Month: August 2010

Resources, Technology

Tutorial: Using Audacity Software in the Piano Studio

Joy Morin

Audacity is a piece of powerful sound editing software that is free to download.  It is available both for both Mac and Windows computers.

This tutorial will discuss the uses of Audacity software in the piano studio, and explain how to use Audacity to make basic edits to audio files.

NOTE: The correct site for finding and downloading the free Audacity software is audacity.soundforge.net, NOT audacity.com as one may expect.

Uses for Audacity for Piano Teachers

  • Recording students playing their pieces during the lesson for educational purposes; e.g., to prepare for an upcoming performance.
  • Recording student recitals to share with parents on a cd or on your website.
  • Making basic edits to your recordings before sharing them.
  • Assigning students to record and edit themselves in Audacity — or even assign them to create their own composition using Audacity (see the Ideas for Further Extensions section at the end of this post).
    Continue reading “Tutorial: Using Audacity Software in the Piano Studio” →
Words of Wisdom

Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom

Joy Morin

“When people hear good music, it makes them homesick for something they never had, and never will have.“

— Edgar Watson Howe (1853-1937), American novelist and journalist

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 email off to admin[at]colorinmypiano.com.

Announcements

New: subscribe for daily OR weekly email updates!

Joy Morin

New!  You now have the option to subscribe to either daily OR weekly Color In My Piano updates via email.  Weekly updates might be just the thing for you if you want to stay updated with what’s new at Color In My Piano, but do not want your inbox cluttered with emails from each day.

Of course, for those of you who love the daily updates, thanks and please continue loving them!  =)

To subscribe to either the daily or weekly email updates, look for the subscribe buttons located on the left-hand sidebar of the Color In My Piano homepage.  If you are currently subscribed for daily updates and would like to switch to weekly updates, please unsubscribe to the daily updates via the link on the bottom of one of the daily email updates and then subscribe to the weekly updates via the form on the homepage.

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improving as a teacher, Questions, repertoire / methods

SUMMARY | July Monthly Forum: Discussing Method Books

Joy Morin

Here is the summary post for the July Monthly Forum: Discussing Method Books.  Thanks to those of you who shared your thoughts!

Your Thoughts

Allow me to summarize some of the main points that were made in the comments:

  • Choose a piano method that will give students (especially beginners) a strong foundation for the future and ensure success.
  • Choose a piano method that will suite each student’s interests and taste.
  • Choose a piano method that has “good” and “real” music.  (A couple of you made such references….perhaps this could be a launching point for further discussion: what does “good” or “real” music entail?)
  • Don’t necessarily use the same piano method for every student.
  • Be sure to supplement the method with books outside of the method, so that they are experiencing different types of repertoire.

Read all the comments for yourself here.

Your Favorites

You also shared some of your favorite piano methods in the comments.  Here are the ones that were mentioned:

  • “Play Piano Now!” from Alfred publishing – for adult beginners.
  • “Music Tree” – for creative and bright students; strong in theory.
  • Alfred Premier – for students ages 8-11; strong in theory.
  • Alfred Prep and Alfred Basic – for young beginner students (ages 4-8).
  • “Piano Adventures” by the Fabers – has imaginative pieces; encourages note-reading.

My Thoughts

My personal philosophy when it comes to piano methods is that there is no single piano method that is “the best” or that works for all students.  Every student learns differently and every student has various goals, interests, and tastes in music.  Therefore, the teacher must seek to find and use the piano method that will be best for each individual student.  It is important for teachers to become familiar with the various piano methods available so that they can choose the proper method for each student.

Questions to Ask Yourself When Evaluating Piano Methods: Continue reading “SUMMARY | July Monthly Forum: Discussing Method Books” →

Words of Wisdom

Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom

Joy Morin

“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.”

— Albert Einstein

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 email off to admin[at]colorinmypiano.com.

Ear Training, Games, Group Classes, Music Camps, Printables

Just Added: “Listen & Sign” Game Printable

Joy Morin

Just added to the Printables page: “The Listen & Sign Game.”

This printable corresponds to the game originally described in this post – a game I used in a Piano Mini-Camp held about a month ago.  Continue reading “Just Added: “Listen & Sign” Game Printable” →

Announcements

I’m back!

Joy Morin

Have you missed me?  Due to some technological difficulties, I’ve been unable to post blog entries since late last week.  I’m so relieved to finally have things worked out!

Due to the delay, however, our July monthly forum is being extended until (probably) Thursday – so if you’d still like to share your thoughts about piano method books, please do so now!

Meanwhile, here’s a peek into what’s coming up over the next few days/weeks:

  • A free printable for making the signs for the “Listen & Sign game” (as promised)
  • Garageband software: what it does and how it could be used in your music studio
  • Audacity software: what it does and how it can be used in your music studio