My Favorite Computer-Based Program for Music Lab Time

August 20, 2019
by Amy
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In the post Music Labs in the Independent Studio: A Brief History, I mentioned that when I first started to include music lab time in my piano studio,  I didn’t have an iPad, so I began with computer-based programs such as Music Ace Maestro, Alfred’s Interactive Musician, and Essentials of Music Theory, along with a subscription to the online Music Learning Community.

Of those programs, there’s only one that I’m currently still using, and that’s Essentials of Music Theory, published by Alfred. You can purchase it on their website or on Amazon.

Because it is an older program, you don’t download it directly online; you must purchase the CD-ROM and upload it to your computer. While this feels antiquated, I still find the program a valuable addition to my music labs, as it is one of the most complete and comprehensive theory lesson programs out there.

The program comes in either a Student Version (single use), Educator Version (multiple students on one device), or Network Version (multiple computers).

There are 3 Volumes available that could be purchased separately or as one program called Essentials of Music Theory Complete.

If you are using the program in an independent studio setting for music lab time, then you will need to purchase the Educator Version – Complete. While it is one of the more expensive music theory programs to include in a music lab, it’s also one of the most thorough and comprehensive.

The program includes 18 units. Each of those units comprises four to five lessons, ear training, and a review test for a total of 75 lessons within the 18 units. For a detailed list of what’s included in each unit/lesson, visit this link.

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Shop is Open! Check Out the New Music Lab Series

August 20, 2019
by Amy
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Music Lab Series on Amy's computer

Drumroll, please…

After two years and five months of this blog, Piano Pantry now has a SHOP! (I’ve been waiting so long to say that!!)

You can find it in the top menu bar.

While this is quite an exciting announcement, there’s an even better one…

What’s the first product, you ask?

It’s a Music Lab series!

How This Series Came To Light

For a brief history of music labs and how I came to develop this series, as well as a few details on how I run my labs, check out:

Music Labs in the Independent Studio: A Brief History

As I mentioned in that post, when I started including a music lab eight years ago, there was only one “curriculum” product. While it was a great product, it just wasn’t working for me, and I didn’t want to have to purchase a book for every student for music lab time, so I began creating my own materials.

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Friday Finds #142

August 9, 2019
by Amy
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Oh my goodness, here it is 10:26pm and I suddenly realized it’s Friday! I was so caught up in today’s task of priming six doors and their trim in our basement that it completely slipped my mind!

Or…maybe it’s the fact that I’m not in a normal routine…

Or…maybe it’s that I’m turning 39 in two weeks and things like that just start to happen as you get older. I HAVE been noticing changes since I hit my late 30’s… (I’ll just leave it at that. 🙂 )

Anyway…

The photo you see here is at Joy Morin’s Retreat at Piano Manor that was held last week. As always, it was a lot of fun feeding and getting to know all these beautiful ladies.

Everyone is always asking for the recipes I use, so I put a list together for attendees. I thought you might also enjoy getting the links as well so let’s kick off this week’s finds with some winning recipes!

 

1

This isn’t a list of everything we ate, but just those that I used a recipe for. 🙂

Honey Vanilla Yogurt

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

Whole 30 Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

Mexican Restaurant-Style Cauliflower Rice

Herbal Iced Tea

Easy Fruit Salad with Orange Poppy Seed Dressing

Milk Street’s Israeli Hummus

Gooey Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies [Chickpea Cookies-Gluten Free]

5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies [These were from the 2018 Retreat. Several of the ladies who were there last year remembered these and were asking for the recipe. 🙂 ]

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If you’d like to read more about the retreat, here is Joy’s recap post.

 

3

I really enjoyed reading this “Day in the Life” photo journal post from an Ex-Pat living in Barcelona. At the end of the post she talks about upgrading her Kindle Paperwhite to the “All-New Kindle.”

Does anyone have this and recommend the upgrade?

 

4

I need your vote…I try to avoid being a “gadget” person, but this Avocado Tool looks really cool. What do you think? Should I try it?

Do you happen to have one? If so, let me know what you think!

 

5

Drew Barrymore Just Launched the Cutest Food-Themed Art Prints for Kids (and We Secretly Want Them for Ourselves)

 

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Did you see my announcement from earlier this week?

The goal is to open shop THIS WEEK. We’re also painting the new studio, getting carpet, and moving the studio.

So…if you could do me a BIG favor and send some extra energy my way so I can wrap this project up and get you some Music Lab materials, I appreciate it!

 

Talk soon! ~Amy

 

Music Labs in the Independent Studio: A Brief History (and a big announcement!)

August 6, 2019
by Amy
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Piano, keyboard, and screen

As part of the upcoming release of the Music Lab series here on Piano Pantry, I wanted to take a moment to reflect a little on the history of music labs in the independent music studio.

Along with that, I’ll share some of the experiences I went through trying to find products that I liked that were useful for this type of off-bench time.

Early Memories

Do you remember when you first started hearing about the idea of including music labs as part of private music instruction in the independent studio? Is the idea something you’ve always been aware of or do you recall a certain point in time when you noticed the idea emerging?

 Depending on how long you’ve been teaching, I’m sure each of us will have a different answer to this question.

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Unique Student Birthday Cards on Etsy

August 5, 2019
by Amy
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If you’ve been here a while, you might already be aware I’m a big advocate of sending students cards (or postcards) for their birthdays.

Marketing with Postcards (it’s not what you think!)

After spending a few years using generic “Happy Birthday” card packs, I realized I could use this opportunity to inspire my students a little more.

I started with Susan Hong’s Mandala postcards. (Get the link along with several other fun ideas from the post: Fun Postcards for Student Birthdays.)

Today I wanted to share with you the super fun abstract piano art ones I chose for this year.

The past two year’s I’ve purchased from Etsy and have a feeling this may be my go-to place for several years to come. As long as I get them for under $1 per postcard, I consider that worth it.

Aren’t they cool?

Find them at Brian Moss Art on Etsy.

 

09/21/2021 Update – Unfortunately it looks like his shop is no longer available, but I would encourage you to search Etsy for more fun music-themed birthday card finds!

 

Friday Finds #141

August 2, 2019
by Amy
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Happy Friday everyone!

If you didn’t already figure it out, today’s featured images is from last week’s National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP). While waiting for a table at a restaurant one evening, we had had a little fun in front of a beautiful wooden door around the corner from the restaurant.

The conference was great fun as always with the best part always being the connections you make with your colleagues.

I hope your July held plenty of time for relaxation and that your August allows a little extra breathing time before you return to your regular teaching schedule.

Enjoy this week’s goodies!

 

1

I’ve been trying to catch up on some of Tim Topham’s podcasts recently. Here are some of my recent favorites:

CPTP161: Intelligent Music Teaching with Dr. Robert Duke

CPTP163: Christopher Oill Interviews Me

CPTP164: Meet My Student Tim and His Dad

 

2

My husband and I have been getting more into Bluegrass music over the past year. We’re talking about trying to make it to a Bluegrass Festival sometime. Here are 5 of the Best Bluegrass Festivals in the Country.

 

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Why We Should Stop Segregating Children by Age: Part I. Children learn by playing in the zone of proximal development

 

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Chicken thighs have always been popular in our household. So much more flavor and a lot less susceptible to drying out when you cook then. I almost never eat chicken breast at restaurants because 95% of the time they’re over cooked and dry.

 

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Pivoting the Education Matrix by Seth Godin

 

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How to Organize Your Kitchen Like a Pro

Do I admit I already do a lot of these? Go figure, right?! 😉

 

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A few things I made this past week:

Cod Sautéed in Olive Oil with Fresh Tomatoes

Avocado White Bean Salad with Vinaigrette

Balsamic Beef Roast and Veggies

 

As we speak, I’m at Joy Morin’s Piano Teacher Retreat providing delicious food for all the lovely teachers here. Next week I’ll share some of the recipes I made for the retreat!

Talk soon!

~Amy

 

A Summer Coffeehouse Recital

July 19, 2019
by Amy
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Last night my studio had our final Summer performance for the first time at a coffeehouse!

(My summer session only ran from the last week of May through July 18 this year because the last two weeks of July I’m away at NCKP and Joy Morin’s Piano Teacher Retreat.)

Summer lessons are optional in my studio and while most years I have around 70% of my students still take summer lessons, this year was a lot less.

(That was OK with me though, because I was planning on taking a Sabbatical Summer but since our house was not finished, I decided to continue to teach but really needed a lighter load – both for a little breather, and to have time to work on the house.)

I had fourteen students taking lessons but four of them were siblings that I did as a group class. Six students played in our summer recital.

Most years, when I have a lot more students, I’ve done an outdoor picnic which has always been great. With a lot fewer students performing, I wanted a small but still unique setting.

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Friday Finds #140

July 19, 2019
by Amy
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Here’s my weekly round-up of all good things from around the web one music teacher to another. Up this week: an amazing new course, a fun house-keeping experiment, tacos and more!

 

1

Calling all taco lovers – Netflix just released a new series “Taco Chronicles!” (It’s in Spanish with English subtitles.)

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A man was swept over the largest waterfall at Niagara Falls, police say. He survived. (Wow!)

 

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Have you been thinking about purchasing an AirTurn Bluetooth pedal? Now is the time! I use the AirTurn PedPRO and absolutely love it. They just announced that due to recent tariffs, the price will be going up as of August 1. Now is the time to buy!

 

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Diver Swims Alongside a Jellyfish That’s as Big as a Human.  (Incredible!)

 

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Tim Topham launched his newest project this past Monday called  Music Teacher Startup.

I seriously wish I had this course three years ago…

 

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Here Are 8 Shelf-Stable Pantry Items to Always Have on Hand

 

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This is kind of a fun little experiment! I sooo would totally try this myself sometime. LOL.

I Kept Up with a 1950s Cleaning Schedule for a Week — And I’m Exhausted Now

 

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Any James Taylor fans? Yo-Yo Ma fans? Then you’ll enjoy this!

 

Friday Finds from this time in Piano Pantry history:

July 21, 2017 – Friday  Finds: Pack ‘n Roll, Peaches, and Politicians

July 15, 2016 – Friday Finds

 

Friday Finds #139

July 12, 2019
by Amy
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Here’s my weekly round-up of all good things from one music teacher to another. Up this week: Homemade Root Beer, Steinway’s Secret Vault, a Fun List of Books to Read for Each Year of Your Life, and more!

 

1

What’s inside Steinway’s Secret Vault? Oh my, this is too exciting. I want to see, don’t you?!

 

2

From the Washington Post: A list of the best books to read at every age. One book for each year of your life. What a fun idea!

It makes me want to go “aw…” when I see books like “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein and “Ramona the Pest” by Beverly Cleary. 🙂

I think it would be fun to start at the beginning and even read all the kids books! That’s now on my Summer bucket list!

 

3

I’m not even a sports fan, and I was excited to hear about the win for the US Women’s Soccer Team against the Netherlands at the World Cup. (Notice I said I was excited to “hear” about it. Yeah, that means I didn’t actually watch it. I’m terrible, I know!)

 

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The Result of Saying “Yes” to My Family from piano teacher Tracy Selle.

 

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Someone, please make this Homemade Root Beer for me right now. I still have one more week before my kitchen countertops are installed. Time is ticking!

 

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Ready to update your professional headshots? Here’s a unique idea…

 

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The cutest little greenhouses ever. I can’t wait to have a garden again!

 

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Humongous Horns: Texas Longhorn From Alabama Sets Guinness World Record. 

Yeah, yeah, super cool and crazy, but honestly, I just like the look of the word “Humongous!”

 

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Two Dozen Piano Teaching Blogs That Have Transformed my Teaching from Heidi’s Piano Studio.

 

Friday Finds #138

June 28, 2019
by Amy
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As I began to write this post, I thought “I’ll have to do a 4th of July Friday Finds here in a couple of weeks.”

Then I looked at my calendar…

For real?! Independence Day is NEXT WEEK!

Yowsuh.

Something is happening today, that I just have to tell you about. It has absolutely nothing to do with piano but it kind of has something to do with food…

We’re finally getting our kitchen cabinets installed!! 6 months. 6 months is how long we’ve been living with just a small convection oven, single induction cooktop, and microwave all sitting on two folding tables. I am SO OVER it.

Photos coming soon!

 

1

After scouring my files, I realized there aren’t a lot of 4th of July-themed materials I use in my studio. There are a few Summer-themed worksheets I’ve used from time to time. They’re all from Susan Paradis, of course!

4th of July Composing Activity
Summer Treat Fun Sheet for Beginners
Strawberry Notes
Snow Cone Signs and Symbols
Our Buggy Friends: A Note Story

 

2

Sara Campbell has compiled a list of free-downloadable Patriotic Music.

 

3

I finally got around to taking the Enneagram. After listening to this episode on the Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast, I coined myself a 1 or 3.

A friend recommended the test at the Enneagram Institute. For $12 it’s better than some of the free ones out there but not as expensive as others available.

My suspicions were confirmed. My highest score was a tie between Type 3 and Type 1. My second highest score was a tie between Type 2, 8, and 9.

What’s your number?

 

4

You Should Pour Vinegar into Your Washing Machine – Here’s Why 

We just got a brand new Speed Queen set (which, BTW, I totally recommend) so I won’t need to do this for a while, but it makes complete sense!

 

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Fear of Kohlrabi | Seth Godin

 

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What Really Happened to Malaysia’s Missing Airplane

This is a long read, but quite fascinating. I’ll admit I ended up skipping the final 30% of the article or so, but it’s worth the read.

 

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A 10-Year Old Just Climbed a 3,000-foot Nose route on Yosemite’s El Capitan. Impressive!

 

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Reindeer Yoga? Really Alaska? LOL.

 

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Homemade strawberry milk. Yummo.

 

Have a lovely holiday next week everyone! Eat lots of hamburgs (as my grandma would call them) and all things that scream “Summer Food.” Your belly and your soul will thank you.