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.

February Members of the Month: The Redmond Family

Allow me to introduce you to our February Member of the Month, Alejandra Carranza Redmond.
Alejandra is a newer member, only having been a part of Busy Kids Do Piano for a handful of months, and has two daughters in the program. Monica is 9 years old, and Rebecca is 6. Her other daughter Clara, 2, is the lucky audience for her two older sisters’ performances. The girls attend school at home, which has made it simple to incorporate Busy Kids Do Piano into their learning. They access the BKDP online resources daily, which is surely a way to see more rapid progress. Great job, Redmonds!
BKDP came into their lives after the shutdowns had caused Monica to have to stop taking in-person piano lessons. Here are a few of their answers to our interview questions.

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Be a Kid Composer

Simply stated, I’m obsessed with fall. Around this time every year, I pull out my favorite coat and boots, and start wanting pumpkin-flavored treats and warm cider. For our download this month, I wanted to give your student an opportunity to relish the delights of fall as well. As we near November, the days are shorter, the rain clouds linger, and the leaves turn golden. It’s a very special, beautiful time of year and it tends to bring a certain vibe, a feeling quite different from the excitement of summer.  Continue reading “Be a Kid Composer”

Back-to-School Bingo

The classic game BINGO is a classic for a reason. From kids’ birthday parties to Tuesday nights at the senior center, the game appeals to all ages, in all seasons. I simply had to incorporate it into our Music Challenge Monthly series — a Back-To-School version for September — where I try to offer fun ways to teach supplemental piano theory to your students.  Continue reading “Back-to-School Bingo”

Composer Cash Incentive

There’s always something nostalgic and appealing about play-money, isn’t there? I grew up playing Monopoly and LIFE, and I remember loving a nice stack of pastel-colored cash. It felt so empowering to earn and spend my money, making grown-up types of deals with high dollar values. I bet you could tell me the color of the $500 bill in Monopoly, right? That’s how impactful these kinds of games are to us as kids! 

This month, I wanted to create that feeling for my students. The download contains printable Composer Cash, featuring a different composer on the various bills, as well as a reward chart. But the rest of the challenge is up to you, and provides a great opportunity for you to connect with your student in a meaningful way to discuss not only their piano goals, but also what kinds of incentives mean the most to them.  Continue reading “Composer Cash Incentive”

June Members of the Month

Meet Ryan and Jennie, and their two children, Abigail 13 and soon to be 11 Aidan. They are a homeschooling family in Tennessee! However, they have lived in Kentucky, Texas, and Minnesota.

family pic for piano Continue reading “June Members of the Month”

Spring Activity Pack

Do you have memories from childhood of hearing a song that made you feel happy, sad, or excited? At what point did you begin to associate music with different feelings? Many of us probably found some of this awareness around middle school or high school, when we began to experience more of the ups and downs of life. Most of us found songs to accompany us through those times. Music can be nostalgic and emotional. It can be a strong influence and a significant part of our stories.  Continue reading “Spring Activity Pack”

February Members of the Month

Meet the Nesbitt Family from California! They live in the beautiful San Fransisco Bay area. They are a busy family with two kids in the Busy Kids Do Piano program. Jonah is in 2nd grade and Kyle is in kindergarten. At the start of the pandemic the Nesbitt family started their own YouTube channel called This Japanese American Life.
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Q: What’s your musical background?

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Interview A Female Composer

In my early years of learning piano and music theory, never once was I taught about a female composer. We’ve all heard about the greats – all male composers – but this month, for Music Challenge Monthly, I wanted to get students thinking about why there simply aren’t many notable female composers in history. Since March is Women’s History Month, I thought it was a great opportunity to explore this gender inequity and bring into focus the handful of women who did manage to make their mark in music, though the odds were certainly against them.  

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January Members of the Month

Meet the Chan family, who live in California, around the San Francisco Bay Area.They are a family of four, Diana, her husband, Amelia Busy Kids piano student, age 7, and her younger brother age 3.  They adventured as a family to see snow for the first time this winter season.momjan
Q: What’s your musical background?
I can play some piano, but it’s always been off and on. I took a piano class in my elementary school for a few years. Then I took some lessons in high school and college. My husband played the trumpet and baritone horn in high school.

Continue reading “January Members of the Month”