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Posted in Summer, Uncategorized

Review Pieces You’ve Already Played!

Many moons ago, when I took piano lessons, I didn’t take lessons in the summer. But I was still made to practice, and especially when I said to my mom, “I’m bored”, the response was to go practice.

 

But what to practice? That was always my question. I was told to review pieces you’ve already played. That seemed kind of silly to me, since I already played them. I knew them! Why play them? First off, my mom liked to hear them, so it made her happy. But, as I’ll share with you, I found a few reasons why review is a good thing!

 

When you review pieces you’ve already played, you see how far you’ve come as a musician. This is huge! Our progress can sometimes feel very slow and almost glacier-like. But when you stop and look back, you see how far you’ve come. So this week, for my students who are taking the summer off, I’ve been encouraging them to do just that.

 

The second thing that happens when you review pieces you’ve already played is that you keep those pieces fresh under your fingers. What happens if Grandma or another family friend drops by and wants an impromptu concert? You’ve got music at the ready! Another thing that I had the opportunity to do throughout summers was to go to the assisted living facility where my mom worked and I played the piano for them. What an awesome opportunity! The residents didn’t care what I played, just being able to hear something musical was a treat for them. And I’m thankful I was able to do that.

 

The final thing that happens when you review pieces you’ve already played is that you keep your skills up. One of the biggest challenges in school at the beginning of a new year is that teachers spend the first month or so reviewing what was unlearned over the summer, because it doesn’t usually get reinforced. Same thing with piano. If you take the whole summer and don’t touch your instrument or do anything musical, are you going to be as sharp as you could be when you return? Of course not! So keeping those skills sharp is essential!

 

Those are my three main reasons. What do you think? Comment with why you think it’s good to continue to review pieces you’ve already played, especially over the summer!

Posted in Singing

Avoiding Vocal Issues

It was recently announced that country singer Morgan Wallen was having vocal issues. He’s had to postpone concerts and refund fans. All because of stress on his voice. But it could have been avoided. See, the voice is made to work……as long as you’re using proper technique! Find out more in today’s video!

Posted in Summer

Take the Summer Off?

Back when I took piano lessons, I was allowed to take the summer off of lessons. Honestly, I wish I would have continued over each summer. Why? Well, I’ll unpack that in this post, along with why I think students should continue with lessons over the summer.

 

I think that the hope in taking the summer off of lessons, I’d have a mental break, an opportunity to play fun things on my own over the summer, and then get back to work in the fall. The problem is….I wasn’t self motivated to practice. Being a kid in Wisconsin, there were plenty of other things to do outside in the 3 months of summer. And I wanted to do them than play or practice the piano. Had I continued in lessons, I would have had a goal to work toward, and probably would have been forced to be more motivated.

 

The reality is that when school resumes every fall, the first month or so isn’t learning new things, but reviewing things that were forgotten over the summer with a lack of repetition and keeping skills up. Guess what happens with music lessons? The exact same thing! Yes, summer has more activities and more unstructured time, but there’s more time to practice and keep skills up, so that the student can continue to improve! When I took off for the summer, I found that what I did remember was minimal, and that my technique fell off, because I wasn’t n the regimen of regular review every week by my teacher, let alone regular practice!

 

The thing I hated most every summer was to say to my mother, “I’m bored.” Her automatic response would be not to go outside, but to practice the piano. Did I do it? Rarely. I’d find something else to do. I believe that year round lessons help to keep a student focused and motivated. Based on my experiences, I try to be a lot more relaxed over the summer and let the students pick something fun to work on, something that they want to play! When students have a say in what they’re learning, they will be much more motivated to put in the time and work to improve.

 

So, yes, summer lessons are helpful. The way that I’ve structured things in my studio is that my 2 main semesters are each 5 months with a total of 18 lessons in each semester. My summer is June and July, for 6 weekly lessons. It doesn’t seem like a significant amount of time, but those 6 weeks (or 4, depending on the schedule of the student) are essential to keeping their skills up and keeping music fresh in their mind.

 

I do offer lessons online, as well as in the Spring/Klein area of Northwest Houston. Summer is also a great time to start piano, voice, trumpet, beginning guitar or ukulele lessons, so add it into your consideration if you’re still looking for activities for your child (or you) for the summer. You can find out more here.

Posted in Uncategorized

Raising Musically Savvy Children

Harmanny Music Education Podcast
Harmanny Music Education Podcast
Raising Musically Savvy Children
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How do you raise musically savvy children? Is it dumb luck, or is there a strategy and method to it? In this episode, Craig talks about how he encouraged his daughters to be musically savvy and gives some practical tips for you to use with your children…or nieces, nephews or other stray children you find!

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Posted in Encouragement, Musical Creativity

Musical Voices

 

I love this quote because all composers and musicians have their own unique musical voices. It depends on their outlook on life, their experiences, and their connection to music. I find it interesting, as my studio is looking at Beethoven this month. Beethoven did not have it easy in life. His father was mean, drunk and abusive. Beethoven started performing at age 5, and if performances didn’t go well, he may not have eaten for a day following it. That makes someone’s psyche very, very different than someone from a loving, caring household.

 

As you listen to music by any musician, you get an insight into them and their life. What was their upbringing like? What is their relationship with music like? If you listen closely, you can pick these things up.

 

What do you think of this quote? Do you agree? What composers do you see this in? Comment with your thoughts.

Posted in Student highlight

Cole’s Creativity!

Check out Cole! He did such a fantastic job with his final piece in his Fired Up book, and then came up with some unique rhythms to play! I love encouraging creativity in my students! Cole has done a fantastic job and really grown as a musician this year!

 

And he moved to Fired Up Level 2!

Posted in Music literacy

Listening to Music

Listening to music. How do you do it? New video up on the Harmanny Music Education channel on YouTube! It’s not just about putting music on, it’s about critically analyzing what you’re hearing and what it does to you. 

 

 

 

 

Craig is currently filling time for summer lessons, so if you’re interested in learning more, click here.

 

To follow Harmanny Music Education on social media, click here.

Posted in Uncategorized

AI and Music

Harmanny Music Education Podcast
Harmanny Music Education Podcast
AI and Music
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Recently, a song popped up on streaming platforms that featured “Drake” and “The Weeknd”. They actually did NOT lend their voices to the song. It was done by AI. In this episode, Craig unpacks the idea of AI and how it can and may impact music down the road.

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit harmannymusiceducation.substack.com

Posted in Uncategorized

Recitals

Harmanny Music Education Podcast
Harmanny Music Education Podcast
Recitals
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Recitals have long been a tradition with taking music lessons. Why? Well, in this episode, Craig talks about why he encourages his students to perform in recitals!

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Substack

For piano, voice, trumpet, beginning guitar or ukulele lessons, click here!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit harmannymusiceducation.substack.com