Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Friday, November 26, 2010

Hearing the Music, Honing the Mind Music produces profound and lasting changes in the brain. Schools should add classes, not cut them

from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=hearing-the-music-honing

Nearly 20 years ago a small study advanced the notion that listening to Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major could boost mental functioning. It was not long before trademarked “Mozart effect” products appealed to neurotic parents aiming to put toddlers on the fast track to the Ivy League. Georgia’s governor even proposed giving every newborn there a classical CD or cassette. Continue reading...

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Babies Have a Strong Sense of Rhythm From Birth

from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1059815/Babies-sense-rhythm-used-help-develop.html

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 7:34 AM on 23rd September 2008

It will be months before they talk, walk or even sit up. But at just a day old, babies have a strong sense of rhythm, say researchers.


Newborns are also sensitive to pitch and melody, they found.


Experts said that introducing a child to music at an early age could enhance these innate musical abilities and also help them learn to talk.


The fledgling musical talent was discovered by Hungarian researchers during a study of more than 100 boys and girls who were only one or two days old.


They played the babies music as they slept and measured their brain activity.


The researchers found that their brains computed changes in beat, tone and melody.


For instance, if a key beat was missed from a rhythmic pattern, the baby's brain registered the change.


A change in pitch, similar to that between male and female voices, also provoked a reaction.


The Hungarian Academy of Sciences study was part of a threeyear European project on how the brain processes music and other sounds, co-ordinated by Dr Susan Denham, of Plymouth University.


She said: 'What is perhaps most significant is that not only do babies' brains register changes in beat, pitch and simple melodic patterns but they do so more or less automatically, as they are fast asleep during these experiments.


'People come into the world with brains that are wired-up to detect patterns'.


Dr Denham added: 'A lot of music reflects the rhythms and contents of speech. If you are listening to music you will also probably be more sensitive to speech rhythm.'


Tuesday, October 5, 2010

When Can We Start Music Lessons?

Here's an article on the same topic as the previous entry: http://www.babycenter.com/404_when-can-we-start-music-lessons_6876.bc

When can we start music lessons?

Expert Answers

David Geller, pediatrician
Whether your child takes a music appreciation class or starts actual lessons, she'll benefit mightily from being exposed to music. Kids can start formal music training as early as age 3, when brain circuits for learning music mature. In fact, studies at the University of California suggest that taking music lessons at age 3 can increase your child's brainpower. However, many piano teachers prefer that children wait until they are 5, when their hands are bigger and they're more ready to sit still and concentrate. (See more on music and toddlers.)

If you don't feel your toddler is ready for formal music lessons yet, you might want to join an early music program such as Kindermusik, which focuses on fostering a love of music, rhythm, and self-expression. By exploring how different instruments sound, and how music makes her feel, your child may learn to appreciate music much more than if she were practicing scales.

When your child is ready for more formal training, piano is a good instrument to start with, as the finger movements are less tricky than those for a guitar or violin. At this age, however, the most important thing is that your child enjoys herself. Make sure the instructor works well with young children and keeps the class fun and fast-paced.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Let Them Play

from http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2010/08/25/tln_fung_letthemplay.html?tkn=XWZFenx2Vjt6%2BPR0tbQRAZM0Fm3EyxM0i33N&cmp=clp-edweek

By Jane Ching Fung

"What is 'Choice Time?,'" she demanded. "Students don’t have time to play."


My heart sank when I heard these words coming from the mouth of a district administrator. Everyone on our kindergarten team had included "Choice" minutes in her daily schedule. Choice was a time for students to engage in centers and activities that were not teacher directed, assigned, or graded but intentionally designed to be open-ended, student driven, and to promote unstructured interactions among the children.


Dare I say that "Choice" was time set aside for our young students to play? Continue reading...


Thursday, September 23, 2010

Kindermusik- a Music & Movement Class for Children

Wonder how you can immerse your child in a musically-filled environment at an early age?

Join a Kindermusik class! Kindermusik is a music and movement program for newborn to age 7. You and your child will play, listen, and dance to musical activities specifically designed to stimulate early childhood development and strengthen neural pathways in your child's mind.

For a free preview class in your location, click here!

Friday, September 17, 2010

Some Important Messages

Here's an interesting video I'd like to share with some important messages.

It's almost 5 minutes long, so if you are scrolling to fast-forward, please do read all the words on there! ^o^


Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Creating a Musical Foundation

from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2493/is_1_60/ai_n54724418/pg_3/?tag=content;col1

the value of early childhood music class in the transition to private lessons

American Music Teacher, August-Sept, 2010 by Autumn L. Zander

The varieties of aural and kinesthetic activities that introduce and reinforce concepts are endless. Regardless of the activity, early childhood music classes not only expose children to basic music fundamentals, they also introduce the social skills they will need when pursuing private lessons. Taking instruction from someone who is not the child's immediate caregiver can be a big step for the child. Early childhood music classes ease children into a nurturing, learning environment in which both child and caregiver must listen to the teacher and follow instructions. Caregivers model appropriate behavior and, in turn, praise children when they witness that same behavior. Children also interact with their peers in a setting in which sharing, listening to others, supporting their friends and discovering different learning styles abound. These universal skills are necessary for any private, group lesson or ensemble experience. Continue reading...

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Fall Youth Group Piano!

Arcadia Recreation
Days/ Dates: Thursday, 9/23- 11/4 (no class 10/21)
Fee: $45+ $15 materials fee/ 6 weeks

Time: 4- 4:50pm
Age: 5-6 years

Time: 4:55- 5:45pm
Age: 7-14 years

Monday, August 30, 2010

What Does Music Look Like to Our Brain?

from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/nature-brain-and-culture/201007/what-does-music-look-our-brain

by Mark Changizi

I believe that music sounds like people, moving. Yes, the idea may sound a bit crazy, but it's an old idea, much discussed in the 20th century, and going all the way back to the Greeks. There are lots of things going for the theory, including that it helps us explain...

(1) why our brains are so good at absorbing music (...because we evolved to possess human-movement-detecting auditory mechanisms),

(2) why music emotionally moves us (...because human movement is often expressive of the mover's mood or state), and

(3) why music gets us moving (...because we're a social species prone to social contagion).

And as I describe in detail in my upcoming book -- Harnessed: How Language and Music Mimicked Nature and Transformed Ape To Man -- music has the signature auditory patterns of human movement (something I hint at in this older piece of mine).

Here I'd like to describe a novel way of thinking about what the meaning of music might be. Rather than dwelling on the sound of music, I'd like to focus on the look of music. In particular, what does our brain think music looks like? Continue reading...


Friday, August 27, 2010

Student Teaching Her Grandpa!

Two days ago, a student told me she's been teaching her grandpa "Chester Chills Out", so now her grandpa can play the piece well with his right hand. She plans to teach him the left hand next.

After hearing this, I smiled because that sounded like a great bonding moment!

I'm glad my 7-year-old student can now teach piano too!^_^

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Give the gift of Kindermusik!




Give the gift of Kindermusik to children who are physically or emotionally challenged, who are financially or educationally disadvantaged, who have physical disabilities, or who have lost a parent!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

The Creativity Crisis

from http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html

For the first time, research shows that American creativity is declining. What went wrong—and how we can fix it.

Experts assess 10 drawings by adults and children for signs of out-of-the-box thinking. View gallery.

How Creative Are You?
Back in 1958, Ted Schwarzrock was an 8-year-old third grader when he became one of the “Torrance kids,” a group of nearly 400 Minneapolis children who completed a series of creativity tasks newly designed by professor E. Paul Torrance. Schwarzrock still vividly remembers the moment when a psychologist handed him a fire truck and asked, “How could you improve this toy to make it better and more fun to play with?” He recalls the psychologist being excited by his answers. In fact, the psychologist’s session notes indicate Schwarzrock rattled off 25 improvements, such as adding a removable ladder and springs to the wheels. That wasn’t the only time he impressed the scholars, who judged Schwarzrock to have “unusual visual perspective” and “an ability to synthesize diverse elements into meaningful products.” Continue reading...

Friday, July 30, 2010

A Rewarding Moment!

Earlier this spring, I received a phone call from a lady who would like to learn to play piano and eventually accompany herself when she's singing for fun.

Not long after, I started teaching her the Simply Music Accompaniment 1 program, and for the past few weeks, she has been playing popular songs that she likes while singing!

At our last lesson, we just realized that it took her less than four months to accomplish this.

It was a wonderful moment for the both of us when we realized that, and I felt very proud of her and happy that her hard work of practicing so much every week paid off so quickly!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Orchestrating Some Fun on the Web

from http://mindsonmusic.kindermusik.com/orchestrating-some-fun-on-the-web/

The earlier you can expose your child to classical music and the magic of the symphony orchestras, the better. Music appreciation is something you want to instill early in a child’s life. (Shameless self-promotion: music appreciation is one of the skills children develop in Kindermusik classes. Find a Kindermusik class near you to learn more.)

Summer is one of the best times to take in a symphony. Many cities have outdoor venues and band shells where orchestras perform regularly. If there is a lawn area, is there any better way to take in a picnic? Kids of almost any age will love this. Let them dance and sway to the music. If you can talk quietly during the performance, introduce them to the various instruments on stage or other musical concepts. Some orchestras even have performances specifically designed for kids.

if you can’t get to a performance any time soon (or even if you can!), a number of symphony orchestras have wonderful kid-focused websites. Here are a few to check out.

The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra Kids has an energetic home-page at www.sfskids.org. You’ll find a quirky variety of musical games and activities. Compose your own music, learn about the instruments of the orchestra, and more.

Or check out these other musical sites:

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

A Sweet Story

Summer classes have started, and a new student from one of my classes told me that he wanted to learn piano not just for himself, but to give his wife a birthday surprise! They've been married for 52 years, and I just thought that he's so sweet for planning something like this.

Seeing the joy in his eyes when he starts to play the "Five Steps of Sound" and "Night Storm" is one of the many reasons why I enjoy teaching so much!

Saturday, June 26, 2010

The Avatar Course

I know this has nothing to do with music, but I'd just like to introduce this Avatar Course to you because I've benefited so much from it, and so have many people I know.

from http://www.avatarepc.com/html/whatis.html

What is Avatar?

Avatar is the most powerful, purest self-development program available. It is a series of experiential exercises that enables you to rediscover your self and align your consciousness with what you want to achieve. You will experience your own unique insights and revelations. It’s you finding out about you.

Avatar is a nine-day self-empowerment training delivered by a world-wide network of licensed Avatar Masters. Over 50,000 graduates from 65 countries, are enjoying the benefits of Avatar*.

*January 2000 statistic

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Group Piano for Teens and Adults!

San Marino Recreation
Days/ Dates: Tuesday, 7/13-8/10
Fee: $65+ $15 materials fee/ 5 weeks

Time: 5:20- 6pm
Age: 13 years and above

Click here and scroll down to find the recreation guide for complete details and/or to register!

Simply Music is a revolutionary piano learning method that has students of all ages playing great-sounding contemporary, classical, blues and accompaniment pieces from the very first lessons!

Please bring a black and a red pen to class. Materials include a DVD, Keypad (printed keyboard) and Reference Book.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Making Music Boosts Brain's Language Skills

from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/100220-music-brains-language-stroke-dyslexia/

Victoria Jaggard in San Diego

National Geographic News

Published February 20, 2010

Do you have trouble hearing people talk at cocktail parties? Try practicing the piano before you leave the house.

Musicians—from karaoke singers to professional cello players—are better able to hear targeted sounds in a noisy environment, according to new research that adds to evidence that music makes the brain work better.

"In the past ten years there's been an explosion of research on music and the brain," Aniruddh Patel, the Esther J. Burnham Senior Fellow at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego, said today at a press briefing.

Most recently brain-imaging studies have shown that music activates many diverse parts of the brain, including an overlap in where the brain processes music and language. (Listen to global beats at Nat Geo Music.)

Language is a natural aspect to consider in looking at how music affects the brain, Patel said. Like music, language is "universal, there's a strong learning component, and it carries complex meanings." Continue reading...

Monday, June 14, 2010

Learning to play in a new way: Simply Music piano instruction relies on ‘mental maps'

from http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20100605%2FNEWS01%2F6050303%2F1001%2FNEWS

of The News-Sentinel

Katie Londini is learning a new song, but there's no music on her teacher's piano — just numbers and letters, in what appears to be a code.

The 8-year-old barely glances at the book. After nearly a year of lessons, she still can't read music. Her teacher, Ian McKinney, can't either. Not very well, anyway.

But Katie can play 30 songs from memory. The Simply Music program emphasizes playing long before musical notation is introduced, McKinney explains, much the way toddlers learn to talk by “playing” with language before learning their ABCs.

A different method

In Fort Wayne, McKinney is best known as assistant manager of Young Adult Services at the downtown Allen County Public Library.

In other gigs in other cities, the Texas native was a puppeteer and a street musician. He can coax a tune from at least seven instruments, including the guitar, fiddle and penny whistle.

Yet despite taking piano lessons in high school, he still can't decipher musical notation quickly enough to convert it into a song.

McKinney's wife, Jen, struggled with childhood piano lessons as well, so they explored alternatives for their daughter, Fiona, now 7.

Jen McKinney, a children's librarian who works sparingly while raising kids — they're expecting their third – talked the library into buying a DVD by Simply Music founder Neil Moore, an Australian who developed his concepts while teaching a blind boy to play.

When they couldn't find an instructor in this area, Ian decided to undergo training. He's been giving lessons for a year; Jen recently became licensed as well. They're two of only four Indiana teachers listed on www.SimplyMusic.com.

“If this method is water, then I'm a duck,” says Ian McKinney, who met Moore at a seminar in California earlier this year. “Everybody – everybody – can do this. It's like ... it's just so ... obvious.”

So much so, he adds, “that it took a genius to do it.” Continue reading...


Friday, June 11, 2010

Opera When You Least Expect It

Few months ago at the central market in Valencia, Spain, opera singers disguised as shopkeepers were selling produce at the various stalls there. Suddenly Verdi's Il Travatore starts playing over the loudspeakers and they burst into song. None of the shoppers has a clue of what's going on. Sort of like cadid camera but completely charming. The sign that someone holds up at the end means: "See how you do like opera?"




Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Wolf Dog Sings to a Little Baby to Stop His Cry

an interesting video!

http://pogpog.com/v/wolf-dog-sings-to-a-baby-to-stop-his-cry/

Saturday, June 5, 2010

The benefits to children of learning music

from http://www.helium.com/items/1836936-the-benefits-to-children-of-learning-music

Time and time again, we hear about studies that show the evidence of how much better children who have the advantage of music lessons do in school. There are many factors that come into play and that make children who have the advantage of a musical education excel academically, but it is more than the academic advantage. The effects of this musical education extend into the rest of their lives, and this results in even grater advantages later in life.


We may not be to put our finger on the exact advantage that children and young people who take music lessons have over others, but we certainly can examine some of the benefits. For the purposes of this article, we are looking at the benefits to children who study a musical instrument.

*Learning to be responsible -


Music lessons require that a child learn to be responsible because they must practice everyday. There may be an expectation that children learn to be responsible in other areas of their lives, but those other areas may be things that benefit the entire family and aren't something for which the child must be responsible because of and for themselves. Continue reading...

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Baby Einsteins: Not So Smart After All

from http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1650352,00.html

By Alice Park

The claim always seemed too good to be true: park your infant in front of a video and, in no time, he or she will be talking and getting smarter than the neighbor's kid. In the latest study on the effects of popular videos such as the "Baby Einstein" and "Brainy Baby" series, researchers find that these products may be doing more harm than good. And they may actually delay language development in toddlers.


Led by Frederick Zimmerman and Dr. Dimitri Christakis, both at the University of Washington, the research team found that with every hour per day spent watching baby DVDs and videos, infants learned six to eight fewer new vocabulary words than babies who never watched the videos. These products had the strongest detrimental effect on babies 8 to 16 months old, the age at which language skills are starting to form. "The more videos they watched, the fewer words they knew," says Christakis. "These babies scored about 10% lower on language skills than infants who had not watched these videos."


Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1650352,00.html#ixzz0piVjgn1t

Sunday, May 30, 2010

A Funny & Cute Video

I know this has nothing to do with music, but this girl is just so cute and funny that I'd like to share!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Praise When Praise is Due

from http://childcareexchange.com/eed/issue.php?id=2344

Richard Weissbourd, writing in Work & Family Life (September 2009) observes that it matters how parents praise...

"Praising children in the service of happiness and self esteem has important benefits but it can become excessive. Children thrive on praise when it is sincere and connected to specific accomplishments, but they know when they've truly accomplished something. Too much praise connected to tiny accomplishments can make them wonder why adults need to always prop them up.

"Children who are praised too much also feel continually judged. Research by Carol Dweck, Ph.D., suggests that overly praised kids become more conscious of their image, more competitive, and more prone to cut others down. And too much praise can hook kids on it: they require higher and higher doses of compliments and feel like there's something wrong when they aren't being bombarded with kudos."

Friday, May 21, 2010

My Lovely Life

This is my cute student Michelle playing a piece she composed with the help of her Dad Alan. She's so adorable!



This is her composition:


Saturday, May 15, 2010

Music Lessons Provide a Workout For the Brain

from http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16767-music-lessons-provide-a-workout-for-the-brain

17:22 13 March 2009 by Andy Coghlan

Scans of the brains of child musicians before and after musical training have yielded compelling evidence that proficiency and skill relies on hard graft, not innate genius.


Earlier studies have shown that adult musicians have different brains to adult non-musicians. But the latest results settle arguments about whether the brain differences were there from birth, or developed through practice.


"This is the first paper showing differential brain development in children who learned and played a musical instrument versus those that did not," says Gottfried Schlaug of Harvard Medical School.


Schlaug's team tested musically untrained six-year-olds from the Boston area, 15 of whom then received weekly keyboard lessons for 15 months, and 16 of whom didn't. When they compared magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans taken before and after for both groups, they found that auditory and motor areas of the brain linked respectively with hearing and dexterity grew larger only in the trainee musicians. Continue reading...


Sunday, May 9, 2010

Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who's Doing It Best

from http://www.edutopia.org/arts-music-curriculum-child-development

Art and music are key to student development.

by Fran Smith


"Art does not solve problems, but makes us aware of their existence," sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz has said. Arts education, on the other hand, does solve problems. Years of research show that it's closely linked to almost everything that we as a nation say we want for our children and demand from our schools: academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity.


Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill. Arts learning can also improve motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork. A 2005 report by the Rand Corporation about the visual arts argues that the intrinsic pleasures and stimulation of the art experience do more than sweeten an individual's life -- according to the report, they "can connect people more deeply to the world and open them to new ways of seeing," creating the foundation to forge social bonds and community cohesion. And strong arts programming in schools helps close a gap that has left many a child behind: From Mozart for babies to tutus for toddlers to family trips to the museum, the children of affluent, aspiring parents generally get exposed to the arts whether or not public schools provide them. Low-income children, often, do not. "Arts education enables those children from a financially challenged background to have a more level playing field with children who have had those enrichment experiences,'' says Eric Cooper, president and founder of the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education. Continue reading...


Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Summer Youth Group Piano 5-14 years

Arcadia Recreation
Days/ Dates: Thursday, 7/15-8/26 (no class 8/12)
Fee: $45+ $15 materials fee/ 6 weeks

Time: 4-4:50pm
Age: 5-6 years

Time: 5-5:50pm
Age: 7-14 years

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline


by Becky A Bailey

This book isn't music-related, but is a wonderful book for parents and teachers who'd like to communicate better with others, not just children. It helps you understand what children are thinking and the reason to their actions, so you'll find the best way to handle any kind of situations. Some concepts are definitely new for me to believe at first, but after applying it in my Kindermusik and piano classes and on my cousin's child, I truly thought the ideas and suggestions in the book work really well!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Let's Rock! Even Newborns Can Follow a Rhythm

from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28862536/from/ET/

Infant brain responds with error signal when beat is disturbed, study finds

by Robin Nixon
updated 2:54 p.m. PT, Mon., Jan. 26, 2009


Newborns can follow a rhythm, a new study has found, suggesting rocking out is innate.


The finding, published in the Jan. 26 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, adds to growing evidence that the newborn brain is not the blank slate it was once thought to be.


Rather, scientists have shown, at birth we already have sophisticated methods for interpreting the world. Discrimination may be crude, explained lead researcher István Winkler of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest, but "the basic algorithms are in place already." Continue reading...


Saturday, April 17, 2010

Note By Note: The Making of Steinway L1037



Have you ever wondered how a piano is hand-made?

This movie is a documentary of the making of a
Steinway piano. I was fortunate to have been able to practice on Steinway pianos during my years of studying at USC.

After watching this movie, you'll understand why it's the dream of every pianist to own a
Steinway piano!

http://www.notebynotethemovie.com


Monday, April 5, 2010

What instrument(s) should my child learn?

This is another common question parents ask me often. Although the most popular instruments children seem to start learning nowadays are piano and violin, there are many other instruments that are fun and wonderful to learn as well. And, keep in mind, "voice" is also an instrument!

Every instrument trains different parts of our body and brain. All of them, except for voice, focuses on hand-coordination in various ways.

With so much differences between the instruments, to ask "what instrument is best for my child" would be the same as asking "what fruit is the best for my child?"

There is no "right" or "wrong" instrument for anyone. Thus, if money isn't a concern (and many music stores offer monthly rentals for instruments, even pianos!), I'd recommend parents to let their child choose the instrument(s) themselves.

Bring them to concerts and let them see, hear and choose which instrument(s) they like.

If they like more than one instrument, let them try all of them! And after learning one or two instruments, I can guarantee you that your child will know exactly what instrument(s) she wishes to learn. (Please give at least 6 months of learning-period per instrument though. And if possible, try starting the lesson for the second instrument when your child has already had lessons for the first instrument for 3 months.)

What instruments have I learned, you asked? Piano, cello and flute! (I was very fortunate^_^)

Friday, April 2, 2010

Spring Youth Group Piano Classes!

Arcadia Recreation Youth Piano
Days/ Dates: Thursday, 4/15-5/20
Fee: $45+ $15 materials fee/ 6 weeks

Time: 4-4:50pm
Age: 5-6 years

Time: 5-5:50pm
Age: 7-14 years

South Pasadena Recreation Youth Piano
Days/ Dates: Wednesday, 5/5-6/2
Fee: $65+ $15 materials fee/ 5 weeks
Time: 5-5:50pm
Age: 5-12 years

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Group Piano for Teens and Adults!

San Marino Recreation
Days/ Dates: Tuesday, 5/11-6/8
Fee: $65+ $15 materials fee/ 5 weeks

Time: 5-5:40pm
Age: 13 years and above

Click here and scroll down to find the recreation guide for complete details and/or to register!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

When can my child start learning piano (or any other instrument)?

(For convenience purposes, the word "piano" in the rest of this entry can be substituted for any other instrument.)

Many adults have asked me this question before, so I thought I'd share my suggestion here.

Although the youngest age I'd recommend is at least 5, I'd say your child is definitely ready if you can answer "yes" to most of the questions below!

1) Does your child love music?
2) Does your child know what piano is, or has heard and know the sound of the piano?
3) Has your child told you that he would like to learn to play the piano?

4) Can your child sit still and concentrate for at least 25 minutes?
5) Can your child read yet?
6) Will your child be willing to practice the piano for at least 15- 20 minutes everyday?

7) Will you, or another adult in the family, be able to sit with your child and help him when he practices?


Questions 1-3 evaluate what your child feels about music. The more he loves music, the more he will enjoy and continue this learning journey.

Questions 4-6 evaluate your child's maturity. If you answered "no" to most of them, then your child is not developmentally ready yet.

Question 7 is for parents whose child is too young to know what they should be practicing at home, and whether they are playing the pieces correctly or not.


Before your child is old enough to learn piano,
Kindermusik, a wonderful music and movement program for children newborn to 7 years old, would be a wonderful choice to immerse your child (and you) in a fun, musical environment together!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Our Winter 2010 session Youth Piano Classes at Arcadia Recreation ended last Thursday with a student recital in each class.

I was very proud of all the performers for the hard work they've put into these past couple weeks.

Many thanks to the parents also for taking the time to help with the practice at home!