Gould and Fall Piano

What is Fun?

2011-12-26T21:14:00.001-07:00

"I just want piano lessons to be fun".

The first words from almost every parent new to private music lessons.

My response, "Me, too!".

I wonder how many parents have thought about "fun" the same way I have. The implication is there should not be much work involved, and the expectations kept low.

Now, let's take a look at all the different kinds of "fun" our piano students have had over the years, keeping in mind most of the items on this list came about only with hard work.

Being able to play "Ode to Joy" ~ Learning "Star Wars" finally ("I've been waiting so long for this moment!") ~ Passing the "Amazing Scales Race" with a 1/2 lb. of chocolate ~ Going on field trips and hearing a piano recital for the first time ~ Being musically ready to play "Fur Elise" ~ Nailing their piece in the studio recital ~ Learning their first "big piece", whether it's a sonata, suite, sonatina, etc... ~ Winning a ribbon in a competition ~ Being asked to play in a competition, festival, etc... ~ Finishing a lesson book ~ Learning a piece they thought was hard ~ Playing as fast as they can ~ Playing expressively ~ Playing duets ~ Playing with an ensemble/orchestra ("I can't wait to do it again next year") ~ Wowing friends and family at the recitals ~ Getting the phone call that said, "you made it"! ~ Winning $1,500!!!!

Now, that's fun!

HELP!!! We need students!

2011-12-04T20:27:00.001-07:00

Our students are playing better than ever. Our middle school class features a student who plays ALL of Debussy's Children's corner which she will perform in a recital along with some piano duo music in the spring. We have two students (one elementary, one middle school) entering the Colorado Music Teacher's Association Concerto competition with wonderful performances and playing lots of other great literature as well, and we have at least 6 wonderful middle school students preparing for competitions in the spring, and that is just middle school! Our other students are working hard and playing well also. What our studio does really works, and it works for all sorts of different kids with different goals. Our students kick butt.

The problem is, that our numbers have been dropping every semester for the past year and a half. We had only one interview scheduled for our interview weekend this semester, and they didn't show up. We are getting desperate. We simply can't compete for new students when we have a children's music program up the street offering group piano classes for $50 a month, and everyone else in town offering half-hour lessons. Our lessons are almost three times that amount, because, when we have a full studio, we make enough to cover our expenses and put away a little money each semester. We haven't had a full studio in 2 years. While we each have advanced degrees in our field, we are currently making less than we would as assistant managers at McDonalds, (and that includes the little bit of tuning work that trickles in each month.)

So, unless we can get our numbers up soon (in the next 2 weeks) we are looking into making a drastic change in our studio. Our new plan would offer private lessons at a lower rate than any other qualified teacher in town, and it would even cost less than the local group lesson factory. The problem is, that the new plan will not allow students to reach their musical potential. We anticipate that the results would be similar to half-hour lessons, and a little better than group lessons.

We would much prefer to maintain our studio the way it is, because we know it works. While we are one of the most expensive options for lessons in Greeley, we charge less than teachers in Ft. Collins, Boulder, Denver, Cheyenne, etc. We can't lower our rates and put in the time that we do now.

So, we are looking for more students, advice, and any other kind of help before we take a step in a direction that we have been avoiding since we began teaching together. A step that would lower our standards, but potentially increase our income.

Your Piano May be Celebrating Halloween Year Round.

2011-10-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

I find some spooky stuff in old pianos. Here are some recent photos from an old upright that I recently did some action work on. Granted, this old piano has been around since the dust bowl, but I don't think most people know what can lurk under those dark cracks between the keys. I find this kind of mess in pianos pretty frequently. Aside from the obvious piles of dirt and debris, this piano was hiding some old coins, tons of straight pins, and something sticky that had been spilled between the keys. Thankfully, this piano was free of mice. (Mice love pianos. They tend to make nice soft nests under the keys using the various felt parts from the piano. This piano was probably too dirty for them.)

Dirt like this accelerates the wear on the action. It gets into all of the felt parts, such as the hammers, the dampers, and the various felts under the keys. The smallest of objects under the keys can upset the proper function of the piano. So, when regulation adjustments need to be made, (nearly all pianos need some), the action needs to be cleaned first. If mice have visited, that can complicate things.

Piano owners can help minimize this buildup of dirt by keeping piano lids closed when not in use, and by running the crevice tool on their vacuum over the tops of the keys a couple of times a year.

Either way, if you have had your piano for 10 years or more, it is likely overdue for a good cleaning. Ask your piano technician about this when you call to arrange for your next tuning, and listen carefully to the pedal squeak. It could be a mouse. Eek!

The keybed after cleaning, with new green felt punchings

You want me to do WHAT for $100?

2011-10-01T21:29:00.000-07:00

I got a call at about 9:30 on a Thursday night a couple of weeks ago. The caller was a local middle school music teacher whom I have never met. She had a job that she needed done. She wanted someone, me or someone I might know, to record the piano accompaniment for the performance of her upcoming show. The songs, she says, are pretty easy and, while she can't spend a lot of money, she would be willing to pay about $100 for the service.

Silence on my end.

"I might be able to raise that to $150", she says.

"umm...." on my end.

"If that's too insulting, then I can keep calling around."

At this point, I already know that my answer is NO. But, I decide to probe a bit further anyway.

"Where do you teach?", I ask. She tells me, and I make a mental note of it. I don't think I have any piano students who currently attend her school.

"What show is it?" She replies with the name of a piece of fluff: it's kiddie theatre that I recognize. I'm thinking to myself that there is probably a CD available that she can get from the publisher. I'm also thinking that what she is asking me to do is probably illegal.

More silence...
"If it is too insult..."
I interrupt, "Well, let's think about it for a second. How long is the show?"
"Between 45 minutes and an hour, but there is quite a bit of dialogue"
"O.K., then how many songs are there?"
"Um...there are 12 songs".
"So, you want someone to make a performance quality recording of your show for a little more than $8 a song?
"Yeah, I guess that's about right."
"You know, that is more than a little insulting. First of all, just to get the piano tuned for your recording might cost $100."
"Yeah.." Nervous laughter.
"No, really! Not only do you have to have an instrument that is going to sound half-way decent on a recording, but it should probably be tuned. That eats up your $100 and then some right there. Plus you either have to have recording equipment and know how to edit audio, or hire a recording engineer. You might also need to rent a space to do the recording. Then, aside from all of that, you are expecting me to record and prepare your tracks for a CD that you can play at a public performance, all for $100? Yeah, that is really insulting."
"Well, I thought maybe a student would want to do it."

In an attempt to end the conversation gracefully, I told her that I would think about it, and if anyone came to mind I would give her a call, but that I wouldn't call her back if I couldn't think of anyone. I tried to smooth things over a bit by acknowledging that it must be difficult to put together a show on a limited budget. She replied by saying that we are all in the same boat, and we musicians need to help each other out. That made me really angry, but I let it go and hung up. Rest assured, she hasn't heard back from me.

After hanging up the phone, I looked up the name of the publisher, and her school's performance was listed under "upcoming performances". (Usually, when you do shows like this, you don't purchase the music, you rent it, and pay a royalty. Any recordings of the show are usually strictly prohibited in the licensing agreement.) On further investigation, I noticed that there was an accompaniment CD available for rehearsals and performances. Somehow, I didn't feel obliged to call her back to let her know.

Kids will complain

2011-09-26T23:26:00.001-07:00

As a private piano teacher, and former school music teacher, I've heard a lot of kids complain. They have complained about having a new assignment, a quiz, theory homework, not getting to sing the warm up they want, wishing music class lasted longer, wanting class to be shorter, having to stand up, playing scales, learning a difficult piece, learning a piece they think is too easy, siting by someone they don't want to, the weather, their lunch, their current position in line, etc., etc......I've heard the phrase, "I don't feel like it" countless times.So, why is it that when a student complains about piano lessons, which they invariably do at some point, do parents feel like they have to take action and quickly get them out of lessons? What's wrong with listening to the complaint of the day, providing empathy ("I'm sorry to hear that."), and then saying, "I'm sure things will get better"? (which they invariably do!).Students who complain about school aren't allowed to quit school because they are momentarily frustrated. Kids shouldn't be allowed to go on a junk food only diet just because they complained about eating their vegetables.The point is, kids will complain about everything. EVERYTHING! I think it would be sad to keep them from learning and reaping the life long benefits of a musical education just because they complained.

Valuable Reference for Piano shoppers is now free!

2011-09-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

The book that I most frequently recommend to my friends, students, and tuning clients for becoming a savvy piano shopper, is now free online! The Acoustic and Digital Piano Buyer by Larry Fine (formerly published as The Piano Book) is updated twice a year and can be found at pianobuyer.com. The many articles in this book should be required reading for all pianists, but this book is especially useful for those that intend to purchase a piano.

Listening - A vital skill

2011-07-30T22:10:00.001-07:00

Julian Treasure: 5 ways to listen better | Video on TED.com

What Julian treasure says in this talk about listening being a skill that must be taught, developed, and nurtured is absolutely true. This is also one area in which private piano lessons can have a major positive impact. In teaching piano, guiding my students toward listening for rhythm, harmony, melody, timbre, and meaning is my primary objective. When combined with practice strategies and problem solving skills, students gain a powerful set of tools that transfer to every area of their life.

Imagine how many of our problems would evaporate if everyone possessed high level listening, practice, and problem solving skills. Piano lessons can change the world!

Free advice on used pianos

2011-07-27T08:32:00.001-07:00

While serving my community in the dual role of piano teacher and piano technician, I get lots of questions about purchasing used pianos. I also encounter many pianos in homes that are in various stages of wear. I tune for people who love and maintain their pianos, people who have hand-me-down pianos that are in desperate need of repair, and some whose piano should be hauled to the dump. So, to help insure that you will be in the first category, here are some tips on buying used pianos.

1. Do your homework. Get a copy of Larry Fine's The Piano Book and the most recent supplement. The advice in this book can assist you in becoming a savvy shopper and it will increase your confidence in and enjoyment of buying a piano.

2. Reconsider and buy a new piano. You may be surprised how painless it is to either purchase or finance a new piano. Like everything else, most of the pianos you will find on the showroom floor are made in China. (Don't be fooled into thinking you are buying American. Unless you are buying a new Steinway or Mason Hamlin piano, you are buying a piano that was built overseas.) As a result, there are tons of entry level pianos, both grand and upright, for less money than you might think. The advantages of buying a new piano include: a manufacturers warranty, which can extend to 10 or even 15 years; free tunings over the break-in period (at least one, sometimes 2 or more tunings are given by the dealer); a blemish free instrument, inside and out. The primary disadvantages are that there is a break-in period of several months where the piano will not hold its tuning very well as the strings have not yet stabilized and are still stretching.

Whether you end up buying new or used, plan on spending at least as much as you spent on your newest set of living room furniture. Pianos are way more complicated than a coffee table, but for some reason people think they should be able to get a good piano for around $500. Before you read on, you need to add a zero.

3. If you are buying used, avoid buying a really old piano unless it has been competently rebuilt. Parts wear out, felt compresses, soundboards lose their crown and crack, and rodents and insects such as moths and termites can add to the entropy. Unless you are buying a recently rebuilt piano, you may end up spending a lot more than the purchase price just getting the piano into playable condition, or you may have to pay to have the thing hauled to the dump.

4. A piano on which all of the keys "work" may still be unplayable and untunable. Pianos like this are not "good enough for a beginner".

5. The designation "cabinet grand" generally means "really big, heavy upright that was made about 100 years ago and likely needs new action parts, a new pinblock, and a new soundboard". Don't get me wrong; some of these "cabinet grand" pianos were very well made and may even be worth rebuilding. However, a new piano would likely be cheaper in the long run. Also, while it might seem neat that the piano has real ivory keytops, this doesn't really add to the value of the piano.

(Grand pianos have three legs with strings that run parallel to the floor.)

6. If you are going to buy a used piano from a private owner or even a dealer (especially if the dealer warranty is less than a year), it is worth it to pay a reputable piano technician to inspect the piano and evaluate the instrument before handing over your money.

7. NEVER accept a free piano without having a technician look it over first. Free pianos can be quite expensive.

8. Don't buy a spinet. They are more difficult and costly to repair. They usually don't sound very good because the strings are too short, and the actions on these pianos generally don't function as well as console or upright actions.

9. "Grand" does not always equal "good", even when the piano is really a "Grand" and not a "Cabinet Grand". Like upright pianos, grands age and are built with a wide range of quality of parts and workmanship. There are some good looking but TERRIBLE grand pianos on the market.

10. Take your time and look and don't be afraid to haggle for a lower price. There are a lot of pianos out there, and the more time you allow yourself to shop around, the better informed you will be and the better deals you will find.

Five Vital Skills for Piano Students

2011-05-23T14:24:00.003-07:00

Time management + the ability to say NO! Everyone's time is valuable. You cannot get good at piano and everything else at the same time. We recommend that our students limit their extra-curricular activities to a total of 2 (if you have piano lessons and church youth group, you've reached your quota).
Consistency. Practicing for 2 hours twice a week, every other week is far less effective than practicing a little each day. Also, taking the summer off is a bad idea. In two months of missed lessons, all of the skills that we work so hard on during the year atrophy. Even worse, students can develop bad habits of technique and practice that are difficult to fix when they return to lessons.
Focus. Work on one thing at a time and be clear about what it is you are working on. Know the limits of your attention span, and shift your focus to extend your productive time at the piano. Awareness of one's mistakes arises from this kind of deliberate focus, and you can't fix your mistakes without knowing they exist.
Critical listening (and thinking). Piano students need to learn to listen in a thoughtful way. Listening for specific elements, like dynamics or articulation, is a good way to start. Before critical listening is developed, students will play a piece, and not hear their mistakes. After a student performance riddled with wrong notes and rhythms, and stops every other measure, I'll often ask the student how they felt about it. If they say something like "I thought it went pretty well, but I think I missed a note somewhere in the middle", they weren't listening critically. The best students are sensitive to every blemish, and are often pessimistic about their performance, while the worst students are ignorant of their mistakes and frequently have inflated ideas about their musical ability.
Delayed gratification. The understanding that practice yields results over time comes from experience, but students benefit when parents model delayed gratification through saving for things they want, planting a garden, or learning a skill. When kids are also encouraged to engage in activities like this, the idea of practice will seem natural and logical. When kids never have to wait for, or work for, anything at home, the idea of practice will be foreign. The idea of talent is best abandoned as well; nothing will undermine a teacher's efforts faster than a student who believes he is talented.

A month of no excuses.

2011-02-08T13:31:00.005-07:00

I have just completed the most amazing month of my entire teaching career. In the month of January, I had exactly zero students come to their lessons unprepared. That means no one came into lessons last month with an excuse ready for why they didn't practice as much as they should have. How remarkable is this? Well, I have been teaching private students since 1993, and it has never happened before now. I have had good weeks, sure. But never an entire month.

So, it is time to reflect. How did this happen, and more importantly, can it happen again?

Hypothesis #1: My student's parents don't make excuses.

In the past, I have always had a few parents who tend to make excuses for their kids. I don't have that problem this semester. Kids who have parents that make excuses, have kids that make excuses.

Corollary to Hypothesis #1: Our studio kids have awesome parents.

Hypothesis #2: Self evaluation.

All of my students complete a quick, self-evaluation at the beginning of each lesson, and give themselves a rating based on the following criteria:

10 points are possible. A score of 10 indicates perfect preparation.

Subtract 1 for every day that no practice occurred.

Subtract 2 for any item not practiced that was written in your notebook.

Subtract 3 for not doing assigned theory.

Subtract 1 for any item that you forgot to bring to your lesson.

Subtract 1 for Long Fingernails .

Subtract 1 for each excuse you make for not coming prepared.

Subtract 1 if you use our bathroom.

Subtract 1 for arriving 10 minutes late, 2 for 20 minutes and so on.

Students results are plotted on a graph, that over time, might look like this:

There are two lines because they get a score from me as well, which is based on my perception of whether they have made sufficient progress over the course of the week. Gaps in the chart show either vacations or missed lessons. The student above is fairly consistent about getting to the piano during the week, but has dropped the ball a couple of times. When students hold themselves accountable for their work during the week, they take more responsibility for making sure that they practice. I have noticed marked improvement in my students' performance since I implemented this chart last summer.

So, can this happen again? I'm not betting on it. But, at least now I know it is possible.

Positive Thinking

2010-07-14T21:47:00.000-07:00

This video is on the mark. I wish that all of our students' parents would drop the positive thinking paradigm. (Some of them have!) Learning a skill as complex as piano is not all smiles and warm fuzzies. There are rough patches to get through and walls to climb over. Frequently a student's preparation is lacking and the teacher must be the bearer of bad news. Sometimes students get upset when this happens, but that is not the teacher's fault. Honest, constructive criticism is not abuse, even if a student cries upon hearing it. Honest, constructive criticism is, in fact, a large part of teaching in general. People seem to forget that. We're not cheerleaders, we are teachers!

2010 MTNA Convention

2010-03-26T16:57:00.000-07:00

Last night, Robyn and I returned from the MTNA Convention in Albuquerque, NM, our old stomping grounds. The convention was fantastic. Nearly 2,000 teachers, students and other presenters attended this conference of the oldest professional music teachers association in the U.S.A. The highlights for us were the talks by Frederick Chiu on stage fright, Randall Faber talking of course about piano adventures, and hearing the winners of the MTNA national competitions.

We are back home feeling a bit tired but also reenergized with new things to teach and share with our students. In addition to tons of stuff given away by publishers, we spent more than $500 on scores and other resources for use in our studio. We are going to need more shelves!

Achievement Day Coasters

2010-03-10T23:17:00.001-07:00

Over the weekend, Robyn and I worked as evaluators for the Fort Collins Music Teachers Association 'Achievement Day'. Not only is this a great learning opportunity for the students that take part, it is a great opportunity for teachers to learn a bit about the world outside of their own studios. Unlike competitions, achievement day participants include more than just the cream of the crop which allows evaluators to get a sense of what is really going on in other teacher's studios.

There are of course the precocious elementary school students who are used to excelling at everything, and the occasional dedicated High School student getting ready for college auditions. But most interesting to me are the "coasters" - the kids who stick with piano for years doing a minimal amount of practice. Coasters make steady but very slow improvement. Coasters are the kids who have had lessons for 5-7 years and are still in method books. They are almost slackers, but because they show up for lessons and even practice a bit during the week, they squeak by. They have neither a drive for excellence nor a real desire to express themselves through music. They hide in mediocrity, that comfortable limbo that avoids the highs of success, or the lows of failure. As a result, they do almost nothing for exceedingly long periods of time.

So, what keeps kids in this state of blah? What prevents them from throwing themselves into something, anything, that interests them? Is it possible to somehow teach a coaster to become a climber, an achiever, or an artist? Should it bother us to have coasters in our studios or should we simply be glad they come to their lessons each week? Should we allow these students to continue with lessons? Can teachers influence a student who coasts in every other aspect of their lives to do something different with piano?

One thing is certain: Coasters are no fun to teach. They are predictable and lack the curiosity that enlivens the work done in lessons. So, should we teachers keep dragging these students along? I don't know. I will say that I have had more than one student switch from coaster to climber. I take no credit for the switch, however.

I know what to do with slackers: Let them slack elsewhere. I know what to do with climbers and achievers as well. It's the coasters that are the challenge. Thanks to achievement day, I know that ours is not the only studio dragging a coaster or two along for the ride.

Amplify one, then amplify all.

2010-02-28T17:36:00.001-07:00

Last night was the final round of Greeley's version of the Kiwani's Stars of Tomorrow competitions. We had three students from our piano studio make it into the finals and they all played quite well, but none of them won. Nonetheless, it was a very positive experience for all. Furthermore, all of the winners played well and deserved recognition. Elementary, Middle, and High School divisions were all awarded to pianists all from the same family. The Best in Show award went to a high school violinist.

O.K., here is the gripe. This is a talent show that accepts any kind of performer. Singers and dancers are very popular and are always amplified. In between singers, there are young pianists that are not amplified. They sound like they are playing in another zip code. The only way to compete in this situation is to resort to theatrics and banging the piano to smithereens. Therefore, tasteful, polished performances don't stand a chance against loud, crass, and sloppy playing. This is especially true in the elementary and middle school divisions because of smaller hands and smaller sounds. If everyone were amplified then the pianists would be on equal footing with the 7 year olds singing something cute, the middle schoolers singing something country (and flat!), and the High-schoolers singing something inappropriate. Not only that, but the expressive players would be on equal footing with the pounders.

It would be nice if they would have the piano tuned as well. Maybe that's why they won't amplify the pianos...

Middle School Piano Students

2010-01-31T15:22:00.001-07:00

Students in middle school are more likely to quit piano lessons than any other age group. Why is this? Here is a list of reasons.

Students are more self conscious of gender roles. Boys frequently quit at this age because "piano is for girls". In elementary school, we have roughly the same number of boys as we do girls enrolled in lessons. By high school, girls outnumber boys by about 5 to 1.
Students are developing their sense of personal identity and are attempting to separate themselves from things they perceive as childish. Students that started in elementary school can begin to view piano as something for kids.
Students are being allowed to make more decisions about what they do. Piano lessons are often the most challenging activity kids are involved in. Because kids at this age have difficulty seeing the long term rewards of playing the piano, they will frequently want to quit at this age because it is too hard. Parents frequently will decide that they no longer want to "fight this battle", so the student is allowed to quit.
There is greater peer pressure to fit in. Since piano is a pretty solitary activity most of the time, it is vulnerable to outside pressures. When competing against more visible activities, such as sports, piano can be a hard sell. Plus, most middle school bands and orchestras have no chair for a piano.

So, how do we keep these students? I think positive adult musical models help. Assigning more popular music helps motivate students and gives them something that they are willing to play for their friends. Offering group classes for students of similar ages can really help as well. Taking students to piano concerts can help students envision piano as something for adults. That can be a powerful motivator for a middle schooler who is trying to appear less childlike.

No matter what we do, Middle School is a challenging time for students and their parents. As teachers, we can do our best to be supportive and use our best motivational tools. For parents, we recommend love and logic.

What qualifications does one need to teach piano?

2010-01-21T10:28:00.001-07:00

I am continually amazed at how many people in my community teach piano who have little or no expertise in the subject. People who barely play the instrument themselves take money to teach others the fundamentals of piano playing. As a pianist who has dedicated the last 20+ years to the instrument, it is quite frustrating to see bright, enthusiastic young minds, eager to learn music, taken in by teachers who may have had lessons in high school, but quit because it was too hard. There are teachers who can't sight read the simplest of music. There are teachers who can't count dotted rhythms. There are teachers who can't match pitch. There are teachers who teach using untunable instruments that were built before we had the automobile.

How do I know this is true? Because I talk to these people. I meet them when I tune their pianos at home or at church. I've even met them at local MTNA meetings. I see a couple of old method books sitting next to the piano, and I ask "are you taking lessons?". They will then say "no, I teach piano". I will then say, "Oh! How long have you been playing?" Then they tell me something like,"Well, I had voice lessons in high school, and I've sort of taught myself to play. When I had kids, I needed some extra money, and when I inherited this piano from my grandmother, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to start my own studio." I then try to hide my feelings of disgust.

Is it not unethical to take a family's money and a student's time teaching a subject which is beyond your own comprehension?

Sorry for the rant, but it has taken 10 years for Robyn and I to build up a full studio in Greeley. Why so long? Because, there are a multitude of housewives and retirees who take private students, but have no qualifications and no business teaching. None of them charge enough to make a living, some of them barely charge anything at all, and some of them copy music illegally for their students.

So to answer the question, "What qualifications does one need to teach piano?" The answer is obviously none. It is up to parents to have high enough standards to seek out qualified teachers for their kids.

New Class

2010-01-21T00:01:00.001-07:00

We have decided that having 19 students in our studio at one time is a bit much, so we are splitting the 6th-12th grade class into two parts. High school students will now meet at 1:00-2:00 for master-classes.

A busy fall so far!

2009-10-03T22:01:00.005-07:00

August and September have been very busy. The new semester began in August, with our combined teaching load at 39 hours. With several tunings a week for me and with Robyn's job at Mountain View Academy, this is normally a very manageable schedule, but a couple of things have made the last two months extra busy. The first is our rehearsal schedule for our upcoming duo recital. The second is that the piano we have been piano-sitting for the past 7 years has been called home to its owner in Wisconsin. That has meant piano shopping and piano moving. The third, is that UNC has yet again lost a piano technician, which meant that I had more tuning work than I expected. All of the above has conspired to steal away every bit of down time we would have had over the past two months.

Putting together a Duet recital has been lot of work. Practicing, rehearsing, booking the hall, and advertising have kept us quite busy. We are really enjoying playing together though, and have already begun planning our next recital which will be for two pianos.

Private Piano Lessons vs. Online Piano Lessons

2009-06-18T20:21:00.009-07:00

There are easily more than 50 different websites offering some form of "online piano lessons". There must be a fairly large number of people attempting to learn how to play the piano this way and my ears hurt just thinking about it. But, who knows, maybe in another 10 years, we will be hearing great things from countless performing artists who have learned to play only by taking piano courses online. I highly doubt it, though. Here are some reasons that I think private lessons are still the best way to learn how to play the piano.

1. Private lessons provide intelligent, instant feedback.

Once computers achieve sentience, online lessons may give traditional teachers a run for their money, but until then, the best that a program of online lessons can provide is information, video, and recordings. While these are great tools for enhancing one's knowledge and understanding of music, there is no substitute for a thoughtful and observant teacher who can catch problems as they are happening and correct them.

2. Expression!

Music is best when played with appropriate expression. Good luck getting any feedback about this aspect from online lessons.

3. Customized Experience.

Teaching privately involves a lot of give and take. A great (or even a good) teacher can evaluate your current skill and knowledge and help to fill your most immediate needs immediately. Online lessons are not able to do this in any real way.

4. Personal attention.

The value of a working student/teacher relationship is one that is difficult to overstate. A full hour of personal attention every week from a teacher who has no other interest than to help you become the best at playing a musical instrument that you love has tremendous psychological benefits. Even a simple pat on the back for a job well done is something that online lessons can't duplicate.

5. Non-verbal transmission of skills and knowledge.

My most effective teaching occurs without speaking a word. There is no faster way to fix technical issues or to communicate interpretive subtleties than to show the student what they are currently doing, and then show them new possibilities for movement or expression. In fact, frequently, this is the only effective way to address musical and technical problems at the piano.

6. Creative give and take.

Playing piano is an interpretive art. It is not an exact science. If this were not the case, then there would be no reason to play the piano in the first place. What would be the point? Even the simplest of pieces offer many possibilities for interpretation. A teacher can help you decide which of your ideas are worth exploring, and which ones test the limits of good taste. Furthermore, a teacher can help you discover ideas that you would never have thought of on your own.

The value of private lessons far exceeds anything online lessons could hope to offer. There is no substitute for a great teacher.

Top ten reasons to stick with piano over the summer

2009-04-14T20:24:00.007-07:00

Every year we have a few students that decide they want to "take a break" from piano for the summer. The upcoming summer activity schedule can quickly get pretty thick. First there is that trip to the Caribbean coming up, then baseball, or swimming, or tennis, or soccer, or all of the above. Well here are some arguments for sticking with piano through the summer that may have slipped your mind while you were off shopping for shorts and sun-tan lotion.

Competition! Students who continue with piano lessons over the summer have a huge edge over those that don't. Consider this: Our summer session is 2 months long, and it takes about a month (sometimes two) to get back into the swing of things after such a long break. So every year, the students who continue with lessons over the summer will be 3 months ahead of where they would have been if they had taken a "break". That means that a student who misses every summer for 4 years will be a full year behind where they could have been if they had continued through the summer.
Maintenance. Think about other things that without a certain degree of maintenance would simply fall apart, or worse, if we decided to "take a break". Have you ever quit a membership to a gym with the intention of starting up again? How did that work out? Well, students who don't have lessons all summer not only lose momentum, they get really rusty. Muscles used in creating music at the piano atrophy and the patterns of fine motor coordination begin to fade. In fact, after two months of neglect, their playing can take two months to recover. Two very long and painful months for all involved. I'm sure you can imagine what this might do to a student's motivation.
Focus. Even though summers can be filled with lots of extra activities, think about all of the things you don't have to do! No school and no homework means 6, 7, 8 or more hours a day suddenly free! What are you going to do some of that time? Practice! Not only that, your practicing won't be constantly interrupted by thoughts like, "I have to remember to finish my science project", or "How on Earth DO you spell 'podzolization' anyway?" Summer is likely to be the most productive 2 months of practicing all year!
Fun! Student's schedules are generally much more relaxed in the summer, allowing for the possibility of more group activities like duets or chamber music. Since students have more time available for practicing, they might add that fun Star Wars or Hannah Montana piece they have always wanted to play. As long as you commit to practicing your regular lesson stuff, your teacher should be on board!
New Projects. Summer is the perfect time to start projects that, for many students, just aren't feasible during the school year. Students may decide to compose a piano sonata or start work on playing a piano concerto. They could pick a composer and listen to his or her complete works. The possibilities are endless!
Extra lessons! Another possibility is scheduling up to 6 extra lessons during the Summer. But the cool thing is, these extra lessons can be totally different than your regular lesson. Students can use this extra time to get help with their summer project (see above), or we could spend those extra lessons focusing on a special area of interest. Some ideas include intensive studies of rhythm, sight reading, composition, music history, improvisation, listening, harmony, Beethoven, technique, tuning, and more. The important thing to realize is that your hour a week lesson really only allows us to graze the surface of the great depths of music. We could easily fill several hours a day just covering essential musical skills.
Keep your spot! Some of our students don't realize that if you quit piano during the summer, you run the risk of losing your spot permanently! We have a maximum of 50 hours a week (although we try to keep it down to 45 or so) to dedicate to teaching students after school, and we always have students waiting to get in. So when a student leaves, the spot goes to the next person in line. Just like everyone else, we have bills to pay and we need to keep our studio full in order to keep our rates low and our heads above water.
Camp! Camp is one of the funnest things about taking lessons with Gould and Fall Piano. Just ask our students who do it every year! We offer two, week-long summer camps every year available only to students registered for summer session. While we have made exceptions to the registration rule in the past, we are no longer allowing students to quit for the summer and still do camp. If you are not registered, you are no longer a student of Gould and Fall Piano, and you lose any benefits that go with registration.
Continuity. The loss of structure that comes with summer vacation can be a challenge. "Huh?" you say, "what can be better that no school?" Well, after a couple of weeks, having little or no schedule can mean boredom. Furthermore, continuous piano lessons can provide a bridge that makes the transition from school to summer and back again a little less shocking. It also helps students stay motivated, because they don't have to deal with the atrophy that occurs with an extended vacation. (see Maintenance above).
We miss you if you leave! Believe it or not, we like you. We love teaching our students, and we miss them if they leave. Teaching and playing piano is not just our livelihood, it is our life. When students leave, our long-term dreams for them are at best postponed, and at worst cancelled. We invest not only our time and money into teaching our students, we invest ourselves. We ache when students leave.

Piano Olympics

2009-04-11T15:10:00.004-07:00

In August, our students began the tenuous track many Olympic athletes have to endure. Long hours of practicing, and many more spent studying music theory. The last Saturday of each month, our students who are in Kindergarten - 5th grade, have had a heart pounding, edge of your seat competition brewing with the "Gould and Fall Piano Olympics".

Each class came up with their own team/country name. The boys class came up with the "Do Re Birds" vs. the "Musical Demented Doom Chamber" or MDDC for short. The girls class has a heated competition between the "Egyptian Tones", and the "Bass States". So far, the "MDDC" is in the lead for the boys class, and in the girls class, the "Egyptian Tones" have a hefty lead over the "Bass States". We have one Master Class left this semester and anything can happen!

WINNERS COMPETITION

The winners from the GIRLS class will compete against the winners of the BOYS class on Saturday, May 16th from 11:00am - 1:00pm. We will know which teams will compete after April 25th.

The winners competition will be a non stop hour of fun activities including: Note naming, rhythm bee, animal antic improv's, do re mi watch your step, and more....

PIZZA PARTY FOLLOWING THE FINAL COMPETITION!!!!!!

Achievement Day

2009-04-11T14:59:00.005-07:00

On Saturday, April 18th, many of our students will take part in the annual Greeley Area Music Teacher's Association Achievement Day. This is open to students of all levels, and from Kindergarten to 12th grade. They have the opportunity to hear feedback from another teacher, polish and prepare 2 pieces, and complete at least 2 music related options. Our students receive positive feedback from their evaluator, as well as suggestions for improvement. Once all the requirements are complete, students receive a Colorado State Music Teacher's Association certificate of participation.