Recital Preparations
May is spring recital month. This is very exciting. And very stressful. Here are the things that go into making a recital happen. 1)...
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pianoteacherjulie
May 9, 20192 min read
Teacher Playing in a Student Recital?
If you spend any time in music teacher Facebook groups, you will find full on debates about whether or not teachers should play in their...
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pianoteacherjulie
May 6, 20191 min read
Sitting at the Piano
May is correct posture month, so it's a good time for a reminder on how to sit at the piano (literally the first thing I teach every...
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pianoteacherjulie
May 2, 20192 min read
"Disconnecting" from My Phone
As my number of students has been increasing, one thing that I have been cautioned about is not to let my work take over my life. I...
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pianoteacherjulie
Apr 29, 20192 min read
A Range of Dynamics
Pretty quickly in your music study, you will learn terms for dynamics. Piano is soft. Forte is loud. Then you get to mezzo piano and...
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pianoteacherjulie
Apr 25, 20191 min read
Breaking Out of Positions
When you fist start learning piano, you generally learn C Position, Middle C Position, G Position, etc. and method books will stay in the...
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pianoteacherjulie
Apr 22, 20192 min read
Processing Emotions at the Piano
Some days are just hard. We have too many things to do than we have time to do them. Or we spent all day at jury duty being reminded that...
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pianoteacherjulie
Apr 18, 20191 min read
"Can you play it a little less angry?"
One thing I have been working with my students on is playing lead sheets (ie. right hand playing the melody line and the left hand...
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pianoteacherjulie
Apr 16, 20192 min read
Online Pros and Cons
There are several pros and cons to lessons online. Here are the ones I've come across so far. Pros: Convenience! No one has to travel...
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pianoteacherjulie
Apr 15, 20191 min read
Update: Rebuilding Endurance
I've shared before about how 2018 was a nightmare for being able to keep up with practicing and that I now have to rebuild my endurance...
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pianoteacherjulie
Apr 11, 20191 min read
Why Should You Continue Lessons in the Summer?
There's no school. Why keep taking music lessons in the summer? Here are a few good reasons: 1) Keep making progress instead of losing...
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pianoteacherjulie
Apr 8, 20191 min read
Please Don't Call Them "Seconds"
I'm back with a pet peeve. Please do not call "beats" or "counts" "seconds." Yes, they all have to do with time, BUT "a second" is a...
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pianoteacherjulie
Apr 4, 20191 min read
Springtime Practice Tips
If you live in an area that has winter, spring is a welcome change which comes with a few challenges for practice. It's nice weather and...
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pianoteacherjulie
Apr 1, 20192 min read
Confessions of a Non-Techy Online Teacher
I admit it. I'm a non-techy Millennial. I love the opportunities that technology provides, but have no clue how it works and don't really...
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pianoteacherjulie
Mar 28, 20191 min read
Asking for Adjustments
Your teacher works really hard to plan your music education. There is a long range plan and weekly plans to reach the big goals. So, what...
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pianoteacherjulie
Mar 25, 20192 min read
What Not to Do in a Lesson
Here are a few things that will NOT go over well in a music lesson, so please don't do them. 1) Not following directions. Your teacher is...
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pianoteacherjulie
Mar 21, 20191 min read
What Is a Well-rounded Musician?
I think a well rounded musician is someone who has the skills to play whatever they set out to play correctly and expressively. Notice, I...
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pianoteacherjulie
Mar 18, 20191 min read
Practice Away from the Piano
I'm not near a piano. How can I practice? 1) Study your score. Make notes in your music. Write in the chord names. Make repeated phrases....
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pianoteacherjulie
Mar 14, 20192 min read
Breaking It Down
When you are practicing, don't feel like you need to play the whole piece over and over. In fact, if that's all you're doing, you are...
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pianoteacherjulie
Mar 11, 20191 min read
Music in Our (Home) Schools
March is Music in Our Schools Month, and there is only so much we can do about music programs in public schools, but what about in home...
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