Color In My Piano » current events http://colorinmypiano.com ...a place to exchange ideas and resources for piano teaching Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:27:33 +0000 en hourly 1 Consider Supporting this Project for Classical Music CD for Kids! http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/04/18/consider-supporting-this-project-for-classical-music-cd-for-kids/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/04/18/consider-supporting-this-project-for-classical-music-cd-for-kids/#comments Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:42:23 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=4004 Have you heard of KickStarter.com?  It’s a cool site where people can raise money for creative project of all kinds.  Ordinary people like you and me can support these projects.  Here’s the kicker: the team must reach the monetary goal by 3-month deadline or else they don’t get any of the money that was pledged.

Well, a colleague of mine has started a kickstarter project with her sister to create CDs of classical music with narration for children.  They plan to distribute the CD to schools where art programs are being cut.  Read all about their project below, or click here to visit their official KickStarter page.  There you will find a video with more info and you can make your pledge.  With your support, they can go ahead with the CD project and you can receive a copy too!  The CD looks like it could be a great resource to use during group lessons with piano students or young children — I’m excited to receive mine.  Please read more about their project and consider supporting Sonya and Elizabeth.

Sonya & Elizabeth Schumann’s KickStarter Project | Piano Carnaval CD: Classical Music and Stories for Kids

Who are we?

We (Jeanne and Sonya) are classical concert pianists who happen to be sisters. We decided to record a children’s CD which, through narrative storytelling, is an attractive vehicle for classical piano pieces.

Why do we want to record a children’s CD?

Government funding for Arts Education has been cut everywhere, and we’re worried that children are not exposed to classical music. If classical music could be presented to young children in a way that captured their imaginations, a larger audience of children could grow to love music in a way that would enrich their whole lives.

What is the goal?

To allow elementary school aged children to discover the world of classical music

What are the objectives?

1. To record a CD!!

2. To distribute free copies to programs and educators where arts funding is being cut.

So, what is the narrative plot of the CD?

The recording will present 20 short movements and classical piano pieces, each shorter than 2 minutes. These pieces will be presented within two narratives, in a combination of the classic radio drama and a concert of classical favorites.

The first story, written in verse, is about a little girl who loves animals so much that she hides at the zoo’s closing time and is locked inside overnight. There she sees wondrous things: A tortoise who moves so slowly that he sees everything else in the world as a blur, a midnight skeleton ball (tuxedo clad fossils!) and a myriad of other mysterious creatures doing bizarre and whimsical things. This poetry is based around the Saint-Saens “Carnival of the Animals”, written for two pianos.

In the second story, the little girl has a magic, talking piano, which plays any piece she asks. At first she uses the piano so that her strict grandma and grumpy piano teacher will think she’s practicing… However, they think her playing is so marvelous that they send her on concert tour with her piano! Trapped in her own fibs, she fools everyone into thinking she is a prodigy, until the inevitable moralistic end, when the piano tires of her hubris and refuses to play for her! Every piece that the magical piano performs will be logically integrated into the dialogue.

How do we plan to spend your hard earned money?

Although our musicians, artists, writers, voice actors and producers are donating their time, talent, and resources, putting out a high quality record will be expensive. Kickstarter funds will pay for instrument rental, studio time, and recording equipment, as well as partially covering the costs of the audio engineering/mixing, team transportation, disc duplication, distribution and publicity.

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]]> http://colorinmypiano.com/2011/04/18/consider-supporting-this-project-for-classical-music-cd-for-kids/feed/ 0 End-Of-The-Year Update http://colorinmypiano.com/2010/12/30/end-of-the-year-update/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2010/12/30/end-of-the-year-update/#comments Thu, 30 Dec 2010 11:27:45 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=3407 Hello Readers,

I hope this post finds you all well and enjoying this blessed season with your family and friends.  I’ve been enjoying some time off from both school and blogging in order to visit and spend time with my family.  I hope you’ve missed me while I was away.  =)  Although the blogger inside me has been taking a break, I can assure you that the piano teacher inside me has not taken a break!  I have several projects underway that I can’t wait to share in the coming weeks/months.

Next month brings the beginning of my final semester of my master’s degree, which is certainly bittersweet for me.  My husband and I do not yet know what the post-graduation months will bring, but I’m sure posts about our adventures will be forthcoming eventually.

Next month also brings my master’s solo piano recital, which will likely occupy much of my time and attention.  My postings might again become sparse for a few weeks during January, so I hope you’ll forgive me!

As I contemplate the last year and look forward to the next, I can’t help but think of all of you, readers and supporters of Color In My Piano.  The past year has seen a huge increase of visiters, followers, and commenters.  This month even brought a few generous donations via paypal.  Your support keeps me inspired and motivated to continue creating and posting!  So thank you!  I truly believe that through collaborations such as this, we not only help and encourage one another as piano teachers, but we also help bring integrity to our profession and calling.

I look forward to another wonderful year with all my internet friends.

Happy New Year!

- Joy

Photo Credit: BigKidsLoveToys | CC 2.0

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]]> http://colorinmypiano.com/2010/12/30/end-of-the-year-update/feed/ 2 Current Giveaways in the Blogosphere http://colorinmypiano.com/2010/10/08/current-giveaways-in-the-blogosphere/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2010/10/08/current-giveaways-in-the-blogosphere/#comments Fri, 08 Oct 2010 13:48:42 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=2874 If you haven’t already seen these giveaways happening around the blogsphere, take a look below!

  • Natalie Wickham MusicMattersBlog.com is giving away six Suzuki violin cds (ends Thursday, October 14).  Click here to learn more.
  • Jenifer Cook at TheChurchPianist.com is giving away a copy of her book of intermediate level hymn arrangements, called “Showers of Blessings” (ends Friday, October 15).  Click here to learn more.

Best of luck and have a great weekend!

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]]> http://colorinmypiano.com/2010/10/08/current-giveaways-in-the-blogosphere/feed/ 0 Watch the International Chopin Competition Online http://colorinmypiano.com/2010/10/05/watch-the-international-chopin-competition-online/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2010/10/05/watch-the-international-chopin-competition-online/#comments Tue, 05 Oct 2010 11:16:33 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=2859 The International Chopin Competition, held in Warsaw every five years, is currently going on now and you can watch the contestants play online!

Click here to view the list of performers and pieces, and click here to view the online broadcasting.

Check it out!

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]]> http://colorinmypiano.com/2010/10/05/watch-the-international-chopin-competition-online/feed/ 1 Michigan Teachers: 2010 State Conference October 17-19 http://colorinmypiano.com/2010/09/28/michigan-teachers-2010-state-conference-october-17-19/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2010/09/28/michigan-teachers-2010-state-conference-october-17-19/#comments Tue, 28 Sep 2010 11:07:42 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=2818 For any fellow teachers in Michigan:

The Michigan Music Teachers Association (MMTA) State Conference is to take place Sunday, October 17 – Tuesday, October 19 at the Detroit Novi Sheraton (21111 Haggerty Rd., Novi).  Click here to for more information (including a link to the conference schedule), and click here to register.

Martha Hilley is this year’s Conference Clinician and Leon Bates is the Conference Artist.  There are many other sessions that look like very promising as well!  I am so excited for the conference to get here!

Not a member of MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) or your state association?

Just a few quick reasons to consider joining a professional organization such as MTNA:

  • Continue your professional development as a teacher by attending national and/or state conferences and local chapter meetings.
  • Network and share ideas with other teachers at conferences and local chapter meetings.
  • Become a certified music teacher (read more here).
  • Enter your students in competitions, SAT testing, and other events.
  • and more!  (Share your reasons in the comments!)

Read more about joining MTNA and your state association here.

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]]> http://colorinmypiano.com/2010/09/28/michigan-teachers-2010-state-conference-october-17-19/feed/ 0 Babies and Music http://colorinmypiano.com/2010/03/25/babies-and-music/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2010/03/25/babies-and-music/#comments Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:58:59 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=1745 Check out this interesting news article, reporting about a research study done on babies and their response to rhythm versus speech.  Here’s the summary from another site reporting on the same research:

Human infants are born to dance, researchers report online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Psychologists from the United Kingdom and Finland played an assortment of classical and children’s songs, drumbeats, baby talk, and regular speech for 120 infants ages 5 to 24 months. Speech inspired little motion, but music consistently got the babies into the groove. They moved to music with a clear rhythm and adjusted their movements as the beat varied. And the better the babies matched their motion to the music, the more they smiled. So while it remains a mystery how humans evolved our musical wiring, it’s now clear we enjoy it and always did.  (news.sciencemag.org)

Also see the corresponding video here.

Whether you believe that humans evolved their “musical wiring” or were created with it, this research confirms that humans have some sort of natural inclination towards music, apparent even at the youngest of ages.  It confirms what we as teachers have always known — humans should be developing their musical ability when they are young!

Isn’t it kind of amazing how well those babies in the video have a natural sense of beat?  I wish some of my students could keep a steady beat half as well as the babies in the video!  =D

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]]> http://colorinmypiano.com/2010/03/25/babies-and-music/feed/ 1 Upcoming Poster Session @ Mich. Music Conference http://colorinmypiano.com/2010/01/14/upcoming-poster-session-mich-music-conference/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2010/01/14/upcoming-poster-session-mich-music-conference/#comments Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:42:18 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=1459 Remember that improvisation paper for school that I’m been mentioning here and there?  Well, I’ve been accepted to present my research findings at the poster session on January 22 as part of the 2009 Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan!  I don’t know if any of you Michiganders out there are planning on attending the conference, but if you are, please drop by during the meet-the-author session at 10:30 and say hello!

What follows is my abstract, which gives you a sneak peak into what the upcoming series about improvisation will discuss (starting tomorrow!):

Incorporating Improvisation into Piano Pedagogy
and other music education settings with Western classical music
by Joy Morin

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a practical method for incorporating improvisation into piano pedagogy and other music education settings with Western classical music. Research reveals a decline in the use of improvisation in performance and pedagogy settings throughout history, accompanied by an increasing trend that favors accurate, literal renditions of music scores. The value of improvisation will be discussed: (1) that improvisation provides a way for musicians to be creative and express individuality; (2) that improvisation appeals to both the audience and the performer; and (3) that improvisation strengthens the connection between theory and practice for the developing musician.  The proposed method for incorporating improvisation is in answer to the common obstacles that music educators commonly face, lack of time, resources, or training, and is based around the idea that rather than teaching improvisation as a separate entity from other areas of teaching, improvisation can be incorporated into private lessons as a way to introduce and reinforce concepts that the student is already being taught in the lesson.  In consideration of this method, four recommendations for teachers will be made: (1) developing related skills in the student; (2) creating a conducive atmosphere for the student to improvise; (3) using improvisation as a way to introduce new musical concepts; and (4) conducting improvisation sessions that are a combination of musical concepts.  Although most of what is discussed in this paper is specific towards private piano teaching, implications for other music educators will be made.

(c) 2010 Joy Morin

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]]> http://colorinmypiano.com/2010/01/14/upcoming-poster-session-mich-music-conference/feed/ 0 New Nat’l Music Achievement Program in the US? http://colorinmypiano.com/2009/10/19/new-natl-music-achievement-program-in-the-us/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2009/10/19/new-natl-music-achievement-program-in-the-us/#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:53:42 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=1178 I recently heard that Carnegie Hall and The Juilliard School are considering the possibility of implementing a National Music Achievement Program in the US.  Here’s the lowdown:

The program would include the following characteristics:

  • Students would be evaluated by regional, reputable adjudicators using a pre-defined syllabus and repertoire list
  • Evaluations would be available several times per year in each area
  • Evaluations would be based on instrument performance
  • The evaluation would consist of 8 different performance levels, from beginner to advanced students
  • Students would receive a numeric score at the end of the evaluation
  • Students would be able to access their ranking in relation to other students across the country

The achievement program aims to benefit students and teachers in several ways, including:

  • Offer teachers materials to support their instruction
  • Help teachers track the development of their students
  • Enable students to understand their skill level on a national scale and gain recognition for passing each grade level
  • Motivate students to continue studying music by offering clear development goals

It is an interesting idea to consider.  I wonder if it will be similar to the National Certificate Program (based on the curriculum of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada)?  It sounds similar in some ways.  I’m not completely convinced that we need another National Achievement Program, but I do like that fact that this one would be “American made.”  My hope is that it will be something easily affordable for all students, and available for students in suburban and rural areas as well as urban.

To participate in the survey that Carnegie Hall and The Juilliard School are conducting about this possible achievement program, click here.  (The above information was quoted from the survey.)

(via Music Matters Blog)

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]]> http://colorinmypiano.com/2009/10/19/new-natl-music-achievement-program-in-the-us/feed/ 0 Highlights from Michigan Music Teachers Conference 2009 http://colorinmypiano.com/2009/10/15/highlights-from-michigan-music-teachers-conference/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2009/10/15/highlights-from-michigan-music-teachers-conference/#comments Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:24:08 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=1171 This past weekend was the Michigan Music Teachers Association 124th State Conference, taking place in Bay City, Michigan.  A couple of my fellow college piano pedagogy majors and I drove over to Bay City on Monday, to hear the conferences of the day.  Conferences are so great because they give you all sorts of new ideas and get you re-inspired!  Here are some highlights:

  • We had the privilege of hearing Jane Magrath present two sessions about piano teaching.  I can’t even express how fabulous her presentations were.  But here’s the biggest thing I took away from her presentations: when introducing a new piece to a student (say, intermediate level), guide the student through some steps towards analyzing the piece.  Example: “Let’s find some ways that will make learning this piece a little easier. Do you see any patterns in this piece?”  By identifying and labeling various rhythmic and melodic themes, the student can understand the piece at a greater depth and play with more understanding.  In addition, the piece suddenly becomes much less daunting.
  • Derek Polischuk gave a presentation about utilizing “Audio and Video Technology in the Studio to Provide Student Feedback.”  He uses the webcam on his MacBook computer to record during student lessons and post them onto YouTube in such a way that the student can login to this private area and view the movies.  Doing so is a great teaching tool and greatly motivates students.  After all, this is a day and age where kids understand technology so much better.  You can find his blog here, where he regularly posts various student videos, including projects by his college-level piano pedagogy students.
  • David Abbott spoke to us about “Beethoven through the Romantics: Pedaling and Issues of Interpretation,” highlighting some examples of places where the composer’s pedal markings are frequently not followed by pianists (qualified by the fact that our pianos today are so much different than back then). Abbott made the argument that we should be more true to the composer’s markings, for they might be indicating exactly the aural effect they were seeking to create.

What fun!  I am already looking forward to next year.  =)

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]]> http://colorinmypiano.com/2009/10/15/highlights-from-michigan-music-teachers-conference/feed/ 0 Earn 8% when you order sheet music http://colorinmypiano.com/2009/09/10/earn-8-when-you-order-sheet-music/ http://colorinmypiano.com/2009/09/10/earn-8-when-you-order-sheet-music/#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:20:40 +0000 joy (admin) http://colorinmypiano.com/?p=743 Picture 6Sheet 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 now: save 20% on piano method series (ends September 2). 

So sign up now, and start earning 8% back in rebates when you order your sheet music!

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