | Published: 9 September 2009

“A painter paints pictures on canvas.  But musicians paint their pictures on silence.” – Leopold Stokowski Every Wednesday brings Words of Wisdom here at the Color in my Piano blog…in the form of a musical quote or joke, intended to bring inspiration or humor to the middle of your week.   Have suggestions?  Send an [...]

Posted in Words of Wisdom | Leave a comment

Music Theory Review Tests A-J plus a Guide

By joy (admin) | Published: 8 September 2009

If you navigate over to the Printables > Worksheets area, you will find some new worksheets listed.  This set of Review Tests was originally created for group keyboard classes of various age groups, but they may easily be adapted for other uses.  The set is basically a set of progressive worksheets testing in the areas [...]

Posted in beginners / elementary Level, by student's level, group classes, intermediate level, music theory, printables, settings:, worksheets | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

3 Ways to Motivate Busy Students

By joy (admin) | Published: 4 September 2009

I believe students today are busier than ever before.  They are involved in everything you can imagine — art, karate, gymnastics, swimming, sports teams, church activities, 4-H, and more.  And this is all on top of their regular homework assignments from school.  Sometimes the student gets stretched too thin, and something needs to go.  Other [...]

Posted in incentive programs, motivation, practicing, settings: | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Playing-By-Ear Activities

By joy (admin) | Published: 3 September 2009

Learning to play by ear is one of the most natural ways to develop the ear – and one of the most fun!  Below are some lists of familiar tunes you can assign at the lesson for the student to learn to play by ear.  I found this valuable information about playing-by-ear activities to assign [...]

Posted in advanced level, beginners / elementary Level, by student's level, ear training, improving as a teacher, intermediate level, resources / links | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom

By joy (admin) | Published: 2 September 2009

“Music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman.” – Ludwig van Beethoven Every Wednesday brings Words of Wisdom here at the Color in my Piano blog…in the form of a musical quote or joke, intended to bring inspiration or humor to the middle of your week. [...]

Posted in Words of Wisdom | Leave a comment

Gabriela Montero: pianist/improviser

By joy (admin) | Published: 1 September 2009

Have you seen the some of the incredible improvised performances by Gabriela Montero on YouTube?  Not only is she an accomplished classical pianist, but she’s an incredible improviser as well.  In this video, she took a request from the audience to improvise upon the theme from J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations: According to her website, she [...]

Posted in improvisation, resources / links | 1 Comment
Rss Feed Tweeter button Facebook button Technorati button Webonews button Delicious button Digg button Stumbleupon button Newsvine button Youtube button