Unexpected Reward!

Thumbtack BEST OF 2015

Wow!  I was surprised to see this in my mailbox today.  I made it to " The Best of 2015" award status on Thumbtack.  Thumbtack.com is a site where folks like you can find professionals in just about any field.

I started using this to promote my studio and drum up business after moving to a new area.  I gleaned a few great clients from the service and looks like I had some happy customers dropping some very nice reviews.

Did I mention that I enjoy teaching music?  I really do.  I've had a rough couple of months with health issues but feel that I'm on the verge of getting back to my busy self with music lessons.

Fall always brings on the holiday rush a little too early for my liking.  My studio clients (piano and voice students) are trying out some new curriculum, getting ready for an upcoming stint at a local nursing home, and gearing up for the holidays right along with me.

Today, I brushed off Halloween music and started handing that out.  I'm looking forward to the "ghoulish" results of my students hard work in practicing!

What Have YOU Done to Keep Musically "In Tune" This Summer?

For us, here in Kansas, summer break is coming to a fast close for school age children.  Two weeks away for a school start!  It can't be!

Mid May, I had ended with our Studio Piano Recital and would be in the hospital the following week for major surgery.  Knowing that I would be needing to have a long recovery time, I armed my music students with quite an arsenal for independent summer practice.  

Everyone was sent home with some new music to sightread and some unique theory challenges.  All for the sake of competition!  Sneaky?  Probably.  Effective?  We shall see!

Each challenge sheet was created with 100 stars to fill in.  That meant that piano students have needed to complete a task or two a day in order to completely fill in their charts.  

"What's in it for them?" you ask - 

A trophy!

Stay tuned for our trophy winner highlights. . . .

What have you done to keep musically "in tune" this summer?

- Miss Barbara

How to help your child practice piano - successfully!

I'm always looking for ways to help families work together with practicing piano in between lessons.

Enjoy this very informative article from one of my favorite resources - www.teachpianotoday.com

Piano Lessons? A Share-able for your Piano Studio…

July 22, 2013 : By Andrea

Has a piano parent ever asked you this question?  We all know that successful piano lessons require a “triangle” effort made up of parent, teacher and student.  

But if you haven’t been asked this question, and you’d really like your piano parents to know the answer, then we have the perfect list and attractive share-able for your piano studio website, Facebook page or blog (see below).  Tweet it out, share it, shout it from the rooftops! To use the image, right click and “save as” to your computer.

This is How You Can Help Your Child Be Successful in Piano Lessons!

1.  Provide a good in-tune home instrument – We’ve blogged about this before, but having a decent instrument at home is paramount to the success of your piano kid’s lessons.  Without a way to properly practice at home, your child will feel inadequate come lesson time and will rapidly lose motivation and interest.

2.  Attend lessons regularly with all needed materials and a well-rested child – Regular attendance ensures that your child progresses.  Progression leads to feelings of self-confidence and achievement.  Piano students need their books at every lesson as well as any other materials suggested by their teacher.  Keep books organized at home and teach your child learn to be responsible for their materials.

Children learn best when they are well-rested (not only in terms of sleep, but also in terms of “extracurricular over-load”) and when they are healthy.  Sick piano kids don’t retain very much… and result in sick piano teachers!

3.  Establish a consistent and daily practice routine – Piano lessons are one of the few extracurricular activities that require daily attention.  Choose a specific time of day that works for your family (before school, after dinner, after the bath etc.) and make piano practice a regular and consistent event every single day.  Avoid times that are hectic or rushed, remove distractions (like the TV or smaller siblings) and try to be in the vicinity to offer encouragement and/or help with piano practice.

4.  Be Positive… provide constant encouragement – Comment often on your child’s progress.  Remember the names of the pieces they are working on and make requests as you go about your day to encourage regular visits to the piano.  Show your pride by sharing videos, photos or musical phone calls with friends and family.  Help your child to identify themselves as a “pianist”.

5.  Stay involved!  Show that you value music by providing live-music opportunities, encouraging your child’s participation in recitals and performances and being a part of their daily practice in some way (even if it’s only as a happy listener).  Seek out opportunities to involve music in your daily routines (some great ideas here!)

By being an active member of the “Piano Teaching Triangle of Success” you ensure that your child gets full advantage of the many, many benefits of piano lessons.  

One fabulous way for parents to be involved in consistent piano practice is through the 88 fun practice activities found in “Shhh…Your Piano Teacher Thinks This is Practice”.  Even parents with no musical background can have fun sharing these activities with their child that are sure to result in lots of laughs and lots of learning!

School Year's A Comin'! Summer Is A Leavin'.....

School Starting Already??  But I still have things to do . . . .

This Summer has flown by way to fast.  Its hard to believe that here in Kansas and across the Nation, school starts in the next couple of weeks!

I'm gearing up by taking requests from returning students for new schedules, starting new students and doing several meet and greets for potential new students.  I'm also a bit up to my neck in school year preparation for a great year in making music!

But I still have tomatoes growing, flower beds to weed, cucumbers and zucchini growing in abundance and I'm not ready to conform to routine!  I love my summer days . . .

A cute Pin from my "pinteresting", interesting musical obsession on the importance of taking piano lessons or voice lessons and what it does to your brain -

How Music Lessons Can Make You Smarter

Long time, no see! Updates on our studio happenings . . .

Good intentions pave the way to . . . . procrastination?  busyness?  no time to blog?

I've neglected this portion of my studio but that does not there's happenings going on!  In fact, we have a lot going on these days!!

Over the weekend, I had an opportunity to work with the Shawnee Mission School District's Junior High School Music Competition at Westridge Junior High School in Overland Park.  What a great experience for me as an adjudicator!  What talent we have in these young artists!!

One of the reasons I became a private music teacher is to pass on the legacy of beautiful music making.  I may not be famous and do not seek for fame, I may be just me.  But passing on the gift of music, the knowledge of and ability to read music, the love of music - this is why I do this, why I teach.

I felt inspired that young beginners, teens and adults who take lessons at my studio will be extraordinary musicians with the time and practice they put into creating and learning the language of music.  They are just as talented as the crew I worked with over the weekend at Westridge!

The studio is growing and in two weeks, we will be gearing up to put on a musical showcase at Bickford of Overland Park.

I am looking forward to seeing what the summer brings!

For the Love of Music, Part 1

For the Love of Music, Part 1

When I first came up with the idea of starting a music studio back in 2004, I had no idea what I would be getting myself into.  I had a pretty good career path working in the Corporate world and getting good at what I had chosen as a profession.  

Stress of being a newly wed, having an instant family with two wonderful step-children and trying to maintain a home made me take a look at my priorities.  I took a hard look and have never looked back.  

Most of my readers are students and perhaps there's not enough time during piano or voice lessons to tell you about my background.  

Let's start with piano . . . . 

My life has always included a musical background.  I would dare say I have it in my DNA!  My parents always played music in the home since the time I was a baby.  Dad has this incredible collection of classical music and we often found the house booming with big overtures coming from those stereo speakers!!  Loud enough to shake the house.

Loud enough to shake my core and instill the love of music.

My parents found that whenever we'd visit Grandma's, I was busy at her piano.  Grandma S. played the black keys only, but boy could she play!  She played a mean "When the Saints Go Marching In".  I can't remember if I ever learned how to do that as good as she could do it.  

One thing we discovered real fast is that I had the ear to hear a tune and attempt to plunk it out.  At least the melody line!  Something had to be done.  So two very loving and poor parents scrambled to find a piano for our home.

This klunker of a piece of furniture took up a good section of a wall or room.  I think my folks paid next to nothing for it and it was a bugger to move!  Half the keys didn't work and thanks to little sisters, some of the ivories had been destroyed or ripped off.

Half the time, my parents couldn't afford me to be in piano lessons so thanks to Grandparents, I had that opportunity.  There were a lot of start and stop moments in my musical career as a child.  But I managed to learn enough to start teaching myself how to play what I liked.  

The gift of the ear didn't hurt either.  I remember hearing the theme song of "Hill Street Blues" and spending hours at the piano to figure that one out.  I did.

My gifts have grown with me.  As I continue to teach, so does my love of music.  

Through my life, I have discovered music to be an outlet that has saved sanity, lifted others and been a great medium for me to express myself.  I am every much of an artist as a painter, sculptor, writer, actress, and the list is endless.

All for the love of music.   

Opportunities

Its no surprise that being in a new community and re-starting my studio bring opportunities for change and growth.

Looking back to this past month of getting settled into a new studio space and home, I am pleased with the results of our hard work.  Hours have been spent creating an online presence and brainstorming for online and offline marketing ideas.  I'm finally seeing Heart and Soul Music Studio name popping up fairly high in the great world of "Google" search engine under "piano teacher", "piano lessons", voice lessons", etc.  

Yay!

Contributions of idea sharing has been happening with KCMTA (Kansas City Music Teachers Association) and I have suddenly found myself with a job to do this year for this group!  I will be helping compile and collaborate an online monthly forum post for teachers, by teachers.  We will choose a topic a month and go from there in sharing ideas and knowledge.

Today I met with a music teacher of a local Catholic private school.  She gladly took some of my cards to share with others.  We also discussed my involvement in donating free lessons to an upcoming fundraising event.  Its been a long time since I had the wiggle room in my studio to do that.

I hope that I can be a contributor.  The secret to contribution and service is two-fold.  You always seem to get more than the giving.  The sense of helping others seems enough for me.

I love the sense of community here in Overland Park.  I'm glad we made this move.