Category: Mom Stuff

Creating a Piano Practice Space

When a parent of a student calls me and says, “Johnny is really resistant to piano practice lately,” the first question I ask is, “Where is your piano located?”

More often than not, I’ll learn that a student’s piano is located in a cold, damp basement or in their bedroom, leading the student to feel like he’s “missing out on the action” when he goes to practice piano.

This doesn’t mean your piano practice space needs to be a Pinterest worthy room of expensive decor and laminated practice charts.

What SHOULD a piano practice space look like? Read on for my tips… Continue reading “Creating a Piano Practice Space”

Royal Wedding: THE MUSIC!

I know I typically use my blog to share valuable practicing tips, musical resources and all kinds of super important stuff with readers.

Today I’m blogging about the music from the Royal Wedding.

While this might seem a bit “off-topic” for me, I actually think using real life moments and events to draw musical connections is an awesome and exciting way for kids to learn. And there was so much great music in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding that I simply HAD to make it a teachable moment! Continue reading “Royal Wedding: THE MUSIC!”

Adding Games to Your Musical Learning

A few months ago I surveyed students in my online programs to ask what topic they wanted me to discuss on my Facebook Live broadcasts. I was expecting it to be something about practicing strategies, but overwhelmingly, they chose the topic of “Adding Games to Musical Learning.”

THIS is my specialty! I love making piano lessons and practicing fun, interactive and playful.

Watch the video below for some ideas to add practicing and theory games to your piano routine. Continue reading “Adding Games to Your Musical Learning”

Piano Lessons CAN Be Fun.

Sometimes a piano parent will surprise me by sharing a really negative experience or association with piano lessons.

“My teacher used to yell at me all the time if I didn’t get something right.”

“My teacher insisted on hour long lessons when I was 5-years-old and it was so difficult for me to sit still I would end up in tears.”

“Piano lessons were just so serious.”

There are many students who thrive with intensive study under strict, no nonsense teachers. Continue reading “Piano Lessons CAN Be Fun.”

Piano Practice Rewards: Why and How to Do Them

If the idea of piano practice rewards causes you to cringe, let me tell you a story.

I once had a piano student who was incredibly bright and had so much potential as a pianist. When she first started lessons with me, she was excited about how easily things were coming to her and practiced ALL THE TIME. As a result, she progressed quickly and was confident in her abilities.

As she progressed, things became more challenging, and she grew frustrated. Rather than working through the frustrations between her lessons with me, she resisted practicing. After a few weeks of having what seemed like an identical piano lesson to the last as we worked through challenges in her music, I called her mom to ask how practicing was going at home. Continue reading “Piano Practice Rewards: Why and How to Do Them”

Making A Practice Plan.

At my high school, piano was a required “class”, and therefore, piano practices were something scheduled during the regular school day. I believed this to be a serious advantage because I no longer had to figure out a time to schedule practice between all the homework and extra-curricular activities that were beginning to fill my after-school hours.

The piano practices were held in the basement of our school building. Six to seven rooms were in the area with a piano in each, and a monitor would sit in the main area, strolling around and peering through the window into each practice room at regular intervals to make sure that students were, indeed, playing the piano and not reading books or doing other homework during this 40 minute period. (This was before cell phones, so you can only imagine the distractions that must take place now!) Continue reading “Making A Practice Plan.”

Finding Community Musical Resources.

I live in a small, rural town at the time of this writing. We moved here from a suburb of Milwaukee, and I remember feeling apprehensive that I wouldn’t have access to as many musically enriching opportunities for my family upon our move.

But was I ever wrong! We have been in our little town for nearly 8 years and traveled to many other neighboring small towns across our state . I continue to marvel at all the community resources available to myself as a piano teacher, and to my children as music students and lovers-of-music. Continue reading “Finding Community Musical Resources.”

Summertime Music Opportunities

Since my kids were babies we’ve made a habit of attending outdoor concerts, classical music festivals and library “concerts on the lawn” during the warm summer months. As it finally starts to warm up in our area, my almost-5 year old asked, “Now that it’s summer, when can we go to a concert?” Continue reading “Summertime Music Opportunities”

Sibling Rivalry At the Piano.

I teach many siblings at my studio and in my online programs, and I love that so many families are making musical education a priority in their household. (Plus, a little sibling rivalry can be motivating, right?)

Having a sibling in piano can be a wonderful thing. You have a duet partner, someone to ask questions to if you’re struggling, or perhaps even someone who motivates you to practice! But, it can also be tricky. Continue reading “Sibling Rivalry At the Piano.”

How to Participate in Your Child’s Music-Making.

So often, parents of students come to me with practicing struggles. They are exhausted from having to nag their child to practice, are running out of incentive ideas or perhaps have let practicing slide for awhile and aren’t really sure how to get back into healthy practice habits. Continue reading “How to Participate in Your Child’s Music-Making.”