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Meritocracy: how to fix the problems

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

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Blog Teaching Methods

This is why you should not learn to read music first

Should All Music Students Learn to Read Music? As a music teacher, I’m often asked about reading music.  Some parents want to know,”Will my child learn to read music?”  These are usually parents who have had musical training and see the benefits of being able to read music from the last 1000 years of music […]

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Blog Teaching Methods

Can special needs children learn to play an instrument?

Music lessons for special needs children? If you ask the average music teacher about special needs children as students, you may get a blank stare. There isn’t much literature focused on this. Children with special needs may include those with learning disabilities, developmental issues, as well as those on the Autism spectrum. At Park Slope Music Lessons, […]

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Brain scans show marked difference before and after music lessons

There has been a lot of attention towards the affects of music instruction on brain development. But I think this is the first time I’ve seen actual scans of the brains of young children. Studies have already shown that learning music can be beneficial to children with brain development disorders like autism. Researchers from the […]

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What makes our preschool piano lessons better?

Our preschool piano lessons are virtually unmatched.  Most teachers will not accept a student until 7 or 8 years old. Why is that? There is a gap in most music curriculums that do not cover the pre-literate preschool aged child. The curriculum we use with our young preschool students is what makes us stand out.  […]

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Announcements Blog

Spring Recital 2014 is on June 7 at 2pm

  I’m looking forward to our upcoming Spring Music Recital on June 7 at 2pm.  It will be in our usual location, the auditorium of the Park Slope branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. We have a great program of diverse music from folk classics to Suzuki standards to pop songs from Katy Perry, Imagine […]

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Blog

Is Music Education The Key To Success in Life?

This past Sunday, there was a NY Times Article on the importance of music education in everyone’s life.  I feel like it was written specifically for music teachers!  The author interviewed some of the top performers in numerous  and diverse industries and has found a surprising number had deep musical training from Condoleeza Rice to […]

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Teaching Methods

Why Memorizing Music Is So Important

By Andrew Ingkavet With all of my students, I stress the importance of memorizing their pieces, especially for performance at a recital. Here’s some of the reasons why. Repetition is the Mother of Skill How many times did Tiger Woods hit a golf ball before ever entering a competition? Apparently he was already golfing at […]

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Music Lesson

How to Play London Bridge on the Piano

I’ve started making videos of songs I’m teaching my students as so many of them are visual learners and have the technology to view this at home.  This video is not meant to be a step by step instruction but a reinforcement/memory aid for after the lesson when practicing at home.

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Blog News

The Everlasting Positive Effects of Music Lessons

It seems every year there’s a new study that confirms the positive benefits of music lessons in early childhood.  This one has some great findings: From the NY Times Well Blog: By PERRI KLASS, M.D. When children learn to play a musical instrument, they strengthen a range of auditory skills. Recent studies suggest that these benefits extend […]

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Blog Teaching Methods

Essential Reading for Parents of Music Students

Talent is not inherited. The first month in a nightingale’s life determines its fate…I had always thought that a nightingale’s incomparable song was instinctive or inherited. But it is not so. Nightingales to be used as pets are taken as fledglings from nest of wild birds in the spring. As soon as they lose their fear and accept food, a “master bird” is borrowed that daily sings its lovely song, and the infant bird listens for a period of a about a month. In this way the little wild bird is trained by the master bird…It is not a matter of being born a good singer or a bad singer…the life force has a wonderful power to adapt to environment.

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Blog Teaching Methods

At What Age To Start Music Lessons?

As a teacher of music, this is a common question I hear.  Every child is unique and while there is no one right answer, I can offer a few guidelines. ABCs One of the first “games” I play with my younger students is to have them order the letters of the alphabet.  This is a […]

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Blog Teaching Methods

The Goal of Beginning Music Lessons

My goal with my beginning music students is to Ignite the passion, fun and excitement of music within Introduce the names of the notes Connect those notes to their location on their instrument Connect those notes to standard written notation Through achievements, build their sense of self confidence and self worth. Have fun To go […]