Piano Adventures app!

Piano Adventures now has an app to accompany the Primer, Level 1 and Level 2a and 2b books. At present it is only available for iPad and iPhone. 

You download the app and receive a few free pieces and then pay between £3-£5 per level, for all the pieces in all the books for that level. Each piece has a full score and can be played with the tune, with a metronome or with an accompaniment or with all three! You can vary the speed too, starting slowly and then increasing the speed as fluency and skill develop.

The app will make practice more fun, and improve security and fluency.

More details here:

http://pianoadventures.com/player/

Summertime Piano Playing.

Summer Piano Ideas. - you only need to practise if it rains but you can play anytime!

·        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!

.    Get ahead with your exam pieces and scales.

·        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- maybe a BBC Prom or a Prom in the Park.

·        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!

·        Explore a new style of piano music: pop, jazz, rock.

·        Watch the Piano Guys on Youtube with your parents.

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

·        Visit Handel House, Brook Street, London, it’s very child (and adult) friendly.

·        Enjoy your summer!

 

Mrs Lau Summer 2015

Chelmsford Competitive Festival of Music and Drama 2015

I have started to talk to pupils about entering this competition and learning some of  the pieces. Entries are due in by Sat 26th September in September and parents will need to enter their children, I will not be doing it for you. I have given pupils the details and the entry forms.The piano classes will be held on the evening of Nov 13th and throughout the whole of Saturday 14th Nov,at Trinity Methodist church and the Quaker Meeting House in Chelmsford city centre.

This is a great opportunity for pupils to play their piece for an audience and receive a round of applause, a certificate and maybe even to win their class! It's also really interesting and often inspiring to listen to

other pianists play and to hear the comments of the adjudicator. 

Summer concert

Thank you so much for everyone who came to our Summer concert and well done to all the performers. Congratulations as well to all those who received trophies for gaining 50 or more Piano Points in the Points Mean Prizes, well done! Here are a few photos from the evening.

Trophy winners.

The following pupils have earned 50 piano points and will be awarded a trophy at Friday's concert:

Daniel

Zoë

Anna

Amelia

Oliver W

Charlie

Fionn

Joely

George

Oliver T

William

Eleanor Tuck

All performers: keep up the practising, remember your music and arrive before 7.30.

See you on Friday!

Fiona Lau.

Piano Pupil Concert on Friday 19th June.

Concert on Friday 19^th June 2015 7.30 Salvation Army Hall Baddow Road.

I am really looking forward to this concert. Here are a few points to help you enjoy the evening and to help you prepare your child for their performance:

There is very little parking available at the Salvation Army; the nearest parking is in The Meadows or Navigation Road car parks.

Do arrive before 7.30 in order to give your child to settle down and take in the surroundings.

In the lead up to the concert you can help by making sure your child does their daily practice and by listening to them during a practise performance. Don’t make too big a thing of the concert but do tell them how well they play and how pleased you are that they are playing. With regards to what to wear; not school uniform and not too casual. Something that is smart but not uncomfortable is best. It is an occasion but pianists need to be able to move easily.

You can take discreet photos of your child as they play ( no flash photography and wandering into the aisles please!) and there will be photo opportunities at the end as well.

Trophies will also be presented to those who have achieved 50 Practice Points.Your child will definitely know if that includes them!

Just a few reminders of concert etiquette: please do not make any noise when pupils are performing, do not walk in and out of the hall during the concert, turn off mobiles and other devices, do not use flash photography, please do clap at the end of every performance!

So far I have the following pupils listed to perform ( in no particular order):

Gill and Daniel, Daniel, Zoe, Amelia, Oliver, Charlie, Bethany, Sarah, Lynne, Elena, Abbie, Ethan, Oliver T, Daisy, Jacob, Joely, William, Eleanor, Euan, George, Alexander and Fionn.

If your child wants to play and isn’t on my list, please email me.

I look forward to seeing you at the concert!