Upper Hands Piano: A Method for Adults 50+ to Spark the Mind, Heart and Soul
May is recital season. We walk those hallowed recital halls wearing our hearts on our sleeves, silently fearing the worst, while hoping for the best. Why do we agree to play in recitals and performances? Is it really worth all of the worry? Here are some reasons why teachers encourage their students to perform, and …
Continue reading “Recital Season / Alleviating Stage Fright”
One of the most requested piano pieces is Scott Joplin’s, The Entertainer. Though Joplin wrote it in 1902, it was used in the film The Sting which was set in the 1930s, because it conveys an exuberant sense of humor and mischief. Ragtime is challenging to play because of its syncopated rhythm. Syncopation is when …
Recent studies showing how the brain acquires and stores new information can revolutionize our practice habits. Using these new findings, we can learn how to play our instruments faster, and retain the information much better. We often get frustrated wondering why we played a musical passage over and over, then forgot it the next day. Only to remember it …
Continue reading “THE BEST WAYS TO PRACTICE using the latest brain research”
I’ve experienced many terrible things in my life, a few of which actually happened – Mark Twain I loved that Mark Twain quote provided by Dr. Vanessa Cornett-Murtada this summer at a seminar she gave at a music teachers conference entitled, Crush the jitters! Strategies for Performance Anxiety Management Dr. Cornett-Murtada …
A thousand apologies for my tardiness in posting my April free sheet music. March is a busy month for me- I start the month practicing Irish tunes for upcoming St. Patrick’s Day gigs, then on March 18th I get serious about doing my taxes. Then my students and I have our spring Piano and Poetry …
One of my favorite Christmas songs is the traditional English carol, I Saw Three Ships. I like Sting’s recording, and lots of other singers and choirs have sung it with varying melodies and lyrics. I have arranged I Saw Three Ships for easy piano; if you’re a beginner, listen to Sting’s performance to help you hear the …
Continue reading “December Free Sheet Music: I Saw Three Ships”