No fear when it comes to playing. That’s true of almost all of my students. When they see a piano, they are sucked in like a vortex and play from their repertoire of 20, 30, 40 songs. Here’s one of my students playing at the San Jose International Airport. 
Well, it’s finally here and I am so excited to share with the world that the book A World Where Everyone Plays has been published and released. A World Where Everyone Plays is a collection of inspiring Simply Music stories that will encourage the reader to consider the Simply Music method. It’s meant to be read by teachers, students, educators, skeptics, and anyone who is interested in piano. To purchase a book contact fortheluvopiano@yahoo.com.
San Diego, California hosted the 2011 International Simply Music Symposium. 61 teachers from all over Canada, US, Australia came to train and support one another. Presentations included: Fun with the Blues, Accompaniment, Teaching Strands for various levels, etc. It was a fantastic time to share ideas and encourage each other in the Simply Music family. Wow, am I ever excited to go back to my studio and share what I’ve learned.
Artist Luke Jerram decorated 20 pianos to be displayed and played by the public in San Jose. So I sent the word out to my students. Here’s one of my adult students who purposefully played, overcoming doubts and fears of playing in public. Way to go!
http://www.streetpianos.com/sanjose2010/
Creating a Musical World For Your Child is the topic that I spoke on at the CHEA conference. It was a wonderful opportunity to teach and train homeschool parents about the wonder and beauty of music and how it might benefit their children.
Mozart and Bach are two examples of how a family’s music exposure affects a child’s musicianship. Mozart from the day he was born heard his sister, Nannerl, playing the piano. She was 5 years older than Mozart. At the age of 3, he began exploring sounds on the clavier and by age 4 composed his first song. By the time he was 7, he composed his first symphony. He was also an accomplished violinist. That is because his father played the violin and Mozart observed him playing as he grew up. Mozart eventually picked up the instrument. His first written compositions were quite shoddy until his father began to supervise his writings. Overtime, he developed the skill of writing music and his father began to share his music all around Europe.
To be a Bach means to be a musician. Bach’s great, great grandfather, Viet, was a baker but loved to play the lute at the mill. He passed on his love for playing a pipe to his son, Johannes, Bach’s great grandfather. Johannes had 3 sons who all became professional musicians. Christoph, Bach’s father, was one of them. Bach remembers his family reunion – they would play music, all 70 of them, and laugh and sing. Bach’s own four sons became musicians as well.
Music exposure is key in creating a musical world for your child. The younger, the better.
I now have a facebook page for my studio: For the Luv of Piano. I invite you to join my list.
Well, I guess that depends. It would be an ideal time since most of the routine will be established at the beginning of the school year. So for children, even though it can be hectic, it is a season of newness. The fall brings an air of preparation for what is to come.
For adults, anytime is a great time to start piano lessons. Usually, it becomes an issue of commitment when it comes to adults. How far they take piano lessons is dependent on the mindset of their commitment. I have adults students who love to take lessons with me. They have made it a regular part of their week. It is not their goal to become a concert pianist but to enjoy playing for themselves and those around them. I do expect them to practice but not an hour a day (unless they want to). There is more to life than piano. Oh, my goodness. Did I really say that? 
I have had so many families inquire about trying out piano lessons. The investment for piano lessons can be large and many families are unsure about what exactly they are looking for in piano lessons. Some have a desire for their children to become elite piano players but most want to give their children the joy and gift of music for life.
When looking for piano lessons, it’s important to consider a few factors: 1) the philosophy and goal behind the lessons 2) the method utilized and 3) the quality and expectations of the teacher 4) the cost 5) location and 6) schedule and convenience.
By offering Piano Camp this summer, I think it allows parents to try out my studio to determine if it is a good fit for their family. It also allows them to give Simply Music a try – the breakthrough piano method that I teach and that I believe in. This playing-based method exposes the student to “hands-on” playing from the get go so that they are experiencing musicianship and success from the start. At the very least, it’s alot of fun!
Welcome to the blogspot of For the Luv of Piano Studio. We’ll be writing more information about the Australian Breakthrough Piano Method called Simply Music. Stay tuned.
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