Last week we celebrated 150 of these weekly posts!
The first Friday Finds EVER was one of my first posts here on Piano Pantry back in March 2016. Oh, how time flies!
Twenty-five of my absolute favorite items and posts from the past 50 weeks made it onto my offerings last week. One of those items, a $13 pack of stickers (that I’ve shared more than once), was offered as part of a giveaway to celebrate.
I’m pleased to announce that using Google’s random number generator, out of 21 comments/entries, the winner is…
The first person to comment on this post! Congratulations, Gina F! I’ll be emailing you to get your details.
Now onto the first post in our next 50!
1
Halloween-Themed Jars from Mason Jar Lifestyle: lids, straw toppers, straw, straw holders. (Marisa McClellan | Food in Jars)
2
Halloween Favorites: Games, Resources, Graphics and More (Amy Chaplin | Piano Pantry)
3
A Piano Teacher’s Guide to Surviving Halloween Week (Andera Dow | Teach Piano Today)
4
We had our Fall group class last week and even though Halloween was two weeks away, I made it a “Halloween” group class.
As students entered, I was playing some of the pieces from Jason Sifford’s “The Creeps” book. Students would then tell me if it was in duple or triple/major or minor.
I’ve had this book for a couple of years but because I don’t do a lot with Halloween, I hadn’t pulled it out yet. Now I’m especially glad to have it as part of my music library as the pieces are pretty awesome!
It’s not currently available on Amazon, but you can get it from Sheet Music Plus following this link:
 look inside |
The Creeps Composed by Jason Sifford. Sheet Music. Book. The FJH Music Company Inc #FJH2260. Published by The FJH Music Company Inc (FJ.FJH2260). |
5
Junior Virtuosos: What is a Natural Hand Position? (Benjamin Steinhardt)
Two of my favorite tips from this post:
Addressing students trying to stretch and place one finger on each key:
I find it useful to have students practice bringing the hand to the keyboard with their eyes closed to avoid this problem. Most are shocked how few keys the hand covers.
Addressing students dropping their thumbs below the keys:
In addition to reminding students of their natural alignment, I enjoy the image of the thumb tip being a “ghost with a flashlight (or laser beam).” The light can go up or down, side to side, or shine at an angle but it should always shine on the fallboard when not playing.
Junior Virtuosos: Dropping into a Key (Benjamin Steinhardt)
Favorite tips from this post:
Addressing the weight of the forearm:
Before involving the fingers I find it useful to have the student make a gentle fist (like holding a bird’s egg) and play short rote pieces on black key clusters to feel how the weight of the forearm is responsible for producing sound.
Addressing the hand and forearm working as one unit:
To get the sensation of the hand and forearm working as a unit I like to have students give me “high-fives” and playing “pat-a-cake.”
6
How I’ve missed Benjamin Steinhard’s blog all this time, I don’t know, but I finally added his blog to my Feedly. Check out why I prefer to use an RSS like reader like Feedly for following my favorite website rather than email in “Managing Internet Content the Easy Way” (Amy Chaplin | Piano Pantry).
7
In ‘The Water Dancer’, Ta-Nehisi Coates Creates Magical Alternate History (Annalisa Quinn | NPR Book Reviews)
8
This Video of How Cookie Cutters Are Made Will Blow Your Mind (The Kitchn).
9
The Rise of the “Getting Real” Post on Instagram (Carrie Batton | The New Yorker)
10
7 Things that Shouldn’t Impress Us Anymore (Joshua Becker | Becoming Minimalist).
*LOVE, LOVE*
Happy Halloween!
~Amy
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