dawn's piano

Today's post is a wish for a very Merry (and musical!) Christmas and holiday season from our studio to your home.  And I'm sharing with you an elementary leveled piano solo of "The First Noel" that I prepared when I couldn't find exactly the right thing for one of my late elementary students who wanted to learn it this season.  My goal was to create something with movement in the bass clef and to include some intro & interlude sections that would add some sophistication to this piece as a piano solo, but still be an appropriate level for an elementary leveled student.  You can preview what the arrangement sounds like here:   The sheet music is available for purchase on Sheet Music Plus , but for you, dear reader, you can receive a copy as my holiday gift to you by entering your email below! The studio will be closed the next couple weeks so students and teacher alike can all enjoy some holiday down time with family & friends. The blog w

We've wrapped up our Pianovember practice challenge! If you want to see the final leaderboards on the challenge website you can head over to pianoparentpodcast.com/pianovember . Our studio collected 4,395 total tallies. And here are some shout-outs to our top 5 Pianovember practicers:  1. Elliot S - 895 2. Emory W - 659 3. Ruby T - 569 4. Gentri C - 393 5. Sloan S - 252 Way to go!  For the month of December we'll have another little rest from practice challenges while we finish preparing for the Christmas Festival on the 14th, enjoy some holiday themed theory games, and work up some short playlists of Christmas pieces to entertain family over the break.  When we resume lessons in January, we are going to kick off the Happy Birthday Practice Challenge. This one is actually quite easy, we just have to learn how to play "Happy Birthday"! I feel this is an important song for students to know because when birthdays come around, playing a piano accompaniment a

Today I'm sharing a fun idea, that is not by any means new, to bring some music to the holiday table at your upcoming celebrations and family dinners during the holiday season: Musical Crackers! Christmas Crackers are a holiday tradition in the UK that sort of resemble the celebratory poppers full of confetti that we sometimes use here in the states during the 4th of July or other celebrations. However instead of containing confetti, they usually contain a paper crown and a small gift, favor or joke. Christmas Crackers make appearances in Harry Potter and other iconic British shows and books that have scenes taking place around Christmastime, and are traditionally opened at the end of the holiday meal while still at the table. The sets that I am highlighting today are musical because each cracker contains the traditional paper crown and joke, as well as a small numbered instrument (chime, whistle or bell depending on the set you choose). They also come with some simple guides