Welcome to Fall! For those who are new to the piano studio this month, this is the second installment of my monthly newsletter to get us all on the same page.
At the moment, we’ve got a full house, meaning I will not be accepting more students. I’ve got my work cut out for me as I will also be substitute teaching here in the Napa Valley for the 1st grade class at the local Waldorf school, Stone Bridge, and playing some services for a nondenominational church in Petaluma. It's a busy time of year! Some studio news and tips below, but first...
What we are working on this month…
As my Napa piano studio is fresh and nearly all my students are beginners, we are slowly but surely learning how to play music from the staff. This is taking different forms based on age, developmental readiness and individual learning style. For some, lesson books are helpful, and provide a comfortable foundation, since the exercises they contain are very focused and straightforward.
For others, we are wandering a path less trodden, which makes learning to read from the staff all the more important, in order to be able to practice at home exercises we have done in our lessons. This is the reality of private music instruction. I am a big proponent of the idea that music is heard first and read second—and yet! In order for practice to take place outside the lesson—which it must, if any progress at all is to be made—we must establish a common visual language which will guide the student when I am not around (which is most of the time).
A quick note about lesson books: There are many brands/methods out there, each doing things a bit differently. I have tried many of them, and there are pros and cons to each. I rely on just a couple of well-known methods: Alfred books for 7 and older and Faber & Faber for 6 and under, and then supplement accordingly with my own exercises and activities. Please bear with me as I rebuild my studio after several years of dormancy and prepare original exercises for students. These things take time, and a bit of trial and error, but I hope to eventually be able to rely less and less on the outside method books and more on my own methodology as we progress.
Tips for practicing at home…
I know it can be difficult to set aside time to practice—trust me, I struggle with the same thing as an adult. Here are some tips to hopefully make practicing outside of lessons more approachable.
Aim for consistency. Daily practice is ideal (10-15 min/day for younger students, and 30 min+ for teens and intermediate students), but not always realistic. Even if you're not practicing every day, every little bit you can squeeze helps, but it helps even more if it is part of a weekly rhythm. If you can hit the days in between, great, but try to keep the practice days week-to-week.
Encourage singing/verbalization/counting during practice time. The younger the student, the more important it is that singing be a part of their practice. If the piece you're working on has words, please sing it with them. Even if the child is not yet able to sing on pitch (something you can read much more about here), the rhythmic qualities of lyrics/poetry are still very helpful. Try singing in different ways—on letter names, using finger numbers, and eventually—once it's developmentally appropriate—by counting beats. I have so much to say on singing and pitch perception, but will save that for a future newsletter.
Don't always start at the beginning. This one's a classic. It is not uncommon for the first few measures of a piece to get all the attention, while the second half hardly gets played because by the time the student gets there, their time has been spent. Ask your child to play for you and try to hear where the problem spots are, and encourage them to start there—not always at the beginning.
Most importantly, try to hear what we're learning everywhere! Sing to and with your children. If you hear something on the radio that you like, bring it in. Real world examples are crucial! Music instruction doesn't have to happen in a vacuum, so encourage your children to listen and ask questions about what they hear.
Musical pathways…
I have finally settled on the name for the studio: Janapar Piano Studio! “Janapar” (pronounced jah-nah-par) is an Armenian word, which translates to "path" or "journey" in English. Beyond the fact that it contains the word “Napa” in it (!), I chose this word because I come from an Armenian family, which has played a big role in shaping the kind of teacher, musician, and person I am, so it felt right to honor that in some small way (especially at a time of such great hardship for the people of Armenia).
Also, I like the imagery the word conjures, as I view piano lessons to be one pathway into the world of music. This journey will look different for everyone and I hope to be a guide as students navigate exciting and challenging new ways of listening, thinking, and moving. Lastly, I think a lot about the neural pathways that are being forged as we learn new skills. These are physical changes happening in the brain over time, and this requires patience—so please don’t get discouraged, these skills aren’t learned overnight.