The Fall semester is fast coming to an end with the last lesson on Saturday November 20, 2010. We’ll have a break for Thanksgiving with the new Winter session starting Tuesday November 30, 2010 and running until Saturday February 19, 2010. The cost for the new semester is $550 with an early bird discount of […]
When teaching to read traditional music notation, I separate the 2 parts of pitch and rhythm. Rhythm is easy to teach using stick notation. [update-12-3-12] Stick notation is taking traditional notes and removing the note-head. The note-head is the round dot at the bottom of the stick. The dot is placed on the 5 lines […]
EVANSTON, Ill., July 21 (UPI) — Musical instruction can “prime” the brain to improve human skills in language, speech, memory and attention, U.S. researchers say. A study at Northwestern University found the effects of musical training on the nervous system can build meaningful patterns important to all types of learning, ScienceDaily.com reported Tuesday. Researchers studied […]
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Register for Fall Music Lessons
We’re moving to a semester-based system with Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer sessions. Fall 2010 semester is now open for registration. It runs 11 weeks from September 7 through November 18 and costs $475. All lessons are 30 minute private lessons and will be scheduled after receipt of payment and registering on the website. Please […]
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John Lennon’s Imagine
This is from a concert at Madison Square Garden in 1972. Essential listening for anyone! Imagine there’s no Heaven It’s easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today Imagine there’s no countries It isn’t hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And […]
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Video from our Spring Music Recital
Last Saturday’s Spring Recital was a great success and I am so proud of all of my students! Performing in public is a skill that only a small minority of people in this world have developed a comfort and ability with. It is such a huge accomplishment even to get up onstage and then to […]
Many of my students have been forgetting some of the basics around technique. Here’s a handy chart that you can post by the piano or on the first page of your music notebook. Probably the most important one I’m finding is sitting the proper distance away from the piano. Many kids like to sit almost […]
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The Beatles, Let It Be
Let It Be By Lennon & McCartney When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. Let it be, let it be, let […]
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Lean On Me by the great Bill Withers
One of the greatest songs of all time by probably my favorite songwriter of all time, Bill Withers. Lean On Me Words & Music By Bill Withers Sometimes in our lives we all have pain We all have sorrow But if we are wise We know that there’s always tomorrow Chorus Lean on me, when […]
We’ll be having our next recital on Saturday June 12, 2010 at 2pm at the Pacific branch of the Brooklyn Public Library – downstairs. Please save the date! It’s a great chance to showcase our talents and I look forward to seeing you all there. View Larger Map
I’ve been teaching how to count rhythm to most of my students using Michiko Yurko’s genius method of naming note values with easy and fun to say words. I highly recommend her book Music Mind Games for all music teachers and home-schoolers and interested parents.. For example, a one beat (quarter note) is called BLUE. […]
We’ve been doing some great explorations of the roots of rock and roll which began with the basic form of the 12 bar blues. These 12 measures are like a pattern, a recipe that hundreds if not thousands or hundreds of thousands of songs have been based. Once you know the “recipe” you can cook […]
I’m so proud of all the great progress and awesome-ness of all my students. And some of you said you were afraid of playing in public! Doesn’t look like it. Congratulations to you all! You can see all the videos on YouTube under my ParkSlopeMusicLesson channel. I’ve also added Lila’s video of her “home recital,” […]
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Winter Music Recital Update
Pacific Library branch of Brooklyn Public Library – 2:30pm Everyone is sounding so good and ready for this week’s recital. So here’s a reminder of the event. It’s at 2:30pm on the third floor of the library which is located at the intersection of Pacific Street and 4th Avenue – right near the Atlantic/Pacific subway […]
The recital will be open to the public at the Pacific Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library from 2:30pm to 4:30pm on Saturday, January 30, 2010. It was the first of the Andrew Carnegie libraries to open in Brooklyn in 1904 and features a lovely third floor light-filled auditorium with windows. Special thanks to librarian […]
I’ve been talking with many of my students about the importance of not trying to learning in giant gobbles but rather in small bite size pieces or slices of pie. Learning a new piece is like eating pie; you don’t eat it all in one bite. You take slices, and then forkfuls and then chew […]
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Using Colors to Learn Music
One of the core concepts of my approach to teaching music to young children is the use of colors to represent pitches. I’ve used this with great success on both piano, guitar and in reading music notation. Those of you studying with me have already seen my piano covered with translucent tape and my guitar […]
We’re celebrating all the hard work, fun and music we’ve experienced this year. Come join us at the Music Recital on Saturday, June 13 at 1pm in the community room downstairs at the Park Slope branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. I expect that 10 or so of my students will be performing but all […]
A recent research study on the linkage between the arts and brain development shows that students of music have definite structural changes in happening in students who practice as little as 15 minutes a day. So, I’m not making this all up! It’s really true. From the Baltimore Sun article: Charles Limb, a Johns Hopkins […]
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This Is Why I Teach Music
This is a wonderful piece that has been published many times. It reflects how I feel about teaching and the wonderful teachers I have had in my life. That Is Why We Teach Music Not because we expect you to major in music Not because we expect you to play or sing all your life […]