Listening to music can help you while you’re studying for your exams.
This is 3.5 Hours of the Best Classical Music – Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Chopin – Beautiful Piano, Violin & Orchestral Masterpieces by the greatest composers of all time.
Category Archives: Students
Clementi Added to Piano Maestro!
New song just released!
After receiving many requests for more early intermediate songs JoyTunes has added:
Sonatina in C Major (Op.36) By Muzio Clementi.
Although the song has 3 movements, they’ve added only the first movement and hope to add the other 2 soon!
You can find the piece in the Library under “Classical and Opera”.
The O’Connor Music Studio has several editions of Clementi’s Sonatinas available in the Lending Library.
Piano lessons possibly on the decline
Growing up, many people remember taking piano lessons, or having several friends who learned the instrument.
But as generations change, some hobbies evolve too…
When it comes to the amount of people learning to play the piano, is it really on the decline?
“I don’t think you see it quite as much today just because there’s so much more distraction nowadays,” Steve Buckman, a piano instructor at Vancil Performing Arts Center said.
Buckman says when it comes to taking lessons it’s very different than 50 years ago.
He says between video games, social media, and other hobbies, the piano can sometimes take a back seat when it comes deciding what to spend your free time on.
Another factor is something that typically has a large weight in our decision making…money.
Read more at Piano lessons possibly on the decline : News : ConnectTriStates.com.
Expose children to classical music whether they like it or not, says Nicola Benedetti
All children should be compelled to learn about classical music in the same way they must do maths and science, Nicola Benedetti has argued.
Benedetti, the award-winning violinist, said all youngsters should be exposed to classical music, whether they like it or not.
Saying the concept of letting children do exactly what they want in other areas of education is “alien”, she admitted she is “bemused” by the current approach to teaching art and culture.
“It actually really upsets me when people say: ‘Kids hate listening to a symphony, why would we do that to them?’” she said, in an interview with Scotland on Sunday.
“I think, hang on a minute, if you were to turn round and say to a kids: ‘Would you like to play video games or would you like to have a maths lesson?’ Of course, they’re going to go for the video games.”
Benedetti is involved with the Sistema Scotland music education and its Big Noise Orchestra.
She added: “Needing the child’s approval for what they do in school is just such an alien concept when you’re talking about maths, science, history or English.
“But, suddenly, when you bring music into the mix, it’s: ‘Oh no, we can’t show them anything that they don’t instantly love because that would be like forcing children into something that they don’t want to do.’
“It just bemuses me.”
Read more at Expose children to classical music whether they like it or not, says Nicola Benedetti – Telegraph.
Why Work on Music Theory?
Students at the O’Connor Music Studio know that music theory is always a part of lessons. I strongly believe that theory is needed so that students understand what they are playing and why.
To me, theory work is just as important as playing. A firm knowledge of musical structure makes playing everything easier.
Music knowledge learned through piano lessons transfers easily to other musical activities. Students in Fairfax County Public Schools, students learn to play recorder. Students are sometimes surprised to learn that they already know all the notes – from their piano lessons!
When you sing in a choir, harmonize with Sweet Adelines, play an instrument in your school or community band/orchestra, join your church’s handbell choir (note: Pender UMC has an excellent Handbell program), teach yourself guitar – theory will help in every instance. By learning to read, write, and understand this musical language, many more musical opportunities will be made available the rest of your life.
Most piano methods come with a theory book that matches page by page what concepts are being learned in the lesson books. I actually recommend that students do the theory first when they get home, while the concepts are still fresh in their minds.
If the student is not in a piano method, I’m starting to use the Theory Time series. Book One covers music alphabet, introduction to keyboard and staff, stem rule, steps & skips on a keyboard and staff, repeated notes, dynamics, treble clef lines & spaces, bass clef lines & spaces, quarter note & rest, half note & rest, whole note & rest, dotted half note, bar lines, double bar line, measures, time signatures, rhythm drill, vocabulary, ear training and a review test. Free ear training videos for each ear training exercise are hosted on the Theory Time YouTube channel. The Grade One workbook is appropriate for beginning 1st, 2nd or 3rd grade students. This workbook includes 51 pages, 13 lessons and 8 Fun Sheets.
For adults and more advanced students, I have a copy of All About Music Theory: A Fun and Simple Guide to Understanding Music which can be used as a review or a “try before buy”.
Stop procrastinating and go do your theory!
Ten Things You Should Never Say to Your Piano Teacher
Here are ten things you should never say to the piano teacher.
1. She doesn’t practice because she’s not feeling challenged.
2. What do you do for work, do you have a real job?
3. I don’t get paid until the end of the month. Can I bring the lesson money then?
4. She has never shown much interest in the piano, but can she try it anyway?
5. I never tried to play as a child, so there’s no chance I can learn to do this now.
6. I had a busy week, so I sat down on Saturday afternoon and practiced solidly for three hours to make up for all the days I had missed.
7. I can’t play this piece yet. Why are you trying to teach me something new?
8. I really want to play guitar, but my father told me piano would give me a good musical foundation.
9. I can’t believe how little I have improved in all that time.
10. My friend is getting married next week, and I told her I could learn the Wedding March just in time!
Read more at Ten Things You Should Never Say to Your Piano Teacher.
Why Students Really Quit Their Musical Instrument (and How Parents Can Prevent It) – National Association for Music Education (NAfME)
A great article from the National Association for Music Education (NAfME)
The real reasons that students quit is often beyond their own understanding. It is up to teachers and parents to create moments for students to want to continue on their instrument during the early years of study in order for the child to be successful and stay with the craft.
Here are reasons students quit, and ways to combat them:
Parents need to find music just as important as other subjects. The sad truth is that many non-music teachers and administrators do not find music equally as important as math or English language-arts, but parents need to. Besides, you wouldn’t let your child quit math, would you? Many kids would jump at that opportunity. Music is a core subject…period. The more parents treat it as such, the less students will quit.
Students don’t know how to get better. Without the proper tools and practice habits to get better at anything, students will become frustrated and want to quit. It is the role of the music educator and the parents to give students ownership over their learning. Teachers must teach students why, how, where, and when to practice, and parents must obtain minimal knowledge about how students learn music in order to properly support them at home.
Parents and students think they aren’t musically talented. Sure, there are some kids who pick up an instrument and sound decent immediately, but they will hit a wall later and have to work hard to overcome it. Most everyone else won’t sound that great at first. Playing a musical instrument is a craft that, if practiced correctly, is something that all children can find success in. As long as students know how to practice and that it needs to be done regularly, they will get better.
Students discontinue playing over the summer. Statistics show that students who do not read over the summer find themselves extremely behind once school starts. The same goes for playing an instrument. A year of musical instruction can quickly go down the tubes over the summer vacation if students do not find small ways to play once in a while. Picking up an instrument for the first time after a long layoff can be so frustrating that a student will not want to continue into the next school year.
The instrument is in disrepair. A worn down cork, poor working reed, or small dent can wreak havoc on a child’s playing ability. Sometimes the malfunction is so subtle that the student thinks they are doing something wrong, and frustration mounts. Students, parents and teachers need to be aware of the basics of instrument maintenance and be on top of repairs when needed.
Teachers don’t create enough performing opportunities during the year. The best way to motivate students musically is through performance. Weeks or even months on end of practicing without performing for an audience gets old very quick, and student will definitely quit. Teachers should schedule performances every six weeks or so in order for students to stay engaged and practicing. Parents can help by creating small performance opportunities at home — a Friday night dinner concert or a planned performance for visiting family members are great ideas.
There is not enough “fun”music to practice. It’s very important for parents to be aware of music that interests their child, because it exists in sheet music form for download or purchase. It’s important that all students play music that is aligned to their interests in addition to other pieces that are worked on in school.
Other activities are pulling at the child. Between art lessons, sports, karate, and other activities, parents grow weary of having “one more thing” to be on top of schedule-wise. Parents need to understand that the enduring social and psychological benefits of music are as enormous as those of sports — in the same and different ways. Budget time accordingly and children will have 10 minutes a day to practice an instrument, for sure.
Much like any worthwhile venture, practicing a musical instrument has its ups and downs. Kids need to be reminded to practice, of course — but they should not be constantly pushed, and they should not be completely left alone. It’s a balancing act where sometimes the parents will need to give their child a break for a few days and other times will need to bribe them to practice. Either way, all children are capable of thriving with a musical education, and students will indeed thank their parents for not letting them quit.
Need a Piano?
If you want to adopt a piano, here’s a site that lists free pianos!
Please be aware that a piano, new or old, will need to be tuned after it is moved into your home. There will also be moving costs. Most movers charge extra if you need to move a piano up stairs – and they may charge by the number of stairs.
Don’t let this happen:
A good book on the subject of getting a piano, either new or used is The Piano Book by Larry Fine
The best age to start piano lessons is now
I think that parents are pulled in many directions when it comes to extracurricular activities and educational enrichment for children. Music is supposed to be fun. It’s not really meant to be your secret solution to passing math with flying colors one day. As long as parents maintain a patient approach to music lessons, children will see it as fun.
Music should always be fun, but it is a hard to learn. It does need to be taken seriously. A teacher has to know the right tone to use for each individual student. Some students respond to playful rewards, while others need a stern approach. Regardless, the expectation to pay attention and practice is necessary. Whether a child is a toddler or entering middle school, the basic process to learn music is the same – practice, practice, practice.
Smaller children, however, learn to sit still and listen. They also learn to retain information and ask for help from a grown-up. For preschool children, private lessons is a great first step to learning how to be a student. Private lessons are ideal, but if they are too expensive, many music schools and teachers offer group lessons for beginners as introduction courses.
The most important thing is to explore a child’s interest. Whether a child excels in their interest or not is irrelevant. They should still be given a chance to find something they love to do. With music, it could be a great source of expression for them throughout their lives, even if they are not interested in performing. That being said, the best time to start piano lessons for children is simply right now.
Piano Stores, Teachers Adapt to Decline in Interest in the Instrument
SALISBURY, Md. – Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin wouldn’t be thrilled to hear that fewer people are choosing to learn to play the piano than ever before.
At B&B Music in Salisbury, people have been shopping for pianos since they opened 60 years ago. One think you won’t see on the display floor in 2015 is a grand piano.
“We used to have actual string pianos at one time,” said store manager Mike Jarrell. “The way the economy was, it wasn’t very feasible for a lot of people. They can cost up to several thousands of dollars.”
The best year for new piano sales in the United States was 1909, when more than 364,500 were sold. Now that number has plunged to between 30,000 and 40,000 each year.
Denise Crothers is on her 36th year of teaching people young and old how to play piano. She averages about 60 students per week.
“I teach for half an hour, usually for each lesson and half of I teach them in the note because I think it’s important to still know how to read. Half of it would be like the praise and worship and learning how to chord and how to play by ear,” said Crothers. “They can play what they hear on the radio. Some of them don’t even need me anymore.”
Nationally, increased interest in sports or electronics is blamed for declining interest in learning to play the piano. Denise says lessons have evolved over the years in order to keep it fresh.
“I think it’s important for teachers to be able to apply the real world into their teaching. Not maybe strictly Classical. Classical is wonderful, you know, don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love it, but I think it’s important for them to do fun songs and stuff like that,” said Crothers.
Rather than smashing old pianos on the curb, B&B Music is adapting to suit a more tech-savvy generation.
“Our more common models are the digital style models with weighted keys so it’s more like playing a real string piano. Then you start getting into more production type keyboards which are more for making your own scores and hip-hop beats and that kind of thing. It’s more of a production opposed to performance,” said Jarrell.
Despite a national downward trend in piano purchases and lessons, those in the biz can’t stress enough how important it is.
“In the music business, you’re constantly learning. It’s a never-ending thing,” said Jarrell.
“Once you commit to something, really having the work ethic to keep going and keep learning, it’s really rewarding and that’s something I think our culture lacks sometimes, you know the ‘stick-to-it-ness’,” said Crothers.
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