Month: February 2016

How To Locate The Note “C” On The Piano

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Have you ever felt out of the loop about playing a musical instrument?  It is really not so difficult to learn the basics of piano.  Today, I though I would share a simple skill.  The first lesson I teach for piano is about locating the note “C”.  Notice on the keyboard the black keys are grouped in 2’s and 3’s.  In order to find a “C” on the piano you simply locate a set of 2 black keys and the white key directly to the left is where you play “C”.  It is that simple!  By the way, there are many “C” keys on the piano and the one in the middle of the keyboard is called “Middle C”.

I hope you enjoyed learning about the piano and now you know how to locate the note “C”!

The Melody Mom

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Why I Chose To Be A Band Kid

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Music is a gift many parents provide for their children, whether they had lessons as a child or not!  There is no doubt that music has positive effects for children and most people know this whether or not they read about all the scientific studies to prove it is true.  I started taking piano lessons at age four and like all children enjoyed playing new and exciting pieces.  However, my passion for the clarinet started in the 4th grade.  There was something different about the instrument and I loved it for various reasons.  The first day of band class at P.S. 60 I received band music for clarinet.  That evening I put my instrument together and played through the entire book!  Needless to say, the band teacher was very impressed.  I really enjoyed playing with a large group of instruments and following the conductor.  As a freshman high school I took a seating test and quickly moved to the first clarinet section way ahead of all the sophomore, junior and senior clarinet players.  I went off to college to study music and elementary education.  I have fond memories of band concerts, pep band performances at sporting events and preparing for my senior recital.  Now, as a mom I gush over my children’s love and success through music and still get a thrill of continuing to play as well.  Whenever I teach, or play music on clarinet or piano I feel that the world is good and all will be okay.  It is a wonderful life!

The Melody Mom

 

 

 

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Why Music Is Good For Children

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In today’s technology flooded world parents are constantly worried that children are spending far too much time on their phones, tablets and computers and not enough time socializing with friends and families face to face.  It is a worrisome issue and the concern is valid!  Music is a wonderful, fully engaging activity where children can turn off their devices and turn on ability to touch their instrument, engage many parts of their brain, collaborate with other musicians and create beautiful, emotional music.  It is a win-win situation!  The other day I worked with a young piano player who, when faced with an exercise where one hand on the piano played long connecting tones and the other hand simultaneously played short staccato tones she quickly remarked “I can’t do this!”.  I encouraged her to continue to try, focus on the hand that gave her the most trouble and trust that the other hand could do “it’s job”.  After about one minute each hand was able to complete the conflicting patterns and she smiled as if she won an award!  I remarked how lucky she was to master an exercise  that engaged so many areas of her brain and how lucky she is to be able to have that experience at such a young age.  According to the great composer Malcolm Arnold, “Music is the social act of communication among people, a gesture of friendship, the strongest there is.”

The Melody Mom

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What Does It Take?

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When your child auditions for a part in a special program or orchestra it takes a lot of careful preparation to make sure all aspects of the music are ready.  The child should have good posture, be serious about her work, make sure all her notes are in tune, have proper fingering and basically do more than expected as far as practice and performance.  The work will show at the audition and every audition is an important learning experience.  Rejections help us reflect on what could make the next audition more successful.  As a young musician your child can learn to try hard, strive to do their best and learn to deal with the ups and downs of the whole process.  It is a learning experience that will lead to a strong future with whatever they choose to do!

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