SoundCloud

Yesterday I decided to find out about SoundCloud. Lately I have been noticing it on Facebook as a way people are sharing their own music. It's tricky to share mp3 files on Facebook and this seems like a neat solution. It's also tricky to share mp3s on a blog, so I'm going to find out today how this works for me and maybe some of you will be inspired to check it out too.

SoundCloud was launched in 2008 and is apparently growing by 1.5 million users every month. When you upload an audio file you have the choice of making it public or private. Then you can share in a variety of ways including email, Facebook, Twitter or with a widget on your blog or website like you see below.

You have to register in order to upload your own sounds (it's free), but I believe you can explore and listen to music without registering. You, my friendly readers are part of my experiment.

Below you should see the SoundCloud widget, which is displaying my set of solos from Garden Capriccio. Enjoy!

The Piano Elf on the Shelf

Did the elf on the shelf enter your piano studios this year?

My elf came to me for the first time a really really long time ago. See him hanging on the tree? And yes, that's me.

This year he made his way into my piano studio. He sat in the corner watching all the piano lessons for the month of December and he will be reporting back to Santa Claus this weekend.

During video week he apparently wanted a supporting role in the movies. I made the mistake of helping him move from the bookshelf to the piano, but a smart 10 year old told me that to give him some cinnamon and he would be okay. You can't touch the elf!

I'm certain that the Piano Elf will have good things to report to Santa. I have lovely, smart piano students. Merry Christmas everyone!

The Silent Night Variations and more

I just finished uploading my last student video to YouTube. Hooray! It was fun though, everyone did a beautiful job with their pieces last week.

Andrée has kindly allowed me to post her video on my blog. Otherwise, I keep my student videos unlisted in YouTube. That way students can share with family and friends, just the people they choose. I always disable comments and ratings on my student videos to keep things safe and friendly.

Andrée did a beautiful job with the "Silent Night Variations", a project that I gave to most of my teens in December. I handed out a sheet with just the melody and lyrics. They learned how to select their own chords to create a lead sheet. I encouraged them to try several options and to go with a nice blend of colorful and traditional chord choices. Then they composed a melodic variation using passing tones, neighboring tones and any other creative inspiration. I was very pleased with the results, doesn't it sound lovely and sophisticated?

The second selection on Andrée's video is a duet arrangement of "So Long, Farewell" from The Sound of Music Piano Duet Play-Along series. I bought this book for two of my older students this year and we are have so much fun learning the pieces. I have several collections from this Play-Along Series from Hal Leonard and this one is by far my favorite. Highly recommended!

look inside

The Sound of Music (Piano Duet Play-Along Volume 10). By Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. For piano duet (1 piano, 4 hands). Piano Duet Play-Along. Play Along. Softcover with CD. 88 pages. Published by Hal Leonard (HL.290557) ...more info

Christmas Is Composing

'Tis the season to play Christmas carols. But how about creating an opportunity for your students to compose their own carols?

My older students have been working on all kinds of creative projects related to playing lead sheets, composing and arranging. This project began with lyrics, a short little Christmas poem that I found online.

Christmas is a time of joy,
A time for love and cheer,
A time for making memories,
To last throughout the year.

1. The first task was to say the poem and find the rhythm of the words. We underlined the strongest syllables to identify the beat 1s, which revealed the bar line placement. Next we marked the syllables of the words, determined the note values and the time signature. We did all of this during lesson time.

2. Students went home to work out a C Major melody to fit the lyrics. They wrote in the notes, rhythm and lyrics on staff paper.

3. Then it was time to choose chords. They had already learned to study the notes in each measure to determine possible chord choices. They wrote in the chords to create a lead sheet.

4. And finally practice. Students created an intro, a suitable left hand style and a creative ending for the song.

Nice work students! Here are some of the carols that came in last week.

Play Me, I'm Yours

The nicest surprise arrived at my door yesterday...

I received a lovely note from a Pianoanne blog reader who lives in Ontario. She explained that she is an adult beginner and that she enjoys reading my blog during the train commute to piano lessons. She asked if she could send me this placqued poster from the Stratford Music Festival as a thank-you.

Isn't it beautiful? Thank-you Nicola, I love it! Blogging is full of such nice surprises! Many thanks to all the lovely readers out there who have sent friendly comments and donations. Wishing you all a happy Christmas season.

'Twas the last week of lessons...

Starting today I will be seeing students for the last time until after Christmas. I haven't done the traditional Christmas concert in years, but it has become a tradition in my studio to do video projects. The scene is set, the camera is charged...let the playing begin! Mostly for the little ones, it is fun to share videos with family and friends over the holidays.

And for a little Christmas treat I have hopped on the Pinterest train and made reindeer noses for everyone. I found the little reindeer clipart at My Cute Graphics. Quick little label design, print at Staples and a trip to the Bulk Barn. Voila!

Look Listen Learn: Winter Wind

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

 Frédéric Chopin was born in Poland in 1810, he lived there with his family for twenty years and then moved to Paris. He was a famous pianist, composer and teacher.

He never married or had children, but he did have a long-term relationship with a famous French writer, Aurore Dudevant, who used the name George Sand on her novels.

Chopin was a sickly man and died of tuberculosis when he was only 39 years old.

Chopin composed 27 études, which are solo studies for the piano. His études present many technical challenges, and were the first to become a regular part of the concert repertoire. He successfully combines musical artistry with extreme technical virtuosity. The Etude Op.25 No.11 has been nicknamed "Winter Wind".


Evgeny Kissin performs Chopin's Etude Op.25 No.11 (Winter Wind)

The Look Listen Learn posts are meant to give your students a tiny taste of music history, a glimpse at famous composers and an opportunity to watch and listen to wonderful music. Enjoy!

More Free Christmas Lead Sheets

I have noticed that a lot of you have been interested in my Christmas lead sheets from 2011. Thanks to Joy at Color in My Piano, her link has lead many of you here.

It just so happens that I have been mashing up Christmas carols to create lovely little arrangements to play on my harp. I also give them to my teen students who are becoming quite adept at working with lead sheets. I've been hearing comments from parents such as, "the Christmas music sounds really nice this year" and my favorite, "is that really my child playing?"

Christmas is the time for sharing, so please feel free to download and print any of my Christmas carol mash-ups. If you feel moved to buy me a Christmas coffee, the donation button is on my printables page.

Here are the links to my Dropbox:

Still Still Still / Away in a Manger
Bring a Torch Jeannette Isabella / Good Christian Men Rejoice
Ding Dong Merrily on High / Deck the Halls
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / O Come O Come Emmanuel

Jingle All the Way to 2003

Last weekend I made my way to the very back of our closet to dig out the Christmas decoration box. Many of my favorite ornaments were given to me by  students and it's fun to think about those children (now adults) as I find a special spot for each angel and snowman.

To my delight I also found a stack of old Christmas CDs recorded by my students in 2003, 2004 and 2005. It's been fun listening to the "Jingle Bells" and "Winnie the Poohs" of seven year olds who are now driving to piano lessons. Let's not even talk about the fact that my very first studio Christmas recordings were on cassette tapes!

I feel sad that CDs are longer special projects. Who even uses those shiny discs anymore? My young students have CDs with their method books and half of them can't figure out how to play them at home. Still, I get a kick out of sitting down with the CD liner notes, which lists the students' names, ages and pieces they played.

Next week, my younger students will begin videotaping their favorite pieces. Huge job! But it is a delight to find out they have shared their music with friends and family all over the world. I just wonder if I'll be able to watch those videos ten years from now? How quickly technology changes!