Piano Parent Podcast: Helping Teachers, Parents, And Students Get The Most Of Their Piano Lessons.

Click here to download this episode. Introductory remarks Listen to the full episode here 1. Why Butterflies? Adrenaline is one way your body works to protect you in a dangerous situation. Part of that protection includes making your heart and lungs work faster and stronger, making your muscles stronger, and helping you think more clearly to you can make quick decisions. The problem is, your brain wants to protect you and kick these things into action if you’re in real danger, say being chased by a bear, or not in real danger, say waiting to play your recital piece. Another group of muscles your brain puts on red alert is your stomach muscles. Since the early 1900s, that constriction of the stomach muscles has been called “butterflies in your stomach”. Maybe 'butterflies' sounds more gentle and calming that hummingbirds or ocean waves. 2. You Care The presence of butterflies shows that you care about this performance and that’s a very good sign. Because you care, you want to do your best. When you have the

Each year, about this time, music teachers around the world prepare their students for recital.  The question is WHY? I can’t speak for other teachers but I’ll use this post to explain why I think a formal spring recital is important along with more details about the way my studio recitals are conducted. Listen to the full episode here First, the WHY: I believe one of the best reasons for a recital is simply the enjoyment of music.  We often listen to music passively while driving in the car or working on other projects, so to set aside an hour to give our undivided attention to music is a gift, not only for the student, but also for each audience member. In addition to celebrating the beauty of music, a formal spring recital is just that – formal.  It provides an opportunity to reinforce all the manners parents want their children to learn and practice as civilized human beings. Sit still and be quiet while others are performing. Give your full attention to something outside yourself. Encourage the efforts

In case you didn’t know, this podcast is called the Piano Parent Podcast. Most episodes deal with common obstacles or struggles students face when learning to play the piano. Today, I’d like to spend our time together by focusing on just you, parents. Specifically, today I want to encourage you to stand firm and do not give in. Listen to the full episode here Click here to download this episode. Remember the goal is to train your child Since my youngest is 16 and my parenting skills are a little dated, I decided to check out what others say about modern parenting. This article by Robert Locke from LIfehack.org had some interesting things to say about this topic. He says it is a mistake to give in to have a quiet life. Many parents give in because they have to juggle credit card, shopping, trolley and a screaming child. The only problem about giving in and hoping for a quiet life is that the child has learned a new strategy. This will be used again and again. It works! I couldn’t agree more and I’ll talk a

In our fourth teacher chat, Beth Horton and I discuss hand hygiene and fingernails. Listen to additional teacher chats here. Listen to the full episode here Beth Horton Beth is a teacher in Lubbock, Texas who teaches in a multi-teacher studio, travels to students' homes, and offers online piano lessons. Beth will be featured in the next teacher interview coming out May 6, Episode 141. What do you expect as far as hand hygiene from your students? Beth - In a word, CLEAN. As for length, hold your hand up and look at your palm, if you see you fingernail over the back of your fingertip, your nails are too long. Shelly - "Biting your nails is gross," ~ Allison Thompson, the most popular girl in my fifth grade class. What problems can result from fingernails that are too long? Beth - Fingernails make a clacking sound on the piano keys. To avoid that sound, many students play with flat fingers. To play with flat fingers, their third knuckle will collapse, their wrist is arched, and there is so much tension in thei