TMI about piano lessons

some of my students had mini piano breakthroughs (HOORAY!!!!!) this week and it got me thinking... piano is really good for people.  now, i know i'm biased, but these are some of my hodge podge thoughts on the matter.

there is something to be said for an activity that takes more than 1 hour to master, or even more than 1 day.  i know other activities take lots of effort over a long period of time to master - all kinds of instruments, sports, academic pursuits, etc...  and i am a fan of ANY of those things.  for a kid to work at the same thing 20 minutes a day and progress, progress, progress... it's a good habit. it instills discipline and hard work.  example - i had a few kids who started in september between ages 4 and 6.  anyone in this age group still has a VERY hard time sitting there and getting their fingers on the keys.  we are talking like 3 minutes to put our thumb on C.  they're easily distracted, don't remember where their thumb is, which hand is right or left, how not to swing their legs. they fall off the bench, they ask silly questions, and they suddenly forget the order of the alphabet.  but by now (and even earlier than december), every single one of those kids can focus and sit through the whole lesson.  they can play their songs, find all the notes, read the music (for an entire 2 minute song) without stopping to ask questions.  it's pretty cool to see.

so, why piano over all those other activities?  well, there is something about an instrument lesson that makes parents more hesitant to let their kid quit at the first sign of lacking interest.  if you hate soccer, you hate soccer - you don't have to play next year.  if you hate piano, suck it up. [an aside- finish the season.  seriously, there can't be too many good reasons to let a kid quit mid-commitment.  ok maybe there are a few, but all-in-all, finish what you start.  that is something i learned from my wonderful mother.  we weren't allowed to quit.  so if we wanted to take ballet, we took ballet for the duration of the class even if we changed our mind after week 1.]  that was for free ;) i digress.  if you don't want to play piano, a lot of parents make their kids do it anyway.  it's different from other activities in that way, and i think it's good.  we don't like to put down our toys to do piano practice; but we, as adults, don't like to put down our toys to go to work either, and we have to.  another life lesson to instill at an early age.  sometimes, you do things you don't like in the moment for the long term pay off. 

no piano-playing adult ever looked back and said "i wish i never learned the piano. i hate this skill."
mostly you hear, "i always wish i would have stuck with it."

there are lots of proven connections between studying music and improvement in math and reading abilities. you probably already know that.

it's fun.  barring some horrible emotionally scarring experience with a crotchity old lady teacher, playing music is fun.  it's not for everybody.  but most little kids particularly have fun with it if you make it fun. 

it's mentally challenging!! processing all the fingers and notes and expressions at one time (and so much more).  it's rewarding when you can play a song well and it's rewarding when you can play automatically and it's challenging.  woohoo! i love a good challenge.

my personal experience?  sometimes i think people assume that because i teach piano, i have always been a perfect student...
i cried in level 3.  a lot.  the songs were too hard.  there is a transition from one-hand-at-a-time to both hands that is just hard. there's no way around it.  i cried through level 3 [oh, and crying is still my response to every emotion... every.single.one.]
i wanted to quit in junior high (the answer was no).
i wanted to quit in high school (the answer was - talk to 3 adults hand picked by my mother and if i still want to quit after talking to them and thinking about it for a month, i had to tell my piano teacher of 10 years myself.). i stuck with it. clearly.

i've been processing these thoughts all week. thanks for letting me spew them out on here.

musically yours :)
ren

hahaha only dorky music teachers sign their notes (pun intended) "musically yours" !!!! hahahaha i crack myself up.

Wednesday.

Last weekend, we got this dining room table.  On craigslist....

for $140.  We had been looking at similar tables and they were running $300 or so new.  And this one is sturdier than some that we looked at.  The guy told us it was almost brand new and barely used.  Sometimes ads say that and it's NOT true... but this one looks brand new and has almost no scratches :) hip hip hooray for us.  I love a good deal... especially a good deal on something we need/want/were already planning to purchase.

So, in lieu of my recent craigslist success, I have been re-inspired to keep an out on craigslist for a good couch.  Probably we will just buy one new.  Couches are tricky to find used at a good deal- smells, stains, etc...  And the good ones go fast.  Plus they're a hassle to haul.  Anyway, while browsing craigslist, I came across this couch ad:

Ashley 3 piece set - $20 (Omaha)

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Date: 2011-09-13, 2:50PM CDT
Reply to: see below ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}

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I have a 3 piece ashley retro style couch set.It has couch loveseat and ottoman.Its dirty needs cleaned.It was in a smoking enviroment and there are a few burn holes.They are still comfortable.They are a red fabric material and have chrome legs.Im only asking $20 considering the condition.Structurally still good and once cleaned they will be nice or throw a sheet over.All three pieces $20 Firm.If you can pickup and have cash Call me 402-612-2198 NO TEXTS These are not perfect so dont think you are getting perfect.They are dirty and have some burn holes but structually good.I dont have pictures.You haul I will remove once sold Thanks

What do you think?  Should I go for it? ;)

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In other random news, I was chit-chatting with my bro on g-chat yesterday afternoon.  To catch you up, he just moved to Palo Alto, California to start at Stanford - working towards a phd in engineering physics, more specifically the mini-field of "fluid dynamics."  The "quotes" are because I don't really know what it means. :)  If you'd like to read me bragging about Brian in a previous blog post, you may click here.  [What can I say? I'm a proud older sister... Plus he's probably the closest chance I'll ever have to knowing someone who will likely earn some sort of science prize or invent something really cool.]  Perhaps you'll find this conversation amusing.  

 me:  what project did you pick?

 brianpierce1010:  ahh yes

 brianpierce1010:  well for projects, my choices were 1) super hydrophobic surfaces research (something w/ navy), 2) flat plate boundary layer transition from laminar to turbulent flow, and 3) application of a new numerical method to Poissons equation.  I am pretty sure I am going to go w/ number 3

 me:  that's what i would have suggested

 brianpierce1010:  even though 1 probably sounds coolets in terms of the name

the actual work...not so much

 me:  and in terms of the the navy.  so number 3 will be the most interesting?

 brianpierce1010:  #3 is great though, cause if its successful, it could really save like everyone in the lab lots of simulation time

 me:  of course! what does that mean? like what will you do?

 brianpierce1010:  so like, a professor here came up w/ a new method for solving systems and i'll be trying to see if it can be applied to a common problem

u remember systems of equations? from like jr high, where u have maybe 2 equations, and two variables?

like, 2x + 4y = 6
and 3x + 2y = 4

something like that

 me:  oh yeah i know that.  i could totally be an engineer...

 brianpierce1010:  haha exactly  so to summarize, that is a 2x2 system (you don't count the 6 and 4)  its all abou twhats on the left hand side of the =

 me:  right... and you would be working with like 100 x 100 systems?

 brianpierce1010:  lol, that would be small

maybe like 10000x10000

maybe 1000x1000

something along those lines

and then u solve like 1000 of them

 me:  LOL  i was trying to exaggerate wtih 100

 brianpierce1010:  and so what computers all do now is use "Gaussian Elimination" which says you can solve it in about n^3 operations, but if n=10000, then n^3 is huge

 me:  woah. you lost me.

For the record, I did go on to have a fraction of understanding. but blah blah blah.

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I had the cutest piano student yesterday. She's 5 and smart.  From the first lesson, we learn a song by rote using the rhythm-words "pepperoni pizza" to play this rhythm:  (kids love this.  it mostly is for their finger technique/ hand position development)

   

So this little tyke is singing at the top of her lungs "PEPPERONI PIZZA- PEPPERONI PIZZA" while she plays her notes.  So cute.  Almost in tune.  :) 

Then, she looks over and giggles when she's done.  She loves the piano.  I wanted to video tape her singing, but decided that'd be creepy. Borderline pedifile since this is only her 3rd lesson with me.  Maybe once mom knows for sure I'm not a weirdo.  [or maybe the jury's still out on that... ;)]

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I'm going to work on blogging more regularly.  I enjoy it.  it's like journaling kinda.  but public.  so kinda not. 

ciao!

p.s. did you check out this post about my amazing husband running the Chicago Marathon???  you should.

 

Piano Spot

in case you didn't know, i've opened a "piano studio."  i use quotes because it just feels so official, i'm not sure what to do about it.  speaking of official, i have 2 official students as of yesterday. woohoo!  one is 6, the other is 5, and they are so dang cute.  can't give you their pics b/c
1. didn't take any during the "meet and greet free lesson" -that'd be creepy.
2. pictures of littles on the web by their teachers - also creepy.

maybe after a recital on my studio blog? not as creepy.

anyway, I have this little space in the front room (which will function as living/ dining/ piano).

and a different angle

and a view from the other side of the room.  

 That last one is an okay shot of the whole space... card table? you ask.  borrowing while saving.  our previous place was furnished soooo we're saving for furniture one little bit at a time.  what are those pictures over on the right wall? i'm so glad you asked.  i took it before fixing the crooked shelf. oh, and must fill blank frames.  i was pretty proud of the fact that i could hang those shelves (with anchors, drill, and all) by myself... with a little training session from my fabulous husband!  and i love that we can just keep adding to it.

anyway, back to the piano "studio..." spot.

i'd like those walls to be fun, colorful, but not too much like a 1st grade classroom if you know what i mean.  also, perhaps some sort of magnetic, cork, or chalkboard for changing activities, contests, info etc...

i've been looking for ideas of pics to frame...

if i was crazy, i'd just paint the piano. ha jk. i am crazy and i will not paint my piano. although maybe one day, i'll buy a cheap piano from craigslist and paint it for fun.  probably that won't happen.  anyway, i like something similar to this as a print.

fun. artsy. maybe too artsy? i dont know if i would put a picture of colored pencils in a frame. but i like it.

in a different direction... work hard!

haha this like the poster that your dorky music teacher had pinned up in the front of her classroom. oh wait i am a dorky music teacher.  which is why i like it.



sooo if you see anything that "fits" let me know. "fits" because i don't even know what i'm going for :)

Holmes Lake Apartments

So I'm working on starting a piano and voice studio out of our house in Lincoln.  The Lord gave us a wonderful rental house in a nice neighborhood near lots of families.  I've been advertising in lots of ways...

* signs up on busy streets
* tear-off fliers in coffee shops, restaurants, bookstores, etc...
* contacted school music teachers
* churches

After a week or so of staying home and doing.. idk.. stuff... i realized I couldn't sit around for too much longer.  So I decided to go "cold calling."  aka: door-to-door.  ahhh!!! 

[mini side story - my dad is in sales.  he and his reps go cold calling all the time. he's a pro.  my brother ran a college painting franchise one summer and i cold called for him... for about 3 weeks.  frankly, i didn't care whether or not they got their houses painted.  sales wasn't for me.]

but this time, i did care whether or not they took lessons from me. :)

i drove to a random neighborhood ("random" meaning carefully selected b/c it's close by me, with big houses, & young families).  as I passed this Holmes Lake Apartment complex, it occurred to me to turn down that street.  But then I thought nahhh... there's no houses.  so i kept driving to said random neighborhood and parked my car.  started going door to door.  Most people were very friendly.  My first real success -  a lady with 4 littles, the oldest of whom is 7.  she said they were just talking about starting piano lessons.  we chit-chatted.  she said she'd call & gave tips about where to go to find more young families.

i left that neighborhood and headed back home for a hot date ;) I passed the Holmes Lake apartment complex again, thinking I should turn.  I could only see apartments but I figured, what the heck.  So I followed the road back into a neighborhood with houses.  I parked my car and started to walk towards a house kitty corner from where I parked.  It didn't make sense to go to that house first b/c it was the furthest compared to the other houses nearby.  But I started walking anyway.  Lo and behold, out comes a lady carrying a baby.  I thought that infant is too young, but maybe she has others...?  I introduced myself and explained I was opening a home studio.  She said, "We were just starting to look for piano teachers.  I want to sign my 5 and 7 year olds up to start in a couple months. we're just waiting on my mom's piano."  We chit chatted a little more and she too gave me some tips about where to find more families.  And then I drove away.

as I headed back home for real, The Lord said, see I told you to go down that street.  When I'm paying attention, He's always leading.  And when I'm ignoring His voice because something doesn't seem to make sense to me, I'm thankful He's full of grace and willing to try again... gotta get past my fuzzy, confused receiver :)

Has He been leading you?  If not... check your receiver.  Are you listening?