dawn's piano

It has become something of a summertime tradition that I put together a list of some favorite children's books that involve music or art. As a former children's bookseller for 12 years at Vromans bookstore, books and literacy will always be special to me. And in the summertime I like the idea of letting go of some of the structure and looking at the value of what we learn during the year with some fresh eyes. So, without any further ado, here is this year's list. Picture Books   I See a Song by Eric Carle This book features a musician and his violin. As he plays the instrument, a world of colors and shapes grows on the page. This is the perfect book for stimulating a young artists' imagination and artistic sensibilities. Recommended ages 3-6.   My First Classical Music Book by Genevieve Helsby The cool thing about this book is that it is available as a physical book, or as an app . You can grab both to use in tandem, or either one individually, and let...

If you're looking for a great way to kick off piano study for the summer, you'll definitely want to check out Espressivo Piano Camp. What is Espressivo Piano Camp, who's it for and what are the benefits?  EPC is a summer day camp for piano students from elementary (entering 2nd grade in fall 2020 and up) through advancing levels hosted & run by the local KMTA chapter.  It provides an opportunity for local piano students from different studios to interact and become a part of the larger musical community in McPherson. Since the camp is run by area piano teachers, students will get valuable learning & feedback from teachers beyond their usual studio experience. We get to focus on extra-musical learning, such as music history, composition & theory, performance classes, aural skills, rhythm etc in a group setting. All those things that can often get squished into the last few minutes of typical lessons can now take center stage.  The camp also include...

You've probably heard me talk about the Piano Parent Podcast before, and that's because it's a terrific resource for parents of piano students that covers a range of topics from getting creative with music and practice time, to common struggles, to some simple music theory lessons so parents know what's what in their students music.  Today, I'm sharing a recent discussion with piano teacher Vicki Conway that had some really insightful information about the importance of movement in brain development, and even gives some really simple activities we can do with kids to help them build some of those essential pathways in the brain to build skills in different kinds of reasoning and understanding.  I'm embedding both part 1 and part 2 of the conversation here so you can listen to them, and get the info straight from the source, and I'll also include some of my own thoughts below.  Developmental Fitness, Part 1   Developmental Fitness, Part 2 ...

What better time than Summer to discover some great books?! Today's post is a book list that shares some titles that tell the stories of musical artists or composers, some that have fun with music, and some that explore having positive self-esteem (very important for artists who are in the habit of being vulnerable by putting themselves into performing situations). As a former children's bookseller, and an avid reader, connecting with people about books is one of my most favorite hobbies.  If you're looking for a way for your summer reading to get your piano kid out of the house, just head to your local library! Here in McPherson, the library's summer reading program gives kids a free book just for signing up, as well as entry into the drawing for the big prize. If they complete a reading log, they can earn more prizes AND more entries into the drawing. If you haven't checked that out already, you can learn all about the Summer Kid's Programming here, there ...

Almost as soon as I arrived in McPherson, Tiffiney Harms, area piano teacher, invited me to join MAPTL (McPherson Area Piano Teachers League) and to participate in running their upcoming brand-new Espressivo Piano Camp. I eagerly accepted both invitations.  I have wanted to do a piano camp for several years now, but being a traveling teacher in Southern California made finding a place to host a camp a bit tricky. My associate teacher Mallory & I brainstormed possibilities a few times, but weren't able to come up with any options where we'd be able to reserve a location AND keep the cost affordable for parents.  So needless to say, I was thrilled to participate in Espressivo Piano Camp's first run the week of June 4th through June 8th. Here's a bit of what we were up to: Performance Class - Students were taught how to approach a performance with confidence, musical expression, performer's ettiquette & increased focus. The weeklong camp wrapped up ...

Hello all! I hope you're enjoying this month's resources for staying engaged with your music education over the summer months. Today I'm sharing another Youtube playlist that discusses things you may not always encounter in every piano lesson. The videos discuss a broad range of music history, terminology & concepts, and definitely have something to offer to older students. You can learn what classifies one piece of music as an Aria? or a Fugue? A Gregorian Chant? Or you can delve into some music history & learn about the classical periods, or watch some composer bios from Bach & Mozart to John Williams. It is a widely varied playlist that I'd recommend for intermediate students who are ready for something beyond keyboard basics, and can start to see how what they are learning in lessons will plug them into the larger musical community. You can watch the first video below to find out what and Aria is, or scroll through the playlist to something that ca...

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...

Reviewing what we've learned is so important for young musicians. And summertime provides the perfect opportunity to pull out your favorite pieces & reinforce what you learned the past year.  This week I'm sharing a short Youtube series that covers some music theory basics for young music students. The episodes are short, the characters are goofy, and the videos do some great reinforcing of musical concepts like beat, rhythm, rests, high pitch vs low pitch, line & space notes etc.  There are only 6 episodes so this is a great show to watch a quick episode each day while on a vacation, and if you've got the time, maybe have a quick discussion about what the video is covering with your piano kid. That way, they can pick up right where they left off in the fall. You can watch the first episode below, or check out the whole playlist here: The Music Show on Youtube   And stay tuned next week for one of my favorite apps for young piano students to get...

Summer means vacations, camps & all kinds of fun activities that get you out and about seeing the world around you! This also means you will be away from your piano while on those trips. So how can students keep up their piano chops? Well, the series of blog posts for June will be all about keeping your kid connected to their music in varied ways during their summer activities.  This week, I'm linking to some of the articles I've shared on this blog for taking your music with you when you travel. For Long Haul trips, check out some of these tips for practicing wherever you may be, and the best part about these is, you don't need your instrument. Practicing Without a Piano Or for some summer reading recommendations check out these booklist rescources Summer Reading Recommendations Books! Great for Off the Bench Practice Listen to Episode 80 of the Piano Parent Podcast - Booklist Edition  And stay tuned throughout the month of June for some great on-the...