5-Days of Giveaways | 02: Move It! [DVD]

March 9, 2017
by Amy
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It’s day two of the one-year anniversary celebration of Piano Pantry. As a thank you to everyone for giving me a chance in the crowded blog world, I’m hosting 5-days of giveaways.

Thank you to everyone who entered yesterday’s giveaway sponsored by Marilyn Lowe. The winner of Day 1: Music Moves for Piano Keyboard Games Book A was Karen Lien!

I’m only giving away items that I currently use and love. After today, there will be one more prize worth $20 (a “foodie” giveaway) and two BIG prizes worth four times that much!

Today’s giveaway is sponsored by me! If you want to know a little more about me, the life I life, and what makes me tick, you can read more here. If not, that’s OK too – read on! 🙂

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5-Days of Giveaways | 01: Music Moves for Piano

March 7, 2017
by Amy
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In celebration of the one-year anniversary of Piano Pantry, I wanted to do something big for you all as a “thank you” for giving this newbie (me!) a shot in this blogosphere world. So THANK YOU!

Here’s the kicker – I’m only giving away items that I currently use and love. Three days will be prizes worth around $20 including one “foodie” giveaway, and two days will be BIG with one worth up to $75 and the other worth $90.

Today’s Giveaway is sponsored by Marilyn Lowe, author and creator of Music Moves for Piano. I was blessed to get to know Marilyn and be trained by her during my training in Music Learning Theory and Music Moves for Piano through the Gordon Institute in August 2016 in Boston. You can read more about that here.

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The Varsity Musician’s Playbook Part 3: Community Presence

March 6, 2017
by Amy
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This is the third and final installment of The Varsity Musician’s Playbook. In it, we discuss community presence — being visible in your community and building community within your studio.

It was written by my good friend and colleague, Christina Whitlock, NCTM. I asked her to write this series for you since, of all the conference sessions I attended last year,  it was the one that impacted me the most.

If you missed the first two posts in this series, I would recommend reading them first.

Part 1 – Studio Interdependence
Part 2 – Studio “Locker Room”

Be “The Piano Teacher.”

Consider this:  If a young man introduces himself and says he plays football, the next question is almost guaranteed to be, “for what team?”.

When I mention the fact that my daughter takes gymnastics, I can almost always count on the next question to be, “at which gym?”.

Why should our studios be any different?  Our communities should know us by name!

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The Varsity Musician’s Playbook Part 2: Studio “Locker Room”

February 28, 2017
by Amy
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This is the second in a three-part series. In it, we explore how to build a studio environment inspired by locker room design.

It was written by my good friend and colleague, Christina Whitlock, NCTM. I asked her to write this series for you since, of all the conference sessions I attended last year,  it was the one that impacted me the most.

If you missed the first posts in this series, I would recommend reading it first.

Part 1 – Studio Interdependence

In part 1, we looked at a few ways to incorporate a sense of interdependence in your studio.  Today’s post is going to focus on your studio environment or, in keeping with the theme of this series, your Studio “Locker Room!”

I realize we all have varying degrees of control over the physical space we teach in, but I hope this post will inspire you to seek out similar applications that work for you.

Creating Studio Legacy – Tradition

Let’s consider this picture of the Hofstra Ladies’ Lacrosse Team locker room.

The first thing I notice is the statement, “Tradition Never Graduates.”  Friends, we all know, sports are ALL about legacy!  Why should your studio be any different?

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Piano Pantry Readers’ Dinner: MTNA 2017 Baltimore

February 24, 2017
by Amy
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mtna-conference-2017-logo-readers-dinner

I am SOOOOOO excited to announce that I will host my first Piano Pantry reader’s dinner meet-up at the upcoming MTNA Conference in Baltimore!

The first readers’ dinner I attended was with Natalie Weber (then Whickham) of Music Matters Blog (or maybe it was Wendy Steven’s Compose Create??). I think it was in Albuquerque because I remember being in grad school then.

It’s the perfect chance to put faces with names and get to know you a little. To ensure I have a chance to actually get to know you and chat with all who attend, I have set my own personal maximum limit. 

So…if you are interested in reserving your spot and attending the dinner, please email me ASAP.

The dinner will be held on Monday night, March 20. Details will be sent to all attendees via email.

Friday Finds #44: Carpet Squares and Vegemite

February 24, 2017
by Amy
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Carpet Squares. I went to my local carpet store and asked if they had old samples they needed to get off their hands. They were happy to sell them to me for $1 each. I purchased 25. My original intent was to hand them out to families to use as bench “prop-ups.” Layering several of them is a perfect way to boost a little kiddo up on the bench without beeing too “cushy.” I just store them under a table in the studio.

While I haven’t gotten around to distributing to families yet, I HAVE found a use in my studio! They’re PERFECT for group classes – mostly for the little ones. I plop the rug down EXACTLY where I want them to sit for activities whether it’s a half circle for performances/listening, or a circle for a game. They love having their own spot.

A recent class discovered they like making their own “stage” when they do their music/movement using John Freierabend’s “Move It!” Video’s (which I recommended in a previous find). They’re wonderful movement activities set to Classical Music and the kids LOVE them – they always ask to do “one more.”

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The Varsity Musician’s Playbook Part 1: Studio Interdependence

February 20, 2017
by Amy
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The phrase varsity musician’s playbook likely stopped you in your tracks as it did me – especially if you’re someone who has ever said: Once my piano students hit middle school, I often lose them to sports.

At every conference I attend, while there are many excellent sessions, there are always one or two whose message sticks with me for good. At this past MTNA Conference (2016 San Antonio), my “sticky” session was by far:

The Varsity Musician’s Playbook: Commitment Building Strategies from Team Sports to the Studio.

Bam! Wow, the title hooked me. As someone who enjoys the business side of running my piano studio – this was my type of session.

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Friday Finds #43: Have You Taught #3?

February 17, 2017
by Amy
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This is one of those things that make you go “Oh, duh, why did I never think of that?!” Curious?

 

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Setting Up Your Browser to Increase Your Productivity. It’s the little things that make a difference!

 

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 I had a freshman beginning student who’s been with me a year and a half. She’s currently playing at Faber 2B level but is ready for a good challenge piece.

Paul Sheftel’s “Nocturne” was perfect. This is one of those pieces I will always keep a copy of on hand.

 

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Professional Development Scholarship: Gordon Institute for Music Learning

February 9, 2017
by Amy
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Are you interested in learning more about Music Learning Theory (MLT)?

Are you faculty at a college/university and teaching general music, instrumental, or choral methods courses within a music education program?

If so, you may be eligible to apply for the Carol Gordon Professional Development Scholarship of The Gordon Institute for Music Learning. 

It is generally due around early to mid-May. Download the application and read more here.

This past August, I attended a two-week training in Boston through GIML.

If you’re interested in reading about my experiences, check out my posts:

Joy and Amy on Music Learning Theory

Piano Teacher Adventure: MLT in Boston

I haven’t written much about how I use MLT in lessons yet, but I’m sure I will share more in the future. In the meantime, I plan to attend the GIML Conference this summer following NCKP.  It will be a week of learning in Chicago!