Piano Matters Newsletter

This Valentines Day - Put a Little Tune in Your Heart!

from Piano Bears Musical Parade of Holiday Songs on Amazon.com

This is an easy arrangement for level 2 students.  I'm sure you'll recognize this happy tune.  

Listen to Put a Little Tune in Your Heart

From Piano Bears Musical Parade of Holiday Songs!
on Amazon.com 

Happy Valentines Day!

Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

Put a little tune in your heart

arranged by Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

St. Patrick's Day Music for Elementary Piano Students

 

Listen to To Musical Acres I Go!

from Piano Bears Musical Storybooks
on Amazon.com

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

Easter Music for Children - The Easter Egg Hunt!

 

 

Find Piano Bears Musical Parade of Holiday Songs on Amazon.com 

 

 

Listen to The Easter Egg Hunt!

from: Piano Bears Musical Parade of Holiday Songs

HAPPY SPRING!

Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

Fall Piano Party! Lesson Plan for Teachers and Parents

 
 

Piano Teachers, It's not too early to start planning your Fall Piano Party!  Here is a wonderful resource and a great party plan for hosting your own Fall Party for your elementary aged students.
 
Below is a Public Audio Presentation of "Grandma Melody's (Friendly) Ghost Story" from Piano Bears Musical Storybook - "Little Bear's Halloween Party!"

This delightful audio presentation is full of music, surprises, and fun sound effects!  A great Halloween story for all kids, and especially kids in piano!  I hope parents, grandparents and teachers enjoy it as well.

 18 minutes - be patient, may take a minute to load.
Click on the heart to listen!

Written, Narrated, and Produced by: Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

In addition, you'll find the music to Halloween Treat Medley in Piano Bears Musical Parade of Holiday Songs - Elementary Piano Solos for Every Season of the Year! You can also purchase the Audio CD of "Grandma Melody's (Friendly) Ghost Story" as well as Piano Bears Storybook, "Little Bear's Halloween Party!" 

Also, kids will enjoy listening to this fun story around a pretend campfire in the music or piano room!  Below are directions to making your a pretend campfire.   

Gather enough rocks to make the fire ring. Clean them off before bringing inside. Rip up a brown paper bag and twist the pieces to look like firewood. You could use real twigs and sticks but paper is cleaner. Use scrap pieces of felt for the flames. To make the flames, cut up yellow felt scraps (you could use a mix of colors) so that they were a bit like irregular triangles. Then pull at the felt edges to soften the look. (you could also use colored tissue paper for the flames.)  Arrange the rocks in a circle and build your fire.  I recommend putting "real" marshmallows on safe sticks.  Prepare the campfire ahead, before your young guests arrive at the party.  Before the story, have a treasure hunt by hiding candy around your music room.  The kids can decorate their own treat bags as an ice-breaker activity while students are arriving.  At the end of the audio presentation "Halloween Treat Medley" is played.  My students enjoyed trying to guess the names of these popular pieces for a prize.  After the story, they enjoyed learning to play whole-tone scales on the piano to make scarry sounds.  We had five at the piano at one time on the octaves from bass to high treble, taking turns and blending the scales as though one person was playing continuously up and then back down the piano.  The person playing the middle octave gets to hold down the sustain pedal!  (A very special scary effect!)  Then we learned to play chromatic scales and played them together in the same way.  My students also performed their fall piano pieces they've been working on for each other.  They we played a few more piano games for prizes and finally we celebrated with a wonderful piano cake baked by Susan Slay!
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used photo editing software to create a Fall Piano Party Coloring Book to give students after the party.

Best Wishes for you Fall Piano Party!

Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

A BEAUTIFUL New Artist! Marina Petersen

I am so proud and delighted to share this BEAUTIFUL song,"'Unrequited Love". The lyrics and music are by Marina Peterson a 10th grader at Chiles High School, and my piano student since she was in the 1st grade at Desoto Trail Elementary School, in Tallahassee, Florida. You can download "Unrequited Love" to your iPhone from my studio podcast on iTunes.  Click the link above to listen now!!!

Best wishes,

Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

LaJoyeuse, Jean Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)

Listen below to an inspiring piano recording of LaJoyeuse, by Jean Phillip Rameau.  This beautiful baroque piece reminds me of a fountain that never stops flowing. Like the gift of music, joyful and renewing.  Don't wait to give the gift of music!  Call for a no-obligation, introductory lesson today!

LaJoyeuse, Jean Phillip Rameau (1683-1764)
By Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

Most Important Piano Practice Tip - Use this Right Away!

Productivity requires Action. When we're exposed to a new strategy or learn a new skill, the best thing we can do to preserve this knowledge is to utilize it right away to internalize our new understanding and incorporate it into our natural habits of thinking and action. Even if it's just taking one small step, immediate action sets us up for greater productivity along the way to reaching our larger goals and fulfilling our dreams.

What does this mean for piano students?  Why is this so important?  Because Piano Lessons are about mastering a series of skills and acquiring musical understanding on a weekly basis.   The point of practice is to internalize the lesson and allow it to become a natural part our playing. Therefore the most important piano practice for students is always the practice "right after my _____  _____."  

Theoretically piano students naturally come to the most beneficial conclusion and fill in these blanks with the obvious words - "Piano Lesson".  But, as it happens...not so much.  

The natural thought processes of kids are clouded by an earlier assumtion they have unconsciously made. This being that because they went to their lesson on a given day, practice on this day is not necessary. After all, they already played the piano at their lesson!  And, so, .... with this thinking, piano students commonly forgo their most important practice of the week.  

By not taking this simple action-step to incorporate their new knowledge into their playing habits right away, students miss this weekly oppportunity to maximize their musical potential, preserving 100% of the knowledge they just acquired at their lesson. 

This follow-through practice adds a special piano "glue" that binds the lesson in the hands, in the mind, and in the ear to make practicing throughout the remainder of the week much easier, and naturally, more satisfying and productive.  

So piano students take note - always practice piano right after your weekly lesson or as soon as possible that evening.   

Best wishes for your musical success,
Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

ArlingtonPiano.com
Piano Lessons in Arlington, Virginia
(850) 590-7874 

  
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Preview Little Bear's First Christmas Recital Video

Preview Chapter One of Piano Bears Musical Storybook - Little Bear's First Christmas Recital.

Preview Full Screen

Spring Piano Recital & 5 Tips for Recital Time

Piano students spend a lot of time preparing their music, especially at recital time. Here are 5 tips to help piano students maximize their creative energy and get the most out of their practice time.

1. Ask Questions Along the Way -

Feel free to stop and investigate any areas of the music you're unsure of or have questions about with a thoughtful review.  Just playing the piece over and over without changes limits possibilities for improvement.

2.Make sure the objective is creative work at the piano, not just 'time at work' -

Practice with a specific goal in mind that adds a creative purpose to playing, such as counting out the rhythms, checking for accuracy of the notes, or improving your technique.

3. Target your best attention to challenging areas -

At the beginning of practice our minds are fresh and our attention is best.  Therefore, begin practice on areas in the music that are most challenging.  Then, stop for a few minutes and start again fresh in another area.  Look for places in the music that need work and focus your attention on these.  Then play through the piece many times.  Begin the next practice session similarly with an area of the music that is more challenging.

4. Don't gloss over the notes -

To let the music speak clearly, become familiar with the melody.  Your ear needs to hear the music clearly to play clearly.  Also, don't rely only on your own creative ideas, listen to how others have interpreted the music as well.

5. Add the human element -

Creative ideas come to individuals.  To connect to your inner artist, make it personal.  Imagine each note is an important word in a personal conversation you're sharing with your very best friend.  This will bring your own, magical personality into the musical conversation, so that each note resonates as part of a coherent, musical idea that's important to you and honors your audience.

Best wishes for a great piano recital!

Cynthia Marie VanLandingham
ArlingtonPiano.com
Piano Lessons in Arlington, Virginia
(850) 590-7874 

If you like this article,
please like my studio Facebook Page

This Valentines Day - Put a Little Tune in Your Heart!

Download my Valentines Day Sheet Music

from Piano Bears Musical Storybooks
Put a Little Tune in Your Heart!    

This is an easy arrangement for level 2 students.  I'm sure you'll recognize this happy tune.  

Listen to Put a Little Tune in Your Heart

From Piano Bears Musical Parade of Holiday Songs!
on Amazon.com 

Happy Valentines Day!

Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

Inaugural Jazz Piano Sheet Music

 

Here is a jazzy tune to help my intermediate students celebrate our new president, American Liberty Jazz.  I arranged this piece just for them. Click on the little heart to hear this patriotic music and download the sheet music below.

from Piano Bears Musical Storybooks

American Liberty Jazz Arrangement
by Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

Download American Liberty Jazz Sheet Music 

Best Regards,

Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

New Year Piano Hallelujah! - Free Sheet Music

Playing together is so much fun - especially the joyful songs everyone loves to hear during the holiday season. 

O Come All Ye Faithful, Played by  Student, Erin Falls.

Time to set new goals for a New Year.  To help with this, below is a link to free sheet music to encourage students tp keep celebrating their piano progress.  I hope students enjoy this fun variation for level 1 or level 2 students on a familiar tune from George Frederic Handel - Piano New Year Hallelujah!

from Piano Bears Musical Storybooks
        Free New Year Sheet Music 
              
             

Best Wishes for a Joyful Holiday Season!

See you in the New Year....

Cynthia Marie Vanlandingham

Thanksgiving Surprise! - Free Sheet Music

Parents here is a free, level-one sheet music download from PianoBears.com for your beginning piano student.  It's called 'Thanksgiving Surprise!'  This is a familiar tune from Haydn with Piano Bear Storybook lyrics for young girls and boys.

from Piano Bears Musical Storybooks

 Thanksgiving Surprise!

I hope my young students will enjoy this music.

Warm regards,

Cynthia Marie Vanlandingham

Free Halloween Sheet Music for Your Beginner

Happy Halloween!

Download this free Sheet Music for you little goblin!

Little Bear on Halloween Sheet Music

 

Best Wishes for a Spooktacular Time!

Cynthia Marie VanLandingham