dawn's piano

Part of my moving adventure has been figuring out how to get my Baby Grand from Southern California to our new home in Kansas. So just in case anyone will need this in the future, here are the few piano movers I was referred to by the local piano technician in our new town who are in fact able to move instruments across state lines. One thing to keep in mind is that because they are interstate piano movers, you have to be flexible with your schedule to accommodate pick-up & delivery when they are in your area.  Modern Piano Movers Walters Piano Transport Keyboard Carriage Note that Keyboard Carriage will only ship between commercial locations.  After getting some qutoes & looking at reviews, I decided to go with Modern Piano Movers. I wanted someone who would be able to pick up & deliver to a residential. And while their quote was a little higher than Walters, the reviews were glowing!  Update: My piano arrived in great shape. The...

We had our final recital as Dawn's Piano in Pasadena yesterday. It was an absolutely moving & terrific show. Thank you to all the performers who participated in our grand finale, and gave us all a good send-off to wherever our next stop may be. Be fore-warned, this post is going to be a little nostalgic. As I prepare to start driving to Kansas, I know it will be a big adjustment for a city girl like me, and I remember each of the relationships built in SoCal with care, especially my piano families. I remember the students who've overcome stage fright, the ones who are fearless, the ones who have been with me for 10+ years and the ones I just started teaching in the past year. The ones who love getting brag photos taken at every accomplishment, and the ones who laugh and say no thanks to photos. The ones who practice diligently, and the ones who just play whenever they remember to, just for the joy of playing. You are all musicians in your own right. You all have your ow...

Injuries happen, especially to kids. Bumps & bruises, broken arms, sprained wrists & jammed fingers are all a part of life. They also make it hard to play the piano, or do they?  This post is all about why I continue lessons even when a student has an injury preventing one hand from being able to play. You are probably wondering, but how can a student still benefit from lessons if they can only play with one hand?  Lots of ways! We cover so much in lessons besides 2-handed coordination. Music education has so many aspects that it is actually easy to find elements that we can re-direct focus to. Here are just some of the things we can continue to progress in: Sight Reading - All piano students should be practicing sight reading regularly. Most do it intermittently, or only when the teacher tells them to in lessons. Using this time to improve on a student's sight reading skills can be so beneficial! One-Handed Solos & Technic - Did you know that there's a ...

Online lessons are a perfect solution for long distance students, inclement weather, or when a student is contagious but feeling well enough to take a lesson.  Here's what you need to do before for your Online Lesson so things will run smoothly: 1. Make sure Zoom is installed and has access to your device’s camera & microphone. If you can adjust your settings to allow  Original Sound for Musicians before the meeting, please do. It will allow me to hear what you're playing on the piano much easier.  2. Test your set up ahead of time so you know where your device will sit and the video angle will work. We'll want both your face and hands in frame, so a side-view is best. See the picture for an idea of how to angle your device.  3. Take photos of any theory assignments and either text or email them to me. Have all your music books and a pencil ready to go. 4. Join the Online Studio on Zoom using the link provided to students. Don't worry if you are in...

Thank you for considering piano lessons with Dawn's Piano! There are so many cognitive & emotional benefits of music study, I am sure that it will be an enriching experience for your student. This article is here to help you know what you can expect from me in your piano study, and all the things that your tuition covers. I adapted much of this list from Wendy Stevens' brochure on the ComposeCreate website , please feel free to check that out if you want to hear about piano tuition from someone other than me. Most of the time when we think about the tuition for piano lessons, we account for the time taken to give the lessons, maybe a little of the teacher's education or experience, and probably not too much else. So I just wanted to let you know where your tuition really goes, beyond the teacher's take home pay & benefits: Time in lessons - this is the obvious one. Keep reading to see what tuition covers beyond teacher compensation for time in lessons...