Congratulations to Michael for winning the "Notes in the Fast Lane" Race for the week!!  Michael identified all of his level 1 notes in 21 second the first week and after practicing for a week was able to beat his own score and did them in 7 seconds! 
Way to go Michael!!!  :)

This week we are practicing the level one notes backwards and trying to beat our scores again!  Good luck!

    Over the years I have had many parents that want their child to take piano lessons, but only have a keyboard at home to practice on.  I am often asked- what is the difference between a keyboard and a piano?  Do i really NEED a piano?

    My opinion is YES, students NEED a piano.    I understand that a piano is a financial investment and probably not one worth making if a child is not fully committed to the piano, but a keyboard should never be a long-term solution.   After a few months of taking lessons, a student should know if they want to continue and if so, it is definitely a good idea to make the room, find the money and buy a piano.  Taking piano lessons without a piano at home to practice on will only hinder the process substantially- meaning taking lessons longer...and paying for them longer. 
Here are some good reasons students need to practice on a piano rather than a keyboard.

1.     Our fingers have muscles!  And, it takes finger strength to press the keys of a piano- not so much for a keyboard. 
    I have often taught very young students whose fingers could not even press a key without all the other fingers of the hand rising up to help!  This is because the finger strength has not yet been developed.  After a few months of practice, they can easily keep all their fingers in perfect position, fingers "glued" to the keys and press each key with a single finger.  Even older children and adults beginning lessons will need to develop finger strength, just not to the degree of a very young student.   Practicing on a keyboard will not strengthen the muscles as quickly, if at all, and students struggle when they come to lessons and try to play on a real piano.  
    Finger strength is developed when the fingers are exercised on the piano keys.  The keyboard just doesn't have the resistance and "stiffness" that a piano does.  This to me is the main reason to invest in a piano.  A student will learn quite a bit slower and will have more frustration and difficulty if they are not practicing on a piano every day.   I have seen amazing improvement in students when they switched from a keyboard to a piano. 

2.  The keys of a keyboard are smaller and there are not as many. 
    A lot of playing the piano is done by "feel" and muscle memory.  Often on a keyboard, the keys are smaller in width.  Because of this, a student practicing on a keyboard will have difficulty when they come to lessons or play on a real piano because their fingers are not used to the distance between the keys.  
    Along with that, there are not as many keys on a keyboard and as the student progresses, their music will require more keys than a typical keyboard has.

3.  Keyboards cannot play dynamics!
    Dynamics are the "louds" and "softs" of music.  This is a main component of a good piece of music, they add the drama!  Who would like to listen to music that never increased in volume at a climatic point, or was not so quiet at an emotional point?!
    Pianos keys are made that when pressed lightly, the hammer hitting the string hits it very softly and creates a very soft tone.  And reversely, when the keys are pressed firmly, the hammer hits the strings hard and creates a very loud tone- and everything in between.  This is one of the most exciting elements to playing a beautiful piece of music!  If a student doesn't get to experience this, not only are the listeners missing out, but the student is too!  It brings so much satisfaction to a pianist to be able to express the music with feeling created through the dynamics of the piece.   Most of learning to play the piano is learning to move past just pushing the keys and adding the emotion through dynamics.

4.  Keyboards do not have damper pedals.
    A damper pedal is a pedal that sustains, smooths and carries the tones.  When the pedal is pressed, it moves the dampers away from the strings and allows the strings to vibrate freely.  A keyboard does not have one.  The damper pedal adds to the overall technique of playing and is a very important part.

    So, there you have it!  My opinion on "the great debate".  I'm sure you can see the many differences between a keyboard and a piano- and the importance of an actual piano.  Hopefully I pointed out a few things that you didn't even know, or hadn't considered before! 

    Now, with our technology these days, I'd say there are some amazing keyboards that have all the functions of a piano- these are often called "electric", or "digital pianos".  I have no problem with them if they meet the same criteria as a piano.   If you are wanting to go that route, things to look for would be- if they have "weighted keys", a "full keyboard" and a "damper pedal".  Also make sure the key width is similar to a piano key width.  I hear the main reasoning for buying a digital piano is often "the smaller size"- when in reality, it's probably the weight of the digital piano that makes it appealing, because if the keyboard is a full size, it's not going to be any smaller really.  :)

    So with that, happy piano hunting to all those students that are still practicing on keyboards!  If your budget is tight, go check Craigslist and Yard sales!  Or run over to a music store and check out their "rent to own" options. 

    Please feel free to comment with questions or tell us your number one reason you've been holding off on investing in a piano!  :)

Ready. Set. GO!  My students are brushing up on their note reading skills this month for our note race!  Can they be the fastest to name their notes- Bass Clef A?  Can they beat their own score after practicing for a week?!!  We will find out this week! 

WOW!  It has been a fun few months with these little Musicians!  These 4-6yr olds are AMAZING!  I think it's the perfect age to soak in all this great music information.  Here is a list of everything they have learned so far!! 

Take a look at everything we have been learning and ask your Little Musician about these!...

Rhythm– Fast and slow beats

Quarter Note gets 1 count

Half Note gets 2 counts

Dotted Half Note gets 3 counts

Whole Note gets 4 counts

Movement-  How different music makes us FEEL. 

Music is great for imaginative play!  The kids LOVE  dancing with the raffia sticks!

Dynamics– Loud and Soft sounds

you may have heard about our “two little music birds sitting on a cloud...one named soft, one named LOUD!"

Forte means LOUD

Piano means soft

Finger Numbers– Did you know playing an instrument requires numbering your fingers?! 

“THUMBS are Number 1” 

Staccato & Legato– Bumpy and Smooth

Note Names– We have just started learning the piano key names! 

In the next few weeks we will be learning about…

Piano Keys Names

Different Instruments

The Treble Clef and Bass Clef

Music Tempo

Keep it up Little Musicians!  :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS! I love this time of year, especially because my students have so much fun playing Christmas songs!  There is music written for all skill levels and it is so much fun for the kids to play songs that they KNOW!  Here is a link to a wonderful website with lots of beginner Christmas music to print and play. 
Have a MUSICAL CHRISTMAS!

We Wish you a Merry Christmas
Jolly Old St. Nicholas
Deck the Halls
Jingle Bells
The Twelve Days of Christmas
Away in a Manger

My Little musicians Class is doing great!  It's amazing that these little 4-6 year olds can learn so fast!  We have been playing games to help us learn our Quarter notes, and Half notes like this one pictured here.  This is "Music Note Mountain" that we played last week.  It is a lot of fun and the kids don't even realize they are learning! My youngest little musician- almost 4- even came back today and still remembered the note names and values!  Very impressive!  So proud of these little cuties!  We also played "Freeze dance" with classical music and "rafia wands" today.  This seems to be a favorite!  

Today is Wednesday...so since my kids have lessons today, they are practicing away! Oh, the beautiful sounds of MUSIC!  I have two middle school boys that are learning to play.  They are wonderful musicians, but get frustrated as all kids do sometimes!  
My practicing tip for boys- play it like a video game! If you make a mistake or "die", go back to the beginning and try to play the line slow and accurate with out "dying".  They pass the "level" when they make it to the end of the line with no mistakes!  Then they can go on to the next level...or line!  If they "die" on that level, they just go to the beginning of that line.
It's amazing how that simple concept changes everything!l...especially if they enjoy beating a challenging video game! 
Good Luck all you amazing pianists!  
-Miss April

I am so excited to start our group music class- Little Musicians! I'm getting the lessons ready and some surprises, too!  It's gonna be loads of fun! Invite your friends as we need more students if we are going to start in November! 
I would consider a Thursday morning class as well if there is an interest- I know some kids have preschool on Friday mornings.  Just need some feedback!  
Have a Great day!
-Miss April