Friday Finds #151

October 25, 2019
by Amy
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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

Please note that Piano Pantry is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Simply put, being an associate allows me to make a small percentage from Amazon on items to which I link at no extra cost to you.

5 Reasons Why Google Photos Might Be the Perfect Solution for Your Music Studio

October 24, 2019
by Amy
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Are you looking for a better way to organize and store photos and videos?

Would you love an easy way to share those special clips directly with students and their families – especially those that aren’t a part of social media (yes, they exist).

Google Photos might be YOUR perfect solution!

My husband and I are PC users. He’s in the business world so that’s just how it goes in our house. For years I tried but never loved iCloud Photos. The interface just didn’t feel good to me and I was frustrated and unhappy.

For years I was hoping for a way to store photos and videos that would easily allow me to tag photos of multiple students on one photo.

Don’t laugh, but in the old old days, I even tried renaming every photo on my desktop file manager to include the name of each student that was in the photo.

This was a TERRIBLE idea but I was desperate.

I felt like I had the rest of my digital life organized and in order but photos were getting the best of me.

Then I met fellow Louisville-based piano teacher Daniel Light at a session I was giving to the teachers of Louisville MTA and he changed my world forever by introducing me to Google Photos!

Today, I want to share with you five reasons why Google Photos may answer your needs (as they did mine) for a better media storage solution.

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Friday Finds #150: Top 25 and a Giveaway!

October 18, 2019
by Amy
33 Comments

Wow, I can’t believe we’ve hit another milestone of Friday Finds once again! It seems like just yesterday I was putting together the celebration post for #100, but that was more than a year ago!

After #100, I took the Summer of 2018 off of Friday Finds and there have been a few random weeks missed here and there which is why we are more than 50 weeks past #100.

In #100, I shared a HUGE list of the top 100 items from the first two and a half years of Friday Finds posts. That was A LOT to recap, so moving forward, celebrating in 50-week increments seemed a little more manageable!

To make it even more of the best of the best, I’ve trimmed down this week’s celebration list to the top 25 finds from the past 50 weeks. All of these items are ones that, when looking back, still stuck out to me as extra special, interesting, or things I still absolutely love.

You’re getting them in alphabetical order. At the end, you’ll find a giveaway!

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Christmas Gift Round-Up

October 16, 2019
by Amy
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A couple of years ago, I shared several ideas for great Christmas gifts to give to your music students.

Since not much time has passed since that post, I only have one new idea to add to my original list, so I thought it might be fun to give links to everyone else’s ideas too!

 

One More Idea

Last year I gave my students these Treble Clef Bookmarks.

At $13.00 for a pack of 10, you can’t go wrong with such a cute, economical gift! 

Confession: I didn’t read the description closely enough when I purchased these initially, and I thought they were ornaments!

No harm done, though! The tassel on them means they can be hung on a tree, so consider it a bonus that they could be used in two different ways for students! Plus, they come in a cute little box, so no wrapping is required!

 

Other Ideas from Our Teacher Friends

Now, onto lots of great ideas from other teachers all over the web!

(I update this list occasionally with other ideas, even those after this blog post’s date.)

Get ideas from LOTS of different teachers in this Q&A Form post over at ColorinMyPiano.com

2019 Christmas Gifts for Students (Joy Morin | Color in My Piano)

An Edible Ornament That Lasts for a Lifetime? (Leila Viss | 88 Piano Keys)

Christmas Gifts (Jennifer Foxx | Music Educator Resources)

Christmas Gift for Piano Students (Joy Morin | Color in My Piano)

Christmas Gift Ideas for Students (Jennifer Foxx | Music Educator Resources)

Christmas Gift Ideas Revisited (Jennifer Foxx | Music Educator Resources)

50 Affordable Gift Ideas for Your Piano Students (Melody Payne)

Creating Word Art Gifts for Your Students (Melody Payne)

Holiday Gift Ideas for Young Pianists (Karen Lien | You Love Piano)

Making Grab-Bag Gifts for Music Students (Joy Morin | Color in My Piano)

My Favorite Christmas Resources For Piano Teachers > Scroll down to “Inexpensive Gift Ideas” (Tracy Selle)

Music Student Gifts on Etsy

Piano Student Gifts on Etsy

Sheet Music Christmas Ornament – Gift Idea for Piano Students (Joy Morin |  Color in My Piano)

Student (and Family) Gifts in 3 Easy Steps (Rosemarie Penner | The Unfinished Lesson)

 

What have been your favorite gift ideas over the years?

 

Friday Finds #149

October 11, 2019
by Amy
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1

Sara Bareilles – “Saint Honesty” This one practically gives me chills every time I listen to it. Play it while you keep reading. Your ears, mind, and heart will thank you.

 

2

13 videos that will introduce your students to “spooky” classical music. (Piano Pantry)

 

3

In Friday Finds #147, I mentioned that I was going to purchase one of the artificial arrangements from Target’s new fall line.

Getting nice artificial plants can be tricky and this one did not disappoint! It was a bonus when I found out there were two different sizes! (Yes, I got them both!)

Artificial Goldenrod Arrangement in Ceramic Pot Yellow/White – Threshold 16.5″ x 10″ and 11″ x 10″ (pictured)

 

4

9 Ideas for You Piano Studio  Chalkboard / Whiteboard (Color in My Piano)

 

5

Halloween Favorites: Games, Resources, Graphics, and More (Piano Pantry)

 

6

I don’t watch many random videos on Facebook, but my husband introduced me to The Bus Brother. Have you heard of this?

A brother who wanted to do something special to create memories his last year living at home before going off to college decided to dress up every afternoon to welcome his younger brother off the bus. How special is that?!

 

7

Which Drink is Best For Hydration? Hint: It isn’t Water. (CNN)

 

8

Get a free download of Leila Viss’s arrangement of “Doxology” with the purchase of a studio license of one of my favorite arrangements of “It Is Well.” (Piano Pantry)

 

9

We love this coffee.

Lavazza Super Crema Whole Bean Coffee Blend, Medium Espresso Roast, 2.2 Pound (Amazon)

 

 

10

Reading this felt a little bit like a therapy session (in a good way!): It’s So Much More than Cooking (The Week)

 

11

Whether you’re a person of faith or not, I think most of us could relate to at least the opening few paragraphs of this: The God Who Asks.

To be honest, I often long to leave social media for good but feel the conflict of also needing to be present for what I need/want to do with my studio business and even on here with you.

Summer, perhaps might be a good time to check out, just once…

 

12

Coming from our kitchen recently:

“British” Baked Potatoes (The Kitchn)

BLT Panzanella Salad (Pinch of Yum)

No-Bake Energy Bites (King Arthur Flour)

Butter-Bath Corn on the Cob (Spicy Southern Kitchen)

 

 

Stay tuned next week for a special Friday Finds as we’ll be celebrating 150 posts!

 

Please note that Piano Pantry is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Simply put, being an associate allows me to make a small percentage from Amazon on items to which I link at no extra cost to you.

Halloween Favorites: Games, Resources, Graphics, and More

October 4, 2019
by Amy
4 Comments

Post updated 9/5/2022.

Halloween may be one of my least favorite holidays, but since it’s tied up smack-dab in the middle of my favorite season, it doesn’t go completely missed in my studio.

Here is a quick round-up of some of the best Halloween-themed activities and resources I’ve come across over the years.

13 “Spooky” Classical Music Videos and corresponding Listening Worksheet
(Amy Chaplin | Piano Pantry)

Classical Music to Attract or Scare your Trick-or-Treaters
(Joy Morin | Color in My Piano)

Clever Ideas for Halloween Fun
(Leila Viss / Guest Post )

Fall and Halloween-Themed Social Media Graphics
(Leila Viss | 88 Piano Keys)

Halloween Candy = Opportunity For Free Marketing
(Joy Morin | Color in My Piano)

Shades of Sound Listening & Coloring Book: Halloween
(Jenny Boster | The Playful Piano)

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Friday Finds #148

October 4, 2019
by Amy
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This past week I’ve been feeling a let-down (the good kind, that is). Often, we don’t know how much stress we are under until we’re no longer “under” it and suddenly you realize what it’s like to breathe again. That’s how I’ve been feeling.

There are several factors contributing to this:

  1. In June, I finished my temporary 1-year stint as an interim worship-leader at my church. That was a 10-15 hour/week job.
  2. In July we finally moved out of our unfinished basement and into the main level of our house and had a kitchen after going without for 6 months.
  3. In August we moved my studio out of my office complex and into the (now almost finished) basement of our home. P.S. Working from home is AWESOME. (In the next couple of months I’ll share new studio photos!)
  4. In September I finished my two-year term as President of Indiana music teacher’s association.

Two weeks have passed since the final turn-over and I’m noticing how much more time I have for life!

Not just life, but I actually feel like I have permission to use the time I got back here again. You may not have noticed much missing, but I know how much I’m bursting to do here. So, if the coming months seem like there are more posts than ever, you know why! 🙂

On to all I have for you this week…

 

1

Now that I finally have a little more time on my hands, I’m tempted to use Natalie’s link to join The Balanced Life online pilates membership. Does anyone else use this program? I’m curious to hear any more feedback. I did Classical Stretch regularly for a couple of years and loved it, but shaking things up is always a good thing for me. (Music Matters Blog)

 

2

How Tim Topham Went From Side-Hustle To Full-Time Musical Pioneer With Content Marketing (CoSchedule Podcast AMP067)

 

3

If you use forScore, it is recommended you wait a bit before moving to iOS13.

 

4

We asked two of our female editors to wear the same thing every day. Here’s what happened (Fast Company)

If I were to wear the same thing every day, it would be comfortable jeans, comfortable closed shoes of some kind, and a black 3/4 length cotton top kind of like this one.

 

5

How to Write by Elizabeth Gilbert (swiss miss)

 

6

7 Killed In Crash Of WWII Aircraft At Connecticut Airport. So sad. My husband is an airplane junkie so I heard about this from him. (NPR)

 

7

Plácido Domingo Resigns From LA Opera.  (NPR)

 

8

An 8-hour playlist of sleep music from Max Richter. I’m going to have to try this on my next trip! (New York Times)

 

9

“So, as my homage to Richter’s eight-hour lullaby, here instead are 10 pieces of music not to put you to sleep – 10 pieces that turn falling asleep into a variously magical, creepy or supernatural drama.” -Tom Service (The Guardian)

 

10

After 2-3 weeks of working my way through my back-log of Milk Street recipes, I deemed this week and next “clean-out-the-fridge-and-pantry” week.

We had a colleague/friend of Drew’s and his wife over for dinner last Friday though and I made Ina Garten’s awesome lasagna (with Italian sausage; I can’t find turkey sausage) and Milk Streets French Apple Cake.

Saturday mornings are deemed “special breakfast” mornings in our household. Breakfast isn’t my thing during the week, but I’m sad if we miss it on Saturdays. Last Saturday was our favorite waffle recipe (Gaufres de Liege). 

This is my waffle iron of choice.

 

What’s your favorite weekend breakfast item/recipe?

 

Please note that Piano Pantry is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Simply put, being an associate allows me to make a small percentage from Amazon on items to which I link at no extra cost to you.

 

Halloween Music Videos Listening Activity

October 3, 2019
by Amy
2 Comments

Holidays are always a fun time to include special activities outside of the usual lesson routine.

Use this fun Halloween-themed listening activity to introduce students to “spooky” classical music!

This four-page guide accompanies the (free) compilation of Halloween Videos available here on Piano Pantry.

You can easily navigate to these videos via the Piano Pantry Menu > Resources.

You’ll also find:

Christmas Music Videos

Expressive Movement Videos

Fun Music Videos

Music Theory Videos

Comprised of 13 videos, there’s more than 60 minutes of listening for your students to experience and enjoy!

The listening activity is flexible in that it can be used as part of in-studio off-bench music lab time, as a digital assignment for individual students (more details below), or as part of group class activities.

Students are given brief, easy-to-digest background information on each piece and a reflection question.

They are not necessarily asked to physically write out an answer to the reflection question (although you could certainly ask them to!); it is simply there to help guide them in active listening.

They are also asked to rate the video with 1-3 stars, which allows students to reflect on how the piece made them feel and keep track of which pieces they’ve completed.

(Remember, though – the guide isn’t just for utilizing it as an assignment – you could also use this for yourself as a way of sharing fun facts about the pieces during a group class!)

Add this lab to your cart now, or find it in the shop.

Are you curious about how to use this as a digital assignment or as part of an off-bench music lab time? Read on!

How to Use As a Digital Assignment

Here are a few suggestions on using this product with students as a digital assignment – whether they’re online students or have in-person lessons. Much of it, of course, depends on how you give assignments.

Send students the PDF:  Using your digital assignment tool of choice (such as email or Google Docs), simply send students the PDF or a direct link to the document from a cloud-based document manager.

*Please note that the terms of use for this product state you can only share it digitally with your students.

Create a repertoire assignment series in Tonara: There are two ways you could consider using this lab in Tonara:

  1. Copy and paste each individual video title into a repertoire assignment, then copy the text into the note portion. Once you create a series in your personal repertoire database, you would assign individual videos to students. Be sure and number each assignment so there is an order to assign them.
  2. Create one assignment in your permanent repertoire for this lab. Attach the PDF to the assignment and use the link area to give students the link to the videos.

In Tonara, you can assign points for students completing the lab assignment!

If you would like to see a brief tutorial on how to create an assignment series in Tonara, click on the image to watch this video starting at 4:30

How to Use During In-Studio Lab Time

The video series is long enough that if you only assign it during an in-studio off-bench lab time once a week for one or two weeks leading up to Halloween, you might be able to use it with students two or three years in a row!

When I used this as part of my music lab time, all lab assignments were kept in 1/2″ three-ring binders. Students each had their own binders and would mark their own listening sheets.

Add this Halloween video listening resource to your cart now.

Curious for more details on how I run my music labs? Get this 15-page “Music Labs Made Easy eBook” chock full of “pro tips.”

We talk about scheduling, set-up, and organizing labs. Laid out in an easy-to-read and understandable format, this book will answer all your questions regarding music lab time!

What kinds of activities do you like to do at Halloween? Do you have any video suggestions I should add to the series? Share in the comments below!

 

The Piece My Students and I Can’t Stop Playing

October 1, 2019
by Amy
4 Comments

Do you ever come across a piece of music that grabs you so deeply that you never tire of playing it?

Over the past year, I’ve experienced this with one particular piece that I would like to share with you today.

Initially, I purchased it for myself as a fresh addition to my church repertoire stash. Even if I don’t have immediate intentions of using a digital download for students, I almost always purchase a studio copy just to be safe.

I’m so glad I did with this one especially because I loved it so much I’ve been handing it out like candy to every student that was willing/interested!

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Friday Finds #147

September 27, 2019
by Amy
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Fall time is here! Does anyone say “autumn” anymore? I kind of wish we did because it’s a much lovelier term. In August we had many days that felt like the new season had arrived and I was wingeing because I wasn’t ready.

On a side note, I just Googled the term “wingeing” because I wasn’t sure if it was spelled right. It also felt a little strange and I wasn’t sure why. Google reminded me it’s because it’s a slang term that is used more in Australia (where I lived for 3 years). Sometimes little things like that just become a part of you!

Now that we’re at the end of September, I’m ready to welcome the slightly cooler air, shorter days, and long sleeve shirts. Iced coffee is seeing its final days and I’m beginning to dream of warm drinks in the evenings curled around the fire. Over the next few days, one of my tasks is to pull out my tiny collection of fall decorations.

Alas, it is time to hand you my offerings for the week and let you take what you like and leave the rest behind.

 

1

Here is a great resource on composition with Wynn-Anne Rossi. The YouTube playlist features 14 episodes! (Alfred Music Piano)

 

2

I just finished a wonderful book by Canadian chef/author Laura Calder called “The Inviting Life.” It’s about home-keeping, entertaining, etc. so at one point she mentions the website Debretts. It feels so posh! LOL. I’m following them on Instagram now for fun.

 

3

The Internet Can’t Decide Whether This Hard-Boiled Egg Instant Pot Hack is Brilliant or Terrifying (The Kitchn)

Looks kind of gross to me, but it does make sense. Who cares what it looks like if you’re planning to just chop the eggs for salads, etc?

 

4

My Favourite Podcasts for Music Teachers (Colourful Keys)

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