The Magic of Scheduling

Dear Parents,

I love new beginnings.  It feels like anything is possible and it’s exciting to explore and think about what can be accomplished from a new starting point.  Tomorrow is the beginning of my piano studio year and I have enjoyed thinking about each student and planning music and ways to help them grow and develop.  I love the first few weeks of teaching as well, as students are excited to be back and are eager to start and learn new music.  You as parents are probably looking forward also, to seeing what will happen this year and to hear how your child progresses.

There is one thing that you parents can do that will help more than anything else to keep this enthusiasm going and working for everyone.  That one thing is to schedule your child’s practice time.  I have heard from some of you the complicated schedules your families have with multiple kids and multiple activities.  It is truly remarkable and admirable how you get your child to my studio each week on time and with your sanity more or less intact!  But it is so easy to forget that it is the practice time that will implement all that is learned at the lesson.  Without that time, kids will not progress, then they get discouraged and soon want to give up.

Sit down with your child and together talk about when they are going to practice each day.  Make it an agreement that you have with them and me (see contract) and help them to learn to honor their commitments.  This agreed upon time will also eliminate the nagging that all of us hate.  Creating that special time that is as honored and protected as coming to the lesson will go a long ways in eliminating a nagging and whining relationship with your child.  See this as an opportunity to teach your child  how to manage their time well, and to not get overbooked.

I look forward to this year with great enthusiasm and appreciation for the wonderful group of parents and students that I am so fortunate to have in my studio.  Create that schedule and see for yourself how it is almost magical in its ability to keep life running smoothly, and  with regular practice you are going to be amazed with your student’s progress this year. Thank you in advance for doing your part in making this a successful year together!

The Van Cliburn competition is an event that was started in 1962 in honor of Van Cliburn, a young Texan, who rocked the world by winning the International Tchaikowsky Piano Competition in Moscow, Russia in 1958 at the height of the Cold War.  Van Cliburn was embraced by the Russian people and many feel that his accomplishment there, helped to thaw some of that ice that had built up between the United States and Russia (then called the U.S.S.R.).  So the Van Cliburn competition was started and has continued to this day with some of the finest pianists in the world coming every four years to compete for the highest prize.

In 1997, Jon Nakamatsu, a “local” who lived in Sunnyvale, CA won the first place prize.  His journey of getting to that prestigious place was unconventional to say the least, having essentially studied with only one teacher and not training in a Conservatory setting.  He studied German and secondary education and at the time of the competition and was teaching German in a local high school in Sunnyvale.  What I didn’t know was the back story which is told in the clip that I am sharing with you.  Jon Nakamatsu describes to an audience at the Van Cliburn competition, where he was a judge for that year, all the failures that he experienced before his triumphant moment in 1997.  Sometimes when we only see the final end of something we don’t think about all the steps and failures along the way, and we forget the effort that it takes to accomplish anything of lasting value.  I hope you enjoy his perspective and find it as inspiring as I did.

In just two weeks from today on April 29 at 4:00 p.m. we will be sitting in Grace Presbyterian Church listening to your wonderful children play their piano pieces.  They have worked hard this year and I have seen some amazing improvement in many different ways, from better sight reading skills to better practice habits, deeper understanding of musical concepts and more confidence in expressing the music.  This recital is an opportunity for the students to share with their families and friends and other students the results of this progress.  It is a high point of our year together and we all look forward to it.  Hopefully the students will continue to practice consistently in the next two weeks but are there other ways to prepare and how can you as parents help?

In the last 20-30 years there has been a lot of research done on the psychological aspects of performance whether in music, sports, or really any other discipline where someone must perform under pressure.  The author, Don Greene, has written extensively on this subject and has worked with primarily athletes but also musicians to help them prepare not only with their own individual practicing of their discipline but the mental preparation as well.  What research has shown is that performance under pressure takes a tremendous amount of mental energy and this has to be fueled by adequate rest and eating well prior to the event.  Here are the key recommendations of Mr. Greene for optimum results in a performance:

1. During the 2-3 wks. prior to a performance, get increasingly more sleep (8,9,10 hrs.) and drink more water 4-6 8 oz. glasses per day

2.  Keep up regular exercise

3.  Mentally think through how you want the performance to go

4.  Restrict sugar intake, especially 2-3 days prior to the event and certainly on the day of the event.

5.  Get plenty of rest the night before- no sleep overs!

6.  Bananas are a good “brain” food and are often the food of choice for many performers on the day of an event

Parents can be of tremendous help during the last stretch before a recital, by keeping the schedule as simplified as possible and not adding in a lot of extra curricular activities.  This tends to be a busy time of year, I realize, and we all do the best we can, but if possible, keep life as simple and routine as you can and maintain the regular practice schedule.  Doing these few simple things will give your student the environment they need to realize the best possible outcome on the day of the recital.

Purchasing a piano is a major investment and one needs to be wisely armed with information before going shopping.  Think of buying a piano in the same way you would think of buying a car.  The more you know about a car and what type you want, and what is available the better able you will be to make an informed decision.

The first decision to make is what size of piano.  The two categories are upright and grand.  The upright piano comes in a range of sizes from 36″- 60″, with the spinet being the smallest upright, next is the console, and finally the studio upright.  I would recommend the studio size as the length of string will be longer and thus produce a better tone quality.  The grand model of pianos comes in a range of sizes between 5 ft. and 7 ft. and then there is the concert grand which is 9 ft. in length.  Again, the longer the string length, the better the tone quality, but a good size for a home would be from 5′ 4″- 7 ft.

The next decision to be made is whether to buy new or used.  The advantages of buying a new piano is that there will be a warranty, a one time tuning and free moving of the piano to your home.  But with those advantages comes a higher price.  Used pianos are generally less expensive and sometimes one can come across some amazing pianos for an amazing price.  However, it is in this area of used pianos that one has to be especially careful and well-informed.  If you buy used, there will be no warranty, you will pay for the cost of moving it, and it will need to be tuned once it has been moved.  Here are some questions to ask when evaluating a used piano:  Where has the piano been housed?  Because the piano is primarily made of wood it is especially susceptible to changes in temperature and moisture.  Ask if the piano has spent any time outside or in an unheated/cooled structure.  Has any liquid been spilled on the sounding board? How often has the piano been tuned?  If the piano is badly out of tune it is difficult to know if it will ever hold a tune well in the future.  Look to see if there is any rust around the tuning pins of the strings and if there are any missing strings.  What is the condition of the keys?  Any cracks or missing keys?  Are the pedals all functioning?  If after playing the instrument, you are serious about buying it, I highly recommend that you hire a trained piano technician to come and assess it.  They are trained to know what are serious problems and what can be easily fixed without too much expense.  The cost of this advice will be around $120- $150 depending on the distance that the technician has to travel to give the evaluation, but it is well worth the money as you don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on an instrument that may not be worth it. A number of years ago, one of my students came across a 7 ft. Steinway for an incredibly low price.  I went and played it and looked at, it and it seemed like an excellent instrument, for an excellent price.  However, I had this student contact my technician who came and evaluated it.  He found a crack in the sounding board and some other well-hidden problems that would have surfaced in the near future and have been costly to fix.  I was so glad that I had insisted on calling him for his advice!

Another good way to be prepared to purchase a piano, whether new or used, is to go and play on new instruments in a piano store.  Play the best piano in the store, not because you plan to buy it but because it will help you to know what a really fine instrument sounds and feels like.  There are three music stores in Walnut Creek and you can learn a lot just by going in and having them show you around and listen and play on their instruments.  The stores are:  Sherman & Clay located at 1605 Bonanza St. Walnut Creek.  Justin Levitt, the manager, is very helpful and knowledgeable and not “pushy”.  His stores sells Steinways, Boston and Essex pianos.  The Music Exchange is located at 1501 N.Main St. also in Walnut Creek.  They sell primarily Yamaha pianos.  And finally the Colton Piano Store is located at 1539 N. Main St. in Walnut Creek and they sell a variety of brands.   I also recommend the reading The Piano Book by Larry Fine.  It has a wealth of information about pianos and what goes into making them and what to look for in buying one.  It is available on Amazon

Results for February Frenzy

This past month the students have been keeping track of their practicing with prizes to be awarded for their efforts.  Hopefully, the habits created or more firmly established, will continue throughout the remainder of the year.  I realize that for some of you, February had quite a few long week-ends where you were away on previously scheduled vacations which affected the points earned.   This month is just one snapshot and may or may not reflect the usual practice habits.   Remember parents,  that one of your jobs is to help your student create and keep a regular practice time, have a quiet environment in which to practice, and encourage the practicing process.  Thank you for your help and support!

550-600 points earned
Gisele*
Grant
Kelsey
Makena*
Owen
Tem
*indicates higest number of points possible earned

500-550 points earned
Aditi
Alex
Amanda
Anthony
Chloe
Golanz
Madison
Neha
Samantha

Under 500 points
Alice
Brandon
Brianna
Cameron
Charles
Michael
Nolan

Competitions:  Motivators for Growth or Destroyers of Self-Esteem?

In the not too distant past, competition was a negative word in educational circles.  The thinking was that children are damaged by competition and that a competitive environment prevents them from developing their talents. There is some truth to that observation.  And yet we have seen that kids left alone like to compete with each other.  How often have you heard, “race you to the fence over there,” or “I”ll bet I can do more jumping jacks than you.”  The truth is, we like to test our abilities against someone else’s to see where we are and to challenge ourselves to do more.  This can be a very healthy attitude.

Music competitions likewise can be an experience that challenges our kids and helps them to grow or it can be discouraging and damaging.  What makes the difference and what role do we parents play in all of this?

In order to compete in a healthy way, kids need to understand how the “game” is played and what they can expect and not expect.  A music competition is not like a timed athletic race where it is clear who wins by who jumps farther or runs faster or throws the object the furthest.  Music competitions are more like the ice skating events we love to watch- very subjective.  This isn’t too say that the judges aren’t highly trained and know what to look for or listen for, but nonetheless, music is an art and subject to a lot of interpretation.  We have all witnessed events, whether in sports or in music where we didn’t agree with the referee or the judge’s decision.  It happens because judges are only human and can make mistakes, or we simply don’t agree with their perspective.  So a healthy attitude to have towards a competition is to know going into it, that one might not get the desired outcome.  Sometimes a student can prepare with great diligence, but in the moment it doesn’t come together as well as they had hoped for. Or maybe the preparation wasn’t as thorough  as it needed to be, or maybe it was just an off day, or maybe the judging seemed off.   We as parents and teachers can help to frame these experiences in a way that can be very helpful to our kids.  We can be a consistent ally, not effected very much by the win or the loss.  We can teach them that sometimes we win and sometimes we lose- no big deal.  We can teach them to be respectful of other people’s opinions even when we don’t agree with them, and to not gloat over doing better than someone else.   Kids will pick up from us our attitude of what is important and what is not important.  Winning a competition can be great fun, and losing not so much fun, but whatever the experience is, it can be something we can learn from and use as fuel and grist to keep moving forward.  Competitions do not always reward the laws of sowing and reaping but real life does and that is what we want our kids to keep their focus on- prepare well consistently over time and you will have life skills.

“Music washes away from the soul the dust of every day life.” Berthold Auerbach

We all understand what is meant when someone says, “You’re not listening to me.”  Physically, our ears take in the sound waves but mentally we are not truly listening.   This can be done on purpose because we don’t want to listen to someone but much of our non-listening state is a defense against our environment .  We live in a noisy world, from the noise of cars, to the constant hum of electronics to the seemingly ever present music jingles associated with advertising.  Just notice how quiet your house becomes when the electricity goes off!  And so we have learned to tune out a great deal of our environment and we shut out sound.  This is probably a good thing but we sometimes don’t realize that we need to then intentionally switch on our hearing again and choose to truly listen to something and not just hear it.

One of the important aspects of learning to play the piano is learning how to listen.  Students are learning a whole new language- the language of music- and it requires that they learn to listen.  In its essence, listening is really paying attention to something, being fully present and taking in every aspect of it.  It helps to know what to listen for, especially if it is something completely unknown which is why I give the students guided listening assignments each week.  I want them to be exposed to a wide variety of music but also to learn how to really pay attention to something and be completely present, not thinking about what happened in school that day, or what might be happening tomorrow.  But isn’t that the challenge for us as well?  We struggle to stay in the present and to really pay attention to each passing moment.

I would encourage you to listen to the listening assignment along with your child at least once during each week.  They are not very long and I offer a wide variety of music.  Try waiting about 30 seconds before you start the excerpt and just let there be silence.  Silence is the best environment in which to hear music.  Music can be as refreshing and invigorating as a cool breeze on a hot day and in our busy chaotic lives we need that refreshment.  Take a few moments this week and truly listen to music.

One question that I am frequently asked by parents is whether or not they should attend the weekly piano lesson.  Though this really has to be answered individually because there are so many variables, I can offer some guide lines and some things to consider.

In general, I recommend that a parent attend the lesson with a young student (5-7 yrs. old) for at least the first six months.  Again, this depends a lot on the maturity of the child and how well they can take in and remember the lesson material.  Keep in mind how different the music lesson is from school, in that with the music lesson the student is expected to work independently for the majority of the time.  This is quite different from the school learning environment.  Some kids work well on their own while others need the guidance and reminders of an adult.  If the patterns and habits can be well established in the first six months then the whole process of learning has a much greater possibility for success.

For the student who has been taking more than six months or is older, I find that it is not as important for the parent to remain during the lesson.  Some parents enjoy staying and just having a break from their busy routines and others want to use the time to accomplish another task.  However, I would suggest that if you normally don’t stay during the lesson to try and come and sit in at least once every 3-4 months.  That will communicate to your child that this is important to you and will also give you an idea of what I am teaching during that time period.  I have found it very helpful when a parent will stay periodically as I can mention to them some ways to help at home and where there may be some lack of attention in a certain area of learning.  If you choose to remain during the lesson be careful that you don’t carry too much of the responsibility of learning and growing.  It is the student’s responsibility to take in and remember what I am teaching and then to implement it at home.  Your job is to create the structure and environment in which they can accomplish that.  But sometimes it helps the student to realize that you, the parent, also know what is expected from them because you heard it yourself at the lesson.

When a student is in the last years of middle school or high school then it takes careful consideration to figure out if your presence at the lesson is 1.) neutral,  2.) positive, 3.) negative.  This depends a lot on your relationship with your child during this season of their life and the best recommendation I have is to talk about it with your student.   Most kids of this age group are wanting more independence and a feeling of ownership of experiences separate from their parents.  But there are so many variables that I would simply advise talking about it, making sure that your child is able to express freely their opinion on the subject.

Are We Having Fun Yet?

Have you considered how freely we use the word “fun”?  We will say it’s fun to go to a sports game, or get ice cream or go on a hike.  But we will also use the word fun to describe some activities that have many parts to them that by themselves, we would not ordinarily call “fun”.  Take my husband’s interest in golfing, for instance.  He is willing to get up at 5:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning, drive for 45 min., sometimes in the fog, lug around a heavy bag full of bulky things, trying to hit a little ball into a small hole.  He calls this “fun!”

Now what does all of this have to do with learning to play the piano?  Sometimes we parents want things like studying the piano to be fun for our kids. And it should be.  But may I suggest that not every moment of the experience will be “fun.” Students need help in recognizing more subtle experiences of fun.  Their awareness can to brought to notice moments of deep satisfaction; feelings of success; sense of elation when emotions are connected to the music.  But in order to have that kind of fun, it often requires doing things that won’t necessarily feel fun at that moment.  Sometimes I think we miss the little moments of success in the daily process of practicing whatever we’re trying to learn.  This is a concept I am communicating to the students when I see them at their lessons.  I want them to notice the small successes and to experience the fun that comes with improvement.

So how can you help your child to tolerate the harder parts of piano study in order to experience the “fun”? You can help by reinforcing the small improvements you hear at home.  Piano practicing can be lonely, and I would encourage you to sit and listen to your child play for about 5 min. at least twice a week. (With older students- middle school and above- ask them when a good time would be to come and listen.)  This is not with the purpose of instructing or pointing out anything negative, but just to be with them and really listen.  That can feel very encouraging and helps with the loneliness.  I am convinced that it is the friend aspect that makes sports so popular.  When you think about it, there are many parts to sports that most kids would not call “fun”, but they are with friends and they have the support and connection that comes with other people doing something with them.  That is hard to duplicate with the study of a musical instrument, (which is one reason why I have group lessons) but you can also help by your interest and presence during practicing.  It also helps to not take too much notice of their complaining at times.  Kids will complain, they’re kids!  But you can help them by limiting their protests, agreeing to a schedule of practicing ahead of time- perhaps weekly or monthly have a schedule-making conversation that your child agrees to the set time for their practicing.  You will also need consequences for when they do not follow through that they have also been informed about at the weekly or monthly scheduling-setting time.  We’re wanting to raise responsible, self-reliant people and kids learning to take responsibility for their practice time is a great arena in which to learn these skills.

The other side of this, is for you the parent, to examine what you are wanting for your child by pursuing piano lessons, or any other kind of long-term skill acquisition.  Are you thinking that this will be “fun” for them?  Studying music can be very fun, but it also has its hard moments and as anyone will tell you, learning to play a musical instrument is a years-long endeavor and there will be times where it does not feel like fun to your child.  It might be better to put the pursuit of learning to play an instrument in a different category other than “fun” such as “rewarding,” or “enriching.”   What I have seen is that kids welcome a challenge and as long as there are regular times of satisfaction, a sense of accomplishment, confidence-building experiences, then they are willing to push through the harder times.  As parents you can come alongside them to encourage to keep going when the going gets tough, to remember the goal, and to find satisfaction in small accomplishments along the way.

Piano lessons are a wonderful investment in your child that will bring them years of enjoyment and the ability for them to be a blessing to others if they stick with it.   It will be a long journey, filled with moments of great joy and lasting pleasure and maybe some even some fun!

Hello Parents!  This part of my website is going to be just for you giving you ideas for practice motivation and how best to support your child’s musical journey.  There will be links to articles and music that you might find helpful and interesting.

As this brand new year begins it is a wonderful time to start afresh and have some carrots in your back pocket to motivate and encourage your child.  One of the most helpful things I know in regards to practicing is to have a schedule.  Sit down with your child and go over the week with them and decide and agree upon a regular practice time. Having the schedule set ahead of time will help you to avoid that daily nagging of asking if the student has practiced.  It is also helpful to sometimes have little rewards built into a practice schedule.  While we all would like to have music be its own motivator, I find that everyone needs a little extra more tangible reward at times.  Try setting up some sort of reward system if a student achieves a complete week (for a young child) or month of practicing (for older student).  The rewards could be things like a jamba juice treat/baskin robbins/ or a shared activity like a bike ride together, or going on a hike.

Also, don’t be surprised with the complaining that you will hear at times from your child about having to practice.  This is normal and sometimes it helps to just agree with your child saying something like, “Yeah, I know it can be hard sometimes to fit everything in.  But I’m really proud of how you are managing so well.”  Sometimes just sympathizing with someone will help them feel like you understand.  But if this kind of complaining becomes a daily comment I would suggest that you create a “no whining” environment in your home.  Complaining can become a bad habit just like anything else and the negative words only bring the student down.  If you have a real complainer, again try a rewards system for a week of no complaints about practicing.

Finally, here is a link to a website that has a video that I think you will find inspiring.  You may even what your child to listen to it.  Learning to play an instrument well is not something that happens quickly.  It is a long process but as you will hear from the kids in this video it is well worth the effort it takes.  Hang in there, parents!  You are giving your child a wonderful opportunity and gift to be able to understand and experience the world of music.