Author Archives: MaryO

The Studio Painting is Done!

Posted by MaryO on

photo 1photo 2

 

 

Now, it’s time to start putting the furniture back where it goes, although I think I’m leaving the piano more in the center of the room for now.  It shows the piano off better and I’ll have a place to put the digital keyboard against the wall and closer to the piano.

After a lot of thought, the organs will stay in their respective places next to each other but the music for them will be moving nearer to them.

Then putting all the other books away.  I have an iPad app which is a database that adds items by taking pictures of their barcodes.  Hopefully, this will help organize some of my books.

It won’t be done by Monday but it will be done enough for teaching purposes!

 

 

Practising the Piano – The Myth of the Instant Fix

Posted by MaryO on

When they make a mistake they hack away at it until it finally yields, and simply move on. What they have actually practised is getting it wrong three or four times in a row and right on the fifth attempt. What, then, are the chances of getting it right the first time in the context of the flow of the piece?

via Practising the Piano – The Myth of the Instant Fix.

NO Piano Lessons Monday July 14!

Posted by MaryO on

The studio is just about cleared out and most things moved to the center of the room so that the painters can start painting Tuesday morning.

I had planned on teaching Monday, but with everything moved, it is far too difficult (but not impossible!) to get to the piano.

Painting is supposed to take only two days so it should be done on Wednesday (or Thursday!) and completely dry before the next lessons.

Thanks for your understanding and keep practicing! Next lesson, the studio will be a pretty blue color 🙂

Thanks,

 

maryOivoryandroses

Happy Fourth of July!

Posted by MaryO on

july4-eisenhower

 

 

Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from Great Britain.

Independence Day fireworks are often accompanied by patriotic songs such as the national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner”, “God Bless America”, “America the Beautiful”, “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee”, “This Land Is Your Land”, “Stars and Stripes Forever”, and, regionally, “Yankee Doodle” in northeastern states and “Dixie” in southern states. Some of the lyrics recall images of the Revolutionary War or the War of 1812.

 

A bit of audio for your listening pleasure, as played by Vladimir Horowitz…

8 Daily Practice Reminders…

Posted by MaryO on

Great tips for practicing!

Melanie Spanswick's avatar

Several students have recently asked me for a ‘practice reminder list’ consisting of important elements to consider during their daily practice session. We all want to ensure fruitful practice; there’s nothing more depressing and dispiriting than spending an hour or two working away at the piano only to discover that nothing has really been achieved. We’ve all done this at some point, but helpful, solid practice can only take place when the right physical and mental conditions have been instilled. This does require some thought and preparation at each practice session.

These suggestions can be applied to any standard or grade, although the students who requested this list are all around Grade 8 and the DipABRSM level. Even at higher levels of piano playing, the following should still serve as a reminder in order to establish good habits and purely to ‘feel’ comfortable during practice time. These tips have all no doubt been mentioned before…

View original post 536 more words

Summer Schedules!

Posted by MaryO on

It’s hard to believe but summer is nearly upon us.  FCPS students are getting out later this year due to snow days, so the regular school year piano lessons are going a bit longer, as well.

Here’s the basic schedule from now through the start of fall lessons.  Please remember that students must take at least 6 summer lessons to hold a current school year lesson time for the fall.

The last day of school is  June 25, so there are no lessons week of June 23 (school age students only.  Adults continue, as always)

No lessons 4th of July weekend – July 3-5

No lessons after noon the week of July 7-11 (Pender UMC Music Camp)

No lessons August 15-Sept 2

 

Lessons (11 adult lessons, 10 school age students offered):

June 2 9, 16, 23 (except FCPS students – last week of school), 30
July 7 (mornings only), 14, 21, 28
Aug 4, 11

Sept 8, the fall semester begins

 

If you need to reschedule, please call, email or FaceBook me and with at least 24-hours notice. There are some open spots available on the schedule.  You can view them here: https://ocms.youcanbook.me/.   Those times are “more like guidelines.  I will contact you to confirm any changes.  As always, the PW is “piano”.

 

happy_summer

Piano Maestro

Posted by MaryO on

Piano Mania

NOTE:  This app has been renamed to Piano Maestro.

The O’Connor Music Studio has a copy of this app if you (or your student) would like to try it during a lesson.

I see great potential with this app and think it could be useful for you at home.

It’s a fun game that can be used with a piano, the iPad or it can be hooked up to an electric keyboard

Read a review at Piano Mania Review » 148Apps » iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch App Reviews and News.

A chance to win PIANIST Magazine’s NEW PIANO TECHNIQUES APP

Posted by MaryO on

Unknown's avatar

ipad-black

Those who read this blog regularly will know how I enjoy holding little competitions. Today I’m offering a chance to win a  Piano Techniques app designed especially by Pianist magazine for your iPad.

Pianist magazine, in association with Steinway Hall London, is proud to present its first-ever stand-alone app: Piano Techniques. When you’ve read the articles, watched the lessons, listened to the music, your playing will be better! It doesn’t matter what level you are – there’s something here for beginner through to advanced players.

The app contains some of the best articles from within the pages of Pianist written by its expert pianist teachers. Topics include sight-reading, chords, memorising, starting from scratch, returning to the piano after a long break, fingering, a star interview with Lang Lang and more. You can even watch and listen to Lang Lang perform at the end of the interview. He’s playing the gorgeous Liszt Romance (this piece was featured inside Pianist magazine’s Scores section in the current issue 76).

Aside from the articles…

View original post 145 more words