A few weeks ago, I received a PractizPal device to review. There are five wonderful colors to choose from, and I selected “Gershwin Green.” The PractizPal is a clever little gadget designed to help students track their practice time. It also has a built-in metronome and tuner. In my mind, there are two reasons why [...]
Princess Piano is an iPhone/iPad app by the developer Dented Pixel. I recently stumbled upon this app in the iTunes store, and decided to give it a whirl! When you first open the app, it allows you to login under your own name. The app’s settings allow you to change players, and to choose the [...]
I was recently contacted by Carlos Fontiveros, creator of the brand new Moosic Studio app, which is designed to help manage the business side of running a teaching studio. You can best read about it in his own words: Moosic Studio was created for my wife, Margaret, and her piano & voice studio. I started off [...]
With my piano students, I love to introduce classical music as soon as possible. It gives them a head-start in getting used to the contrapuntal reading that classical music requires, as well as the kinds of technical and musical challenges that classical music requires. Early exposure also means that they in most cases they grow [...]
Rhythm Cat – Cost: Free version (15 levels) is FREE; Rhythm Cat Pro is $2.99. The pro version is available currently for iPhone/iPod Touch — and the pro version for iPad is coming out soon! This app is a fun and effective way to improve rhythm skills. Let me tell you why! On each level, [...]
Elena Cobb is a piano teacher and composer in the UK (but originally from Russia) who writes music in various popular musical styles, including blues, Latin, and jazz. She has music books available intended for both young students and intermediate to advanced students. You can read more about Elena’s teaching approach and goals behind her [...]
iTalk app | Cost: Free (with ads) or Premium version: $1.99 (no ads), for iPhone and iPad. This app is the perfect solution when recording audio of your or your students’ playing. In many cases, I record video of my students playing during piano lessons; but sometimes I want only audio, so that I can get better [...]
Today, I would like to tell you all about the EasyScales Visual Guides, a patent pending product by Jo Tee! Jo Tee is a creative piano teacher from Singapore. Here is how it works:
Noteworks – Cost: $4.99. (For iPad only.) Click here to view in iTunes. This app is designed for students to practice identifying notes on the staff and finding the corresponding piano keys. Noteworks features an adorable little “Munchy” who eats the notes when the student identifies the notes correctly!
SpeakBeat - Cost: $1.99. View it in the iTunes store here. SpeakBeat is a metronome app, but with a twist: it “speaks” the beats! Just choose the time signature and choose whether you’d like sub beats counted (the “and’s,” “one-and-a’s,” and the “one-e-and-a’s”) or not. The tempo can be adjusted from 20-240 bpm. There are [...]
I was kindly sent a copy of a book by Robert Greenberg to review called “How to Listen to Great Music: A Guide to Its History, Culture, and Heart.” The book has about 330 pages and is organized into 33 chapters. The content of this book is mostly about its subtitle than about its title. [...]
My friend Sheryl Welles has just put her RoadTrip USA! camp lesson plans up for sale on her website! She very kindly sent me a copy to review, and so I’m going to tell you all about it. :) RoadTrip USA! is a 159-page pdf that contains detailed descriptions with photos of the games and activities [...]
Joy is a pianist and teacher in Ohio with great passion for helping students experience the wonders of music making!
