Sharing our music at the Nursing Home

It is very humbling and rewarding to visit a nursing home. Last Saturday 9 piano students, their parents, siblings and other family members shared their Christmas music with the residents. It was lovely to hear the students perform their best and even better to hear the residents hum along as the students played.

My plan was to take a group picture by the Christmas Tree and post it with this entry, but I left the camera at home! So instead you are looking at one of the "Christmas tree plates" my 5 year old Samuel created and handed out (with the help of Veronica and Jasmin Jones) to each resident with a hug.

Do something nice for someone today. Even if it is just listening to your child play his/her Christmas song for the 1,oooth time!

Merry Christmas!

Enjoy Kaylin playing an arrangement Carol of the Bells by K. Olson. Kaylin has been a student for almost 5 years and is concluding an excellent semester of piano lessons and practice.
Please click the arrow to hear her performance.

Fall 2007 semester is almost over

The toddlers, music makers and group piano students have all had their last lesson. Private students are still polishing up their christmas pieces for a performance and planning projects for Keyboard Gymnastics. It has been a good semester.

Now...please do not forget to play the piano and listen to your listening CD's everyday during the Christmas break. It will be much more exciting to start the New Year with new music instead of re-learning the old.

Have a Merry Christmas! And please visit Dorla's Pianoblog frequently to find pictures and news about the students.

P.S. It is assumed that those who have not paid/reserved for the new semester by December 1, will not be returning in January.

Music Makers Around the World

What a great way to learn music!

This year's Pre-piano 2 class (for ages 5-7) just concluded a unit on Amerindian music and to celebrate we had our own version of a Pow-Wow.

It was so much fun for the children to "march" out of the Tee-pee with their flags during the Grand Entry, perform a Hoop Dance and Scarf Dance, plus interpret a song with sign language followed by playing an ostinato at the keyboard while singing the Canoe Song. And THEN the feast!
Cornbread muffins, cornbread casserole, pumpkin cake, popcorn, cranberries and nuts, pinolillo and rice pudding.

You might be asking, did these children LEARN anything? Yes! and here are just a few items: syncopated rhythm patterns in duple meter, minor melodic patterns, discovery of these patterns in a music score, piano keyboard topography, and staying on task during instrumental ensemble.

Thank you parents for doing your part at home and dancing with us in class! And to those of you who have not decided if you would like your child to join, come visit one of our classes. I am sure you will agree this is a great way to learn music!