Piano Wizard P.S.

I have had a lot of questions and feedback from my local homeschooling community and I hope this post may clarify some things or you too.

First of all, Piano Wizard launched it's Kickstarter campaign yesterday, and I am excited to have an i-pad app to go with the game.  Check it out.  They have some amazing stretch goals- ideas for other apps they would like to develop, and they have some awesome deals available.  There are smaller versions of the software that are usually not a purchase option too.


In relation to that, those who are unfamiliar with Kickstarter may not know how it works.  Kickstarter is NOT a donation program, as business builders are not asking for you directly to donate to their new project.  They put together a series of rewards they will offer individuals depending on how much money they back up the project with.  Kickstarter is a way for them to bring their project idea to consumers to see if there is enough interest before they make the actual investment of creating a product.  If there are enough backers, the project gets funded, the product is made, and the backers get the reward they signed up for, delivered according to the individual terms and conditions.  If there are not enough backers, nobody gets charged any money and the business owner knows there wasn't enough interest.  Overall it is a win-win situation.

Second, yes, I am an affiliate for Piano Wizard.  I love their product and they have an affiliate program.  Naturally I signed up.  That's what bloggers do.  :)  But I am first and foremost a fan.  During this kickstarter campaign, I would rather see the sales go through this endeavor.  I'm eager for them to be able to fund their app creations.

I have also had some feedback on the very long sales page that my affiliate link goes to, also as seen when you click on the Piano Wizard banner add on the side.

Yes.  The link I shared is a big long sales page.  But as an affiliate, the best price I can offer you is through that sales page letter.  I could have shared a link to their main website, but while there is a lot of helpful information there, the overall price is more.  I like to get a good deal as much as anyone else.  I actually purchased through someone else's sales letter page.  Piano Wizard is a big investment, and I actually found the sales page information to be very helpful, especially the videos.  It clarified a lot of my questions and helped me know what to expect.  But my bottom line reasoning for using it was the price on that page.  I also know that if anyone does a little shopping online, they will find the Sonlight price, and I want to be able to match it.  Sonlight is a great company and all, but I would rather keep the sales I genuinely refer, and I can only do it if I can match their price.  This sales letter is my only way of doing that.  Also, right now they are not shipping from their main website because of the Kickstarter campaign, which, again, I fully support and encourage you to purchase through.  However, I was wrong to say on facebook that they wouldn't ship at all.  If you buy through affiliate sales pages, they will still ship them.  I thought it was great that a Piano Wizard respresentative read through my comments and clarified this point to me, even though they especially want to see the Kickstarter campaign be successful.  I have been very impressed with my correspondence with the representatives of this company.  They are simply good, honest people and their customer service has been great.  Yes, I had to use it a few times while I was setting everything up.  haha.

I will also throw in a free copy of "The Solfege Train" to anyone who purchases Piano Wizard through my link, which is the same offer I have made for "Little Musician".  I am also in the works of putting together some printable games and activities with the Piano Wizard colors, but I am still working out the logistics with their company.  These would be drawn from "The Solfege Train", but with their patented color system.  Right now they are swamped with the kickstarter campaign, so let's just say this little bonus won't be available next week.  Even so, I am excited that they have expressed a willingness to work with me in that respect.

To my local friends I offer to show the Piano Wizard Academy materials in person and I will do my best to answer any more questions to anyone, either on or offline.  :)

Piano Wizard Review

Piano Wizard, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.  But first, let me give you a tour.

I love the fun animation that draws my children to the program.  They can practice the same song on levels one and two in several different "worlds", with a variety of icons.  They can choose whether they are in the ocean, in outer space, in dinosaur land, or skiing down the hill with Santa Claus, among other things.  This variety makes practice time less dry and more fun.  In the beginning, it is very much like a video game- a wonderfully fun video game- but it goes much farther than that.  Piano Wizard works like training wheels with the goal of getting you OFF the computer and into your piano books.  The best part is that my children recognize this important difference and long for it as much as I do.  They love to learn the song on the computer, which is a safe haven where they can learn the correct fingering, rhythm, steady beat, and correct notes in a fun environment.  However, like me, they recognize that this is just a game mode and they want to play out of real books, without the aid of the screen.  My 4-year-old daughter was quite proud of herself when she took the book to Grandma's house and was able to play for her on their non-electric piano.  From the beginning the curriculum is designed to get you off screen and I love it.

I love how the curriculum starts at the very beginning but progresses rapidly.  Like many piano courses, it begins on the two black keys- notes that are easy to find, and promote better hand posture.  Here my 2-year-old plays the first song on level one.

And here my 4-year-old plays the seventh song on level 5 (out of the book).  We filmed this two days after she started this song.

My 6-year-old son has really struggled putting his two hands simultaneously together in the past.  In songs that require it, his approach has always been to play the left hand first, hold the notes down, and then add the right hand.  Otherwise he has done quite well in the piano, knowing the rhythm and quickly picking up how to read notes.  Anyway, it was the hands together thing that has really been a struggle for us.  Here he plays "Merrily We Roll Along", which is the fourth song in the curriculum, on level three.  Within 5 minutes Piano Wizard had him playing two notes together- something I, with all my piano teaching experience, had failed to do up to this point.  So this next clip represents a major breakthrough for us.  It has not been the last.

One thing about the software that at first I wondered about but now, having seen it in practice, have grown to love, is the way Piano Wizard scores your playing and only reinforces correct behavior.  You can play all the wrong notes that you want and it won't dock your score.  To a degree that's where Mom comes in.  For example, in the first song that only uses the two black keys, a child could hypothetically bang on those two black keys with both hands the entire song and they would get 100%.  That's cheating and I tell my kids it doesn't count.  But in actual practice, if the kids DO start banging around and loose their focus, they get a lower score, and they know it.  They know that they have to get 90+% to get their sticker and finish their piano for the day, and to do that, they have to focus.  If they are playing a lot of wrong notes, they won't score high enough because that 10% margin of error is usually applied not to wrong notes but instead to late notes- if you don't play it in time, you don't get credit.  So there is a major focus on playing the right notes at the right time- only then will you get the high score you seek.  I also like this because, let's face it, there are a lot of little kids in my family.  When I practice, it's nice for me to be able to focus on my own game without having to shoo them away.  They can bang on the upper and lower keys all they want and it won't effect my score.  They can improvise around a melody.  If they are memorizing a song, they can tell the software to play either the left or right hand only while they play hands together, then they can work on hands together with the visibility challenge shown in the first video. The icons in levels 1 and 2, and the notes in levels 3 and 4 have animations that will ONLY be activated if they are played at the right time.  If an icon fails to turn into an animation, THEY know, without my input, that they have missed that note, and because they want a better score, they will try harder to fix it next time OF THEIR OWN ACCORD.  Children are not that unlike birds and other animals- they train best with positive reinforcement.  This software gives it to them.  As a piano teacher, I used to mostly only point out notes played incorrectly to my students, telling them what was wrong and how to make it better.  Granted, I was always eager to praise them and I tried to always give them as much praise as I could.  But it is impractical and would be rather annoying if I were to say "right, right right" after every correct note they played, staying quiet on the notes they missed.  But it's not annoying for a quiet animation to do the same thing.  Teaching my own children, my role is to pull out the stickers when they get a 90+% score, and then to give them feedback as a regular piano teacher when they reach the 5th level.  This is something that does not take years of training to do, and I imagine most parents will be able to help their children in this way. 

As my younger sibling's piano teacher, I am not there every day to help them practice, but Piano Wizard will likewise transform my role as a teacher.  Instead of the standard model of them coming and passing off every song before being assigned a new one, I will now be more of a mentor.  They can show me their progress, but they don't need me to stamp my approval on every song before they move on.  Instead, I will help them work on their goals, give them feedback on their technique and form, offer suggestions, and help them learn how to compose their own music- music that we can plug into this software.  I loved having piano lessons with the "mentor" model when I was a teenager, but now I can teach with this model much earlier, and I have Piano Wizard to thank.

(some of the images in this video are outdated, but I like the general overview and how the methodology is explained in this video.)

Piano Wizard is also great for teaching improvisation, not just in jam mode, but during regular songs as well.  I would love to do a separate post on how I do this, but I cannot promise it right away.  Someday.  I love Jazz piano and played in the Jazz bands when I was in college, so this is a subject that is near and dear to me.  I am excited at how Piano Wizard is so adaptable for so many different needs, and this is another one that it meets beautifully.

I love the online campus.  When you purchase the Piano Wizard curriculum, you become a "gold member" and have access to bonus materials, videos, as well as the free-version content like the forum.  I have not fully explored this resource yet as it is vast, but I was particularly thrilled with one of the bonuses- the LDS Hymns and primary songs.  One of the reasons the MIDI adaptability was so appealing to me is because I want my children to learn these songs- to be able to practice the songs that they are learning in primary, and to be able to play the hymns as they grow older as there is always a great need in our church for members with this skill.  In fact, in Utah among Mormons, it is a popular requirement for parents to tell their children that they have to take piano lessons until they can comfortably play the hymns.  Only then will they let them quit if that's what they want.  Many parents told me this was their goal when I was teaching piano.  As a parent, I'm not much different.  While I want my children to be able to do more than just play the hymns, one of my primary goals is to prepare them well to be able to serve the church as a musician- both in playing the hymns and being able to serve as an accompanist.  So I had the goal of making MIDI files for the hymns and primary songs.  I was SO thrilled and impressed that this was one of the bonuses available for download from the academy.  If you are LDS and have similar goals for your children, you will be happy to know that Piano Wizard has made this part easy for you.  There is also a wonderful library of Christian music, so while the Piano Wizard curriculum itself is a secular program, some of the bonuses make it very easy to adapt it for religious use.

Free Piano Lessons 4 Kids Review

Today I'm so excited to share a wonderful resources with you- FREE piano lessons!  No joke, check it out.

https://www.hoffmanacademy.com/


His videos are also available on YouTube, like this one.

When I was a teenager, I remember asking my Dad, an entrepreneur, why he one of his products was so much less than his competitors.  Why not charge the same and make more money?  His answer was that he knows how much he himself loves to find a bargain, and how much bargains have helped him raise a large family.  He said that whenever you can make something more affordable, you are doing a service to your customers.  He told me he would rather serve 100 people to make $100 bucks than rake a couple of people over the coals for the same amount of money.  Likewise, he likes to give his business to people who share that philosophy and are serving the community with their business.  Yes, you do have to put food on the table, people understand that, but the wonderful thing about making something affordable is that you will attract more customers.  You serve more people, and you still have your needs provided for.  That lesson from my Dad has really stuck with me.

In the music education business, websites like freepianolessons4kids are a breath of fresh air.  As a musician, I have been really surprised at the cost of many music materials.  Math websites an resources are a dime a dozen.  Same goes for reading, spelling, and writing.  Why not music?  I've been so shocked at the price tag of some of the music products I've come across in the past.  When I first examined Joseph Hoffman's site, I immediately thought of what my dad had said and I loved it right away.  He is a good man who sincerely wants to help more children learn the fundamentals of music and he has made it very affordable.  This website is a real gem and a service to the online community.  This is his business model:

The piano lessons are free.  Completely, totally, 100% free on YouTube.  They are the meat and potatoes, and they are designed so that you don't really need anything else to progress through the lessons.  Isn't that wonderful?  The lessons are fantastic too.

For sale is the e-book that has a printout for every lesson.  Sometimes it's a cutting activity.  Sometimes it's a coloring activity.  Sometimes it's the music written on the staff so you can become more familiar with reading music.  There's a rich variety from lesson to lesson.  It's very well done.  You can also purchase the videos on DVD.  I love this business model.

So now that we know that it's affordable and I like his business model, it's time to look at why I love the piano lessons themselves.

First off, my kids love them.  They really love Mr. Hoffman.  My 4-year-old is so proud to tell people that she is taking piano lessons and Mr. Hoffman is her teacher.  Every time we finish watching a video she waves at the screen and says "Goodbye, Mr. Hoffman!"  She really loves him.  My 5-year-old especially enjoys the movement incorporated into the lessons, and the Early Learning community will be happy to know that while my 2-year-old hasn't actually played the lessons on the piano, he is gaining a lot from the lessons as well.  He is able to count the rhythms "ta, ta,  ti-ti, ta", sing the songs, and overall has a good sense of accomplishment at the end of the lessons.  He knows he is getting piano lessons too and he loves it.  Mr. Hoffman is his music teacher too.  I don't hesitate to recommend these videos to very young children, they don't have to practice on a piano to benefit.  (although obviously for best results you would.)  Concepts like low and high, fast and slow, steady beat, the music alphabet, and SOLFEGE are taught very well and thoroughly. 

I think it's awesome that he teaches solfege.  He teaches the ABCs and incorporates movable do (which I prefer over fixed do) into the lessons, so Do-Mi-So is synonymous with a I chord.  By the end of the e-book you are playing simple melodies, like the frog song in my review video above, in the right hand, while accompanying with chords in the left hand.  And they kids will understand the why behind the chord as well.  I love the theory in the lessons, and the e-book reinforces it very well.  By the way, it's a full-color e-book, I just printed it out in black and white to save ink.

I love the story he uses to teach where the C is on the piano (and all the other letters).  It really stuck with my kids.  We've been using a piano insert with the letter names and the kids have been reluctant to get rid of it.  Well, shortly after watching these video clips, my 4 and 5-year-olds told me they didn't need it anymore.  And they were right!  So check out his videos for that perk alone.

The videos are short and sweet.  This is great for short attention spans.  You can move at your own pace.  Since my children have already had some piano exposure, we've been going through about 3 lessons a week although we will need to slow down soon.  If they don't "get" a topic, they can watch the video again.  It's short enough they can watch it before practicing each day really.  So go slow.  Go fast.  It's up to you.  Mr. Hoffman is always encouraging.  If the kid didn't practice for a week there's no awkward apologies necessary.  Just pick up where you left off and work through it.  I am finding that short video lessons with worksheets and other non-media reinforcement afterwards has been the best education model for my kids and our family.  That's what we're doing with http://thehevproject.com/ too.  It's a great way to learn.

I've hit on it already, but I love the kinesthetic reinforcement.  Children stand up and move to demonstrate Do-Mi-So, proper posture, bad posture, and steady beat.  Awesome.

I love the Kodaly elements that are in the lessons.  I recognize that influence, and I think it's fantastic.  Things like showing notes on a one-line staff, rhythm solfege, the rhythm and letter flashcards, and the kinesthetic elements are things I associate with the Kodaly/Orff teaching methods.  The most powerful, life-changing music class I had in college wasn't one required for my vocal peformance degree.  It was my Orff training I had one summer before I internshiped with the Cache Children's Choir.  My piano-teaching approach dramatically changed after that class, for the better.  My students were better able to understand and internalize music concepts with the tools I gained.   And it's so much more fun!  I wish every music teacher could benefit from this kind of training.  I wish every music student, especially children, could gain from this kind of teaching approach.  Well parents, Mr. Hoffman's got it and he's nailed it.

The other question is, does this replace piano lessons with a paid teacher?  Well, that's up to you.  Ultimately there's no replacement for real-life feedback.  If you are uncomfortable with teaching piano, hiring a teacher is a great option.  There's something to be said for a weekly commitment with a teacher.  If you pay for something, you take it more seriously too- they say you get what you pay for, and it goes both ways- sometimes you get what you pay for because you expect to get it and put in the effort.  But we're talking about the very basics of piano here.  These videos will not prepare you for Solos and Ensembles or other like-music competitions by any means.  But they will teach the basics, no matter what age you are.  If you know nothing about piano, you can learn with your children.  I wouldn't put an upper or lower age limit on these videos.  You are where you are.  If you are a beginner, you will benefit from watching these.

As an early learning advocate, I'll put in a special plug as well.  It is hard, it can be nigh impossible, to find a teacher willing to take a 3 or 4 year-old for piano lessons.  Usually it's not because young children can't learn to play piano, but because they lack the attention span for a 30 minute lesson, which seems to be the gold-standard length for children.  Not only that, we seem to think young children HAVE to practice 30 minutes a day for it to be worth the money and effort to take them to lessons.  Because of this barrier, many wait until their children are 7 or 8 to start.  Even then, there's still the issue of jumping in and creating burnout.  Even at 7 or 8, a beginning piano student needs to taste success and unless they are naturally inclined to music, they will reject the new 30 minute workload.  20+ years later we hear them regret that they quit piano when they had the opportunity as a child.  I think these online piano lessons are the perfect bridge for preparing children for formal lessons with a teacher.  A child who has gone through these lessons will have a good foundation and will be ready for that workload.  Alternatively, these videos are an excellent tool for piano teachers to use with their beginning students.  Let the videos and e-book be their homework, and an in-person teacher can reinforce what they have learned.  Either way, you win.  And the videos are on YouTube!

It's giveaway time!

www.www.freepianolessons4kids.com is hosting a giveaway for 3 (three!) copies of their e-book that accompanies lessons 1-41.  Thank you so much!  Good luck everybody.  :)

Entry-Form

Disclaimer: www.freepianolessons4kids.com gave me a free copy of the e-book for review.  I was not otherwise compensated for the review, and my opinions shared are my own.

John Thompson Review

I highly recommend John Thompson as a method.  There are a lot of piano teachers that ultimately recommend the piano series they were taught with as a child, and, well, I guess I'm no exception.  However, when I first started teaching piano lessons, I told the parents that I would use whichever method they wanted to use, it didn't matter to me.  I knew that a lot of parents already had piano books, and I wanted to help them save money.  I figured that I was the same teacher, and it wouldn't really matter which method I used.  Well, that was a good learning experience for me.  Because of that approach, I got to see and use a variety of different methods, from Bastian, Alfred, Thompson, and Schuam.  For some reason I never did use the Faber piano method, which I have heard great things about.  After a few years of teaching like this, I realized that method books really do matter.  (surprise!)  I also realized that if a parent is willing to pay a teacher to teach their student, an extra $7-10 for the right piano book is just pennies in the bucket.  Ultimately, most parents will need to buy more piano books anyway, as their students progress.

So with that introduction, here are a few reasons I love John Thompson:

• He doesn't shy away from key signatures besides C, F, and G major.
• He doesn't shy away from requiring the hands to move out of "home base" position.
• He uses primary sources early on in the series.  Soon, if it doesn't specify "Arranged by J.T.", you know it's the original music by the composer listed.
• There really is something new every lesson.  For students who actually practice (we all know there are plenty who don't!), the John Thompson method will be an accelerated course.  "Grade 5" for John Thompson is much harder than "Level 6" in Alfred (the last book in each series)  There is less busy work.
• I like the history blurbs that many of the pieces have. (I admit other methodologies have this perk too)
• J.T. has endured the test of time.  I'm old fashioned like that.
• I really like the duet book for the primer, "Teaching Fingers to Play Ensemble".  The local stores didn't carry this, so I ordered it online.  This is a fantastic resource if you play!
• (Most importantly) I really like the songs in his books.  They are cute and often clever.  They are real music.  I loved them as a child, and as an adult who taught for a few years from several other methodologies, I found that charm lacking.

I also want to address some of the criticisms I have heard of the John Thompson method.  Some say his books are too hard.  Boo hoo. 

Some are rightly concerned of the excessive fingering in his books, stating that the student will develop a dependency on finger numbers.  Well, that really is the case sometimes.  Some students get very comfortable with the finger numbers in the Grade One book, and have a rude awakening when they get to Grade Two and they can't rely on the finger numbers anymore, since there is a lot of thumb-crossing under, etc.  Even so, the First Grade book does introduce a lot of different key signatures, and it helps the student play proficiently sooner.  I'm using a color-coded method for my 3-year-old to help her play proficiently sooner, so obviously finger numbers isn't a big issue for me.  I think this concern can be avoided by starting flash cards when they start the "First Grade" book.  I didn't just require my students to say "A", they had to say the name, and play the correct "A" on the piano, whatever the octave.  I personally never developed a dependency on finger numbers as a child, and I credit my teacher for her consistent use of flash cards at every lesson, as well as sight-reading exercises out of other books.  Besides, being able to follow fingering is important. 

The other concern some have with J.T. is that the theory lessons incorporated in the book are sparse.  This is true.  I think Music Theory is very, very important.  I don't think I had a lot of theory in the beginning grades, but when I was older, my 3rd piano teacher had me go through a course and it was extremely helpful to me.  I will probably find a separate theory book for my children when they finish the primer.  I highly DON'T recommend Alfred.  Unless you know music theory well yourself and can correct the errors to your students, stay away.  I had some very interesting discussions with my students when, again and again, I had to tell them why the book was wrong, and why the authors might have tried to explain things the way they did.  Thankfully, I am confident that my students weren't scarred by Alfred.  I'm not ready to offer a better solution yet because I haven't done my shopping, but I assure you, Alfred isn't it.  I was sorely disappointed that such a popular series could get away with having so little scholarship.  95% of what Alfred teaches is correct, but if you don't know better, that 5% that is wrong can come back to haunt you later.   I'm pretty sure the Bastian books are good, but I haven't taught with them past the 1st grade level.

Currently, I am simply requiring my children to practice every day, but I am not requiring them to sequentially work through the book.  Yet.  They have skipped around a lot, playing the songs that tickles their fancy.  They can choose to practice from the primer book, or the nursery rhymes from The Solfege Train.  I am starting to require that they play songs with both hands.  The songs in this primer book are already familiar to my children because I have been playing them for them for years, and we have a separate piano book upstairs with our story books.  It's one of their favorite bedtime story books because they know I'll sing to them.  Because of this early exposure, they are playing the rhythms correctly on their own, so I haven't addressed rhythm as much while we are at the piano.  We have separate rhythm exercises that we do away from the piano, independent of piano practice, so I am letting them focus their piano practice on the mechanics of playing the piano.  I require them to practice with the fingering in the book, and in the key the music is written.  (that's a side effect of having the "movable do insert" and the color-coded notes.  My son wants to transpose everything back to "C".  Too bad!  Oddly enough, my daughter will play the songs in keys like F# major if the insert has been left there, without batting an eye.)  Separate of the "Do, Re, Mi", my children are learning to identify and play "C, D, E" for me.  I always preface a new song by pointing out, "This song is in F major, so we need to move the "Do" behind the "F".

Anyway, this is our piano program.  I am planning on getting them finished with the J.T. primer by the end of the school year, and then mastering one of John Thompson's grade books every year after that.  If they move faster than that, great, but I'm not going to require more than that.  I've decided that the Grade 4 book is what I am going to require of each of my children, as if they finish that book, they will have the basic piano literacy I want them to have.  I will supplement John Thompson's books with my church's published music, such as the Primary book and the hymnal, as well as popular music my children may be interested in.  I bet if I bought "Tangled" music, my daughter would eat it up!  Note to self.

Overall, the John Thompson series is a great course.  Alexander Schreiner, world class organist (and my great-great-uncle) recommended this series, and his advice gives me more confidence in recommending this series to you.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

My son requested this song, so I'm sharing it with you.  It was designed to use with the Movable "Do" Piano Insert


We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Online or product alternatives to private lessons

Don't get me wrong, private lessons definitely have their place.  As a former student, I know that reporting to my teacher and wanting to please her was highly motivating for me.  You really need a good teacher/mentor to get a good polish as you become more advanced.

Having said that, private lessons can be very costly!  Especially if you have several children.  For the early beginner, the focus is on playing the right note with the right rhythm and gaining a general understanding of how written music works.  You can do that without a private teacher.  Adults may not want private lessons but still want to learn the basics on their own.  Homeschooling families want to incorporate music into their curriculum.  Young children may be too shy for lessons.  Families may wish to have private lessons, but simply cannot afford them.

In no particular order, here a few online resources you can look into.  These just scratch the surface of what is available, but they are the programs that have intrigued me.  Disclaimer:  I haven’t personally tried any of them, so I am not endorsing or vouching for them, just sharing what is available.  Most of these programs are for piano lessons.  They do represent an initial investment, but they are considerably less than private lessons, and can be used for more than one child.

Kinderbach

Piano Online or DVD program for young children.  Most lessons include coloring pages.  My son loved their free 2-week preview.

www.kinderbach.com/ 

Piano Wizard

Designed like a video game, lessons are done on an electric keyboard plugged into the computer.  Colored stickers are placed on the piano.  I have a friend who highly recommends this program.

Piano Wizard Academy

Soft Mozart

Soft Mozart also has a video game element to it.  Instead of colored keys, the stickers have pictures to help you learn solfege, ie, a door for “Do”, etc.  Note that this teaches children fixed do, instead of moveable do, which is more often used in the states.

www.softmozart.com/ 

Little Musician

This product is not available yet, but I have been on the Beta testing team and I think it’s going to be great.  This program will be geared towards babies, toddlers and preschoolers, and echos the philosophy of Glenn Doman.

www.brillkids.com 

Taneda Method

Ear-training course that teaches young children perfect pitch.

www.wehearandplay.com 

Piano for Life

A DVD piano series for older children that mimics classical education.  It is a theory-based course, where you learn how to build chords, and then how incorporate that knowledge into your playing.

www.pianoforlife.com 

Simply Music

A method that teaches you to play by ear first, then how to read music.  The idea is that you should learn how to talk before you learn how to read.  This program has won various homeschool awards.

www.simplymusic.com 

Piano for Preschoolers

A color-coded piano course for young students.  I love that it doesn’t involve putting stickers on the piano keys.

www.pianoforpreschoolers.com 

Free Homeschool Music Curriculum

http://thepianostudent.wordpress.com/2008/07/06/free-homeschool-music-curriculum-woo-hoo/

You can also easily make your own music curriculum with the help of your favorite search engine and online videos.   Supplement your unit studies with an era-composer.  See if a favorite story has an opera to go with it.  There is so much available at your fingertips!

Do you have experience with one of these programs?  What do you think?  Did I leave out your favorite?  Share it with us in the comment section.  :)

Rainbow Castle for the international crowd

Recently one of my reviewers in Germany told me that she loved the Rainbow Castle game, which is part of "Beginning Rhythm", except that she could not use it  with her child because Germany uses a different notation system than America.  I forgot to compensate for that when I made the game.  In Northern and Central Europe, there is a variation of using the letter "H" to represent the white note below "C".  ("B" is the black note right below it.)  It was this notation system that Bach used to sign his name into many of his compositions with the notes "B-A-C-H."

In countries that use fixed do, the note names are simply 'Do', 'Re', 'Mi', 'Fa', 'So', 'La', and 'Si'."

I have now updated the "Beginning Rhythm" program to include game boards that accommodate these notation systems, as well as game boards for solfege with "Ti".

You can download international gameboards here for free.

For the entire game with the playing cards, I refer you to "Beginning Rhythm."  I have mostly added these files as an update for those who already have the game.

Rain, rain, go away, piano chords are here to stay.

Last time I showed you how to "build" a major triad with Lego blocks.  This video shows a little application, and how building a piano model with your blocks is an effective shortcut for building more triads.  Lead sheet music is also introduced.  By the way, you don't have to actually play the melody line to learn from this course.  You can sing, if that's easier, or invite your friends to sing karaoke while you play for them. 

Rain Rain Go Away PDF here

"Building" a major triad.

Music has lots of patterns.  Patterns are an idea that repeats itself again and again.  Learning to recognize and recreate patterns on the piano is going to help you create music in a beautiful, fun way.  One of the first patterns we see when we look at the piano are the black and white keys.  First three black, then two black keys, repeated all across the keyboard. 

A chord is typically composed of three or four notes.  A major triad is one of the most frequently used chords, so we’re going to dive right in and learn the about “building blocks” for the major triad first.  A triad has three notes in it, just as a tricycle has three wheels, a triceratops has three horns, and a triangle has three sides.  Triads are also made of thirds.  We are going to use blocks to create the same patterns that are in a chord.

First, using blocks, we begin with the foundation.  With your blocks, choose a color to be the base, or root for all of your chords, and set this block aside.  I used green.

 Next we need to build a major third  A major third consists of three blocks you won’t play, and a block on top.  Choose a different color for the top block of a major third, because we’ll be coming back to it.  I used red.

Finally we need to build a minor third.  A minor third is one block smaller than a major third, made with three blocks total.  Choose a third color for your minor thirds.  I used blue.

Now we stack the pieces.  The base goes on the bottom, then, because we are building a major triad, we place the major third on the base first.  Then add the minor third on top.  This is the pattern you will use for building all major triads on the piano.

Now comes the fun part.  Take your blocks to the piano and put your base note on the letter “C”.  One by one, take the blocks off and put them on the next note, left to right.  Do this for black and white notes.  Your played notes should be “E” for the major third, and “G” for the minor third.  So the notes you play for a “C” chord are C, E, and G.  That’s all there is to it!

The next step: Try building a chord on F.  You should come up with F, A, and C.  Build it again on G, and you end up with the notes G, B, and D.  These are the primary chords for the key of C, and are the only major triads that have all white notes.  Becoming familiar with these three triads is a great place to start.

Purchasing legos as a teaching manipulative

Welcome to a mini-course about building and working with chords on the piano.  I am excited to share some ideas with you that I have used with my students for about three years, and which has gone over well with them.  My secret?  Using lego blocks to visualize the building process!  Over the next couple of weeks I will be sharing some worksheets, videos, and sample sheet music to introduce this process to your beginning-early intermediate piano students or children.  I purchased these blocks from Lego's Pick A Brick webpage, which is part of their store.  You can raid your children's lego stash, or you can purchase them online.  Purchasing through my link supports this site.

All bricks are 1x2 blocks, and what I purchased included

• 3 each of light blue, red, and green. (specific colors don't matter)
• 14 white
• 10 black
• 15 transparent (these bricks cost more, but because they will represent notes that are NOT to be played, it helps that they are "invisible".)

Here is a screen-shot of my selecting these bricks.  The total came across to be $9.85 plus $4.95 shipping and handling.

I personally store my blocks in an Altoids tin, which I keep in my piano bag for use during lessons.  It is part of my "tool box", and most of my students love it when I pull these out.

Walking Piano

I had a famous visitor come to my website last weekend.  Remo Saraceni, inventor of the walking piano featured on "BIG" with Tom Hanks, commented on my Musical Stairs post.  When I looked at his profile, "Fun Maker", and realized who he is, I was very excited about the visit, and my 3-year-old son and I spent the next 30 minutes watching YouTube videos of people playing with his inventions.  This video was our favorite:

I wish I had $250,000 to buy one!  Maybe someday when I'm rich and famous.  Being realistic, I have noted some of the museums that feature his inventions and hope to see some of them someday, especially his studio in Philadelphia.  Here is his blog.  Here is the piano picture gallery from his website.  I was touched by one picture of a child in a wheelchair rolling across the keys. Meet the man behind the invention in this video:

I am truly fascinated by this wonderful combination of technology, music, and imagination.  Thank you, Remo Saraceni, for sharing your innovation with the world.

Rainbow Matching Game

Experience is the best teacher.  My children love the "Rainbow Castle" game that I created, but my toddler has her own way of playing it.  She likes to take the playing cards and match them on the keyboard.  She became frustrated that the piano was too small for the cards, but spent a lot of time trying to make it work anyway.  This game was created especially for very young children, including toddlers, although any beginning piano student could benefit.

This activity comes as a bonus with my e-book, Beginning Rhythm.  It uses the same playing cards as "Rainbow Castle".  Play with treble or bass clef cards, but not both.  Have fun!

Rainbow Castle

This game is for the beginning student.  This is a bonus that comes with my e-book, Beginning Rhythm

Print out colored cards, cut out and set aside.  Print gameboard, and if desired, laminate.  Use game pieces of your own choosing.

Draw a card, and move marker forward to the note indicated on card.  Because keys and cards are colored, the student does not actually have to know the note or the notation for it, they only have to match colors.  Next player's move.  If the keyboard on the bottom ends before the next note, they get to the pot of gold and get to ride the rainbow up to the cloud.  On the top keyboard, if the keyboard ends before their note, they get to go to Rainbow Castle, and they win the game!

Tips for play:  Although the student only has to match colors, they are being introduced to note notation and the piano key names.  You can reinforce this by saying, "Move your marker to the 'B'", and so on.  Point out to your students when the notes are in the treble or bass clefs.  Have fun!

Glissando Note-Reading Game

This is a simple, fast game to reinforce note reading.  The game is based on Parcheesi, with a few twists.

Game setup:  Place the flash cards on one of the blue rectangles.  Each player places four markers on their glissando rectangle.

Game Play:  White goes first, draws a card and places one of their markers on the note that corresponds with the card.  For example, if the note was an "F", they would move forward to the orange "F" note.  Pieces move counter-clockwise around the board.  Place the card on the opposite blue rectangle as a discard pile. Black's turn.  On White's next turn, they have the choice of moving the same piece as before, or moving the next piece out.  If the note is above what the keyboard has available, they do a "glissando" and slide to the other side of the board.  That piece would continue play by moving on the second keyboard.  When a piece returns to the "glissando" that it started on, it moves to the home square.  The first player to move all four pieces to the Home square wins.

Blocking:  When two pieces are on the same note, that note is blocked and no piece from either team may pass it.  In this manner, one player may be able to make the other player loose a turn.  If you can move, you have to move.  The exception for blocking is the glissando places, which have no limit.

Jumping:  If a player lands on a piece that is a third (musical interval, two notes before) another piece, they may "jump" that piece and make a triad, landing a third above the piece.  If the piece that they jumped is their own, the piece remains on the board.  If the piece they jumped belongs to the other player, it has to go back to its original glissando space.  This may land the moving piece on the glissando square and that is okay.  If any of the notes are blocked, pieces may not jump.

This game is great for piano teachers and students to play.  Having the piano teacher name the note for the card that they drew reinforces those notes for the student and takes some of the pressure off of the student.  Parents can play this game with their children to help them practice their note-reading.  Students can play with other students during master classes.  Maybe if you're lucky, siblings will pull it out and play with each other in their spare time.  I hope that you have as much fun playing the game as I did creating it.

Available as a pdf file for $1.00.

Using color to teach music

I have found many different programs that use color to help teach music reading to children, especially on the piano. Piano Wizard, and Piano for Preschoolers come to mind, but there are many others. Some have even used color to teach singing and perfect pitch, such as the Taneda method.

I think that using color is a good idea, and I experimented with it with some of my beginning students who were struggling to read music. I created my own color code and created a piano chart for my students. Then as either a theory assignment or as part of our lesson, I would have my students color the notes the appropriate colors. For example, they would color all of the Cs pink, and all of the Gs green. Because my students were the ones to color the notes, this reinforced the note-reading for them. One of my students told me that she loved how pretty her book looked after she colored the notes. In this manner, color coding can be compatible with any piano method.

I have created several manipulatives that I will be sharing soon that use the same color-coding as the following pdf. If you are already using a different color-system, and you want to use the games that I will be sharing, I would advise changing the colors in photoshop to match what you are already using. There is no scientific reason why I had C be pink and G be green, I just experimented with colors and thought that this combination had good color contrast. It looked pretty to me. :o)

Here are the piano charts that I made for my students. I recommend printing on cardstock, laminating if desired, then cutting them out and taping them together to make a strip that can be slid behind the keys.

In color:
color-code-on-piano.pdf

In B&W (can be used just to teach letter names, or could be colored with crayons or colored pencils to save your ink)
color-code-piano-bw.pdf

Please note:  I am not a graphic artist.  The black lines for the black keys on the piano do not line up exactly when you place the chart on the piano.  This was slightly frustrating for my younger students.  I'm sorry!  I am good at coming up with ideas for teaching, but recreating them on the computer is hard for me and so some of the print-outs are not perfect in that respect.  My husband is going to teach me how to use adobe illustrator soon...

Piano Chord Wheel

This is a tool that I created for my piano students to help them to learn their primary chords.  Here is the printable:

piano-chord-wheel.pdf

Directions:Print on card-stock, cut out the circles, and then optionally laminate.  Poke holes in the center with a needle, then poke a paper brad through the smaller circle then the larger.  Fold back the edges of the brad and give it a few twists and you're done!

Here is a video to demonstrate it's use:

deltafour1212 commented that a blank wheel for the middle would be helpful in letting students make their own chord progressions.  Here it is!  Note that the dividing line is not perfectly equal- one is slightly bigger to make room for the V7 chord.  Taking the division line out of my original file would have been tricky.  I hope this helps!

blanksmallwheel.pdf

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