Monday, September 10, 2012

What's Your Story?

Butterflies... trees... wind... ladybugs and frogs...  The combination of these can make a pretty terrific story.  Today was my first opportunity to introduce parents to the Play A Story program designed for 4 to 6 year olds.  What a treat it was!  

To give the parents a taste of what their children would experience, we explored our musicality through improvisation and play.  My favorite part of this introductory session was having a parent at the piano expressing herself through the piano while I read a story about the zephyr wind and its movement through the forest.  This parent had never had piano lessons before.  She placed her hands on the keys and let the story move her all over the notes.  And it sounded so lovely!  When the story ended, she gently took her hands off the keys and with a big smile on her face said, "That was amazing!"  

Music and story allow our focus to rest on a single moment in time.  Now.  And the feeling that comes from creating in the moment is like none other.  Bravo parents!  

The Play A Story classes will begin the first week of October!

Are there any 4 to 6 year olds in your world who would love to learn how to express themselves through music?  

Check out:  http://www.simplymusic.com/PlayaStory to find a teacher in your area!  and

http://www.rhythmnyou.com to learn more about my studio!




Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Lovely Surprises Along the Way...


As a human, I make assumptions about people.  As a teacher, I make assumptions about students and parents.  And I'm thankful for those moments when my assumptions (good or bad) are proved wrong because it's a reminder that I don't know everything.  There's something liberating in knowing that. 

When I get calls from excited parents about piano lessons for their 2, 3, 4 or 5 yr old, I take a deep breath and listen to everything they want to tell me about their little virtuoso.  But in the end, I make other recommendations.  Though Mozart was a gifted composer at the age of 4, I believed that HE was the exception to the rule.  And my "rule" had always been to begin teaching students somewhere around 6 1/2 years old or 7.  

Well, wouldn't you know it, someone had to prove me wrong.  Nancy Leung came to lessons for a Workshop I offered through Living Social.  She took her materials home and her little guy, Connor, started learning the songs on his own.  He was 5 years old at the time.  Connor is one of those little "Mozarts" who seems to eat music.  

Here's what Connor's up to now...





Since Connor began taking lessons, more little tikes have come into my studio and surprised me with their capabilities.  More to share on that soon...