Christmas Crafts.

Last year we made origami pianos in many lessons. This year I did that with new pupils; if you want to make some at home the instructions can be found here: http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-for-kids.html Our new craft in this week's final piano lessons has been pipe cleaner treble clefs with beads to hang on your Christmas trees. Some pupils twisted two cleaners together, others added beads in their favourite football team's colours, and some stuck pom poms on the end! As always when we did these crafts, I learnt a great deal about you all and your skills.

Merry Christmas from Yohondo!

Yohondo now have two free We Wish You a Merry Christmas iPad Apps for pianists. One is for beginners to Prep Test level https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/we-wish-you-merry-christmas/id940168163?mt=8 and the other has a little bit of hands together and is suitable for grade1-3 pianists https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/we-wish-you-merry-christmas/id938079710?mt=8 These Apps have the full score, playalongs, chances to record and share as well as great animations and professional video recordings. Well worth a try!

Piano versus Keyboard.

This is a regular question and I do appreciate the problems you can face.  However I want to write in praise of the piano! If you have signed up for piano lessons in school, congratulations, it's a great decision and one that can change your child's life forever. However, can I beg you to get a piano. I know they're big and will take up room but they are lovely pieces of furniture AND THEY SOUND FAB-U-LOUS!  

A piano will have full size keys, more notes, a pair of pedals and you will be able to play a range of dynamics on it. Also if you learn to play the piano you can then move on to play the keyboard.  A keyboard is not the same; the keys are smaller, it has no pedal, you can't play with different dynamics, there aren't as many keys and fingers will not develop much strength.A digital piano is a good alternative to an old-fashioned acoustic piano. Try one out, maybe look at some Yamaha ones as they're a good price and there is a great variety.

You can survive on a keyboard for a term or maybe even two but your child will miss out on several things even in this short time. If you have a keyboard consider keyboard lessons, for piano lessons you need a piano! When you're ready to get one, ask my advice, talk to the lovely people at Allegro or go to a piano shop. Then enjoy your piano.

Welcome to Piano Lessons.

Welcome to Piano Lessons!

My name is Fiona Lau, I have been teaching the piano for many years and have had great success with pupils. You can find out more about me at: www.fionalau.com  and you can contact me via email: fionavalerielau@hotmail.com If you haven’t already done so, could you let me know your email address?

I also communicate regularly with parents and pupils via my blog so do check it for updates and information: www.mrslaupiano.blogspot.com

 To get the best out of piano lessons:

·         You need a piano, either a traditional acoustic one or a digital one. Keyboards are not the same and your child will not develop the skills needed. Allegro, High St., Chelmsford have a selection of new and used pianos.

·         It is essential to practice every day. For beginners 10-15 mins a day is enough but it does need to be every day. Grade1-3 pupils should be playing for 30 mins daily, grade 4-5 for 40 mins and advanced pupils should be practising for 45-60 mins a day minimum. Sort out a regular time for them to do this. With all children you will probably have to remind them to practise...

·         The piano diaries your child has are our basic method of communication; I write what has happened in the lesson and what I expect to be practised during the week and you can write in what you have noticed and how you think your child is responding. I am always delighted to hear what has happened during the week, after all I only see your child for 20, 30 or 45 mins per week- you have them the rest of the time!

·         You can buy the music you need from Daces, Broomfield Road and Allegro also has some but will order it for you if they don’t have it. You can also go online to buy music at www.musicroom.com

 

Parents play a huge part in their child learning to play the piano, I can’t do it alone! Please remind your child to practise, encourage them to perform their pieces to family and friends and take them to concerts or encourage listening to music.

 

Thank you, I look forward to hearing your children play and progress!

 

Fiona Lau. Nov 2014.

 

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Yohondo have produced and released a free IPad App to help you learn, practise and play We wish You a Merry Christmas. It's free, it's fabulous, suitable for g1-3 pianists and it's here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/we-wish-you-merry-christmas/id938079710?mt=8

Enjoy!

Half term update.

Hi everyone,

I hope that you are enjoying your half-term break and playing your Autumn and Halloween pieces. Next week we are back to piano lessons and it's time to start the Christmas music! If you want to buy your child a Christmas music book it is best to get them one from the same series as the tutor book they are using: Piano Adventures or Hal Leonard. These and many others are available from www.musicroom.com

Susan Paradis also has several seasonal pieces for beginners: www.SusanParadis.com
I will also provide some music in piano lessons.

If you have exams or the Chelmsford Competitive Festival this term, keep playing and practising and especially remember to do some daily sight-reading. Also, look under the Guides and Reviews section of this blog for a guide to surviving exams and competitions. Nearer the date we will do a countdown and have a pre-exam play through to each other.

In the next couple of weeks I will also explain this year's incentive/reward scheme so keep your eyes peeled for that. The 30 Piece Challenge worked really well last year but it's good to mix things up and change things around so that's what I will do!

Things you can do to help your child learn the piano.

Hi everyone,

I don't often post links to other stuff but this is too good to ignore! I remember how interesting it was supporting my children in their piano and instrumental practice and wish l'd had something like this. Enjoy:

http://diaryofapianomama.com.au/2013/11/16/4-things-you-can-do-to-help-your-child-learn-piano/

Dear new piano pupil parents,

I have had a great time teaching your children their first piano lessons. They were excited, keen, chatty and itching to play! I will do my best to maintain this enthusiasm!

Could you:

Read their Piano Practice Diaries.

Remind them to practice.

Send them with their music and diary to every lesson.

Encourage them to perform.

It also helps to:

Get a piano bag ( available from Dace's or Allegro or just use a folder or bag from home)

Have a piano: keyboards are just about ok for the first term but after that they will only progress if they have a piano. A digital or an acoustic one is fine and Allegro have a good selection.

So: get involved, get organised, keep in contact, and enjoy this fabulous journey that they ( and you) are embarking on,

Fiona Lau.

Meeting Lang Lang.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting the international concert pianist Lang Lang. Lang Lang was in the UK to launch his new series of technique books " Mastering the Piano" in partnership with Faber Music, and as a reviewer for Music Teacher magazine, I was invited to this launch at the 1901 Arts Club, London.

Lang Lang is very involved with piano education and keen to help every young pianist improve and during his launch of the Mastering the Piano books, he explained how he practised, what helped him when he was a young beginner and what is in this series of 5 books. Here are some of his top tips for mastering the piano:

1. Start with the basics and make sure that your hand is in a "holding the apple" position.

2. "Scales are so important to me. I play them at the start of every practice and always begin slowly!"

3. You can then go on to practise them for an hour or an hour and a half, using different rhythms and "demon turns."

4.The left hand is so much weaker and so needs more work.

5. I think about different moods to help me play different dynamics."

6. " I also think of different paintings and sculpture to help me capture the mood and feel of pieces."

7. " Legato playing is about keeping your fingers really connected to the keys- think about the suckers on a gecko's feet and imagine them on your fingers."

8. " To play a great staccato you need to think about a beautiful, very light, very naughtly cat!"

9. " It's so important to learn pieces hand separately- when l was a kid l never played pieces straight away with both hands."

10.  If you play Bach every week everything becomes natural.

My review of Book One of Mastering the Piano is in September's edition of Music Teacher and an article on the whole series will be in the November piano special edition.

Lang Lang says that " To me, the piano is like a musical world- it takes me to a place beyond reality. You too, will find that it extends your mind, heart, creativity and communication skills. You don't need a concert hall; you don't need a big grand piano: any piano is enough- and the world will be yours to embrace." Here's a link to a Youtube video where I talk about Lang Lang's Tipsmfor Masteringnthe Piano: http://youtu.be/13WaPWj2zgM

Here we go again!

So here we are, the start of another exciting piano year! First of all I would like to say a huge thank you for all the cards, presents, flowers and notes that you gave me at the end of last term. It means a lot to receive your thoughts and thanks and, for those who have left, it helps me to remember you.

Private lessons begin next week ( week beg Mon 8th Sept) unless you have heard otherwise from me.

Lessons at The Cathedral Scool and at Moulsham High School will begin the week after ( MHS Tues 16th, CS Wed 17th).

This term we have the Chelmsford Festival coming up in November and I will be discussing it with some of you in your first lessons. There are also grade exams, the joy of GCSE, AS and A levels and Christmas music!

Start to think now what you want to get out of your piano lessons this term and this year, so that we can chart a course together. Make a resolution to practise regularly and to bring your music to every lesson.

I look forward to hearing you all play!

Fiona.

Introducing Yohondo

Introducing Yohondo

You may have noticed my references to and recommendations for Yohondo and so I thought that I should explain my rationale for these and my involvement. Yohondo is a software start-up that produces apps to help piano practice. The apps are a fun way to learn pieces, just put your iPad on the piano and we take you step by step through a piece with professional recordings, playalongs, animated notation, tips, games and technique videos.

Learning via a Yohondo app makes practice fun and almost addictive. It can be used alongside your weekly lessons to securely support your practice and to keep you on the right track in a 21^st century way. You learn quickly, correctly and confidently. Here’s what some teachers and parents have said about us:

“Learning the grade 3 piece Blue Sky Blues through Yohondo was an abso­lute rev­el­a­tion. It seemed way out of reach but with Yohondo the speed increase and con­fid­ence boost made it like learn­ing on ster­oids. Your accur­acy improves too because you learn to play it cor­rectly right from the start”. Alex, father and student, Brighton

“My son found Yohondo incredibly useful, particularly the way the music was segmented into small pieces that he could both hear and see, so that he could really focus on the difficult bits.  The proof was in the exam result and he got distinction for all his pieces.” Najma, parent, London

"I have a piano studio with 35 students.  I have taught for 30 years and
recently discovered the Yohondo app.  What a brilliant idea!  I have several
students currently learning 'Super Duck' using the app.  It breaks the song
down into easy-to-learn steps which creates confidence quickly in my
students.  Because they gain confidence in each section quickly, they have
stuck with a song that they may have given up on with just sheet music.  The
background accompaniments are wonderful, providing them with a built in
metronome without realizing it!  I would love to have every song I teach on
Yohondo!!” Lorie Burningham, Piano Teacher and Owner of The Piano Practice

I am a co-founder of Yohondo with John Holcroft, the software genius behind the apps. I provide the teacher break downs for each app piece. This ensures that each one follows sound pedagogical pathways and methods and will support what will be covered in the lesson.

I became involved because I believe that Yohondo supports piano teaching, motivates pupils and makes learning exciting and fun, something all teachers, pupils and parents want. We have apps for jazzy pieces, grade exam pieces and core piano repertoire. Explore them all at:

www.yohondo.com

Welcome to Piano Lessons!

Dear Parents and Pupils,

Welcome to piano lessons!

Here are some ideas for getting the best out of your lessons:

·        Bring all your music etc to every lesson. A piano bag makes this easier- available from Daces and Allegro.

·        Regular practice is vital if improvement is to be made. Beginners need only do 10-15 mins a day but if you are preparing for an exam a minimum of 30 mins a day, rising to 1-3 hours for higher grade exams, recitals, competitions and diplomas. Parents, you will need to remind and encourage your children to practice- a practice chart with stickers really helps.

·        All music can be bought or ordered from Daces, Broomfield Rd, Allegro, High St, or online from www.musicroom.com

·        Please please please read the Practice Diary and use it to communicate with me especially if your child has lessons at school and we rarely meet.

·        Take every opportunity to play and perform ( at school, at home, at church, or to friends) and to listen to music (live or recorded).

·        As I have approx 60 pupils and do other work too, the best way to communicate with me is via the diary or email.  I also use Twitter and my blog to give out up-to-date information.

Contact details: fionavalerielau@hotmail.com

Blog: www.mrslaupiano.blogspot.com

My Twitter account is: fionavalerielau

 

I look forward to the new year and hearing everyone play and develop,

 

Fiona Lau

www.fionalau.com

 

 

 

 

Recordings of the new ABRSM grade 1 piano syllabus.

Video recordings of all the new ABRSM Piano Syllabus grade1 pieces are now available on Youtube.They are professional, accurate, easy to see and feature full speed and slow speed recordings. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgoB5AVTmV8nG4UVJleS-jv0MqYTZdea8

Summer Concert

Well done to everyone who performed. We heard everything from Chopin to My Invention and from Let it Go to a Scarlatti Sonata. As we did last year, we also heard from other instruments that pupils play- clarinet and flute on this occasion. There were duets and solos and even some tricky page turning skills on show! 

This was also the end of the 30 Piece Challenge and so medals were awarded to the following people: 20 pieces learnt and bronze medals to Daisy, Alexander and Imogen, 25 pieces learnt and silver medals to Leo and Alison, 30 pieces learnt and gold medals to Ellie, Euan, Oliver T, Amelia, Oliver W, Jacob, Daniel, Anna and Zoe. These last pianists got so carried away with playing that they went over the 30 pieces and so got a special certificate as well. 

As usual The Salvation Army Hall and Enid especially, looked after us beautifully and were very hospitable. We always enjoy playing their lovely Kawai and sampling the refreshments at the end!mwell done to every one who participated.

New ABRSM Piano Syllabus for 2015 & 2016

The new ABRSM Piano syllabus for 2015-2017 was launched yesterday at Yamaha Music London. These launches are always good to go to if you are a teacher or student teacher, because not only do you get the music at a discount but you hear one of the co-authors talking about it and playing nearly every piece from all 8 grades. Tim Barratt ( examiner, trainer and moderator ) took the audience through the grades in two sessions lasting from 2pm to 8pm. A veritable musical marathon!

If your child is about to embark on the new grade syllabus, I will have requested via their practice diary,that you get the music. You can buy it from Dace's on Broomfield Road, Allegro on the High Street or online from www.musicroom.com 

Summer Piano Ideas.

Summer Piano Ideas.

·        Play a concert; choose an easy piece, a well-known piece and a fun piece. You can invite family and friends and design and print a programme for it.

·        Find out about one of your favourite composers. Write a potted biography of them.

·        Learn a piece you haven’t played before- surprise me!

·        Compose your own simple piece, it can be long or short, you can write it down or memorise it. Give it a name and play it at our next lesson.

·        Find a piano playing friend or family member and play some easy peasy duets with them.

·        Teach your parents or your younger brothers and sisters an easy tune from your first books.

·        Go to a concert and write down what instruments you see.

·        Find some new piano apps, try them out and come back and tell me all about them.

·        Teach yourself to play a favourite TV or film theme tune by ear, or learn Happy Birthday!

·        Video yourself playing a piece and upload it to YouTube or send it to me and I will put it on my blog!

·        Watch the Piano Guys on Youtube with your parents.

·        Play the piano every time you are wearing your pajamas!

·        With your parents, listen to a piece of music on the computer or tablet, by Beethoven, Schumann, Liszt and Rachmaninoff. Circle your favourites.

·        Enjoy your summer!

 

Mrs Lau Summer 2014

Summer Concert and Medal Presentation

The Salvation Army Hall, Baddow Road, Chelmsford. 7.30 pm.

I look forward to hearing those who have been invited to play and to celebrating the achievements of those who have won medals in the 30 Piece Challenge. You will have received an emailing giving the details for this if you are playing or receiving a medal.

This is a lovely way to end the year and to celebrate all the playing that has taken place during the year. It's also a chance to say goodbye to pupils who are leaving me for new schools and university life.

Please bring your family and friends to join the audience, there is plenty of room and The Salvation Army always make us very welcome.

I look forward to seeing you there,

Fiona Lau.

Preparing for Performance

As it's nearly time for my Summer Concert, I thought that this might be useful:

Preparing for Performance Handout

Before the performance:

·  Choose pieces you enjoy and that are well within your technical ability.

·  Know them inside out and if possible from memory, listen to other performances, practise performing them, analyse them and secure the starts and ends.

·  Rehearse everything- what to wear, walking on, tweaking the stool, and bowing.

 

On the day:

·  Have a countdown plan; think what you are going to do, wear, play or practise, eat.

·  Arrive in time but not so early that you jitter.

·  Keep fingers warm

·  Do the candle breath.

 

In the performance:

·  Do like the top athletes (sprinters especially); walk the walk, pretend you are confident through your body language, smile (it does work), shoulders down, walk tall!

·  Take your time setting up and preparing.

·  Focus and concentrate. Play each piece with character, style and confidence.

 

Generally:

As you practise performing, determine what your typical anxiety levels and symptoms are and sort out physical solutions for physical symptoms and cognitive solutions to cognitive symptoms e.g. if you imagine that all will go wrong, slot in a good thought about a decent performance.

Further lit: Holding Your Nerve- Jones, The Musical Temperament- Kemp,

The Perfect Wrong Note- Westney, Stage Fright- Havas,

Musical Excellence- Williamon, Musical Performance- Rink.

 

Fiona Lau 2014

Exam preparation- Mrs Lau's Guide to piano exams.

It's that time of year again so here's my exam survival guide. I will be using it for my own grade 1 cello exam!

 

Mrs Lau’s Guide to Surviving Exams

 

Before the exam:

·         Make sure you have chosen pieces you enjoy from the correct syllabus.

·         Be sure that you know your pieces inside out and, if possible, from memory (even if you have the music), that you know 4 bars either side of page turns and that the starts and endings are particularly secure.

·         Practise your scales, arpeggios etc really thoroughly; they are the first element of your exam and a good chance to get it started well.

·         Try to play some sight reading every day.

·         Make sure that you are familiar with the aural tests. You can buy a CD of them or register on www.hofnote.co.uk for extra practice.

·         Play your pieces on different pianos and get used to adapting to them.

·         Practise performing- to yourself with no stops, to family and to friends.

·         Make sure that you know where the exam is to be held. Have a dummy run of the journey.

On the day:

• Have a countdown plan; think about what you are going to do, if you are going to practice, what you are going to wear, what you are going to eat etc.
• Arrive in plenty of time but not so early that you jitter!

At the exam:

• Keep your fingers warm and do some deep breathing.
• Smile at the examiner and talk clearly and confidently to him/her.
• Take your time adjusting the piano stool and your music.
• Focus and concentrate. Play each piece with character, style and confidence.

All done! That wasn’t so bad was it? Now go and treat yourself. Well done!

Summer Concert and 30 Piece Challenge Medal Presentation.

Hi everyone,

Monday 30th June 7.30pm.

I have managed to book the Salvation Army Hall, Baddow Road, again for our concert. This term it will also include medal presentations to those who learnt 20, 25 or 30 pieces since September 2013.

I would like to follow a similar format to last summer, that is, give performing priority to those who have piano exams this term and to those who will be leaving me. I would also love it if we could have a balance of piano and other instruments. So if you sing or play an orchestral instrument, we would love to hear you. Let me know!

If you are to be presented with a medal make sure that you come whether or not you are playing. 

As ever, family and friends are most welcome and refreshments will be available after the concert. I look forward to seeing you all there,

best wishes,

Fiona Lau.

Medals reminder!

Hi everyone,

It's getting towards the end of the school year and nearly time for me to tot up how many pieces you have learnt towards your 30 Pieces Challenge. You get a bronze medal for 20 pieces,  a silver medal for 25 pieces and a gold medal for 30 pieces. There will be an award ceremony towards the end of term so keep playing and learning new pieces!

Tuesday 13th and Wed 14th April lessons.

Just a reminder that there will be no private piano lessons next Tues and Wed and no Cathedral School piano lessons on the Wed. MHS lessons as usual.

MHS pupils.

Thank you to all pupils who had lessons on Tuesday. The student teacher enjoyed all your playing and the lessons. Lots of positive comments for us all!

Reminder about arrival times for private pupils.

Hi everyone,

Just a little reminder for private pupils to observe the times of your lessons, especially the arrival times. Please could you avoid arriving more than 10 mins early? If you arrive too early it impinges on the time I have with my previous pupil or it cuts into my often very brief down time, as I hurtle from one job to another! Sometimes I only have a half hour break between arriving home and starting a 2-3 hour teaching stint. I would be grateful if you could respect your start times.

Thank you very much,

Fiona Lau.

Summer term lessons start next week.

Hi everyone,

I hope that you are enjoying your Easter break. Lessons resume next week for pupils I teach privately and for pupils at Moulsham High School ( Tuesday 22nd). Cathedral School pupils start back the following week on Wed 29th. If you have an exam this term, be ready to play all your scales and your pieces to me, and we will make a decision in that first lesson.

Super Duck app!

I know many of you have enjoyed playing tunes from Elena Cobb's Higgledy Piggledy Jazz pieces, so here is something to make it even more fun: an app to teach, explain and break it down. It also has professional recordings and great explanations. For more details click on this link: http://www.facebook.com/l/AAQF99ELm/www.elenacobb.com/super-duck-app-easter-monday-release/

Spring Term Piano Pupil Concert.

Well done to everyone who performed tonight. I appreciate all that has gone into your performances and love to hear the finished pieces in a concert. Also many thanks to the accompanists, duettists, page turners, The Salvation Army ( Joanne and Simon) and very supportive audience. We heard music from Bach to Coldplay and from China to Spain. It was also lovely to see parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents and a great grandparent in the audience! Here are a few photos; l include my two cool dudes Alexander and Daniel dressed for their performances! If you have any photos of tonight send them to me and I will post them here as well. Once again, many thanks, it was a lovely evening of musical playing.

A busy performing week!

Just a quick reminder of what's going on this week.

Tuesday 25th March at MHS GCSE duet and solo performances are all between 11-1pm for Bethany, Abigail, Olivia and Roan. 

Tuesday is also the last lessons of the term for my MHS pianists. Laura has a lesson next week.

Grade exams are on Thursday 27th for Amelia, Jacob and Ben, and Friday 28th for Zoe. Lots of last lessons this week!

Piano Pupil Concert on Friday 28th March, 7.30, Salvation Army Hall- see previous post for details.

Cathedral School timetabling for Wed and Thurs 12th and 13th March

Martin, Leo and Emily will have their lessons on Thurs this week. As will Alexander as a result of today's traffic chaos!

Piano Pupil Concert, Friday March 28th.

My next piano pupil concert is on Friday 28th March at 7.30 in the Salvation Army Hall, Baddow Road, Chelmsford. It would be great to have as many pupils playing as possible. I will be asking pianists if they can play, and what they would like to play, in this week's lessons, and sending out an invitation to play form. Please check children's piano bags and diaries for further information and return the form as soon as possible. As ever family and friends are very welcome to form part of the audience. Admission will be £1 per adult, 50p per non-playing child.

The Salvation Army Hall is a lovely venue with a Kawai grand piano, a comfortable space for an audience and somewhere to have refreshments after the concert. Parking is available at the Meadows and Kings Head Meadow car parks. We are very fortunate that the Salvation Army are able to host us again and I look forward to hearing pupils playing and meeting you all again.

Fiona Lau.

Spring back to piano lessons!

I hope that everyone had a good half term break and that this week you are ready and raring to get back to lessons! We have a lot of performing opportunities coming up: GCSE and A level music exams, grade exams, Prep Tests AND a piano pupil concert on Friday March 28th, at 7.30 in the Salvation Army Hall. More details for all these will go out in individual lessons and will appear on the blog so do keep your eyes peeled for them.

Meanwhile; for ABRSM exams and the Prep Test you can get more information on how to prepare from their website www.abrsm.org - look under the Exam Support link.

In all performances it helps to know as much about the piece and composer as possible, know what is expected in the exam and to practise performing to friends and family and enjoy your practice. There is advice on this blog about preparing for a variety of performances so do look back through the archive.

I would like as many of you as possible to play at the pupil concert so start to think about what you would like to play and remember to bring your music to your lesson!

My favourite iPad Apps!

Since getting my iPad last May I have become slightly addicted and also found it an invaluable tool for teaching.

My favourite apps are:

• Yohondo! They have a series of ipad apps to help learn, practise and master ABRSM grade 1-3 piano pieces. Pianists can see someone playing their pieces, get helpful exercises and top tips for learning the piece, have  bite-size breakdowns of the parts of it, listen to the piece, and record and assess their performance too! Their website is www.yohondo.com  And you can find their apps at: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/yohondo/id659088117?mt=8

• I also like Noteworks; it makes note-reading fun and you can tailor it to suit each pupil's level and they can progress as well : https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/noteworks-music-theory-note/id546003758?mt=8

• My pupils love Flashnote Derby; this is a race which teaches and tests note-reading. Pupils can use as many or as few notes as they like, go at different speeds and answer in a variety of ways. At Christmas the horses become reindeer as well! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flashnote-derby/id453126527?mt=8

• Scalebox is an app that helps you learn, prepare and test your grade 1-5 ABRSM scales and arpeggios. It isn't just for piano but has other instruments as well, I use it for my cello practice. It encourages pupils to listen and assess their scale playing too. Rapidly becoming indispensable in my lessons, especially in the run up to exams: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scalebox-for-abrsm-grades/id593299414?mt=8

• Speedshifter from ABRSM is so useful. It isn't just an iPad app but works on Android devices, laptops and Macs as well. As a piano teacher I use it to slow down CDs of pieces to a listenable speed, to slow down duet parts and to slow down ornaments so that we can hear exactly what's happening: http://gb.abrsm.org/en/exam-support/practice-tools-and-applications/speedshifter/

Mrs Lau's Guide to being a page turner.

Recently I had the privilege of turning pages for a concert pianist colleague and it caused me to think about the skills required to do this job well. So here is my list of things to consider as you prepare to do this tricky job!

• What to wear? Either all black or something in subdued colours. Look smart but save the tux for when you are the soloist. Non- squeaky, safe height shoes.

• Make sure you are freshly showered, well-deoderanted (you will be leaning over the pianist...) but not perfumed- ( it might over power the pianist or they might be allergic).

• Check what time you are required: for a rehearsal, for a quick briefing etc.  Also make sure you know where the venue is.

• Listen carefully to where the pianist wants you to turn: are they doing all/some of the repeats, do they want to do some of their own page turns, are there any back turns/ Da Capos etc?

• Sit on the left of the pianist (unless the piano is the other way round) and well back but near enough to see the music and get to the page turns in time.

• As a general rule stand up and get your finger between the pages 2 lines before the end of the page but remember that if the music is fast you might want to stand up earlier, if it's slow you might stand up half a line later.

• Turn quickly and efficiently when the pianist nods. Most pianists will nod early most of the time, it depends...Make sure the music stays turned and stays on the stand.

• When its all over sit well back and clap. Slip off the stage as unobtrusively as possible, you are not the star.

• Advice from a colleague and singer: always remember why you are there; its easy to get carried away listening to the performance but that's not why you are there, your job is to make the pianist's life easier, so concentrate on their music and them.

• Enjoy the job, you will learn a lot about accompanying and it is a privilege.

     

Performing tips!

Melanie Spanswick is a British pianist, teacher and adjudicator who has a very interesting blog. In this post she shares her thoughts on performing more professionally. Useful for all pianists whatever age or standard:

http://melaniespanswick.com/2012/08/28/how-can-amateur-pianists-become-professional-in-their-approach-to-performing/

Happy half term holiday

Have a good half- term break everyone, no lessons next week. Do keep playing though as we have a pupil concert at the end of March, Friday 28th, at the Salvation Army Hall. It would be great to have as many pupils playing as possible.

The Music of Mozart Concert

The Music of Mozart concert is on Sat 15th March at KEGS Grammar School, 7.30. The programme includes Tim Carey playing Mozart's Piano Concerto in G and the Concert Rondo in D. It will be a great opportunity for young pianists to hear these beautiful pieces performed live, with an orchestra, by Tim, alongside two choral works by Mozart. Tickets are only £5 for under 16s, £11 for concessions and £13 full price. I have tickets so just let me know if you want some. It is always good to see a live performance and to hear the music of Mozart.

Update for week beginning 13th January 2014.

Just a quick reminder that there are no private lessons on Mon and Tues or at MHS.