Just Think Up! rowsellpiano

                                                     Thought for the day:

                                                          THINK UP!!

                                           I should probably explain myself.

 To use the body in a comfortable way, just think up.

 "Don't think of putting this body part here or that body part there. Just think up".

 "Too often we think of posture as a fixed position, but really it should be thought of in terms of direction. And that direction is up".

                                                       How easy is that?

 http://adventuresinbackpain.tumblr.com/post/19360888333/alexanderdays5-7

 On that note, this past week was an "up" week in piano lessons. I found myself, now that festival mania has passed, with the luxury of more time to work on technique and ease with my students.

 This led to the concept of "up" while playing. Interestingly, F.M. Alexander and I are on the same wave length.

                                                    It's the "up" that sets us free.

                                                       Now, how cool is that?

Musical Mix- Up

This past week, many young students were at the same juncture in preparing for their piano lesson; the rebirth of spring is also a time for the birth of new music.

How does one learn a new piece of music?

Once you've read through the piece, learned it hands alone (if necessary) and then put things hands together, it's time for a plan.

Divide your piece into sections, and, then identify and mark in the music, the phrases.

Number the phrases in order of difficulty, number 1 being the most difficult.

Mix up the music so that you play the most difficult phrase first, and the easiest phrase last. Never start at the beginning!

Repeat your phrase as many times as how old you are.

By the way, do you know what a phrase is?

Who is Your Success Story??

Private teaching is a job like no other. It is rich with varied experiences, and fulfilling through the personalities you meet and the talent you shape along the way.

I often reflect on the most rewarding moments in my career, an exercise which unveils my outstanding success stories.

Contrary to what you may be thinking, my biggest success does not always come from the student who wins the Rose Bowl, or the student who wins the largest prize.

While I take enormous pride in the talent and accomplishments of these top winners, success also comes in unexpected and subtle ways, through unassuming accomplishments that may not make headlines.

                                 Here is this years' biggest success story.

Several years ago, a very young student  began lessons with me. She had already taken lessons, but was a rank beginner in my eyes, as she had not yet developed any beginning piano skills such as the ability to read music. She was precocious, and was not keen to concentrate and learn. Or practice! In fact, 1/3 to 1/2 of her lesson was wasted before settling down to actually play the piano.

By the end of the first year, slight progress was evident in her ability to learn music and play the piano, but she did not fall in love with it, and her parent and she decided she quit, and try a different instrument.

As the new teaching year approached, this parent and student changed their minds', enrolled again, and gave the piano one more try.

The student studied for 2 more years, and progressed with just enough practice to get by.

                                       Then, something happened.

Magically, this lukewarm student of minimal interest was on fire. Competition pieces were learned and memorized months before the date. She was hanging on to every word I said, and week after week impressed me with her progress.

I planted the seed, and patiently waited. It took 3 years to sprout, but, when it did, the result was an up and coming musician to watch out for.

                     Who do you deem to be your greatest success story?

Can Sunny Girl Come Out to Play??

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/printissue/currentissue/893530-427/give_them_a_big_hand.html.csp 

  
                  "Puppets are great motivators for children who are learning to read".


The article at the link above, which promotes the use of puppets to help teach children to read, is the inspiration for this blog post.

Young children are so much fun to work with, but are not always keen to listen and learn. They are easily distracted,  require constant change of material, constant stimulation, and, movement during the lesson. I, the piano teacher, can be boring, although I use my most creative language in a high energy way when teaching the young.

                                         Sometimes, that is not enough.

                    What can one do to capture the imagination of a 4 year old?

This is where Sunny Girl enters. My female puppet, dressed fashionably in jeans and hip red sneakers, elicits the name of a certain note, or the drawing of a quarter note, in a way no human can.

My wide eyed student is now fascinated to learn about the grand staff, the time signature, or read the week's new piece with eyes up, and, her best concentration.



                                  Can Sunny Girl come out to play today?





               It's coming!!! creepy, crawly, scaly things.......will YOU be ready????

Avoid error in learning..............

As students begin preparing new music for exams and other, it is important to read and learn in the early stages with precision. Aim to avoid misteaks (!) in notes, rhythm and fingering from the start, by playing at as slow a tempo as necessary to avoid error.

Divide your music into sections, then phrases, for easier practice segments. Then, start at different places each time you practice. Don't always begin at the beginning, and play through to the end. Mix those sections up, and hit the most difficult spots first.

On the topic of precision in early learning, once a note or fingering mistake occurs, it can become a regular habit, no matter how hard you work to correct it!

http://www.musicinpractice.com/2011/knowledge-plus-ten-thousand-times-is-skill/

The article above says it all! Avoid error in original learning, (my motto for fast learning), and, finish with a better product.


 Read the article above, and you'll understand why!

It's coming!! creepy, crawly, scaly things!!! Will YOU be ready???? Check back for details!!

A Celebration of Music: Kiwanis Music Festival concert review

On Monday evening, "A Celebration of Music", presented by the Kiwanis Music Festival Association of St John's, showcased a variety of acts ranging from voice, piano, and violin, to flute, trombone, and choral singing.

This "must see" concert opened with the vigour of Instrumental Rose Bowl winners St Bonaventure's College Jazz Band, directed by Vincenza Etchegary.

"Stormy Weather", arr by Jerry Nowak, featured Hillary Simms, voice, whose lyrical and when necessary raunchy approach led the jazz band in this convincing blues number. Next up was "Madrid", Erik Morales, which was a lively rhythmic, and dynamic performance, with a certain wow factor. A great range of sound, satisfying blend, and super intonation highlighted this selection.

Young vocal trio , "The Glitter Girls" (as veteran emcee Clayton Handrigan introduced them), comprised of Mary Antle, Ella Antle, and Lisa Bourne, stole the show. Their entertaining stage presence and well choreographed antics complemented their sunny disposition, and, delightful unison singing. "Put On a Happy Face" followed by "One Small Voice" were great choices for their outgoing performance nature.

Flute soloist Lauren Stringer was another of the evening's outstanding talent. Her playing boasted a full, round tone, always clear, lyrical, and well projected, made possible by seemingly great breath control. A wide dynamic range and a natural sense of pulse resulted in beautiful, stylistic playing.

The concert continued with charming 7 year old pianists Jiwan Wang and James Song, 11 year old Maura Maguire, followed by the dignified piano trio of 10 year old Katie Steeves, Sarah Drover and Ella Sutherby. Later, teenage pianist Chelsea Abbott provided energetic Bach, and, musical Mendelssohn.

Vocalist Emily McKim offered a warm, appealing performance, while Maeve Collins-Tobin sang with sensitivity and clarity. Both girls were accompanied by solo guitar, an enjoyable companion to the voice in the folk-song genre.

Junior Vocal Rose Bowl winner Siobhan Donovan displayed moving, heartfelt gentleness in her lovely cohesive performance of Faure's 'Mai".

Violinist Alex Cho dazzled with his fanciful opening and formidable technique and precision.

Stars of the Festival would not be complete without healthy choral singing. In this category, Lakecrest Primary and Elementary Choirs graced the stage under the capable direction of Angela Warren. Expressive singing, great diction, and a flair for the dramatic defined the young primary group. The lively " Donkey Riding" sung by the Elementary Choir, was an audience favorite, obvious by the many who left for intermission singing this tune! Equally fine was St Bonaventure's College Elementary Choir, director Brenda Gatherall, with descriptive, nicely in tune, rhythmic singing.

The overall performance of Holy Heart Chamber Choir was stunning, as the choir moved the audience with extreme emotion and feeling. Under the direction of Susan Quinn, the Choral Group Rose Bowl winners performed with maturity and magic. Their exquisite pianissimos, perfect blend of SATB, and highly polished singing was quietly moving in "Esto les Digo", and spiritually uplifting in "Hold On". The choir excelled here with it's huge dynamic range and stylistic interpretation.

Hillary Simms, trombone, Junior Instrumental Rose Bowl winner, gave a confident, articulate performance, showing good stamina and sustaining quality as a trombonist. This musical girl was decidedly the busiest for the duration of the concert, to play yet again to close the evening with St Bonaventure's College Trombone Quartet.

                                                  Sally Rowsell is a pianist and teacher in St John's

It's easy now to leave a comment with my new comment download. Feel free to share your thoughts!

It Takes Three........ Kiwanis Music Festival of St John's, "Celebration of Music"

                             It Takes Three To get into Trouble as a Trio!

        ...........................................a piano Trio that is ...........................

Katie Steeves, Ella Sutherby, and Sarah Drover form the newest Trio in Town, a Triple Treat that had the privilege of performing on "A Celebration of Music", Kiwanis Music Festival of St John's.

rowsellpiano congratulates The Threesome on their first place festival performance, and, on their Stars of the Festival  performance.
                                                       ..........................

TIP OF THE HAT to Sarah Dormody of rowsellpiano as fabulous pianist for The St Bonaventure's College Jazz Band, in concert on The Celebration of Music. Way to go, Sarah!

                                                      ..........................

Finally, rowsellpiano bows to piano student Lisa Bourne for her entertaining 1/3 of  Celebration of Music's vocal trio. Loads of pizzazz, Lisa!




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HATS OFF TO.............................

rowsellpiano congratulates student Sarah Veber, winner of the piano play off, and pianist for the Junior Rose Bowl.

Congratulations also to student Meghan White, runner up in the play off for the Junior Rose Bowl.

Both students did a fabulous job, the result of much talent and hard work.!!!

The Junior Rose Bowl takes place at The Salvation Army Citadel, Thursday, March 1, 2012, at 2:00 p.m., and features the top junior winner in each solo category of the festival.

See you there!!!

rowsellpiano's classical music picks

 rowsellpiano.ca classical music picks:


For those of you shopping for classical piano music recordings, dvd's, and classical piano music scores, the link below takes you to a Canadian Amazon site with my top picks for purchase, based on my student's needs.

Clicking on any link should take you to the Amazon page where you can search for your specific purchase requirement.

Give it a try; I'd love your feedback on what to feature, and, how to make this work better for you.


http://astore.amazon.ca/rowsellpian08-20




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HOW MUCH SHOULD YOUR CHILD PRACTICE?

http://mindshift.kqed.org/2012/02/how-much-practice-is-too-much/

Interesting article for parents of gifted children, teachers, and students.

How much practice is enough? Should your child continue once the task is learned?

Click the link above for an interesting study that links the science of repetition to the art of music making.



It's coming!!! creepy, crawly, scaly things!! Will you be ready?? Check back for details!!




there is a new comment system on my blog, which should make it easy to leave a comment. please give it a try!

I LOVE TO PRACTICE CONTEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HEY, STUDENTS AGE 4-14, record your weekly practice minutes, post it on the blog, and you could be the monthly winner.

Keep a chart of how many minutes you practice every day, and then add for a weekly total. At month's end, the person with the highest practice score for the month is the winner!

It should now be easy to leave a comment, with my new comment system! Shout out your practice, and give it a try!

Write your full name, week dates, and the total number of practice minutes for the week. 

This promises to be fun! Contest begins Monday, October 10, 2011

FEBRUARY PRACTICE RESULTS rowsellpiano

                        FEBRUARY PRACTICE RESULTS




Student of the Month:             Sarah Veber

Most Improved Student:        Rubyanne Whalen

Most practice Minutes:           Joshua Veber