normanmusicstudio

PRAISE student’s music making. BRAVO! YOU’RE AWESOME! I LOVE THAT SONG, PLAY IT AGAIN FOR ME! YOU ARE A GENIUS PLAYING SUCH HARD MUSIC! THAT’S BEAUTIFUL! (After much PRAISE, a gentle, occasional suggestion will usually be happily accepted. Weekly Rewards help too!)

My teaching Philosophy is: MUCH PRAISE & many BRAVOS + gentle suggestions.

1. Have the piano be in a room with no distractions (no TV, etc.) so students concentrate better. Avoid noisy activities during practice times. Students: leave cell phones in another room. 

2. Equipment and Services:  Pianos need to be tuned-at least twice each year.  Piano tuners:  Brigham Larson – 801-830-0011, or Glen Monson – 801-226-6837.  Free metronome APPS for your iPhone and iPad.  Also, student’s music can be purchased at Day Murray Music–136 East Main, Lehi or Best In Music – 444 West 800 North, Orem.

3. Make a chart like the one below for students to write daily practice times. Try to avoid low energy times for practicing, which like practicing a sport, requires energy and concentration. Students can begin at different parts of assignments each day.

4. Reward and complement students for practicing each day–Can you pay them at the end of each week with money to purchase their clothes, school supplies, etc? Many families already do this. Or use other Rewards that fit your needs. 

5. Most students should be practicing 1/2 to 1 hour each day. This includes, scales, chords, arpeggions, songs & written Theory assignments. (Practice 30 minutes, break, then 30 more minutes).  Practice small sections: (RH, LH, HT Slow to fast), then add sections together. 

6. HOW TO LEARN NEW SONGS:  Posture at Piano:  back straight, feet flat on the floor, curved fingers; Melodies: Phrasing/Voicing/Balance; Rhythms: Tap & Count Aloud, Metronome; Harmonic Chord Progressions:  Chords/Inversions & Dynamics; Form Analysis: Sections & Patterns (Repetition, Contrast, Variation); Correct Fingering, Gestures (Natural moves with flow & grace): Row in—Row out, Wrist Circles, Wrist Slurs  ↓   ↑  , Detached bounce (Baroque); Foot Pedal–Syncopated Pedal,  Finger Pedal; Rubato=waves that swell & diminish.

7. Memorizing includes–Touch, Sound, Sight, Mental focus-understanding Form & Chords, and ability to stop anywhere in the song and go to different sections by memory.  Repetition of small sections (like saying each line of a poem aloud 5-10 times–then altogether) helps greatly.

8. Review memorized songs daily: 1. with music & 2. by memory. Perform often for others – relatives, company, Church occasions, friends. The more they perform the easier it becomes.

9. VIDEO STUDENTS when they practice and when a song is memorized.  I will video songs in lessons and classes.   With permission I will post the best videos on the  private YouTube Channel on this Website.

10. Students can have fun with their musical talents by improvising on Hymns and popular songs, and composing.

Success is defined as the point where preparation meets opportunity. – (Parents = Practice Coach –Play one hand while student plays other, etc.)

LONG TERM GOALS:  1.  Memorize EIGHT SOLOS and learn TWO DUETS and give a SOLO RECITAL  2.  COMPOSE your own song by making up new sounds on the piano—with REPETITION, VARIATIONS & CONTRASTING SECTIONS.   3.  COMPOSER REPORT EACH MONTH on the Composer of your Performance Song.  “AIM”  GOALS:  1.  Daily sightread a new song  until you reach 100 songs  2. Write ONE page in Theory Book  3. Copy FOUR measures of music  4.  Play Scales, Chords, Arpeggios   5.  Memorize assigned Solos.