Check out KING FM's blog post on the "Top 10 Reasons to Play Piano". I hope that making music for the love of it- and the challenge- is enough, but in case you need an extra dose of motivation, here goes:
http://www.king.org/top-10-reasons-to-play-piano/ I think I love all the piano artwork even more than the blog post itself. What's YOUR favorite reason to play? (Mine is I enjoy making music and the full and complete focus it requires to play well.)
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I started teaching piano in the year 2000- was just looking through old recital photos and thinking how some of the young kids I started with are now through college and are full-fledged adults starting their careers and families.
Redmond has around 60,000 people, but many times has a small town feel- especially since my family has always lived and/or worked close to the downtown center. (This means whenever I go out looking my worst I'm bound to see someone I know!) Recently I have been running into former students and the parents of former students. Often I hear that though the lessons stopped long ago, the music still continues. This warms any music teacher's heart! I have former students who are teens in rock bands, young adult songwriters, flute beat-boxers, and many multi-instrumentalists. Another thing I love to hear- many parents were inspired to pick up music after hearing their kids. :) If you are a former student- please be in touch! I would love for you to stop by the studio so we can catch up. I will really feel old when I get the chance to teach the offspring of former students! My dad was a teacher and counselor at the same school long enough to even see a few grandchildren come through the doors. (He got to retire before seeing any great-grandchildren, though.) :) (original post is from 2013 - imported to new blog because the idea still holds)
Have you ever heard of Nyan Cat? Apparently it's a thing among the junior high crowd. Meaning a lot of my students think it's cool, crazy, or otherwise have some opinion about it. So, they want to learn it. I love it when a student comes to me and says "I want to learn ________". Great!!! That means they are showing initiative, motivation, drive, and musical curiosity- even if the piece is way too hard for them, and there are six sharps in the key signature. Nyan Cat (otherwise known as Nyanyanyanyanyanyanayana) :) was brought to my attention by one of my students. She asked me if I'd heard of it. I said no (being understandably a little out of touch with what's cool for tweens), but that I would look it up. So that week I looked it up, didn't understand the point at all, but heard a catchy (fast!) tune. My student meanwhile, searched out the sheet music, and found it at one of my favorite sites: flutetunes I knew she was up for a challenge, but this piece was well beyond her current playing abilities. Using another of my favorite musical tools (one that was shown to me by one of my adult students a year or so ago)musescore I was able to quickly import the MIDI data and transpose it so that it was in a more familiar key- still plenty difficult! So far she has done great- learning it slowly but surely, and with enthusiasm. This is an example of how student and teacher can work together- student gives input on music, and teacher helps find music, or in this case uses a simple tool to make the music accessible. Everyone wins! And now that I know what Nyan Cat is, I'm one step closer to cool. :) I am happy to say that we are all moved into our new location at The Village Square, and I love it! It's a definite upgrade from our last location, which was of necessity a rush decision (made while I was still in my own studio one block over). My favorite things about the new location:
- On site parking! No need to move my car halfway through the afternoon or lug my things through a construction zone. And no need to send your kids dashing through one, either. - Better soundproofing! As much as I love music, it's nice to not hear so much of it from the other studios. - Restrooms and drinking fountain outside the studio- but just down the hall. - Plenty of room and seating in the hallway for several families to relax while family members are in lessons. - And, I haven't tried either yet, but judging from the yummy smells and sights there is both a delicious restaurant and a tasty bakery in the same building downstairs from the studio. We have received many positive comments from parents and students about the new studio location. Our team of teachers has worked hard to find this place, negotiate a long term lease, and supervise the build out so that we can offer you a comfortable and pleasant place to come to learn music. |
AuthorHi! My name is Mariya, and I teach flute and piano lessons in Redmond, WA and online. Here I share thoughts about learning music and helping others learn how to play an instrument. Archives
December 2023
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