March Member of the Month

I am excited to introduce to you March’s Member of the Month, Amy Hochstetler.
Hochstetler
Amy has been a member of Busy Kids Do Piano for over 2 years, and her son Henry, 10 years old, is her star piano student. Little brother Jack, 6, gets to listen to all of Henry’s practice sessions. The boys attend school at home, which has helped enable the family to do lots of traveling. This year alone, they’ve visited 9 states!
One of Amy’s favorite things about the Busy Kids Do Piano program is that it’s flexible, able to meet their piano learning needs when they are back home in Maryland.
“We recently had our third child, and it has been difficult to get out of the house…I appreciate the versatility of both being able to do the lessons at home when we can, and also not doing the lessons during a busy season, knowing they will be there for us when are ready to return.”
After moving to a new state in the past year, Amy loved that they could take BKDP with them! She says, “It was nice to have the stability of our same music lessons in the midst of so much change.”
Here are some more of Amy’s and Henry’s answers from our interview.
What else do you love most about the BKDP program?
“I greatly appreciate the price of Busy Kids. It is an incredible value compared to traditional lessons, and makes music lessons possible for our family.”
Why piano, and what would you like to share about your family?
“Although I am not a great musician, I believe I benefitted greatly from my childhood [piano] lessons. It taught me to have a deep appreciation for music, even if I am unable to play it myself as an adult. I hope my children will have a deeper level of commitment to learning than I had as a child. I would love for them to be able to read music well and play in a church setting as they mature.”
Now let’s hear some input from Henry. What is one thing you liked to learn from the program?

“When I learn about a new scale in music, it makes me realize other songs I have heard before in the same key. Like when I learned about the A Minor scale, I figured out it is the same notes as ‘Arabian Nights’ from Aladdin.”

What advice would you give other kids who might want to try BKDP?
“Don’t get frustrated with your music, just keep working at it.”
What great advice, Henry! Perseverance is so important when learning something new.
Do you have anything else you’d like to tell us?
“My favorite animal is a cat. We like to foster them for the Humane Society. We feed them and play with them and let them get a taste of what it is like to be in a family. When they get big enough, we take them back…so they can be adopted by a new family. I also have a keyboard that can make lots of different sounds. I use it to make up songs. I don’t write them down, but I practice them frequently enough so I won’t forget.”
Wow, Henry, we love that you are a composer as well as a cat-caretaker! I’m sure your cats enjoy your unique compositions.
When Henry isn’t writing music or caring for their foster cats, he loves Matchbox cars, Legos, reading, and drawing. We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know the Hochstetler family. Accessing BKDP on their own schedule, as well as enjoying both the flexibility and price structure of the program, makes it a great fit for their family’s needs.

Piano Student Brag Tags

In my personal experience, when I feel successful at something, I’m more likely to stick with it. The same has proven true for my children as well. I’ve noticed that as their mother, I have a lot of power in how I shape my kids’ experiences; giving them feedback that is positive and encouraging always seems to help them persevere. This is true for piano learning as well, and let’s be honest, learning to play an instrument is not for the faint of heart. A student has to persevere through many iterations of getting the notes wrong before they can finally get them right. That takes some serious stamina, even for the most self-confident among us.   Continue reading “Piano Student Brag Tags”

Taking Kids to the Symphony

Taking kids to the symphony is a really awesome opportunity to help them understand how relevant learning an instrument is while also gain appreciation for musicians, musical instruments and different musical styles.

I often share in my livecasts and on my blog posts how important it is to nurture love and appreciation for music in your child. What better way to do this than through a live musical performance by excellent musicians? Continue reading “Taking Kids to the Symphony”

Piano Practice Motivator: Music Appreciation

Parents of piano students are always asking me for my best “piano practice motivator” ideas.

My number one go-to?

Music appreciation.

In this livecast, I’m going to give you TONS of actionable ways that you can help your student to develop an understanding of why learning to play the piano is a privilege. Continue reading “Piano Practice Motivator: Music Appreciation”

Let’s Talk About Piano Technique.

Technique is not a very exciting word. I am envisioning your eyes glazing over at the computer screen as you read the words “piano technique”.

Believe me, if I could come up with a sexier word to introduce this topic, I would!

Even though it sounds rather boring, piano technique is super duper important. And there is SO MUCH to it. Continue reading “Let’s Talk About Piano Technique.”

Piano Practice for Kids with ADHD

If your child has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), you probably are aware that practicing piano presents challenges. I have worked with many piano students who have ADHD. One of my own children was also diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago. Piano practice for kids with ADHD does not look the same as it does for a typically developing child. I am happy to say that through my own experiences as a mom and piano teacher, I’ve discovered some truly effective strategies when it comes to piano practice for kids with ADHD. Continue reading “Piano Practice for Kids with ADHD”

Teaching Expressive Piano Playing

I often attend workshops and conferences for piano teachers and have the opportunity to observe adjudication sessions with piano students from many different age groups. Expressive piano playing ALWAYS comes up during these sessions. Continue reading “Teaching Expressive Piano Playing”

Brain Breaks for Piano Practice

When my daughter was in kindergarten, I often volunteered in her classroom. Upon my first visit, I was struck by a brilliant concept I had never heard of or experienced: brain breaks. Continue reading “Brain Breaks for Piano Practice”

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”

Summertime Piano Practice: Tips and Ideas

If your anything like my family, your summer schedule probably looks a little bit different than your schedule during the school year (maybe even a LOT different). Our days tend to not have quite as much structure and more free time, but we also have some pretty big interruptions to the new “normal” with family vacations or even hosting friends and family as they come to visit. Does this mean summertime piano practice is nonexistent in your house?
Continue reading “Summertime Piano Practice: Tips and Ideas”