Friday Finds #211: A Birthday Celebration Giveaway

As you may already be aware, this month we are celebrating the 5-year birthday of Piano Pantry!

While you can get 15% off your entire purchase in the Piano Pantry shop through the end of March (use the code: BIRTHDAY15 at checkout), I also wanted to use this week’s Friday Finds for a special giveaway. Why this week?

Well, the very first post went live on March 20, 2021 – that’s almost 5 years exactly to the day tomorrow.

The item I’ll be giving away is Kevin Olson’s brilliant book Impressions on Color.

One of my students is working on “Impressions on Blue” – a piece I am absolutely in love with!

See details at the end of the post to enter!

 

1

On celebrating student birthdays here on Piano Pantry:

Marketing With Postcards: It’s Not What You Think!

2019-2020 Birthday Postcards

Student Birthday Cards with a Surprise Twist!

 

2

This felt letter board would be a fun way to wish Happy Birthday to your students!

 

 

 

Currently, I started using mine to display a “word of the week”. (Follow me on Instagram here.)

(It wasn’t my original idea – but thank you to the teacher I saw doing it on Instagram. Unfortunately, I can’t remember who!)

 

3

Would you love for all of your students to be able to play “Happy Birthday” anywhere and at any time? Me too! The newest item in the Piano Pantry shop is the “Happy Birthday By Ear” teaching resource.  It’s also on sale as part of the month-long birthday celebration.

 

4

Perhaps one of the most popular people who has done something with the tune “Happy Birthday” in recent years is the late Forrest Kinney. If you’ve never heard of his 88 birthday variations series, check out more here:

 

5

Why Every Student Should Know Happy Birthday with Lucinda Mackworth-Young (The Top Cast podcast #110)

 

6

A previous Happy-Birthday-themed Friday Finds which includes some special family photos celebrating my baby brother’s birthday!

 

 

Giveaway

Entries close Thursday, March 25 @ 11:30 pm EST.

The winner will be announced next week in Friday Finds #212.

 

 

Music Lab Time for Young Students

This post is part of a series called Your Questions Answered that highlights questions from readers just like you. If you have a question you would like to submit, you can do so here.

 


Do you have a certain age range that you have created your Piano Pantry lab items for? Do you think 2nd graders would do fine watching the videos (like the 1st Halloween one that is 10 minutes)?

I only had one student today so I got to hear her feedback on the two videos of the organ and the wine glasses from page 1 of your Halloween videos. It was fun to see how excited she was about it!

Keep creating wonderful materials to help us teach our students. Love all that you do!

-LS

 

Hi, L!

I’m so glad to hear your student was enjoying the Halloween lab!

As far as the age range, lab time can definitely be trickier with students younger than 3rd grade. As I’m sure you have experienced, they have a hard time working on their own without you helping with every step. So, yes, most of the labs I have available work better for mid-elementary students or older.

That being said, sometimes it can depend on the student. I’ve had 1st or 2nd graders do better than 3rd graders on their own!

My lab time for younger students is always shorter than most – 15 minutes is usually enough for them.

I still use many of my lab resources – like the Halloween video series you mentioned – but pick and choose which ones to assign. Shorter ones under 5 minutes or ones that are visually appealing, like the animated version of Danse Macabre by Saint-Saëns work nicely.

In instances like this, rather than simply having them watch, I always give them a blank notebook listening and ask them to color what they hear.

Several of the videos from Set 1 of the Music Theory video series are also suitable for younger students’ lab time.

Another thing I sometimes do with young students is listen to enriching music while coloring in their own art books. Check out more details in these posts:

Friday Finds: Productivity Tools and Simple Songs 

Inspiring Creativity with Student Art Books

Other programs I’ve used in the past with success during lab time for young students include:

Sproutbeat (which just went through an awesome update, merging their worksheets and games apps!)
Music Learning Lab Pro

Ningenius
My Orchestra App from Naxos
Beanie’s Musical Instruments
TuneTrain
Pitch Painter
Rhythm Swing

I hope this helps!

~Amy

 


P.S. If you would like to get a closer look into how I run my labs, you might check out the Music Labs Made Easy ebook!

This 15-page eBook is chock full of all kinds of “pro tips.”

We’ll talk about scheduling, set-up, and organizing labs.

Laid out in an easy-to-read format, this book will answer all your questions regarding music lab time!

 

 

A Big One-Minute Club Update and Free Landmark Notes Download

Recently, I went through a big overhaul of the annual One-Minute Club Note-Naming Challenge we do in my studio including an update to the levels as well as putting together a new display/tracking board.  I updated the original post to show you some of these most recent updates (including photos!). It also contains all the details you need to get it started in your own studio.

Part of my big update was moving to a leveling system based more on a landmark approach to teaching note names rather than the skips-alphabet approach.

While I find the skips alphabet approach to be a really useful way to help students understand how the grand staff comes together, I personally found my students spending too much time counting up the staff to find the notes and struggling to name them quickly.

The landmark approach highlights 12 “guide notes” if you will that outline the mirror-like relationship of the grand staff. I especially love how it makes sense with the location of the Bass Clef (or “F” Clef) and the Treble Clef (or “G” Clef).

Rather than students learning individual pitches, they recognize the pattern of the entire grand staff in relation to the piano and from there simply go up or down a step or skip to find the notes surrounding the landmarks.

In the process of all my updates, I created a beautiful visual aid with three different pages to help students see all of the landmarks in a variety of patterns together. Print it off and laminate one copy to use in all your lessons or print off copies for each of your students.

Get This Download

*By submitting this form, you acknowledge that you’re signing up for my email list and agree to receive regular communication (generally once a week).

Related Content

Original Post on this annual challenge:

The One-Minute Club Goes Virtual!


Do you teach online?

You might be interested in this follow-up post:

The One-Minute Club Goes Virtual!


Episode 061 – A Note-Naming Challenge for Your Students

Episode 107 – March Minute Madness

Friday Finds #210: Spring Fever

Spring is only a week away – can you smell it in the air? It was only a few weeks ago I was confessing to you that I was enjoying Winter, but now that Spring is peeking through, it’s feeling really good, don’t you think?

 

1

Snowflakes in Spring by Naoka Ikeda is one of my favorite Intermediate Sheet Music solos

I love its various textures and beautiful melody. Like many of the pieces by Naoko, I would counter that this piece is slightly more challenging than early intermediate.

 

2

A few favorite spring recipes using things like asparagus, peas, and radishes.  I’m a pretty lucky girl in that I have a neighbor only a mile and a half away that sells fresh asparagus!


:: Asparagus, Ham, and Goat Cheese Quiche
(Wives with Knives)
:: Chicken & Sugar Snap Pea Stirfry (Williams Sonoma)
:: New Potatoes and Ham in Browned Butter (Farmer Owned)
:: Peas with Pancetta and Lemon (What’s Gabby Cooking) – except I skip the lemon…
:: Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan and Soft-Boiled Eggs
(Damn Delicious)
:: Shaved Asparagus Pizza
(Smitten Kichen)
:: Snow Pea-Radish Slaw (Food Network)
:: Spring Asparagus Pancetta Hash (Smitten Kitchen)
:: Wagon Wheel Pasta with Pancetta and Peas (Giadzy)
– a great tone for kids!

 

3

If you know me at all, you’re not going to be surprised to see this one! 🙂

Last week I started building a “Spring” playlist on Spotify. My husband gets a complete kick out of the fact that I build playlists like this – he’s more of a random Spotify Radio listener.

 

4

Although custom playlists are not my husband’s thing, I’m certainly not the only person who loves creating playlists. Phew!

Recently I was listening to the 10 Things To Tell  You podcast with Laura Tremaine. It was a BONUS episode called “How to decorate for the seasons without buying more stuff with Myquillen Smith (The Nester)”.

Yes, creating seasonal playlists was one of her pieces of advice, but I have to say I couldn’t believe how many points she made that was exactly what I was talking about in the recent post: Experiencing the Seasons in our Studios and Life. (I promise I did not listen to that podcast before I wrote the post –  Ha!)

P.S. Last weekend I finally took down my Christmas tree in my studio! Anyone else? LOL

 

5

Rev yourself up…spring cleaning is just around the corner! The Hidden Benefits of Spring Cleaning [Video] (Laura Calder | The Inviting Life)

 

6

How to Spring Clean Your Kitchen (Williams Sonoma)

 

7

I’m quite a fan of Leila Viss’s sheet music arrangements.

When I think of Spring, I think of her arrangement of Amazing Grace and the new one I just purchased for Easter – Risen Today.

There’s one other piece my students and I absolutely love in particular from Leila. Find out which one!

 

8

A Trader Joe’s Shopping List to Liven Up Your Spring Eating

 

 


P.S.

Don’t forget! In celebration of Piano Pantry’s 5-year birthday, you can get 15% off your entire order in the Piano Pantry shop which includes the entire Music Lab series and the new Happy Birthday-By Ear resource through March 31, 2021.

Use the code BIRTHDAY15 at checkout.

 

P.S.S.

Keep an eye out for next’s week’s Friday Finds!

I’ll be giving away a copy of Kevin Olson’s book Impressions on Color.

Stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

It’s Piano Pantry’s Birthday!: Celebrating 5 years with a discount

This month marks a big milestone here at Piano Pantry as I’m celebrating 5 years of blogging!

This platform has been such a wonderful creative outlet and way to “dump” my brain of all the ideas that swirl around. Thanks for being here and for sticking with me!

Today I thought I would share a little about how I got started and highlight some of the milestones along the way (including the release of a new Happy Birthday by-ear teaching resource!).

We’ll also be celebrating with a discount in the Piano Pantry Shop and a giveaway later in the month in Friday Finds #211.

Continue reading

Friday Finds #209: Virtual Events (and discounts)

With several online events happening over the course of the next month, I thought this might be a good time to highlight those along with a few useful resources on participating in professional development.

 

1

Conference Management 101: Tips for using Evernote plus a free resource (Piano Pantry)

 

2

A week from today is the start of the virtual MTNA National Conference (Saturday, March 13-17). It’s not too late to register!

 

3

New effort vs. Old effort (Seth Godin)

On old conferencing vs. new conferencing.

 

4

8 Tips for Making the Most of a Virtual Conference (Natalie Weber | Music Matters Blog)

My favorite post on virtual conferencing to date!

 

5

Tonara’s INSPIRED Summit 2021 will be on Saturday, March 13 from
10-2 EST.

The ticket list price is $10-$15 but if you use this link you can get 20% off ($8-$12).

 

6

What We Can Learn from Considering One’s Ideal Piano Teacher Life (Joy Morin | Color in My Piano)

 

7

Getting Value from Professional Development with Amy Comparetto, episode 172 (Tim Topham |The Top Cast podcast)

 

8

Load yourself up for these virtual events with some healthy snacks: Here are some all-around favorites as well a few favorites from Trader Joe’s.

 

9

Nicola’s Turboboost event will be from March 29th – April 2.

This 5-day event is designed to help give a refresh before gearing into the final weeks of the school term. While it’s 5 days, it will only be 3 hours a day (10 am-1 pm EST), and the guest speaker sessions are 15-minutes so they will be easy to absorb.

My session will be on the final day. It’s called:

Reset and Refresh: Tiding Tips for Studio Teachers

Enjoy a workspace that is always fresh and orderly by implementing a simple, consistent, and sustainable tidying routine. Four specific time points, a small checklist, and an incremental (but minimal) time commitment will be your steps for a well-kept studio.


Read more details and SIGN UP for the event here!*

Use the code PANTRY to get a $10 discount ($59 instead of $69)

*Disclosure: I will also get a very small affiliate percentage back but it doesn’t cost you any extra.

 

Happy Birthday By Ear: The Ultimate Teaching Resource

Can you think of any moments when, as a young piano student, you were
put on the spot or caught off guard being asked to play something for people and feeling the heat rise to your face because you weren’t able to do so “because you didn’t have any “music”?

I myself have had many experiences in this situation – sadly, even into my early adult years. Often, the request was a simple one – “Happy Birthday” – and yet to me, it was crippling and made me feel ashamed.

These people know me as THE pianist in their life. That’s what I’m known for! Why can’t I just sit down and play this simple tune without music?

Without a doubt, life experiences make up who we are today.

As a teacher, I’m now determined to help my students feel
ENABLED and CONFIDENT that, as pianists, they can sit down and play something anywhere and at any time – starting with the tune “Happy Birthday.”

Today I am excited to release the ultimate teaching resource for playing “Happy Birthday” by ear and am confident this is the only download you will ever need!

Continue reading

Friday Finds #208: Best of February

As I continue to consider what this slightly new Friday Finds format looks like (with more themed content each week), I realized I also didn’t want to lose the charm of the fun list of random finds that this post series has always thrived on.

Thus, I’m going to shoot for the last Friday of each month being a compilation of the best finds from the past month – just like I used to do.

Enjoy!

 

1

Congratulations to my good friend Joy Morin on celebrating 12 years of blogging!

I can’t imagine what the piano teacher world would be like without you – you’ve inspired so much of our world!

(P.S. She’s doing a great discount and giveaway this month so be sure and jump over there right away!)

 

2

If you’re a Google Chrome user, did you know you can organize your tabs into groups? Who knew?!

 

3

In February, Music Teacher’s National Association (MTNA) released a big new Business Resources section on their website

 

4

What to Do When Parent’s Don’t Want to Be Online for Music Lessons
( The Unfinished Lesson)

There may be more to it than we think! Here are four great tips from Rosemarie Penner.

 

5

6 Brilliant Websites for Original Piano Sheet Music (Pianosaurus Rex)

 

6

Notated versions of the RCM Level 9 and 10 Chord Progressions – for free. (The Collaborative Piano Blog)

 

7

“The shelves at Trader Joe’s do what?!” That’s what I said when I read this post: The Mind-Blowing Trader Joe’s Trick We Just Learned on TikTok (The Kitchn)

 

8

Speaking of Trader Joe’s, here’s my Trader Joe’s shopping list. (Piano Pantry)

 

9

21 Podcasts for Piano Teachers in 2021 (Joy Morin | Color in My Piano)

 

10

Using Social Media Effectively to Market Your Studio (Teach Music Online Podcast)

Some great tips with guest Sara Campbell. The top tip I told away was from their conversation on the difference between Marketing and Advertising!

 

11

I can’t wait for season 2 of Nadiya Bakes on Netflix! Her personality is so fun and inviting. They haven’t announced a release date, but until then, enjoy season 1. Her happy face will be sure to brighten your day.

 

12

The rest of February’s Friday Finds:

#207 Winter

#206 For all the Office Product Junkies

#205 A Superbowl-Inspired Friday

 

 

My Trader Joe’s Shopping List

Recently, a friend posted on Facebook that she was going to Trader Joe’s for the first time in a long time, and did anyone have items they LOVED she should add to the list?

After commenting using a quick cut and paste of my Trader Joe’s shopping list I keep in Evernote, it hit me: I need to share this list with you guys since we talk about food occasionally here on the Piano Pantry blog!


Healthy Snacks for Long Teaching Days

Back-to-Teaching: Six Easy Recipes for the Week Ahead

Healthy Go-To Recipes from All Over the Web


In this post, I’ll give you a brief explanation of why Trader Joe’s is popular, share a couple of sources where I frequently get ideas for fun things to try from there, and finally, my own shopping list!

What’s So Special About Trader Joe’s?

This niche grocery store is especially known for its unique food items, quirky culture, cozy size, and special experience. There’s something about shopping there that just feels good.

For me, the unique food items are the biggest reason I shop there; that feature is best displayed in their freezer section. Never have I been one for buying pre-made meals of any kind in a regular grocery store because they’re never that good (or that healthy, for that matter).

Trader Joe’s does it differently, though.

When I go there, I take my time and slowly peruse the freezer section, taking in each item. Being that all of their product brandings are completely different than the mainstream brands you are used to seeing in most grocery stores, it can feel a little strange (and perhaps overwhelming) at first looking at a whole new line of products.

Everyone Loves Sharing Trader Joe’s Favorites

The list I’m sharing with you today is items that I love. They may not make it into my cart every time I go, but I consider them winning products – many of which I like to keep in stock at home.

Besides my repeat list, I also try to buy half-a-dozen new items each time. Sharing favorite items at Trader Joe’s happens a lot on the internet.

31 Trader Joe’s Products You Can’t Live Without (What’s Gaby Cooking)

A couple of places I frequently get ideas from are The Kitchn website (and yes, it’s spelled “Kitchn”) and the Trader Joe’s Podcast.

Our 10 Favorite Fall Foods from Trader Joe’s (The Kitchn)

The Best Non-Food Things to Buy at Trader Joe’s (The Kitchn)

The Best Coffee at Trader Joe’s (The Kitchn)

The 12 Best Things We Bought from Trader Joe’s This Year (The Kitchn)

The 10 Things I Always Buy from Trader Joe’s for Breakfast (The Kitchn)

My Trader Joe’s Shopping List

Keep in mind I’ve only been lucky to have a Trader Joe’s nearby (well, 35 minutes away) for the past year. Before that, I only got to go a couple of times a year when I was in Indianapolis (90 minutes away) – usually for my state music teacher’s board meeting! Ha!

My list would likely be longer if I could be a more regular customer, but this is what I have thus far.

DIPS & REFRIGERATED PRE-MADE FOODS SECTION

  • Classic Creamy Hummus (light blue lid)
    • I find the large container of Trader Joe’s hummus to be too garlicky
  • Chorizo
  • Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls
  • Lentil Soup with Ancient Grains

CHEESE

  • Authentic Greek Feta Cheese in Brine
  • Ovoline Whole Milk Fresh Mozzarella
  • Unexpected Cheddar (#1 favorite!)
  • Gruyere
  • Asiago
  • Goats cheese
  • Light String Cheese

DRIED FRUIT and SNACKS

  • Dark Chocolate-Covered Cherries
  • Dried Apricots
  • Chocolate Coconut Almonds
  • Black Mission figs
  • Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
  • Plantain Chips and Crispy Plantain Slices
  • Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
  • Milk/Dark Chocolate Almonds
  • Triple Ginger Snaps
  • Fig Bites (like Fig Newtons, but even better!)
  • Soup & Oyster Crackers

FREEZER FOOD 

  • Frozen Mango
  • Frozen Organic Blueberries
  • Cauliflower Gnocchi & Gorgonzola Gnocchi
  • Roasted Corn
  • Petite Peas 
  • Gyoza Pork Potstickers
  • Mandarin Orange Chicken
  • Vegetable & Chicken Fried Rice
  • Vegetable Spring Rolls

FREEZER DESSERTS

  • Mini Cheesecake Cones
  • Macaroons 
  • Brownie Coffee Crisp Ice Cream Sandwiches
  • Croissant (Plain – I actually don’t care for the chocolate ones and have yet to try the almond ones.)

It’s Not All Good/Perfect

In reality, while there are a million reasons (and items) to love from Trader Joe’s, but like any product or grocery – it’s not all perfect. 

Besides keeping a list of items I love, I also track items I tried but wouldn’t necessarily buy again. Rarely is it because the product is bad – it’s more that I didn’t especially love it.

I don’t know that it’s useful to share my “don’t-buy-again ” list – I just want to encourage you to keep one yourself – especially if you aren’t able to go there frequently as it can be easy to forget from trip to trip, which items you liked and didn’t like!

Your Turn!

Now, tell ME: What are some of YOUR must-buy items from Trader Joe’s?

Pretty please?

Share in the comments!

Friday Finds #207: It’s all Winter!

Many of us in the US have been hit these past couple of weeks with some serious weather. I can’t remember the last time we here in Indiana have seen this many days in a row of 20-degree weather and consistent snow with no melting and slush.

I have to say that I’m loving it! Working from home, of course, certainly makes it easier to enjoy and not dread. 🙂 I’ve always been of the opinion that if it’s going to be winter, I would rather experience the season with all it has to offer.

Stay warm and safe – especially all of you that have had to go through all the power outages!

-XOXO

 

1

Winter’s Serenade Intermediate-level sheet music by Dennis Alexander

 

2

The winter-scenes over on Kiel James Patrick’s Instagram account have been incredibly enjoyable to follow!

 

3

A Winter playlist on Spotify. (Amy Chaplin)

Music that will set the scene for the beautiful side of winter including scenic white views, crisp cold, and comforting warm fuzzies.

 

4

Look at this downtime for fresh produce as an opportunity to take advantage of all the beautiful fruits and vegetables that you can get in your freezer section!

 

5

Trader Joe’s is one of my favorite places to buy frozen products. Check out this podcast episode highlighting their freezer section.

 

6

The Perfect Winter Piano Piece (Wendy Stevens)

 

7

Shades of Sound Listening & Coloring Book: Winter (Playful Piano)

Winter-time inspired grand-piano coloring page (Leila Viss).

 

8

A short story: The Fir-Tree by Hans Christian Anderson (Becoming Minimalist)

 

9

Cold church blues: practicing organ in the winter. (Rebekah Maxner)