dawn's piano

Summer is a time to unwind a bit and have fun exploring music that makes us happy. And since I have been encouraging students to play through favorites, I thought I'd give you a glimpse into some of my soothing favorites that have been on my music stand lately. As we all know, the past few months have been hard, weird and overwhelming. We also know that the arts and music can be really valuable as a way of emotional relief or shelter, or to work out some of those harder feelings. I've been sharing some music on my personal instagram page to connect with friends and bring peaceful little breaks from the news cycle into their routines. These are just casual, spur of the moment videos, and they are what I've sharing with you today.  Merry Go Round of Life by Joe Hisaishi This is the main theme from one of my favorite Studio Ghibli movies Howl's Moving Castle , which happens to be based on my favorite book of the same title written by Diana Wynne Jones. It's a ha...

This one's for the other studio owners & private music teachers! Most of you who've followed the studio for any length of time will know that around this time last year I relocated from Southern California to Central Kansas, and rebuilt my studio in our new town. Going in, I knew that one of the things that would be vital when relocating was building awareness in the community and to get that crucial word-of-mouth going, so I did several things to get the word out locally with pretty good success. It definitely didn't hurt that the town I moved into really supports the arts, and there was more demand than current piano teachers in the area already. Within 3 months the studio had hit a good running capacity, and 6 months in enrollment was capped out with a waitlist.  Since then, I've often seen posts in the online music teaching groups from other studio owners asking for tips or advice on how to successfully rebuild their studios after a move, so today I'm ...

During my first winter in Kansas, I - like so many others in cooler climates - find myself hoping for Spring. And it is from that anticipation of the changing seasons that these compositions took shape. Bloom is a collection of 5 spring-themed compositions for piano solo. Each solo in the book is distinct, and offers unique teaching points for piano students. The variety of styles will bring new life to Springtime recitals, or provide a refreshing variety for a hobby pianist to enjoy playing at home. As has become tradition in my Seasons Series , for the creatively inclined or curious, one of the pieces includes an invitation to improvise your own passages within the piece. The music is leveled at intermediate, and would be appropriate for pianists of all ages.  This collection celebrates the newness of life as Winter fades and Spring begins to bloom again. It explores the rejuvenation we feel as the world wakes up around us, as we hear the gentle rain of a spring shower or s...

This month's sheet music feature is Imagine Dragon's On Top of the World . This was another one that was a student request from one of my students who was starting high school at the time. (He started lessons with me when he was 8 or 9 and is now in college! Stop growing up, it makes me feel old. XD) Arranged here as a late intermediate piano solo, this is an upbeat piece that offers practice in syncopated rhythm and octaves in the right hand and is a tried-and-true show stopper at recitals or social gatherings.  You can listen to the arrangement in the video below and you can purchase the sheets to try it out yourself here . The sheet music has been published via SMP Press' ArrangeMe program. Learn more about creating your own account to start publishing your arrangements .

Turning is a collection of 5 autumnal piano solos for early intermediate pianists. Each solo is in a different style that will bring variety to a performance, or give an individual student a chance to increase their stylistic range. And for more creatively inclined students, two of the pieces (Acorn Boogie & Twilight) have optional improvisational sections. The solos are leveled as early intermediate and would be appropriate for learners of all ages.  This collection seeks to capture the cozy joy & serenity that a lot people feel during this season as scarves & boots resurface, and pumpkin spice everything abounds. But a few pieces also have elements of the wistful mysteriousness that can accompany the changing seasons and shorter days as the summer dies, the air grows more chill, and we watch the leaves begin to fall. You can give them a listen in the music player below, and if you're interested in the sheet music, you can view purchasing options here . ...

During the month of July, I was invited to participate in two different podcasts. In today's post, I'm sharing a little of my personal professional journey, and my excitement with you about each these opportunities. Any who've followed the blog recently will know that this has been a very transitional year with my move & re-imagining my studio to incorporate both online & group lessons. The support from the piano teaching community at large has been terrific, and I was so happy to be able to return the favor in giving to these two interviews. The first conversation I had was with the Piano Parent Podcast, which you've all heard about from me before. I LOVE what Shelly does with this podcast in seeking to equip & encourage parents through the ups and downs of piano study. If you haven't already checked out this podcast, I highly recommend it. And if you'd like to hear the 'Teacher Chat' episode that featured myself, Becki Laurent &...

Today is my first day embarking on a bit of new music teaching endeavor with Arts After School. This program is a non-profit after school program for middle school students here in McPherson, and enrollment is 100% free to students! This year we are offering Modern Band (think Pop/Rock ensemble), Drawing & Culinary Arts. If you hadn't guessed, I will be helping out with the musical end of things in the Modern Band classes & coaching the keyboard players. Part of the reason I signed on for this when I'm already in the midst of rebuilding my private studio, is that I really like what this program is offering. Arts after School is giving these kids useful skills to build their self-esteem, confidence and self-expression while helping them find a productive way to spend those after school hours before parents get home from work.  In partnership with the Community Foundation, the program is working on their IMAGINE initiative. This is the process of putting together a...

One of my favorite songs as a child was "Tale as Old as Time" from Disney's Beauty & the Beast. I'm going to date myself here, but this was the first movie I saw in theaters when I was 4 years old. And I remember it vividly. I already loved books by that age, so Belle was instantly my hero. . . Anyways, back to the music: Tale as Old as Time is a lovely piece, with a simple, timeless melody that is full of nostalgia for so many in my generation. And with the new live action movie coming out last year, it has seen a definite resurgence in popularity with kids again. What I'm sharing today is a late beginner/early intermediate piano solo that I did for a student several years ago when she had asked to learn this piece and I couldn't find just the right thing that I wanted for her level. I probably could have looked longer & harder ended up finding something that would've worked, but since I do enjoy arranging music I decided instead to sit down a...

This app has been in use in my studio for the past several years, and it is such a well-formatted, intuitive introduction to music appreciation & classical music history, that I think it would make a perfect summer bridge activity to keep your elementary piano student engaging with music in new ways over the summer months.  So, the app works like an animated book with a chapter on selected classical composers, another on the parts of the orchestra & instrument families, and a third on what music is & where you can find it out in the real world. Every page is interactive with illustrations, and text that you can tap to be read aloud, and recordings of the discussed music. This makes for a great format for young students to read on their own. And they can choose navigate through it in order, or pick & choose where to go next from the home page.  The app is available on both iTunes & Google Play for a very reasonable price (compare to the price of a ha...

Hello all! This month has been busy with settling in and getting the new studio space set up. If you've been following the blog, you will know we had our open house last week & summer session starts up next week. So during this quiet lull amid all the excitement, it seemed like a nice time to share some of the music I've been playing as I'm reaquainting myself with my piano: All Beautiful & Splendid Things by Barbara Arens This is a collection of 13 pieces for piano based on poems penned by women. I ordered the book shortly before our move & packed it away without having the chance to play it. I finally was able to play through it the day the piano was delivered. All are lovely, easy to play, intermediate solos, and would be great for intermediate teen & adult students. Satie - 3 Gymnopedies & 3 Gnossiennes I find Satie very relaxing to play, particularly this collection. The pieces are both light & airy while being moody & at times dark....

With just 9 days until the first Open House, this is a special, quick mid-week blog post to share the news that Dawn's Piano was featured in the McPherson Sentinel! You can click the photo above or click here to read the full article by Patricia Middleton on the Sentinel's website.   I guess everybody's famous in a small town, right? 😉

McPherson, there's a new piano studio coming to town! I have just moved here from Pasadena, CA. And after 12 years of teaching in Southern California, am working busily to set up my new studio in time for a summer session. This means if you are interested in piano lessons, send me a note ! Or, share this info with your friends who might like to try piano lessons.   A little about my teaching philosophy :   First and foremost, I love music, and want you to love it too. Experience has shown me that those who are able to take joy from making music are able to carry it into the rest of their lives. I work hard to find the music students will love, and teach them the skills they'll need to harness that gift and carry it through their lives. So what's coming up in the piano studio: Open Houses   Stay tuned for a couple Open Houses where you can come visit the studio, and hear about the types of lessons I offer. Kids are welcome, but the information given wil...

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...

This last post in the Ship Shape Pianist series is a little different because it's for the piano teachers & small business owners out there who follow the blog. Before I dive in, I feel it is most important to say that if the idea of running your business' online presence doesn't bring you joy, outsource it. Do the things in the running of your business that you really like doing and hire someone else to do the rest. Don't burn yourself out. On the other hand, If you're like me and you like the creative challenge of running your online brand, but are having a difficult time keeping all the pieces moving, in this post, I am sharing the things that have helped me go from a twice a year blogger to being able to keep to a once a week schedule. The tricks that helped me move from a meager handful of student videos & photos on the Dawn's Piano Facebook & Instagram accounts over the last several years to several per week this past year. So, here goes: ...