Chopin Nocturne played by Yundi Li

This is such a beautiful piece. I really enjoyed watching Yundi Li's fingers as he played this Chopin Nocturne. He also has such amazing expressions on his face - he is really feeling this music.

Elton John Study

A student of mine came up with a great listening activity - to study Elton John. Usually we study classical composers in the studio, but I'd never thought of branching out to pop!

Here are several videos of Elton John at different times in his career. After each video are some questions for you to try and answer - good luck!

***Update: it seems that the video for "Your Song" is not viewable for everyone. If you are having trouble watching it, try "Crocodile Rock". The questions below can be used for both videos.***

Elton John: Your Song



Elton John: Crocodile Rock

1. Look at Elton John at the piano, especially at the beginning of the video. Pretend that you are the piano teacher - what are some good things that you see, and what things would you ask him to change?
2. How many beats are in each measure of this piece? Try clapping along with the song - this might help.

Elton John: Candle in the Wind

Sung at Princess Diana's funeral

1. Watch Elton John's hands: what do you notice about his fingers? How far away do they move from the keys?
2. Elton John is singing the melody of this piece. How loud is the piano when he is singing? How loud is the piano when he isn't singing?

A musical challenge?

Everyone at the studio has been working so hard to prepare for our upcoming Christmas recital, so I thought I'd post a photo of the ultimate musical challenge: The Death Waltz.

Take a good look at it - and if you feel like you would like to spend the rest of your piano career trying to master it, let me know!

Christmas Recital 2012

The date for our Christmas Recital is set!

We'll hold our recital on Saturday, December 1st at 1:00 pm.

You'll be receiving formal invitations shortly!

The Interval Song

I came across this little song on youtube today as I was looking for resources to help students with learning to identify intervals by ear. It's a cute song - repetitive enough to be both endearing and annoying at the same time! That means it will probably get stuck in your head and you'll therefore find intervals easy for the rest of your life :)

Christmas Recital

It's the end of September, and we are now in full-swing preparations for our Christmas recital. Many students have already chosen their pieces, and others are brainstorming potential pieces to perform. As always, remember that our recitals are a chance to share our music, meet with friends, and celebrate all your hard work!

I'll put up an updated post when the date for the Christmas Recital is set.

Create your own custom theory pages

Are you looking for a new way to practice your music theory?
I have found an amazing little website called musictheory.net. It allows you to create your own theory exercises - you can either let it create a fast activity for you, or you can customize your exercise to meet your exact needs. You can practice everything from note reading to identifying key signatures. Sometimes it's more fun to play a theory game online than it is to sit down and do it with pen and paper.