Category Archives: Reading Music

Learning how to be “literate” in music.

My student scribbles on his music. How does he READ this?

Posted on March 12, 2012 by

Here’s a picture of what my student “Brad” did to his song. In fact, he does this to all of his songs. It’s like marking his territory. When I asked him why he did this, he logically explained “That’s how … Continue reading →

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Adventures in Piano Lessons – A student gets a taste of the professional world

Posted on February 9, 2012 by

“Gah!” said Mandy*. “What’s the matter?” I asked. “I just don’t know what they want? One girl wants me to transpose the entire song down, the other girl wants me to transpose it up. There’s so much to learn and … Continue reading →

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These gosh darn kids don’t know what they want!

Posted on February 2, 2012 by

I have been trying to get this one kid, I’ll call him Ian, to at least not hate piano for the last year. Finally, after over a year of me trying to get Ian to practice and always asking him … Continue reading →

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Practice Practice Practice Bach

Posted on December 13, 2011 by

They say that if you want to improve your hand dexterity, your should practice Bach. I’ve put about 50 hours of practicing this piece. Still a long way to go and about half the speed it’s supposed to be at. … Continue reading →

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Teaching piano by ear, and throwing out the rule book

Posted on November 21, 2011 by

  As a teacher, I’m constantly wracking my brains searching for new ideas on how to inspire my students to practice. And just because I’ve been teaching for the last 5 years, I’m always learning and running into new challenges … Continue reading →

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Benefits of Learning Music in an Ensemble (aka a band)

Posted on November 1, 2011 by

Ever wonder what the benefits would be if your child played in a music ensemble? Aside from team experience, the benefits could be more than you might expect. Here are the top ten reasons why you should get your child … Continue reading →

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Challenging yet gifted student

Posted on October 3, 2011 by

I’m teaching more little ones this year. Mostly it’s been great, however there are days when I feel like the energy is sucked right out of me. Last week, one of my young students, we’ll call him “Michael,” came into … Continue reading →

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The Simpsons – the piano version

Posted on June 30, 2011 by

I am an advocate of people learning music that they love, which might not necessarily be music that they can show off to their friends. I also have to practice what I preach. Soooooo………. I am currently learning the theme … Continue reading →

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Car Free Day Performance

Posted on June 21, 2011 by

Here’s another clip from the Car Free Day performance. Thanks to Pacey’s Pianos and thePiano Teachers Federation for setting this up. Pacey’s pianos is a great place for buying or renting pianos in Vancouver. These guys will make sure you get the kind … Continue reading →

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Posted on June 20, 2011 by

Yesterday I played for Car Free Day in Vancouver. Pacey’s Pianos and the Piano Teachers Federation were doing a free mini-concert that day. Here I am improvising classical music for the public. I wanted to improvise classical because when people … Continue reading →

Posted in Lessons, Music composition, Music Techniques, News, pacey's pianos, Piano, Piano Recitals, piano teachers federation, Practicing, Reading Music | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment