Summer is upon us which means BBQ cook outs, poolside hangouts and lots of ice cream! It also means less time by the piano, which means getting back into the groove of playing can be difficult come September.
We at JoyTunes want to keep you playing all summer long! To do so we are bringing back Summer Camp in Piano Maestro!
Each week, starting July 1st, we will release a new fun song for you to learn and play. Songs from artists such as
Colbie Caillat
Michael Buble
Florida Georgia Line and more!
Summer Camp songs can be found in the “summer camp” category in the Library.
Prizes will be rewarded to top players, we want to recognize your awesome playing!
Summer Camp is the perfect way to keep your piano practice up during this summer, as to not miss a beat.
The first song of Summer Camp will be Andy Grammer “Honey, I’m good”. Check out the (very cute!) video for the song to get a taste of what to look forward to!
• 1666 ~ Adam Krieger, German Composer, died at the age of 32
• 1669 ~ Mauritius Vogt, Composer
• 1722 ~ Jiri Antonin Benda, Composer
• 1723 ~ Christian Ernst Graf, Composer
• 1743 ~ Niels Schiorring, Composer
• 1792 ~ Francesco Antonio Rosetti, Composer, died
• 1818 ~ Edward John Hopkins, Composer
• 1819 ~ Ernst Ludwig Gerber, Composer, died at the age of 72
• 1846 ~ Ricardo Drigo, Composer
• 1889 ~ Eugenio Terziani, Composer, died at the age of 64
• 1890 ~ Samuel Parkman Tuckerman, Composer, died at the age of 71
• 1896 ~ Wilfred Pelletier, Canadian conductor for Voice of Firestone
• 1908 ~ Lucino Tinio Sacramento, Composer
• 1914 ~ Natko Devcic, Composer
• 1917 ~ Lena Horne, American singer of popular music
• 1917 ~ “Buddy” Rich, American jazz drummer and bandleader
• 1918 ~ Stuart Foster, American singer
• 1921 ~ Gordon Reynolds, Musician
• 1923 ~ Claude Antoine Terrasse, Composer, died at the age of 56
• 1925 ~ Will Gay Bottje, Composer
• 1929 ~ Alexander Kelly, Pianist and teacher
• 1930 ~ June Valli, American singer on Your Hit Parade
• 1931 ~ James Loughran, British conductor
• 1932 ~ Martin Mailman, American composer
• 1936 ~ Pauls Dambis, Composer
• 1939 ~ Chris Hinze, Dutch flutist
• 1939 ~ Lindembergue Cardoso, Composer
• 1939 ~ Frank Sinatra made his first appearance with Harry James’ band. Sinatra was center stage at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, MD, where he sang My Love for You
• 1944 ~ Glenn Shorrock, Australian singer with Little River Band
• 1946 ~ Billy Brown, singer with Ray, Goodman, Brown
• 1946 ~ Michael Zadora, Composer, died at the age of 64
• 1947 ~ Jasper van’t Hof, Dutch jazz pianist (Live in Montreux)
• 1951 ~ Andrew Scott, Welch rock guitarist
• 1951 ~ “Victor Borge Show,” last aired on NBC-TV
More information about Borge
• 1953 ~ Gote Carlid, Composer, died at the age of 32
• 1956 ~ “Pipe Dream” closed at Shubert Theater New York City after 245 performances
• 1956 ~ “Shangri-La” closed at Winter Garden Theater New York City after 21 performances
• 1959 ~ Lazare Saminsky, Composer, died at the age of 76
• 1960 ~ Clarence Cameron White, Composer, died at the age of 79
• 1969 ~ Jan Evangelista Zelinka, Composer, died at the age of 76
• 1982 ~ “Lena Horne: Lady, Music” closed at Nederlander New York City after 333 performances
• 1983 ~ Bo Gentry, Songwriter and producer, died
• 1985 ~ Yul Brynner left his role as the King of Siam after 4,600 performances in The King and I at the Broadway Theatre in New York City. The show had run, on and off, for over 34 years and 191 performances.
• 1987 ~ Federico Mompou, Composer, died at the age of 94
• 1993 ~ “Les Miserables” opened at Point Theatre, Dublin
• 1995 ~ Phyllis Hyman, Rhythm and Blues Jazz singer, died at 45
• 1996 ~ “State Fair,” closed at Music Box Theater New York City after 118 performances
• 2001 ~ Chet Atkins, whose guitar style influenced a generation of rock musicians even as he helped develop an easygoing country style to compete with it, died at the age of 77.
Atkins recorded more than 75 albums of guitar instrumentals and sold more than 75 million albums. He played on hundreds of hit records, including those of Elvis Presley (Heartbreak Hotel), Hank Williams Sr. (Your Cheatin’ Heart, Jambalaya) and The Everly Brothers (Wake Up Little Susie). As an executive with RCA Records for nearly two decades beginning in 1957, Atkins played a part in the careers of Roy Orbison, Jim Reeves, Charley Pride, Dolly Parton Jerry Reed, Waylon Jennings, Eddy Arnold and many others. “It’s impossible to capsulize his life – due to the profound impact he’s had as a wonderful human being and incredible member of our industry,” said Joe Galante, chairman of the RCA Label Group in Nashville. “His artistry and his influence as an industry leader have impacted so many. “There is no way to replace him nor what he has meant to music and our Nashville community.” Atkins helped craft the lush Nashville Sound, using string sections and lots of echo to make records that appealed to older listeners not interested in rock music. Among his notable productions are The End of the World by Skeeter Davis and He’ll Have to Go by Reeves. “I realized that what I liked, the public would like, too,” Atkins said in a 1996 interview with The Associated Press. ‘”Cause I’m kind of square.”
Chester Burton Atkins was born June 20, 1924, on a farm near Luttrell, Tenn., about 20 miles northeast of Knoxville. His elder brother Jim Atkins also played guitar, and went on to perform with Les Paul. Chet Atkins’ first professional job was as a fiddler on WNOX in Knoxville, where his boss was singer Bill Carlisle. “He was horrible,” Carlisle said at a tribute concert to Atkins in 1997. “But I heard him during a break playing guitar and decided to feature him on that.” Atkins’ unusual fingerpicking style, a pseudoclassical variation influenced by such diverse talents as Merle Travis and Django Reinhardt, got him hired and fired from jobs at radio stations all over the country. Atkins sometimes joked that early on his playing sounded “like two guitarists playing badly.” During the 1940s he toured with many acts, including Red Foley, The Carter Family and Kitty Wells. RCA executive Steve Sholes took Atkins on as a protege in the 1950s, using him as the house guitarist on recording sessions. RCA began issuing instrumental albums by Atkins in 1953. George Harrison, whose guitar work on early Beatles records is heavily influenced by Atkins, wrote the liner notes for “Chet Atkins Picks on the Beatles.” Sholes put Atkins in charge of RCA Nashville when he was promoted in 1957. There, he helped Nashville survive the challenge of rock ‘n’ roll with the Nashville Sound. The lavish sound has been criticized by purists who prefer their country music raw and unadorned. Atkins was unrepentant, saying that at the time his goal was simply “to keep my job.” “And the way you do that is you make a hit record once in a while,” he said in 1993. “And the way you do that is you give the audience something different.” Atkins quit his job as an executive in the 1970s and concentrated on playing his guitar. He’s collaborated with a wide range of artists on solo albums, including Mark Knopfler, Paul McCartney, Eric Johnson, George Benson, Susie Bogguss and Earl Klugh. At the time he became ill, Atkins had just released a CD, “The Day Finger Pickers took over the World.” He also had begun regular Monday night performances at a Nashville club. “If I know I’ve got to go do a show, I practice quite a bit, because you can’t get out there and embarrass yourself.” Atkins said in 1996. “So I thought, if I play every week I won’t be so rusty and I’ll play a lot better.”
It’s the kind of high-caliber performance you might usually see at the Seattle Symphony or on an even bigger stage. Yet the show put on Wednesday night took place inside a retirement home.
Randolph Hokanson is a world renowned pianist. He also happens to be a resident at a retirement community in Seattle.
“He’s very gifted. He studied with many famous people especially in the 1930s,” said Duane Funderburk, who studied under Hokanson himself. “I keep studying with him as much as I can.”
Funderburk was just one of many people who packed into a concert hall Wednesday afternoon to hear Hokanson perform.
“There was a full house. It was amazing,” said Hokanson. “I didn’t know I had that many friends.”
With each stroke of the keys, Hokanson has the unique ability to make his friends and fellow residents feel young again. Many in the crowd tapped their feet and bobbed their heads to the music.
Watch the video above to see this 100-year-old in his piano-playing groove.
“It’s sensational,” said Stuart Baker. “It makes me cry. It just makes the tears flow.”
No tears from Hokanson, though, who says he’s thrilled to still be playing the piano after marking a big milestone Monday.
“Yep! Yep! I was a hundred on Monday,” he said. “My birthday was on the 22nd.”
After 100 years spent making music and living life, we had to ask Hokanson about his secret to longevity. He says the piano definitely has something to do with it.
“You just keep doing what you love to do. That’s all. It’s very simple,” he said. “Anybody who has a great passion and can’t live without it, I think that helps you live. I think it keeps you well and happy and busy. It certainly has kept me busy.”
In addition to his career as a pianist, Hokanson also spent 35 years teaching music at the University of Washington. In more recent years, he divides his time between playing music and composing music and says he doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon.
“It’s really an inspiration to all of us who know him,” said Funderbunk.
• 1943 ~ Roger Ruskin Spear, English saxophonist, kazoo with The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
• 1945 ~ Little Eva (Boyd), Singer
• 1946 ~ “Are You with It?” closed at Century Theater New York City after 264 performances
• 1946 ~ “Billion Dollar Baby” closed at Alvin Theater New York City after 219 performances
• 1948 ~ Ian Paice, Musician, drums with Paice Ashton Lord
• 1953 ~ Jules van Nuffel, Composer, died at the age of 70
• 1955 ~ Bill Haley and His Comets reached the top of the pop music charts with RockAround the Clock. The smash hit stayed there for eight straight weeks. The song was featured in the film Blackboard Jungle. Most consider the hit song the first rock ’n’ roll single.
• 1963 ~ “Little Me” closed at Lunt-Fontanne Theater New York City after 257 performances
• 1963 ~ The Beatles’ 1st song From Me to You hits UK charts
• 1969 ~ Shorty Long, Soul singer and pianist, died at the age of 29
• 1969 ~ Vesselin Stoyanov, Composer, died at the age of 67
• 1970 ~ NBC presented an evening of exciting and entertaining TV with the award-winning Liza Minelli Special.
• 1980 ~ “Sweeney Todd” closed at Uris Theater New York City after 557 performances
• 1984 ~ Singer Bruce Springsteen kicked off his first U.S. tour in three years, before 17,700 fans at the Civic Center in St. Paul, MN. Music critics called the Boss, “the most exciting performer in rock.”
• 1992 ~ “Salome” opened at Circle in Sq Theater New York City for 9 performances
• 1994 ~ Kurt Eichhorn, Conductor, died at the age of 85
• 1994 ~ Ray Crane, Trumpeter, died at the age of 63
• 2001 ~ Kimo Wilder McVay, a veteran talent agent who promoted singer Don Ho into an international star, died at the age of 73. McVay introduced Ho, known for his song Tiny Bubbles, to tourist audiences in the 1960s at his Duke Kahanamoku’s nightclub in Waikiki. He represented Hawaii’s top talents in an up-and-down career that spanned nearly five decades, but slowed his work when diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago. McVay was the son of Navy Capt. Charles B. McVay III, who was found guilty at a court martial trial of failing to steer a zigzag course to evade a Japanese submarine that sank the USS Indianapolis in 1945. The younger McVay’s years of trying to clear his father’s name resulted in congressional action last year to exonerate the Indianapolis’ skipper, who committed suicide in 1968.
• 2002 ~ Rosemary Clooney, the mellow-voiced singer who co-starred with Bing Crosby in “White Christmas” and staged a dramatic comeback after her career was nearly destroyed by drugs and alcohol, died. She was 74. Clooney soared to fame with her 1951 record of Come on-a My House, and became a star in television and films. Her career was sidelined by her marriage to Oscar- winning actor Jose Ferrer and the births of their five children. The pair divorced, and her attempts to return to performing were sabotaged by her erratic behavior. Having undergone a series of emotional upsets – she was devastated by Martin Luther King’s assassination, and was present in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles when Robert F. Kennedy was shot – the blond singer had a breakdown during a 1968 engagement in Reno. She underwent harrowing confinement in a psychotic ward, then began rebuilding her life, gradually resuming her career and reaching new heights as a singer. She performed a concert with Crosby in the Christmas of 1975 at the Los Angeles Music Center, and the pair continued on to Chicago, New York and London. Clooney won a new record contract, and singing dates poured in. In 1995, she received an Emmy Award nomination for guest actress in a drama series for her role on “ER” with her nephew, actor George Clooney. He is the son of her brother, former television news anchor Nick Clooney. In 1996, Clooney married Hollywood dancer Dante DiPaolo.
• 2002 ~ Edmund Anderson, a former stock broker and producer who was close friends with musician Duke Ellington, died. He was 89. Anderson and Ellington met in 1936 and remained friends until Ellington’s death in 1974. Anderson was said to have pressed Ellington to perform at Carnegie Hall, which he did for the first time in 1943. Anderson worked for his father’s brokerage, Anderson & Company, but had a strong interest in music and also produced broadcasts for radio, including a program known as “The Edgar Bergen-Charlie McCarthy Show.” He also composed music, including the love song Flamingo, written in collaboration with Ted Grouya and recorded by Ellington and his band.
So many piano students would love to be able to just sit down at the piano and play without having to read sheet music. At least, that’s according to pianist/composer Edward Weiss.
Weiss, owner and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons believes anyone can play the piano. And he does it all without note reading.
Weiss explains…
“Most piano students assume they must learn how to read music before they attempt anything creative. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, I encourage students to speak the language of music first through chords before learning how to read it.”
This ‘backwards’ approach isn’t really backwards at all according to this teacher. When asked why he teaches piano this way, Weiss says:
“We learn our native language first by speaking it. This is a normal and natural thing. Why not music? Note reading should be the last thing taught. As students become more and more comfortable with ‘speaking the language’ of music, the need to play what other’s have written and produced decreases.”
• 1906 ~ Safford Cape, American/Belgian conductor, composer and music historian
• 1909 ~ Arnold Shaw, Composer
• 1910 ~ Gustave Leon Huberti, Composer, died at the age of 67
• 1912 ~ Audrey Langford, Singing teacher
• 1912 ~ Sergiu Celibidache, conductor
• 1913 ~ George Walter Selwyn Lloyd, English Composer
• 1914 ~ Lester Flatt, Country music entertainer, guitar with Flatt and Scruggs
• 1917 ~ Willem “Wim” Sonneveld, Dutch singer and actor in My Fair Lady
• 1923 ~ Pete (Walter) Candoli, Musician, trumpeter
• 1936 ~ Giselher W Kleber, German opera composer
• 1925 ~ George Morgan, Singer
• 1930 ~ Nikolay Nikolayevich Karetnikov, Composer
• 1933 ~ Gunnar Reynir Sveinsson, Composer
• 1936 ~ Cathy Carr, Singer
• 1940 ~ As a summer replacement for blind, piano virtuoso Alec Templeton, the Quiz Kids was first heard on radio. The show continued on NBC until 1953.
• 1945 ~ Dave Knights, Musician, bass player with Procol Harum
• 1946 ~ Robert Xavier Rodriguez, Composer
• 1950 ~ Henry Balfour Gardiner, Composer, died at the age of 72
• 1957 ~ Ede Poldini, Composer, died at the age of 88
• 1979 ~ Paul Dessau, German Composer and conducter, died at the age of 84
• 1980 ~ Joseé Iturbi, Spanish/American pianist, died at the age of 84
• 1980 ~ Yoshiro Irino, Composer, died at the age of 58
• 1981 ~ “Piaf” closed at Plymouth Theater New York City after 165 performances
• 1987 ~ “Dreamgirls” opened at Ambassador Theater New York City for 177 performances
• 1996 ~ Willard F. McMurry, Musician, died at the age of 89
• 1997 ~ “Master Class,” closed at Golden Theater New York City after 601 performances
• 1997 ~ “Steel Peer,” closed at Richard Rodgers Theater New York City after 76 performances
• 2001 ~ Rene Villanueva, a social activist who co-founded a pioneering Mexican folk music group, died at the age of 67. Villanueva was a co-founder of the group Los Folkloristas in 1966 and recorded more than 12 albums with the group, which helped spread and popularize the music of Mexico’s Indian and other traditional cultures. He left the group last year as his illness advanced, but he made a final recording last week with Indian musicians. Born in Oaxaca in 1933, Villanueva earned a degree in chemical engineering as well as studying painting and music. Once a member of the Mexican Communist Party, he was an enthusiastic supporter of the Zapatista National Liberation Army in Chiapas and performed in concerts to support the rebel movement.
• 2001 ~ Scott Merrill, a Broadway star who also played Macheath in the 1954 production of “The Threepenny Opera”, died at the age of 82. Merrill received positive reviews for his performance in “The Threepenny Opera” by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, and performed at the Theater de Lys in Greenwich Village. His role as Macheath was his first nondancing part in New York, where he also attracted notice in shows such as “Bloomer Girl,” “Paint Your Wagon” and a revival of “Pal Joey.” His first role in New York was in “Lady in the Dark,” with Danny Kaye, Gertrude Lawrence and Victure Mature. Merrill was born in Baltimore, Md.
• 2002 ~ Author William F. Dufty, who co-wrote Billie Holiday’s autobiography and became Gloria Swanson’s last husband, died from complications from cancer. He was 86. Dufty was a playwright, musician, ghostwriter of about 40 books, head speechwriter to Hubert Humphrey and reporter and editor at the New York Post. Dufty, who became good friends with jazz singer Holiday, helped write her autobiography “Lady Sings the Blues”. In 1975, he also wrote “Sugar Blues”, a popular nutrition book about the dangers of sugar in the diet. He became friends with Yoko Ono and former Beatle John Lennon after translating a Japanese book that launched the macrobiotic food revolution, Georges Ohsawa’s “You Are All Sanpaku”. Dufty married Swanson, a silent screen star, in 1976, and the marriage lasted until her death in 1983.
Anyone who’s ever dozed in the middle of a concerto will appreciate the sweet sound of this news: A composer has created a piece for doing just that.
British artist Max Richter has written an eight-hour “lullaby” called “SLEEP.” The piece is not only meant to facilitate slumber, but the premiere audience is set to listen from the comfort of actual beds. The performance will take place in Berlin this September, and will last from midnight until 8 a.m.
For those who can’t make it to Germany, an eight-hour digital version will be released on September 4. It will be the longest piece of classical music ever recorded and the piece itself is the longest single piece of classical music ever written. An hour-long adaptation will also be released, should someone wish to have a conscious experience engaging with the music.
“SLEEP” is scored for piano, strings, vocals and electronics. While writing it, Richter consulted with American neuroscientist David Eagleman to learn about how the brain functions during sleep.
In a teaser for the piece on YouTube, Richter says, “It’s a piece of nighttime music and I’m hoping people will actually sleep through it.” He goes on to describe it as “an eight hour place to rest.”
• 1829 ~ Louis-Sebastien Lebrun, Composer, died at the age of 64
• 1832 ~ Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisla, Composer, died at the age of 72
• 1933 ~ Vladislav Ivanovich Zaremba, Composer
• 1850 ~ Jacob Adolf Hagg, Composer
• 1859 ~ Mildred Hill, American organist, pianist and teacher, composed Happy Birthday To You along with with Patty Smith Hill, her younger sister, who wrote the lyrics. The first title was Good Morning to All.
• 1885 ~ Arthur Harmat, Composer
• 1885 ~ Chichester Bell and Charles S. Tainter applied for a patent for the gramophone. The patent was granted on May 4, 1886.
• 1889 ~ Carlotta Patti, Italian soprano, died
• 1889 ~ Whitney Eugene Thayer, Composer, died at the age of 50
• 1898 ~ Tibor Harsanyi, Composer
• 1901 ~ Giuseppe Verdi died. He was an Italian operatic composer, the leading figure of Italian music in the nineteenth century and made important contributions to the development of opera.
More information about Verdi
• 1908 ~ Hans de Jong, Musician and conductor
• 1909 ~ Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Composer
• 1910 ~ Karel Reiner, Czech composer and pianist
• 1911 ~ V K Narayana Menon, Composer
• 1915 ~ Hendrik W van Leeuwen, Musician
• 1916 ~ Hallvard Olav Johnsen, Composer
• 1917 ~ Ben Homer, Composer and songwriter
• 1922 ~ George Walker, American composer and pianist
• 1959 ~ West Side Story, with music by Leonard Bernstein, closed after 734 performances on Broadway. The show remains one of the brightest highlights in Broadway history.
• 1962 ~ Two albums of melancholy music by Jackie Gleason received gold record honors. Music, Martinis and Memories and Music for Lovers Only got the gold. Both were issued by Capitol Records in Hollywood.
• 1963 ~ Brenda Lee inked a new recording contract with Decca Records. She was guaranteed one million dollars over the next 20 years.
• 1964 ~ Daniel Lazarus, Composer, died at the age of 65
• 1964 ~ Jan & Dean released Little Old Lady From Pasadena
• 1964 ~ Ernest Borgnine and Ethel Merman were married. It did not turn out to be one of Hollywood’s most enduring marriages. The couple broke up 38 days later.
• 1969 ~ Richard Vance Maxfield, Composer, died at the age of 42
• 1970 ~ Mariah Carey, Singer
• 1970 ~ The Jackson 5: Marlon, Tito, Jackie, Randy and Michael, jumped to number one on the music charts with The Love You Save. The song stayed at the top of the charts for two weeks. It was the third of four number one hits in a row for the group. The other three were I Want You Back, ABC and I’ll Be There. In 15 years (from 1969 to 1984), The Jackson 5/Jacksons had 23 hits, scored two platinum singles and one gold record.
• 1971 ~ “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” closed at Golden New York City after 31 performances
• 1971 ~ Promoter Bill Graham closed the Fillmore East in New York City. It was a spin- off of San Francisco’s legendary rock ’n’ roll palace, Fillmore West. The New York City landmark laid claim to having hosted every major rock group of the 1960s.
• 1975 ~ Robert Stolz, Austrian Composer, died at the age of 94
• 1976 ~ “Pacific Overtures” closed at Winter Garden New York City after 193 performances
• 1980 ~ Steve Peregrin Took, Percussionist, died at the age of 31
• 1981 ~ Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes returned to #1 slot
• 1982 ~ “Dancin'” closed at Broadhurst Theater New York City after 1,774 performances
• 1982 ~ “Play Me a Country Song” opened & closed at Virginia Theater New York City
• 1992 ~ Allan Jones, Vocalist and actor in Show Boat, died of lung cancer at the age of 84
• 1992 ~ Stefanie Ann Sargent, Guitarist, died at the age of 24
• 1993 ~ “Falsettos” closed at John Golden Theater New York City after 487 performances
• 1995 ~ Lionel Edmund “Sonny” Taylor, musician, died at the age of 70
• 1995 ~ Prez “Kidd” Kenneth, blues singer/guitarist, died at the age of 61
• 2001 ~ Chico O’Farrill, the Afro-Cuban jazz pioneer who composed ballads and fiery, big band bebop for such greats as Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton and Dizzy Gillespie, died at the age of 79. Born Arturo O’Farrill in Havana, the trumpeter was most renowned as a composer and arranger of extended jazz pieces. He became one of the creators of Afro-Cuban jazz, dubbed Cubop, a melding of big-band Cuban music with elements of modern jazz. O’Farrill toiled largely in obscurity for more than 50 years. But like the musicians of Cuba’s Buena Vista Social Club, he had recently enjoyed a renaissance. His comeback began in 1995, with the release of his album “Pure Emotion,” a Grammy nominee for best Latin jazz performance. He released two other acclaimed albums, “Heart of a Legend” in 1999 and last year’s “Carambola.”
• 2002 ~ John Entwistle, the bass player for veteran British rock band The Who, died in Las Vegas at age 57, just one day before the group was set to begin a North American tour in the city, officials said.
More information about Entwistle
Piano teacher Leila Viss isn’t only about Bach, Beethoveen and Chopin. For her, it’s also about easing her students into using the iPad application “Piano Maestro.”
Viss, a piano performance and pedagogy graduate of University of Denver, first set up a studio in her home after she graduated in 1990. Ever since, she’s blossomed into a teacher who incorporates a different kind of approach in her lessons.
It all began with her mentor, Elaine Emeigh, who’s a piano teacher in Littleton.
“I wanted to continue her legacy, so I started having labs during my private lessons,” Viss said.
The Centennial resident’s students are now urged to stay for an extra 30 minutes after each lesson to spend time doing something on the computer — whether it be reviewing concepts, studying piano history or reinforcing lessons, she said.
“When I graduated, the Internet was just coming around. Now I have my own website, blog, and my whole idea of how I communicate has completely changed. It was a hassle over the years using technology; you were booting up the computer, putting in a CD-ROM, and then when the iPad came along, it made everything so much easier,” Viss said.
Her book, “The iPad Piano Studios, Keys to Unlocking the Power of Apps,” came out in 2013 and reflects her appetite for using apps to practice note names, inspire creativity and compose with her students. Viss considers herself to be a writer and also contributes to the Clavier Companion, a nationally known premiere piano magazine.
The owners of private applications company, JoyTunes, contacted Viss after reading her blog a year ago.
With more than 4 million users, the company’s apps are a hit, Viss said.
“Joytunes is changing the face of music education by transforming the way people learn music, enabling anyone to play a musical instrument,” JoyTunes head of brand Nadia Hitman said. “By combining music methodologies with the latest in gaming features and instant feedback, the learning process is significantly shortened for millions of children, adults and teachers already using the apps.”
Hitman said all of their applications recently became free for teachers and their students, and many of the apps are still available for purchase to anyone.
“Speaking on their (JoyTunes’) behalf, and mobile technology — Piano Maestro is unbelievably amazing,” Viss said. “You set it up on the piano (doesn’t have to be digital) and choose from like 2,000 songs in the library. You press play and the student follows along with the piano. After that, you get evaluated and receive immediate feedback. You can get up to three gold stars.
• 1284 ~ The Pied Piper exacted his revenge upon the German town of Hamelin this day. The townspeople had promised to pay the piper a large fee if he could rid their town the nasty rats running all over the place. He had played his trusty pipe and the rats had followed him out of town and into the River Weser. But once the rodents were eliminated, the local folks decided not to pay after all. The piper was not pleased and repaid the townspeople by playing his pipe for the children of Hamelin, just like he had done for the rats. And just like the rats, the children followed him out of town.
• 1582 ~ Johannes Schultz, Composer
• 1657 ~ Tobias Michael, Composer, died at the age of 65
• 1893 ~ “Big Bill” Broonzy, American blues singer and guitarist
• 1894 ~ Bill Wirges, American orchestra leader
• 1901 ~ William Busch, Composer
• 1902 ~ Antonia Brico, Conductor and pianist. Because there were so few opportunities for female conductors, she organized the Woman’s Symphony Orchestra in 1935.
• 1909 ~ “Col Tom” Parker (Dries Van Kruijk), Elvis Presley’s manager
• 1933 ~ Claudio Abbado, Italian conductor
More information about Abbado
• 1933 ~ The Kraft Music Hall debuted. It turned out to be one of radio’s longest- running hits. The first program presented Paul Whiteman and his orchestra. SingerAl Jolson became the host of the show shortly thereafter. Several years later, crooner Bing Crosby was named the host. The Kraft Music Hall continued on NBC radio until 1949 and then on TV for many more years; the first year as Milton Berle Starring in the Kraft Music Hall, then Kraft Music Hall Presents: The Dave King Show followed by Perry Como’s Kraft Music Hall for four seasons. From 1967 on, The Kraft Music Hall featured a different host.
• 1934 ~ Dave Grusin, Composer of film scores
• 1934 ~ Luis Felipe Pires, Composer
• 1940 ~ Billy Davis, Jr., Singer with The 5th Dimension
• 1942 ~ Larry Taylor, Musician, bass with Canned Heat
• 1943 ~ John Allen Strang, Composer
• 1943 ~ Georgie Fame (Clive Powell), Singer
• 1945 ~ Barry Schrader, Composer
• 1945 ~ Erno Rapee, Composer, died at the age of 54
• 1956 ~ Clifford Brown, American jazz trumpeter, died at the age of 25
• 1964 ~ A Hard Day’s Night was released by United Artists Records. The album featured all original material by The Beatles and became the top album in the country by July 25, 1964.
• 1965 ~ Mr. Tambourine Man, by The Byrds, reached the number one spot on the pop music charts. The song was considered by many to be the first folk-rock hit. The tune was written by Bob Dylan, as were two other hits for the group: All I Really Wantto Do and My Back Pages. The group of James Roger McGinn, David Crosby, Gene Clark, Chris Hillman and Mike Clarke charted seven hits. The Byrds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.
• 1966 ~ “Time for Singing” closed at Broadway Theater New York City after 41 performances
• 1971 ~ Inia Te Wiata, opera singer, died
• 1971 ~ Juan Manen, Composer, died at the age of 88
• 1971 ~ “Man of La Mancha” closed at ANTA Washington Square Theater New York City after 2329 performances
• 1972 ~ David Lichine (Lichtenstein), Russian/American choreographer, died at the age of 61
• 1973 ~ Arnold Richardson, Composer, died at the age of 59
• 1973 ~ London production of “Grease” premiered
• 1977 ~ Lou Reizner, Rock vocalist/producer, died at the age of 43
• 1977 ~ Elvis Presley sang the last performance of his career, in Indianapolis. He died two months later.
• 1981 ~ Peter Kreuder, German composer, died
• 1982 ~ André Tchaikowsy, Pianist and composer, died
• 1983 ~ Walter O’Keefe, Songwriter and TV host, died at the age of 82
• 1983 ~ “Show Boat” closed at Uris Theater New York City after 73 performances
• 2001 ~ French soprano Gina Cigna, famed for singing Puccini’s “Turandot”, died at the age of 101. Born in Paris in 1900, Cigna made her stage debut at Milan’s La Scala opera house at age 27 under the name Ginette Sens. Her breakthrough came two years later when she performed in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” at La Scala under her own name. Arturo Toscanini, the conductor, was particularly fond of Cigna’s expressive voice, which received widespread acclaim. An auto accident ended Cigna’s performing career in 1947. Until 1965, she coached opera singers in Milan, Siena and Canada.
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