A Trip Around Musicians' Island

Our practice incentive theme this year was "Marooned on Musicians' Island".  What a GREAT time we had!  It was fun, engaging and motivating for my students.  I always try to tie in my Spring Recital with the incentive program so last Saturday's recital was "A Trip Around Musicians' Island".  

Part of my program this year was to have each student compose their own song to play at this recital and I'm happy to say, "We accomplished that goal!".  What a great night of music!  Each of the 21 students that participated in the recital played their own piece as well as a favorite song they enjoyed learning in the past few months.  And of course we had an "island" theme!

Here's a peek:

As a gift to each of my students, I put all of their compositions in Finale and gave them each a book of the studio compositions.

They were excited to see each other's pieces and have them to play.  It took a bit of time for me to get all of them done, but it was well worth it!  I left space on each composition above the title so they could also do artwork.  I'm so thrilled to have worked on this with the kids this year.  Many of them expressed that it seemed a bit overwhelming at first, but with my help and a bit of nudging they grew to LOVE IT!  I see much more of this in our future!

There were also several other awards given out since the Spring recital is also Award's Night.  It was a superb night of music.  I'm proud of all of my students and how hard they worked! 

We're Getting Ready!

Our upcoming Christmas recital is just around the corner, so we've been working hard on lots of music!  Each student participating will play one seasonal piece and one non-seasonal.  I try to incorporate collaborative playing in each of my recitals so several of my students will be playing duets together.  I also arranged a couple of group events so here's a quick look at what we're doing...

Four girls in my studio will be playing the bells! This is easy enough to do by simply picking a piano duet.  In this case, it was a student primo with a teacher secondo which means the primo is much simpler.  I grabbed my handbells and made a few adjustments in the music and it sounds BEAUTIFUL!  The girls are so excited to play together.  I made this work by choosing 2 girls who have lessons back-to-back and are on the same level.  They practice together each week, carefully counting when they do not have notes in a given measure.  Of course it helps that I sing along as well!  The other 2 girls are homeschoolers so I will be getting every one together right after the week of Thanksgiving.

Four boys in the studio will be playing the cups! Thanks to Wendy Stevens, we have a fun version of "We Three Kings"!  One of them will be playing the piano part while the other 3 will be using cups.  To practice it, I either play the piano part or a cup to work with each student during their lessons until we can get together.

The boys are having a BLAST with this one so it should bring loads of smiles to the recital!



Are you doing something unique?  I would love to hear some of the creative ideas you are using this Christmas!

Christmas Gifts

My studio Christmas recital was this past weekend and it went extremely well!  I was very proud of all my students!

It was a night of beautiful Christmas & Hanukkah music as well as pieces the students and I picked together that were general in nature.

After each recital, I always have a reception.  I provide the punch/coffee and all the paper goods.  Each family in my studio brings a goodie to share.  It's also a night that I give each of my students a Christmas gift so I thought I would share with you what I did this year.

On December 26th last year (yes I bravely went out to check out the sales with the girls in my family and a very dear friend).  While were out, I found these adorable bells for half price!

I purchased 40 of them for a grand total of $20.00!  I wanted to personalize them a bit so I picked up some alphabet beads and some cute tiny ornaments designed for tiny trees. 

With a bit of wire and some beads I had on hand, here's a look at how they came out!

Cute, huh? 

I had also found these adorable boxes for about $.25 apiece which made wrapping a cinch!  All in all, I spent about $1.10 per gift including the wrapping!  I was pretty pleased about that!

And the response?  They loved them!  They loved their name on the ornaments, the fact that they were bells and were very excited to hang them on their trees! 

As a side note, I did give my older teens iTunes gift cards which were a bit more expensive obviously, but even those don't need to be much to make teens happy!

I hope this helps give you ideas if you give out gifts as well.  Oh...and don't forget to check out those sales on the 26th!

The 12 Days of Christmas - Notable Music Studio Style!

My studio Christmas recital is December 2nd and we are in the process of all the planning and practicing as I'm sure many of you are as well.  It's always my goal to create an atmosphere of quality musicianship, but I also want it to be fun.  I want students as well as parents to enjoy the evening together.  So...this year as part of my recent group workshop, the students and I worked on a little "surprise" for their parents!

I put together a Notable Music Studio version of the Christmas song, "The 12 Days of Christmas" and the kids worked together to figure out who would do what part.  We had SO much fun practicing and they're really excited to share it with their parents in a couple of weeks.

Here's our version:  
  On the first day of Christmas, Miss Sheryl gave to me...The One Minute Club for Note ID
  On the second day....2 rhythm sticks
  On the third day....3 guitars strumming (3 young guitar students I teach will strum together!)
  On the fourth day...4 beats a measure
  On the fifth day....5 BA-CH Bucks!
  On the sixth day...6 Continents to Conquer
  On the seventh day...7 Music letters
  On the eighth day...8 notes an octave
  On the ninth day...9 flashcard drills
  On the tenth day...10 flashy fingers
  On the eleventh day...11 finger puppets
  On the twelth day...12 Major scales!

Of course, we'll have lots of visual aids to go along with the song and occasionally, we added a few extra "expressions" that work with it!  When we originally starting practicing, I gave them some things to hold up/use but as we went along, they came up with some really great ideas to work into it as well!  So fun and SO creative on their part! 

Doing something like this is unique and fun, but it also gives my students something fun to look forward to!  It really helps to offset some of those nerves!  Are you planning something unique or fun for your recital this year?

Recital Details

I've been very busy the last week with the all my "year-end activities" as I'm sure many of you have been. Just this week I had to finishing grading projects and complete grades for the Christian school I teach at, finishing getting ready for our year-end concert at church and complete all the details for the studio recital this Friday.  Pheww...I'm ready for a long nap!

Since the recital is so much on my mind as I'm sure it is or has been for many of you, I thought I would share how I get ready.  Here's a checklist of sorts...

1.  The date - I schedule both my Christmas recital and my spring recital when I set up my studio calendar in August.  This means that I have already made arrangements with the church for those dates.  By setting them up ahead of time, it also gives parents the ability to plan in advance and mark their own calendars.

2. The facility - This is easy for me, but for some of you this may take a bit more planning.   I would strongly suggest that you arrange this as early as possible. 

3. The sound system - I would strongly suggest you try to have a sound system available to you.  It certainly makes it easier when you can use a microphone rather than trying to talk loud enough to a larger crowd.  Since I know how to run our system, I don't usually require a soundman, but if you don't have the ability or you want to also record, you'll need to arrangement for that person.

4. Music Selections- If you want to plan a theme recital you'll want to plan it at least 3 months ahead of time.  This will allow you to pick out music for your students and give them plenty of time to master each piece.  If you require your students to memorize their music, they will need extra time for this as well.  I gradually increase the amount of practice and lesson time to these songs as the recital gets closer.  During the last couple of weeks, we mainly devote the entire time to just recital pieces.  It's important that each of them have the best experience possible when they perform.

5. The Program - I always print up a program for my recitals.  I have them almost complete about 2 weeks before the program and then use as a guide during the last couple of weeks of lessons.  There always seems to be last minute changes, so I'm glad to have one to use to make those changes quickly during a lesson.  For example, I found out that a parent of one of my student would be slightly late to a recital.  I was able to quickly move the student further down in the program so that the parent would be sure to see their child play.

6. Awards - My spring recitals are also award nights.  This is the time I award students for their hard work all year.  This year I'm giving out awards for completing the incentive program, practice awards, composition awards, improvisation awards, Note ID awards and technique awards.  I also have an award for my 4 year old - the "fun"damental award to honor her hard work learning the basics through games and activities.  Depending upon what you choose to do, you may need some lead time to order trophies or to print out certificates.  This year I will be giving out trophies, certificates and ribbons.

7. Reception - I always have a reception after the recital which gives both the parents and my students an opportunity to get better acquainted.  My parents all bring a treat to share and I provide drinks and paper goods.  I also have a wonderful friend who helps me decorate, makes the coffee and punch and helps out wherever she can.  I also have some wonderful parents who could easily fill this role although, because my friend attends church with me, she knows where to find anything/everything we need! 

8. Photography - This is always a great thing!  If you have someone who can take pictures for you, make use of them!  In fact, consider a professional.  You may even be able to get a photographer as a way to build their business.  They take pictures and offer them to parents.  You provide a service and the photographer gains some customers. 

9. Guest Artists - As musicians, we know lots of other musicians.  Invite one to perform at your recital!  This year I have a friend who will be playing bassoon and I will accompany her.  It's a great way to show your students the results of hard work, but it's also a way to share other talents and instruments with your students.

10. Encourage your students - Recitals can be scary and we can all relate!  Spend lots of time in the weeks before encouraging your students and making sure they are solid on their music.  In fact, help them to have fun with the entire process.  We practice what to do several times leading up to the night - both in silly ways and serious ways.  On the night of the rehearsal, I usually take them all to another area of the church and do a silly, fun activity with them to try and help calm their nerves.  They also know that I'll be right there if they need help during a performance.  After the recital, I'm also quick to let each of them know how very proud of them I am - regardless of how it went.

I really excited for our spring recital! 

Composition Craze!

There's a lot of blog postings about student compositions such as a post here by Anne Crosby Gaudet (fabulous!) and this one by Jennifer Fink (also fabulous!).  I'm not as techno-saavy as Anne (and I certainly wish I was!), so Jennifer's ideas have great appeal (since they are easier for me to actually accomplish!)!! I actually have two of my teenage students who have been working on compositions.  They have put them in Finale and will be playing them in our studio recital next Friday night!  I'm super proud of both of them.

Another fun thing I am doing with one of my students at the recital is a bit of improvisation.  I'm planning to read the book, The Song of Middle C by Alison McGhee while one of my students improvises in the background!  He and I have had fun figuring out how to dramatize page by page!  This is a silly book about a little girl who is playing in her first recital and all the nerves that go with it.  We thought it would be a fun recital "opener"! 

I love to add a bit of wimsy!  I know many of you have already had your recitals but I wondered what fun things you may have incorporated this year.  It's certainly is helpful to learn from each other.  I LOVE all the blogging friends I have made!

Recital Success!

I apologize for my lack of postings recently, but I've had a super busy 2 weeks and have our church musical this weekend, so my time has been very limited.  I haven't even had time to put up my own Christmas tree!  But I did want to share that our recital went beautifully last Friday night!  I'm planning to post some pictures soon, but thought I would first share a few thoughts about the night.

1. My students did a wonderful job and even though some of them were very nervous, they all played well and felt good about it afterwards!  I had them get to the church one half hour early and actually took them all down to my choir rehearsal room and did some silly things with them to try and calm the nerves (This helped a lot!).  We then practiced singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" so that we could sing it to their parents at the end of the recital.   

2. During the recital, I talked about each of my students before they played.  Part of what I shared with them was the length of time each student had been taking lessons.  Many of my parents commented on this, letting me know how much they appreciated the information because it helped them to enjoy each student more as they played.

3. Each student felt a great sense of pride at their accomplishment.  Because so many of them were playing in a recital for the very first time, it was important to me that they feel really good about the experience.  We worked on each song in lessons for quite a few weeks, but I also allowed them to be part of the repertoire selection process.  I worked with each student to pick pieces they felt good about playing as well as ones that I thought would highlight their abilities.  Because my students had some say, they were also willing to take ownership in the results.  They were really excited to perform and it showed!

4. I fully remember my own experiences/nervousness before the many recitals I participated in.  While performing isn't for everyone, it does teach valuable lessons to anyone.   I was always required to memorize my music for recitals and because that was (and still is) a difficult thing for me, my anxiety level was very high leading up to each recital.  Looking back, I can say that it challenged me, but I also know that my performances would have been substantially better had I been allowed to use the music.  My goal with this recital was to show my students that performing can be fun and that they each had the ability to do it well.  Memorization was optional for them.  I realize that some may disagree with me on this, but for my students this choice proved to be the right one.  They all performed extremely well and I was very proud of each of them!


If you are planning a recital this month, I hope it's a wonderful success as well!

Recital "Dress Rehearsal"

Performing can be pretty scary and although I have very excited students, some of them are also a bit nervous - especially those who haven't done this before.  I've been talking a lot about it in lessons and answering lots of questions!  As a way to help them out, I set up a "dress rehearsal" a.k.a "group lesson" for this week. 

Since Wednesday is a half day at school here in Connecticut, I scheduled the group lesson for the early afternoon.  The plan?...to play through our recital pieces for each other, practice our bows and recital etiquette, and try to get rid of some of the nervous jitters!

I found fun clappers similar to these at a local Christmas Tree Shop and thought the kids would have a great time using them to encourage each other.   I have some fun games planned, and also planned to show them this silly,short video to remind them to practice hard before the big day...



It should be a fun afternoon! And hopefully the result will be that everyone is a bit more comfortable playing in public!

Christmas Recital

My studio is in the midst of Christmas "excitement".  Our Christmas recital is scheduled for the evening of December 3rd and everyone is practicing hard!  Because I also have lots of responsibilities at my church at this time of year, I need to have the studio recital earlier in the month.  I also find that it's a good time for parents because it happens before many other Christmas activities are scheduled.

I have lots of beginning students so this year the recital includes some Christmas and Non-Christmas songs.  As you know, songs for beginning students are pretty short...30 seconds or so??  Even if each beginning student played through a song twice, it would be a pretty short!  When parents come to watch their children, I want them to be able to enjoy their child's playing for longer than a minute!  So each student will be playing 3 songs - 2 non-seasonal songs that we have been working on in lessons and one Christmas song.  Of those 3 songs, one will be a duet with me or another student to also celebrate the "Year of Collaborative Music".

The order for the evening will include each student performing 2 non-seasonal songs, one right after the other and then when everyone is done with those, they will each go back up to the piano and perform their Christmas selection so that we end with the Christmas spirit!  I will also introduce each student and share a bit about them and the songs they will be playing.

And of course...what's a recital without a reception with goodies?!  My parents are all bringing desserts to share and I'll be providing drinks. (Have I mentioned that I have THE best parents of any piano teacher?) One big advantage for me is that I have use of my church for the recital.  I use the sanctuary for the performances and a connected area that includes a little kitchenette for the reception.  It works out super well.  I'm also using siblings of some of my students to be "ushers" and pass out programs.  They often come to lessons and wait with their moms so I've gotten to know some of them quite well.  They're excited to do this "grown-up" job! 

This year I'm going to be recording performances so that each student will have a copy to remember the evening (and for some - to remember their first recital!).  One of my friends from church who works with the sound system (and does an incredible job!) told me he would come to the recital and take care of everything!  He's also a photographer so he's planning to take all the pictures for me!  I am very blessed to have him!

I am directing our Christmas musical at church the following weekend so all the decorations are going up the week before the recital!  The room will be surrounded with Christmas beauty!  I'm very thankful I won't have to decorate twice! 

Well, that's a look at what I'm doing...what are you planning this year?