Month: September 2012

Words of Wisdom

Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom

Joy Morin

“Trying to explain music is like trying to dance architecture.”

— Thelonious Monk

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 me a message here.

*Note to Email Subscribers:*  This post from Monday did not come through via email (my fault) — so I just wanted to let you know to check out the last freebie I posted on Monday by clicking here!  🙂

Early Childhood Music, Group Classes, Printables

Freebie: Signs for Beginner Piano

Joy Morin

Over the last few months, I’ve created a collection of signs to use with my Piano Readiness and Homeschool Music classes:

I use them during class when I am teaching or reviewing concepts.  They can be useful for games too.  For example, I like to have students hold up or point to the correct symbol while I improvise high/low or loud/soft music on the piano.  I printed them on cardstock and laminated them to make them more durable.

There are other ways to use these signs:  They can be printed for beginner private students to keep as a reference.  Or, they can be hung up in on the wall in your studio.

You can download the pdf by visiting the Printables > Other Resources page and scrolling down to the S’s for “Signs for Beginner Piano.”  I hope you can find some way to use these with your students!

Announcements, Studio Business

My New Bookcase

Joy Morin

A couple of weeks ago when the small bookcase next to the piano in my studio starting leaning rather precariously, I knew it was time to find a new one!  Finding a bookcase that has shelves that are tall enough to hold music books is a challenge, however.  The other challenge is finding something sturdy enough to support the weight of all those music books!

But I think I found the perfect solution.  🙂

My sister and brother-in-law along with my two nephews have been visiting for the last week (hence the lack of blog posts lately — sorry!).  We made a trip out to IKEA yesterday, and I bought this BESTÅ shelf unit for $130:  

Continue reading “My New Bookcase” →

Motivation, Questions

Forum Q&A: Incentive Prize Box Ideas

Joy Morin

Our last Forum Q&A topic was about keeping teenager students engaged in their piano study!  Check out all the great responses to this topic by clicking here.

Our next discussion topic comes from a reader (thanks, Donna!):

What kinds of items do you have in your “music store” or incentive prize box?  It seems some items are a hit with students, and other items just sit there.  What are some items that have been a success with your students, particularly for the older students who are always harder to shop for?  (Please also share about the requirements for your students to be able to win or buy items.)  

Two years ago, I published a blog post with a few pictures of items in my prize box at that time.  (Read the full details about my current incentive program here.)  It’s about time I took another peek in my box to see what is in there now!  I’ll try to take some photos soon — in the meantime, please take a moment to share about your students’ favorite prize items in the comment section below!

Update: Here are some photos of the items currently in my piano prize box!