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	<title>Technology in the Studio &#8211; The Playful Piano</title>
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		<title>Piano Anno: A New Resource for Fingering and Interpretation</title>
		<link>https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/piano-anno-new-resource-for-fingering/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=piano-anno-new-resource-for-fingering</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jennifer Boster]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Jan 2015 20:37:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christie Sowby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fingering]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guest Contributor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology in the Studio]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theplayfulpiano.com/2015/01/piano-anno-new-resource-for-fingering.html</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Today I&#8217;m excited to share another guest post written by pianist and teacher Christie Sowby. I love Christie&#8217;s insights into using technology in our teaching, and today she is going to introduce us to an amazing new website for pianists and teachers! I would like to share an excellent new resource I have found for<br><a class="moretag" href="https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/piano-anno-new-resource-for-fingering/">+ Read More</a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Today I&#8217;m excited to share another guest post written by pianist and teacher <a href="http://theteachingstudio.blogspot.com/search?q=christie+sowby" target="_blank">Christie Sowby</a>. I love Christie&#8217;s insights into using technology in our teaching, and today she is going to introduce us to an amazing new website for pianists and teachers!</i></div>
<p></p>
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<a href="https://i0.wp.com/www.theplayfulpiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Piano-Anno.jpg?ssl=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" border="0" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.theplayfulpiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Piano-Anno.jpg?resize=400%2C220&#038;ssl=1" height="220" width="400" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a></div>
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<p>I would like to share an excellent new resource I have found for piano teachers and students. It’s called Piano Anno (<a href="http://www.pianoanno.com/">www.pianoanno.com</a>) and is an online platform for sharing annotated music in the public domain. The “Annos” contain fingering, markings, interpretation, and performance tips from professional pianists. Annos sell for $3 each in the form of a downloadable PDF.</p>
<p>For teachers, this is a welcome relief.  How many times have I written in fingering for the same piece of music for my students? Or how many times have I wondered if there is a better fingering out there to approach something technically? Piano Anno is a real timesaver in this way with its reliable fingerings and other interpretive markings. I can affordably purchase as many copies as I need for my students. (Annos are licensed for a single user.) Sometimes I have found its fingering suggestions better than my own, as they have been stage-tested by other pianists.</p>
<p>For students, Piano Anno jumpstarts the often time-consuming process of annotating one’s own copy of the same music. The print-ready Annos are handy and inexpensive. Even if you don’t use the public-domain edition (perhaps you prefer your own), the Anno is still a good reference and you can hand-copy as many fingerings to your preferred edition as you need to.</p>
<p><a href="https://i0.wp.com/www.theplayfulpiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Find-Annos.jpg?ssl=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img decoding="async" border="0" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.theplayfulpiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Find-Annos.jpg?resize=320%2C202&#038;ssl=1" height="202" width="320" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a>Piano Anno invites qualified contributors to submit their own Annos and earn a commission on each sale. They are always looking for new pieces, or even new Annos of a piece already offered. Since only public-domain works are shared on Piano Anno, many 20th-century composers like Bartók, Scriabin, and Cage are off limits. Nevertheless, there is a growing selection of other favorites to which you might add your own. If you have great fingerings or ideas and want to share them with the world, this is a good opportunity. (And maybe even to get paid while you sleep!)</p>
<p>I’m thrilled to see innovative efforts like this, where pianists can harness digital technology to share their ideas and advance their musicianship. Think of it. A digital library of classical piano scores, with annotations by real performers. It’s like downloading some of that performer’s experience into your own learning, and it also gives you a way to pass on yours.</p>
<p>Visit <a href="http://www.pianoanno.com/" target="_blank">Piano Anno</a> to see what Annos are currently available, to suggest Annos you want to see there, or to become a contributor yourself. This is an excellent resource for all pianists, so please share this website with your students, colleagues, and the music community.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">28</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Online Teaching</title>
		<link>https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/online-teaching/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=online-teaching</link>
					<comments>https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/online-teaching/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jennifer Boster]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Aug 2013 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guest Contributor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online teaching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology in the Studio]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theplayfulpiano.com/2013/08/online-teaching.html</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Today we have an awesome guest post by Christie Sowby about online teaching! I am now super intrigued about the whole prospect, and may just have to try it out someday! (Isn&#8217;t technology amazing?) How many of you just grunted or sighed when you saw this subject? Have you ever thought what it would be<br><a class="moretag" href="https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/online-teaching/">+ Read More</a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Today we have an awesome guest post by <a href="https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/2013/08/guest-contributor-christie-sowby.html">Christie Sowby </a>about online teaching! I am now super intrigued about the whole prospect, and may just have to try it out someday! (Isn&#8217;t technology amazing?)</i></div>
<p></p>
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<p>How many of you just grunted or sighed when you saw this subject? Have you ever thought what it would be like if you had to teach all of your students online?</p>
<p>Well, that’s where my story comes in. When you have a successful piano studio and your spouse gets accepted to a graduate school all the way across the country—or takes a new job or a temporary assignment away from home—what do you do? Drop all your students? Hope they’ll be there when you get back? Give up?</p>
<p>No way. You can keep your students. Here’s how I did it.</p>
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<p>
1) Talk to parents and students about your idea</p>
<p>I let my studio know that I would be moving to Boston with my husband for a year. (By the way, I know some people that do this over a 2–4 year period—or even longer. No matter how long, it can still work.) I didn’t want to lose my precious students that I have worked with for several years. They were too good to give up! So, after talking with them and their families individually, we decided how to proceed. There were a couple of parents with their children who decided that they couldn’t do online lessons—and that was fine with me. I respect everyone’s decisions. I did let them know that they would have to go to the bottom of the waiting list if they wanted to study with me when I returned, though. There were definitely perks for those who stayed! Fortunately, 90 percent of the studio was open to the idea of online lessons and supported me in it. </p>
<p>2) Practice having lessons online before you actually have to do it</p>
<p>A few months before I left for Boston, I made sure I had—and tested—all the equipment: two iPads, two microphone stands, two iKlips, two pianos and a regular internet connection. I was able to purchase all of the materials (I already had the pianos) with a $3,000 grant I received through MTNA. If you’re interested in such a grant, see here: <a href="http://www.mtnafoundation.org/awards/studio-teacher-fellowship-award/">http://www.mtnafoundation.org/awards/studio-teacher-fellowship-award/</a></p>
<p>At a master class a couple of months before I left, I showed all of the students how the process would work. I had the iPads on the iKlips (attached to the mic stands) and had both iPads connected via FaceTime. I showed each student what it would look like on either end of “lessons.” Was the sound good? Yes. Was the view good? Yes. Was it different? Absolutely!  You can tilt the iKlip any direction you need to in order to see the student. Here’s a picture of it facing up (I had it the long direction and facing down toward the student sitting at the piano):</p>
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<a href="https://i0.wp.com/2.bp.blogspot.com/-LpTr2KB7NUg/UhwEK9_nyuI/AAAAAAAALGg/jGkxxhAfJWE/s1600/iklip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" border="0" height="228" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.theplayfulpiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/iklip.jpg?resize=320%2C228&#038;ssl=1" width="320" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a></div>
<p>Throughout this master class, students could ask questions, get experience and understand what it was going to be like. </p>
<p>3) Do individual lessons online before actually having to do it</p>
<p>We then focused on individual online lessons. Each student had about 2 to 3 lessons online before I actually moved. We started with 15 minutes online from separate rooms in my studio, after which I would finish the remainder of the lesson in person. We increased the online time each week until the last was a full online lesson. Parents were welcome to come and observe. </p>
<p>4) Make sure you have the materials and connections ready to go</p>
<p><b>Yes</b>, I had to own a copy of every single song my students were playing. <b>Yes</b>, I took it all to Boston. The good news? I can sell them to any future students now that I am done with those extra copies. For each lesson, I knew what books the student was working out of and I kept the books by my piano as I taught. I also thought about any new repertoire they would be learning and made sure I had copies both in my studio and in Boston. Just in case I forgot, I made a list of all the books I had in my studio or wanted the students to purchase.</p>
<p>I had two iPad 2’s. They come with FaceTime built in, which uses a wireless internet connection and does not require any fees or contracts. I’ve never had to use the 3G service. I also got the Skype app for backup. Depending on student’s preferences, we used FaceTime or Skype. </p>
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<p>5) Figure out where lessons and master classes will be held</p>
<p>I was lucky enough to have a family who supported me in this endeavor. For students who wanted (and this was the majority), they went to my parents’ home in Highland where there is a beautiful grand and upright piano. I hired and paid my brother who was always home during lesson time to set up the pianos (keep them dusted and clean), keep the environment clean, set up all the equipment, make sure the iPad was charged, etc. He would let students in and out and make sure everything ran smoothly. I do NOT think this would be possible without someone responsible on the other end. My nice younger and tech-savvy brother did this for me. </p>
<p>Other students tuned in to lessons from their own homes. Some of them had computers set up on chairs (with books underneath to reach the correct height) and others had iPads or other devices. No matter what it was, it all worked. The nice thing about Boston is that I was two hours behind them. I had students wanting to do 6:00 a.m. lessons in Utah. No problem at 8:00 a.m. my time! I also had two students move to Taiwan for five months while I was in Boston. Not a problem. I taught in the morning in Boston, when it was evening in Taiwan. When I got back to Utah, I taught at night and it was morning for them. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! And guess what? The connection was as smooth as it was in Boston. </p>
<p>For master classes, I hired a professional teacher whom I trusted would do well with my students. I prepared my students each month with pieces to play at master class. I paid my master class teacher well and my students thrived in her master classes. Those classes were also held at my parents’ home in Highland. My master class teacher also accompanied concertos for my students. My students paid her to learn the parts. She played with them at classes and for competitions and festivals. My students benefited from a second teacher’s musical advice and still got the experience of master class in my absence.</p>
<p>6) Get on the move and make it work! </p>
<p>Rob and I moved to Boston. That’s a feat in and of itself. I then made sure to practice FaceTime with my family before students actually came. It took about 1.5 to 2 months for everyone—including me—to be completely comfortable with the iPads. You have to remember that you have a live person and then all of a sudden they are smaller than the screen you are currently looking at! We learned to love it, though.</p>
<p>I got used to typing lesson notes on my computer during lessons and then sending the students the notes via a wireless printer set up in my studio (using HP ePrint). I would send an email to the printer and would watch my lesson plans from Boston being printed for the students in Utah over the iPad. It took about 10 seconds from the time I sent it in Boston to the time it printed in Utah. It was pretty neat. For those who had lessons at their homes, I just sent an email and they printed it off or kept it on a mobile device. Simple. </p>
<p>Was it worth it? Absolutely. Did it work? Yes. I had students enter and win competitions while I was teaching them 2,600 miles away. In fact, I would say they grew more without me there. They learned to mark their own music at lessons. They learned how to describe music and form better because they were looking at the music more and had to make sense of it without me pointing. They learned to listen for themselves—including sensitive pedaling, playing and taking special care of articulated notes and shaped phrases. I was always asking them questions to make sure they were doing what they needed to—and they learned how to do it on their own. </p>
<p>My next goal: Teach in Africa. I’m working it out now!</p>
<p>Frequently asked questions:</p>
<p><i>Did your students’ tone get worse?</i></p>
<p>No. I have heard other teachers say that this has happened to them with online students. In my case, I think we avoided the problem because I was adamant about using arm weight and good posture before I left. I also knew the students who had tendencies and needed reminders, so I would remind them every time I felt I needed to (even if it was every lesson). I visited Utah three times while living in Boston and each time I made sure I had live lessons with the students. This helped me catch anything I may have missed online. </p>
<p>Also, I could see everything I needed to. From legs slipping behind the bench, any semblance of bad posture, elbows not in the correct position to curved fingers. They were always noted and taken care of.</p>
<p><i>Did you lose a lot of students?</i></p>
<p>No. I kept about 90 percent of my studio. Honestly, the ones who stayed were my most dedicated students. I am more pleased with my studio now than I ever have been. They are dedicated to me, and I to them.</p>
<p>I even started a new student solely online. I was very wary of this, but am so surprised that it worked just as well as my other students who have been taking for several years. You have to know what students should look, sound and be like when at the piano—even when you’re not there in person.</p>
<p><i>Do you think this could work over a long period of time?</i></p>
<p>Yes. I know people who only have online lessons (any age, too). I know personally that my students chose to do online lessons because I would only be gone a year. I was comfortable with that amount of time and so were they. Know your studio and their boundaries and you can make anything work.</p>
<p><i>How smooth was the connection?</i></p>
<p>This is something that can be very worrisome for doing online lessons—your lesson depends on that good connection! Luckily, we were living on MIT campus—with one of the fastest and most robust internet connections in the world. I would say 97 percent of the time it was very smooth. For those rough times (there always will be), we just turned off the iPad and reconnected. (Before moving I taught my students how to reconnect.) It takes about 30 seconds to do that, but it fixed it each time.</p>
<p><i>How did you check fingerings?</i></p>
<p>I had them scan or take a picture of their fingerings before their lessons and send it to me. I examined the scan during lessons and made suggestions as necessary. </p>
<p><i>How do you do billing?</i></p>
<p>You can get a third party—which I do. Or you can use your bank’s mobile app to deposit checks with<br />
your smartphone camera. Easy.peasy.lemon.squeezy.</p>
<p><i>Were other people intrigued?</i></p>
<p>Yes. I had several teachers around Utah come watch lessons in Highland while I was in Boston. They would sit in during the lesson so they could see how it worked. I’m happy to say that many of them are now successfully teaching online and experimenting with it. </p>
<p><i>What type of piano did you use for teaching?</i></p>
<p>I taught on my end with a Yamaha Clavinova for lessons because we lived in the tiniest of apartments in Boston. Lots of money for a small space and we couldn&#8217;t have neighbors complaining! Of course I practiced on real pianos, but the digital worked great for teaching. You have to make do and do the best with the environment you are in. </p>
<p>If you have any other questions, please email me at cksowby@gmail.com. I’d be happy to answer. </p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">53</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>Guest Contributor: Christie Sowby</title>
		<link>https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/guest-contributor-christie-sowby/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=guest-contributor-christie-sowby</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jennifer Boster]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Aug 2013 01:33:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Contributor Bios]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theplayfulpiano.com/2013/08/guest-contributor-christie-sowby.html</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Today I am excited to introduce another fabulous guest contributor, Christie Sowby! She is a pianist and piano teacher and is currently studying to get her DMA in piano performance. I can&#8217;t wait for you to read about her experiences teaching piano lessons online! But first, let&#8217;s get to know her a little. name: Christie<br><a class="moretag" href="https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/guest-contributor-christie-sowby/">+ Read More</a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://i0.wp.com/www.theplayfulpiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/christiesowby.jpg?ssl=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img decoding="async" border="0" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.theplayfulpiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/christiesowby.jpg?w=690&#038;ssl=1" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a>Today I am excited to introduce another fabulous guest contributor, Christie Sowby! She is a pianist and <br />
piano teacher and is currently studying to get her DMA in piano performance. I can&#8217;t wait for you to read about her experiences teaching piano lessons online! But first, let&#8217;s get to know her a little.</p>
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<b>name:</b></div>
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Christie K Sowby</p>
<p><b>from:&nbsp;</b><br />
Cottonwood Heights, Utah</p>
<p><b>she is:&nbsp;</b><br />
A wife, musician, pianist, organizer, creative, passionate about all things music&nbsp;</p>
<p><b>she attended:&nbsp;</b><br />
Brigham Young University, Harvard University, New England Conservatory and the University </p>
<p>of Utah</p>
<p><b>currently:&nbsp;</b><br />
Is attending the University of Utah to earn her DMA in piano performance</p>
<p><b>her studio:&nbsp;</b><br />
Has talented, gifted and hard-working students. Christie thrives from the energy, consistency and </p>
<p>dedication of these students. She loves to work with them and their families.</p>
<p><b>she loves:&nbsp;</b><br />
Spending time with her husband, Rob. Also reading, recording, performing, arranging, </p>
<p>decorating, cooking, serving others, and working with the youth in her church (<a href="http://mormon.org/">http://mormon.org/</a>)</p>
<p><b>she recently:&nbsp;</b><br />
Released two piano apps that have sold around the world. Check out Visual Piano Scales and </p>
<p>Piano Technique for you and your students here:</p>
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/piano-technique/id672091270?ls=1&amp;mt=8" style="font-family: Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Arimo, 'Microsoft Sans serif', sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/piano-technique/id672091270?ls=1&amp;mt=8</a></div>
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<a href="https://i0.wp.com/4.bp.blogspot.com/-6EaXkgINLJw/UhwBs5c-GwI/AAAAAAAALGU/h7JL5_4yRhE/s1600/jpgVPSbanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" border="0" height="103" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.theplayfulpiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/jpgVPSbanner.jpg?resize=400%2C103&#038;ssl=1" width="400" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a></div>
<p>
Visual Piano Scales</div>
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/visual-piano-scales/id680236955?ls=1&amp;mt=8" target="_blank">https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/visual-piano-scales/id680236955?ls=1&amp;mt=8</a></div>
</div>
<p><b>her studio website:&nbsp;</b><br />
<a href="http://christieksowby.blogspot.com/">http://christieksowby.blogspot.com/</a> (until I come up with something better…)</div>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">54</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>Using Recording Equipment in the Studio</title>
		<link>https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/using-recording-equipment-in-studio/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=using-recording-equipment-in-studio</link>
					<comments>https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/using-recording-equipment-in-studio/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jennifer Boster]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Oct 2010 14:38:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jenny Boster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology in the Studio]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theplayfulpiano.com/2010/10/using-recording-equipment-in-studio.html</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Alright, so I actually don&#8217;t own&#160;any&#160;fancy recording equipment. But, I have enjoyed using a little bit of audio and video recording during my lessons to help get my students to pay attention to what is coming out of the piano. Because seriously, sometimes we can get so caught up with what our fingers are doing,<br><a class="moretag" href="https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/using-recording-equipment-in-studio/">+ Read More</a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q5HPIwhDssw/TKvwuuCj8CI/AAAAAAAAHGY/-HyH0iB_a6g/s1600/microphone.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" border="0" height="275" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.theplayfulpiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/microphone.gif?resize=320%2C275&#038;ssl=1" width="320" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a></div>
<p>Alright, so I actually don&#8217;t own&nbsp;<i>any</i>&nbsp;fancy recording equipment. <i>But</i>, I have enjoyed using a little bit of audio and video recording during my lessons to help get my students to pay attention to <i>what is coming out of the piano</i>. Because seriously, sometimes we can get so caught up with what our fingers are doing, what the notes on the page are doing, what our feet are doing with the pedals and all of the counting going on inside our head that we forget to <i>listen</i>. Go figure. I swear, you have got to be some kind of crazy multi-tasker to be a pianist!</p>
<p>So, enter technology &#8211; whether it be some kind of nice and expensive recording equipment, or something a little more common and affordable, like a small tape recorder of some sort or even an iPod (my iPod records sound and video &#8211; not the <i>best</i>&nbsp;quality out there but it definitely works). Here are a couple of ways to use this during a lesson:</p>
<ul>
<li>Are those little fingers not staying curved <i>again? </i>I have sometimes whipped out my little iPod video camera to show my student what their hands really look like. I&#8217;d say that 90% of the time, things like flat fingers can be fixed quite easily just by having the student <i>see</i>&nbsp;and realize what they are doing.</li>
<li>A quick audio recording of a &#8220;polished&#8221; piece may save you many lectures about whether or not they are <i>really</i>&nbsp;playing <i>piano</i>&nbsp;in that one section, or if their phrases are <i>really</i>&nbsp;connected. Or whether or not the piece actually sounds musical and exciting to listen to. Sometimes students just need the chance to listen in on their own playing as an <i>observer</i>&nbsp;to really get what needs to be fixed.</li>
</ul>
<div>How do you use recording equipment in your studio?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q5HPIwhDssw/TI5Iao4KeAI/AAAAAAAAHEQ/oumN-S8oQy0/s1600/jenny+bay+signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" border="0" height="160" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.theplayfulpiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/jenny-bay-signature13.jpg?resize=640%2C160&#038;ssl=1" width="640" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a></div>
<div>
</div>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">210</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>My studio blog</title>
		<link>https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/my-studio-blog/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=my-studio-blog</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jennifer Boster]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Oct 2010 14:17:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jenny Boster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Studio Websites]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology in the Studio]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theplayfulpiano.com/2010/10/my-studio-blog.html</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[In addition to my website about my studio (which really is only a blog &#8211; someday I will set up a &#8220;real,&#8221; fancy schmancy one!), I also have a private blog with lots of resources for my students and their parents. Students and parents need to log in to view this blog. Some things I<br><a class="moretag" href="https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/my-studio-blog/">+ Read More</a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In addition to my website about my studio (which really is only a blog &#8211; someday I will set up a &#8220;real,&#8221; fancy schmancy one!), I also have a private blog with lots of resources for my students and their parents. Students and parents need to log in to view this blog. Some things I have on this blog:</p>
<ul>
<li><b>my studio policy</b></li>
<li><b>monthly studio news</b></li>
<li><b>studio calendar</b> (I use <a href="http://www.google.com/calendar/render">Google Calendar</a>)</li>
<li><b>fun links</b> (includes links to online music games, music theory lessons and reviews, fun music websites like the <a href="http://www.sfskids.org/templates/radio.asp?pageid=21">San Francisco Symphony Kids website</a> and <a href="http://classicsforkids.com/">Classics for Kids</a>, and a link to online ear training</li>
<li><b>assignments</b> &#8211; a <i>big</i>&nbsp;part of this blog is the assignments section. I have many listening and music theory assignments on this blog that I have created to be a bit of a supplement to lessons. For example, during a lesson I can assign a student a specific listening assignment. They can then go home, pull it up on the blog, print out the assignment sheet, and listen to the assigned pieces online (either on a website like pianosociety.com or on a YouTube video that I have embedded into the assignment post).</li>
<li><b>Composer of the Month</b> &#8211; links to information and listening examples to go with our composer of the month</li>
<li><b>Meet the Composers</b> &#8211; a bunch of links to some wonderful websites to help students learn about music history (<a href="http://www.nyphilkids.org/gallery/main.phtml?">NY Philharmonic Kidzone Meet the Composers</a>, <a href="http://www.classicsforkids.com/composers/composers_period.asp">Meet the Composers on Classics for Kids</a>, a <a href="http://www.classicsforkids.com/composers/composers_map.asp">composer map</a>, and games like <a href="http://www.dsokids.com/games/baseball/default.aspx">Beethoven&#8217;s Baseball</a> and <a href="http://www.dsokids.com/games/timemachine/default.aspx">Time Machine</a>).</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q5HPIwhDssw/TKnilxiGk6I/AAAAAAAAHGI/vNITZqs4xc8/s1600/boster+blog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" border="0" height="362" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.theplayfulpiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/boster-blog1.jpg?resize=640%2C362&#038;ssl=1" width="640" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a></div>
<p>
Since I am still working on re-building my studio after moving to a new state, in the future this blog will also contain things like:</p>
<ul>
<li><b>photos and videos</b> from student recitals</li>
<li>a <b>student phone list</b> for switching lesson times in the event of a cancellation</li>
</ul>
<div>I feel that this is a really great resource for my students. They can at any time have so many great online resources at their fingertips to help them learn about music theory, music history, or ear training; they can listen to any piece online; and they can have access to all studio policies and other information.</p>
<p><b>**Have you checked out the </b><a href="https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/2010/10/share-your-studio-website.html"><b>studio websites and blogs that have been shared by readers</b></a><b> this week? Make sure you go take a look, and feel free to </b><a href="https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/2010/10/share-your-studio-website.html"><b>share yours as well</b></a><b>! It is wonderful to get ideas and learn from each other!</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q5HPIwhDssw/TI5Iao4KeAI/AAAAAAAAHEQ/oumN-S8oQy0/s1600/jenny+bay+signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" border="0" height="160" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.theplayfulpiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/jenny-bay-signature14.jpg?resize=640%2C160&#038;ssl=1" width="640" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a></div>
<div>
</div>
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		<title>Share your Studio Website!</title>
		<link>https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/share-your-studio-website/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=share-your-studio-website</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jennifer Boster]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 04 Oct 2010 16:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jenny Boster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Studio Websites]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology in the Studio]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theplayfulpiano.com/2010/10/share-your-studio-website.html</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Alright, we are going to try something fun here! I thought that since we are discussing technology in the studio, it would be fun for all of our readers to be able to share their studio websites with everyone. I think it is wonderful to share and get ideas from each other. So, if you<br><a class="moretag" href="https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/share-your-studio-website/">+ Read More</a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Alright, we are going to try something fun here! I thought that since we are discussing technology in the studio, it would be fun for all of our readers to be able to share their studio websites with everyone. I think it is wonderful to share and get ideas from each other. So, if you want to participate and let other readers look at your studio website or blog, we&#8217;d love you to enter it in our list here! This will be available all week until Sunday night, so share away!</p>
<p>Just click on the button that says &#8220;click to enter&#8221; and it will give you directions on how to enter it. Thanks!</p>
<p></p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">212</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Using Technology in the Studio</title>
		<link>https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/using-technology-in-studio/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=using-technology-in-studio</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jennifer Boster]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jenny Boster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology in the Studio]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theplayfulpiano.com/2010/10/using-technology-in-studio.html</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[This week we will be talking about ways to use technology in our music studios. We are so lucky to have such amazing resources, through the internet and other technology, that most teachers did not have just a few years ago. I think that as an independent music teacher it is smart to tap into<br><a class="moretag" href="https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/using-technology-in-studio/">+ Read More</a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This week we will be talking about ways to use technology in our music studios. We are so lucky to have such amazing resources, through the internet and other technology, that most teachers did not have just a few years ago. I think that as an independent music teacher it is smart to tap into that and utilize whatever we can for the improvement of our studios!</p>
<p>So, how do <i>you</i>&nbsp;use technology in your music studio? Do you use a studio website? Music theory computer software? Recording equipment? What online resources do you like to use?</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">213</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>Some software that I LOVE</title>
		<link>https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/some-software-that-i-love/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=some-software-that-i-love</link>
					<comments>https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/some-software-that-i-love/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jennifer Boster]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Sep 2010 15:50:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jenny Boster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Preschool Music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teaching Beginners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teaching Beginning Theory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology in the Studio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Theory Software]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.theplayfulpiano.com/2010/09/some-software-that-i-love.html</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[So I need to tell you about some awesome&#160;piano/music software that I just bought. I currently have a little student who is preschool-aged (not to mention an almost-3 son who LOVES learning about music and piano with his mommy).&#160;Because of Janina&#8217;s recommendation, I decided to buy Pianomouse Goes to Preschool. And let me tell you,<br><a class="moretag" href="https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/some-software-that-i-love/">+ Read More</a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pianomouse-Goes-Preschool-Hybrid-CD-ROM/dp/B0002VOYA4?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=theteastu-20&amp;link_code=bil&amp;camp=213689&amp;creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img decoding="async" alt="Pianomouse Goes to Preschool, Hybrid CD-ROM" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;ID=AsinImage&amp;WS=1&amp;Format=_SL160_&amp;ASIN=B0002VOYA4&amp;tag=theteastu-20" /></a><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=theteastu-20&amp;l=bil&amp;camp=213689&amp;creative=392969&amp;o=1&amp;a=B0002VOYA4" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
So I need to tell you about some <i>awesome</i>&nbsp;piano/music software that I just bought.</p>
<p>I currently have a little student who is preschool-aged (not to mention an almost-3 son who LOVES learning about music and piano with his mommy).&nbsp;Because of <a href="https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/2010/04/technology-and-theory.html">Janina&#8217;s recommendation</a>, I decided to buy <i>Pianomouse Goes to Preschool</i>. And let me tell you, I absolutely LOVE <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pianomouse-Goes-Preschool-Hybrid-CD-ROM/dp/B0002VOYA4?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=theteastu-20&amp;link_code=btl&amp;camp=213689&amp;creative=392969" target="_blank">this software</a><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=theteastu-20&amp;l=btl&amp;camp=213689&amp;creative=392969&amp;o=1&amp;a=B0002VOYA4" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />! You should go buy it. Seriously.</p>
<p>This software is published by Pianomouse (and I just discovered that if you go to their website, <a href="http://pianomouse.com/">pianomouse.com</a>, they are currently updating their software and creating a new product line for 2011 &#8211; can&#8217;t wait!) and it is made for children ages 3 through 5.</p>
<p>Some things I <i>love</i> about this software:</p>
<ul>
<li>The characters are fun, and they fully narrate the entire game</li>
<li>Colorful illustrations and fun music</li>
<li>It is simple to use, even for young children (my almost 3-year-old loves it)</li>
<li>Teaches recognition of the musical alphabet, musical symbols, notes, musical instruments, and composers, as well as how many beats each note gets &#8211; can you imagine teaching a 5-year-old who <i>already</i>&nbsp;knew all of these things? I think it is great.</li>
<li>I think my favorite part of this is <i>Khachaturian&#8217;s Keyboard</i>&nbsp;&#8211; it teaches keyboard topography and includes finding high and low notes, finding groups of three black keys and two black keys, and finding groups of high black keys and low black keys.</li>
<li>I love that my son can already distinguish between the different types of notes and can even pick out a half note without seeing another picture of one, and that he is saying things like &#8220;treble clef&#8221; <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></li>
</ul>
<p>
Children select games from the interactive menu screen. As you move your mouse over each picture, the names of each game are narrated by the fun characters.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q5HPIwhDssw/TJjS1TvMBhI/AAAAAAAAHFQ/n0zK__UQk0g/s1600/pianomouse1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" border="0" height="484" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.theplayfulpiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/pianomouse1.jpg?resize=640%2C484&#038;ssl=1" width="640" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a></div>
<p>The software&nbsp;consists of twelve different games, some of which have a couple of different levels &#8211;</p>
<p>Gone Fishing</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q5HPIwhDssw/TJjSTpxY9AI/AAAAAAAAHEw/nJ4YGnwzboQ/s1600/pianomouse2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img decoding="async" border="0" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.theplayfulpiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/pianomouse2.jpg?w=690&#038;ssl=1" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a></div>
<p>
The Apple Note Farm</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q5HPIwhDssw/TJjSZllq8YI/AAAAAAAAHE4/2FU4JHxnQgo/s1600/pianomouse3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img decoding="async" border="0" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.theplayfulpiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/pianomouse3.jpg?w=690&#038;ssl=1" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a></div>
<p>
Musical ABCs<br />
Khachaturian&#8217;s Keyboard</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/4.bp.blogspot.com/_Q5HPIwhDssw/TJjSgYXQ1QI/AAAAAAAAHFA/8af0EqmQTuc/s1600/pianomouse5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img decoding="async" border="0" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.theplayfulpiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/pianomouse5.jpg?w=690&#038;ssl=1" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a></div>
<p>
BOUNCE!<br />
Pianomouse Coloring Book<br />
Clara in the Concert Hall<br />
Meet a Famous Composer<br />
Pianomouse Concentration<br />
Instrument Parade</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q5HPIwhDssw/TJjSo2n1O2I/AAAAAAAAHFI/meA_nJTyskA/s1600/pianomouse6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img decoding="async" border="0" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.theplayfulpiano.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/pianomouse6.jpg?w=690&#038;ssl=1" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a></div>
<p>
Puccini&#8217;s Musical Hopscotch<br />
Pianomouse&#8217;s Music Workshop</p>
<div>I think that this software is an excellent addition to any music class or studio that involves young children. It helps give them a great foundation for their continued music and piano study.</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cZ37zyBCkLi7CL4fCVuY6fEmfRJV9D6By0AK1dn7LUg?feat=embedwebsite" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="160" src="https://i0.wp.com/lh3.ggpht.com/_Q5HPIwhDssw/TI5Iao4KeAI/AAAAAAAAHEQ/oumN-S8oQy0/s640/jenny%20bay%20signature.jpg?resize=640%2C160" width="640" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a></div>
</div>
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		<title>Technology and Theory</title>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jennifer Boster]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:18:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Janina Herbert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teaching Beginning Theory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology in the Studio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Theory Software]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[Jenny Bay, what an awesome post! I completely agreed with everything you said! I just came back from a workshop devoted entirely to using technology in the studio to teach theory &#8211; so I thought I&#8217;d share what I learned! The presenter had a very extensive computer lab (which I hope to one day attain!),<br><a class="moretag" href="https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/technology-and-theory/">+ Read More</a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Jenny Bay, what an awesome post! I completely agreed with everything you said! I just came back from a workshop devoted entirely to using technology in the studio to teach theory &#8211; so I thought I&#8217;d share what I learned!</p>
<p>The presenter had a very extensive computer lab (which I hope to one day attain!), and he went through each of the programs that he uses for his students, the pro&#8217;s and con&#8217;s, and which ones he felt were &#8220;absolute musts&#8221; for  the studio:</p>
<p>1. Space Flight Music Notes Flash Cards. This one is AWESOME! I just downloaded it yesterday, actually, and the best part is &#8211; it only costs $5! Yes! If you go to <a href="http://www.sharesoftware24.com/free-downloads/windows/education/kids/info/music-notes-flash-cards-12154.html">ShareSoftware24.com</a> and type in &#8220;Space Flight Music Notes Flash Cards&#8221;, the program will come up. Best of all, you can download the treble clef FOR FREE! If you want the full range (treble and bass clef), that&#8217;s when you pay the $5. It is TOTALLY worth it &#8211; the presenter was saying how his students absolutely LOVE this game, and they WANT to play it, even when they don&#8217;t need to! It works just like music note flash cards &#8211; except MUCH more fun. There&#8217;s a little space ship that zaps alien enemies, and if you get the correct note, your space ship will zap the enemy &#8211; but if you get enough notes wrong, the alien enemies will eventually overtake your ship! I&#8217;m addicted to it already! And the best part is &#8211; THE STUDENT IS LEARNING THE NOTES!</p>
<p>*Addendum: Since I made this post,  the cost for Space Flight music note flashcards has gone up! It&#8217;s now $9.95, and unfortunately, there seems to no longer be a free download option for treble clef only. Thanks for  the update, Malinda! It&#8217;s still TOTALLY worth it, though.</p>
<p><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=theteastu-20&amp;o=1&amp;p=8&amp;l=bpl&amp;asins=B00007BGS6&amp;fc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;lt1=_blank&amp;m=amazon&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;bc1=000000&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>2. Alright, enough on Space Flight Music Notes. The presenter&#8217;s next favorite was MIDIsaurus. I&#8217;m sure most of us have heard of this one. The reason our presenter loved it so much was because there are a TON of different activities and exercises to teach each of the components of theory. Also, as a teacher, you can go in and tailor a course of theory lesson plans for EACH of your students &#8211; so it&#8217;s tailored to what THEY need. Also, just like Space Flight, this one is A LOT of fun for the students &#8211; he&#8217;s never had ANY student complain about these. He showed us a demo, and I can&#8217;t wait to buy it!</p>
<p>You DON&#8217;T need a MIDIkeyboard for it (like I thought) &#8211; you can do it with just a computer. The only &#8220;downside&#8221; is that now you have to download MIDIsaurus, and each year, the download expires (it&#8217;s on a timer), so you have to purchase the update &#8211; which costs $80 per year. But! If you do a computer lab fee, that should cover it. (Because I&#8217;m in Idaho, I&#8217;m charging $2.00 per month for the lab fee &#8211; that&#8217;s 50 cents a lesson! Totally affordable, and so far, no parents have complained). </p>
<p>The age range for MIDIsaurus is 4-11, and it&#8217;s published by Town4Kids.</p>
<p><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=theteastu-20&amp;o=1&amp;p=8&amp;l=bpl&amp;asins=B001IJO75G&amp;fc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;lt1=_blank&amp;m=amazon&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;bc1=000000&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>3. So what do to with the students who are too old for hatching dinosaur eggs and alien space ships? Use Practica Musica! This one is GREAT for high school and college students because there aren&#8217;t any of the &#8220;cutesy&#8221; little things &#8211; but it still can start at the very first level of theory. This program also has excellent rhythm and pitch-and-rhythm exercises, too. It has a one-time cost of $89.99 and it&#8217;s published by Ars Nova.</p>
<p><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=theteastu-20&amp;o=1&amp;p=8&amp;l=bpl&amp;asins=B0002VOYA4&amp;fc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;lt1=_blank&amp;m=amazon&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;bc1=000000&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>4. Another one that the presenter loved was Pianomouse Preschool. He didn&#8217;t get to do a demo on this one, but I&#8217;m excited to purchase it when I have preschool-aged students. It&#8217;s published by Pianomouse, and it&#8217;s for ages 3-6. It costs $19.49 (not bad!)</p>
<p>Here are some other ones that the presenter thought were good, as well as others that he had some reservations about:</p>
<p><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=theteastu-20&amp;o=1&amp;p=8&amp;l=bpl&amp;asins=B00018AUBK&amp;fc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;lt1=_blank&amp;m=amazon&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;bc1=000000&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>MusicAce Maestro, published by Harmonic Vision. This one comes in 2 volumes, and it costs $109.95 total. What he didn&#8217;t love about this one is that their order of lessons can be a little&#8230;unusual, so as a teacher, he&#8217;s found himself having to rearrange the lesson order (which can take a LOT of time). Also, he didn&#8217;t like their rhythm exercises because there&#8217;s a delay &#8211; which can be very confusing, and not effective, in teaching a student rhythm!I was going to buy this program, but now that I went to the workshop, I&#8217;ve decided to buy some other programs first.</p>
<p><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=theteastu-20&amp;o=1&amp;p=8&amp;l=bpl&amp;asins=0739022482&amp;fc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;lt1=_blank&amp;m=amazon&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;bc1=000000&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=theteastu-20&amp;o=1&amp;p=8&amp;l=bpl&amp;asins=0739022490&amp;fc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;lt1=_blank&amp;m=amazon&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;bc1=000000&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Theory Games, published by Alfred. This one is for ages 6 and up and costs $18.95. He did say that his students tend to get bored with this one, mainly because it&#8217;s the same set of games over and over again &#8211; at each level, the games stay the same, it just gets a little harder. It&#8217;d make more sense to save up and buy the MIDIsaurus, since there are a LOT more games available and greater depth of coverage.</p>
<p>Children&#8217;s Music Journey, published by Adventus, and made for ages 4-10. It costs $66.45. Unfortunately, we didn&#8217;t go over this one in the workshop, but the presenter said he loved it, and that he&#8217;d consider this one to be one of his staples for the studio. </p>
<p>I hope that was helpful! The presenter went over some other technology-based music tools for the studio, but those weren&#8217;t so much for Theory (maybe we&#8217;ll have another post on those!) I know now that I want to buy MIDIsaurus and Practica Musica (as well as those Space Flight flash cards I already bought!) to get a good coverage of all the levels and ages for my studio. I&#8217;m also very excited to start my computer lab, so I can have the students come 20 minutes early, do their theory on a FUN program, and then we can devote the entire 30 or 45 minutes of our one-on-one lesson time to just technique and repertoire! I&#8217;m so excited!</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FjZ3jUI_oXD9ujAb0i-Ov_EmfRJV9D6By0AK1dn7LUg?feat=embedwebsite"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="160" src="https://i0.wp.com/lh3.ggpht.com/_Q5HPIwhDssw/TI5IbA1ofqI/AAAAAAAAHEY/j1269rTeO-w/s640/janina%20signature.jpg?resize=640%2C160" width="640" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a></div>
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		<title>Theory Issues&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;and lots of LINKS!!</title>
		<link>https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/theory-issuesand-lots-of-links/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=theory-issuesand-lots-of-links</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jennifer Boster]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Apr 2010 07:03:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ear Training]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Helpful Resources]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jenny Boster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teaching Beginning Theory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology in the Studio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Theory Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Theory Software]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[Music theory is SUPER important to the beginning piano student. However, I think that sometimes it is easy to slack off and either 1) not leave enough time for it, or forget about it entirely, or 2) make it the most boring part of the lesson. I&#8217;d like to briefly address these two problems with<br><a class="moretag" href="https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/theory-issuesand-lots-of-links/">+ Read More</a>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">Music theory is SUPER important to the beginning piano student. However, I think that sometimes it is easy to slack off and either 1) not leave enough time for it, or forget about it entirely, or 2) make it the most boring part of the lesson.</div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;">I&#8217;d like to briefly address these <b>two problems with theory in our lessons </b>(at least in my experience &#8211; I know a lot of you already are great at teaching theory in a fun, exciting way! <i>Share your secrets with us!</i>;))<b>:</b></div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;"><b>1) Forgetting to do theory, or not leaving enough time for it</b></div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;">Sometimes it can be so hard to find the time to open up that theory book during the lesson. I truly hope that as teachers we don&#8217;t really <i>forget</i> to teach theory (because honestly, how could you? As I mentioned in an earlier post, there should be a technique reason and a theory reason for everything you teach.) &#8211; but it truly can be a challenge to fit <i>everything</i> your student needs to know to be a well-rounded musician into one weekly half-hour lesson.&nbsp;</div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;">A few options (just off the top of my head) to help remedy this:</div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;">-set up a computer in your studio and purchase some fun music theory software for your students to use for 15-20 minutes prior to their lesson. Definitely would help fit more into the lesson!</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">-assign your student to use some online theory resources at home &#8211; there really are a <i>ton</i> of great ones available</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">-do theory FIRST at the lesson, even if it&#8217;s just for a few minutes. That way you&#8217;ll keep right on track!</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">-whether you have the time to go over theory a lot or not, make sure the student always has some type of theory assignment to work on each week</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">-address the NEXT issue (theory is boring) and you won&#8217;t WANT to leave it out of the lesson because it is the best part of the lesson!&#8230;..</div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;"><b>2) Theory is boring</b></div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;">Well then something has got to change! I am just as guilty at this as the next person. It&#8217;s so easy to just open up that theory book, see which concept should be taught next, go over the page with the student (in a non-exciting way) and assign them the page to do at home. Sure this works, they usually get the concepts alright. But seriously, it can be very boring. And non-memorable. And did I mention boring?</div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;">I am not pretending to be some super resource for theory games &#8211; because honestly, I could use just as many ideas as the next teacher! My list of &#8220;theory games&#8221; would be rather short&#8230;and maybe a little boring&#8230;.here is one idea (hey at least it&#8217;s something!)&#8230;.</div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;"><b>-flashcard games</b>: actually this would probably be my one fun game that really sticks out in my mind as something that the students get into and enjoy, and that is really helpful. It is nothing too fancy, but we make it fun by using a stopwatch. I time the student to see how long it takes to go through the stack and name and play each note on the cards. I think it is helpful to have the student first name the note <i>without</i> looking at the keyboard (to avoid counting up keys and other shortcuts, to make sure they really know the note by sight), then turn to the keyboard and play the key in the correct octave. Any flashcards that the student does not get right, I put in a separate stack and we go through those again at the end. We count up how many cards they got right on the first try, and see how long it took. The students love trying to beat their time each week, and get really into it. It&#8217;s great to make them go for speed because it forces them to name the notes as quickly as possible.</div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;">Ok, enough of my ideas (or lack thereof)&#8230;..let&#8217;s turn to some AWESOME online resources! And please, if you know of other great resources, we&#8217;d love to hear about them to add to the list!</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Online Theory Trainers, Games, and Quizzes </b></div>
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Free online music theory drills &amp; theory concepts to explore</div>
<div><a href="http://www.emusictheory.com/practice.html" target="_blank">http://www.emusictheory.com/practice.html</a></div>
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<div>Online piano games</div>
<div><a href="http://www.flashmusicgames.com/index_piano.html" target="_blank">http://www.flashmusicgames.com/index_piano.html</a></div>
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<div>Music information, quizzes and games</div>
<div><a href="http://www.musictechteacher.com/musicquizzes.htm" target="_blank">http://www.musictechteacher.com/musicquizzes.htm</a></div>
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<div>46 online music theory lessons</div>
<div><a href="http://www.8notes.com/theory/" target="_blank">http://www.8notes.com/theory/</a></div>
<div>theory lessons, trainers, staff paper generator&nbsp; 
</div>
<div><a href="http://musictheory.net/" style="color: #942e06;" target="_blank">www.musictheory.net</a></div>
<div>Ear training</div>
<div><a href="http://www.good-ear.com/" target="_blank">http://www.good-ear.com/</a>&nbsp;  </div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Printable Worksheets &amp; Tools</b></div>
<p>&nbsp; </p></div>
<p>free tools, worksheets, sightreading genie, dictionary of terms, infinite supply of manuscript paper, rhythm machine, articles, music crosswords and games<br />
<a href="http://www.practicespot.com/home.php" style="color: #942e06;" target="_blank">www.practicespot.com</a> </div>
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<div>AWESOME website with free printable worksheets, fun composer bios/crossword puzzles, etc.</div>
<div><a href="http://www.makingmusicfun.net/" style="color: #942e06;" target="_blank">http://www.makingmusicfun.net/</a></div>
<div>lots of free printable worksheets!<br />
<a href="http://colorinmypiano.com/" style="color: #942e06;" target="_blank">http://colorinmypiano.com/</a><br />
free downloadable&nbsp;resources<br />
<a href="http://musicmotivationblog.com/music-motivation%C2%AE-free-downloadable-pdf-resources/" style="color: #942e06;" target="_blank">http://musicmotivationblog.com/music-motivation%C2%AE-free-downloadable-pdf-resources/</a> </div>
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<div>fun &amp; creative printable worksheets and certificates, teaching ideas<br />
<a href="http://www.insidemusicteaching.com/index.html" style="color: #942e06;" target="_blank">http://www.insidemusicteaching.com/index.html</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Ideas for Lessons</b></div>
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<div>Music Education Lesson Plans: Music Theory</div>
<div><a href="http://musiced.about.com/od/lessonsandtips/a/musictheory.htm" target="_blank">http://musiced.about.com/od/lessonsandtips/a/musictheory.htm</a></div>
<div>resources&nbsp;for music educators, lots of fun game ideas<br />
<a href="http://rebeccawmusic.blogspot.com/" style="color: #942e06;" target="_blank">http://rebeccawmusic.blogspot.com/</a> </div>
<div>creative, practical and up-to-date&nbsp;resources&nbsp;for the independent music teacher </p>
<div><a href="http://musicmattersblog.com/" style="color: #942e06;" target="_blank">http://musicmattersblog.com/</a></div>
<div>a blog about teaching&nbsp;piano&nbsp;lessons </div>
<div><a href="http://notesofjoy.wordpress.com/" style="color: #942e06;" target="_blank">http://notesofjoy.wordpress.com/</a> </div>
<div>teaching&nbsp;resources, games, activities, ideas<br />
<a href="http://susanparadis.wordpress.com/" style="color: #942e06;" target="_blank">http://susanparadis.wordpress.com/</a> </div>
<div>wonderful ideas for lessons!</div>
<div><a href="http://lowepianostudio.blogspot.com/">http://lowepianostudio.blogspot.com/</a><br />
more fun ideas<br />
<a href="http://heidispianonotes.blogspot.com/%20">http://heidispianonotes.blogspot.com/&nbsp;</a><br />
some great games!<br />
<a href="http://jenspianostudio.wordpress.com/">http://jenspianostudio.wordpress.com/</a></div>
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<b>Theory Software</b></div>
<p><b>&nbsp;</b> </div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;">Piano &amp; Music Theory Software Reviews</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://pianoeducation.org/pnosoftr.html" target="_blank">http://pianoeducation.org/pnosoftr.html</a></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;"> </div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">Review of Alfred&#8217;s Theory Games</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://pianoeducation.org/pnoatgr.html" target="_blank">http://pianoeducation.org/pnoatgr.html</a><b>&nbsp;</b></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Other</b></div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;">Have fun with music composition!</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.creatingmusic.com/" target="_blank">http://www.creatingmusic.com/</a></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">Jazz fun! </div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://pbskids.org/jazz/" target="_blank">http://pbskids.org/jazz/</a></div>
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