Author - Amy

 

1 – Toddler Ear

OK, so I do generally try to avoid items that are typical Facebook share-type items in my Friday Finds, but the first two items in this week’s list are just too good not to share.

From the BBC archives, you wouldn’t believe the massive amount of pieces in which this toddler can identify the composer.

 

2 – Inspiring Others

Yep, this one made me tear up. Ohio teen born without hands plays the piano. Inspiring.

 

3 – Cheap Wrapping / Shipping

I’ll admit, sometimes I can be behind the times. Does the fact that I’ve just discovered Kraft Paper for the first time say something about me? :-/

A couple of weeks ago I went bonkers on Piano Teachers Buy Sell Trade U.S. on Facebook. I’ve had a load of books I’ve been wanting to get rid of and finally had an afternoon free. I should have taken photos of my studio floor strewn with piles of books. The best way I found to package them was simply wrapping them in kraft paper!

(I did around 25 sale posts that day and 15 are still available. I think this link will take you to my listings, but I’m not sure and there’s no good way for me to check whether or not it does. Otherwise, you should be able to just search “Amy Chaplin” in the group to see my items for sale. P.S. My prices include shipping. 🙂

 

4 – Unexpected Phone Protector

A great way to protect your phone while in the kitchen. Too bad I’ll likely never remember to use one!

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1 – 18 for 2018

18 Blogs I follow in 2018 (and they’re not all about music) – from Chris Foley of the Collaborative Piano Blog.

 

2 – Marrying Music

The  ForScore app and Musicnotes.com are tools I use on a regular basis. Here’s a tutorial on how you can import Musicnotes.com sheet music into the ForScore app.

 

3 – Hefty, Hefty, Hefty

These jumbo ziploc storage bags have been coming in really handy lately for all kinds of things. One way I’ve utilized them recently outside of the kitchen is storing sheet sets in them. So handy!

 

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1 – Canva Alternative

Canva has been a major tool for years in both my studio and here on Piano Pantry. Designing social media images is made easy with tools like Canva. I’ve recently been made aware of another one out there called Design Wizard I’m going to be playing with. Does anyone else use Design Wizard? If so, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

 

2 – Copyright Education

Recently I was reading through a page on copyright FAQs that MTNA has on their website. I would encourage you to read through it, as it’s always good to refresh our minds on copyright laws. They also link to a really fun educational video that would be great to share with students – I’m going to have mine watch it during lab time.

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1 – April Veggies

Cooking using seasonal produce makes a lot of sense and I would like to say that I do that – I do try, but it’s not always easy. Anyway, this is what’s currently in season. Asparagus, snow peas, and radishes are my favorite Spring veggies.

 

2 – Winning Game

I finally bit the bullet and bought Note Speed that I’ve been hearing so much about. We played it in this week’s group classes and my students went crazy! Wish I would have bought it sooner.

 

3 – Annual Studio Challenge

Speaking of note-naming, my students and I are currently working on our One-Minute Club note-naming challenge.

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1 – Lesson Alternatives

This morning I texted the link to a video lesson I made for a student who couldn’t make their lesson this week. Video and Facetime lessons are great alternatives. Read about my first Facetime lesson experience here. Also, check out this recent post on Colourful Keys on how to teach a Facetime/Skype piano lesson.

 

2 – Left Hand Fun

Tim’s Ultimate Guide to Left Hand Patterns is a free download you don’t want to miss.

 

3- Tactile Learning

On Instagram, I recently shared a photo of me teaching the skips alphabet to two sisters using manipulative’s. The cloth staffs have stirred a buzz in other photos I’ve shared on Instagram so I thought I would highlight them here. It’s from the Kreative Keyboard Activities and Games pack. They’re compact – since they’re made of cloth and can be easily folded up, and versatile – as they have the staff on one side and keyboard on the other.

 

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1 – Spring Food

The most incredibly beautiful and Spring-filled spread of food ever. Seriously, who eats like this?

 

2 – Online Value

Valuing online friends and connections. I couldn’t agree more, Fran.

 

3 – Spotify Lessons

I’ve had a Spotify account for years. This past year, when I started my Ukulele class, I started using it a lot more. The more I use it, the more I like it. For quite a while now, I’ve had on my to-do list of “non-important and non-time sensitive items,” to spend a little time researching Spotify to make sure I’m utilizing its features. When I finally did, I came across this article which I found useful.

 

4 – I Love Her

My new favorite artist is Jess Ray. My new favorite song is The Answer to Every Question (Technicolor Jesus). Actually, it’s been my favorite “new” for like 6 months but I just now got around to telling you about it. 🙂

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