Submitted by Jonathan Flowers

Conventional webcams cannot provide the high resolution needed to display sheet music clearly during online lessons. Did you know that you can use the superior camera on your iPhone or iPad as a document camera in Zoom?  This video shows you how!

Submitted by Miriam Shingle

Many of us have been contemplating the return to in-person private lessons, and perhaps some of us have already done so. It is a somewhat elusive decision right now, as pandemic circumstances are
always changing. 

Some teachers and parents may not yet feel comfortable with in-person lessons. Keeping a disinfected and well-circulated environment, tolerating extended mask-wearing, and staying socially distant are all factors to consider when planning for reopening.

While willing to continue lessons virtually, I plan to at least offer in-person lessons to my students starting in September. I feel that giving parents a choice is important for my business to remain intact. In so offering, I will be sharing my safety procedures, such as disinfecting doorknobs and wiping down the keys with hydrogen peroxide between lessons, using hand sanitizer before and after lessons, and requiring the use of a mask. Additionally, I am pleased to say that I had an Air Scrubber installed on my HVAC system this week. It is a whole-house UV bulb that kills viruses, bacteria, allergens and mold, mainly in the air but also on surfaces.

Please comment to share YOUR plans for Fall lessons, as there are certainly things to consider not yet mentioned. Questions to our members would also be great!

Submitted by Miriam Shingle​

It is Recital Season. How does one create the opportunity for instrumental performance during our current situation of having to stay in our homes? What resources are out there for this? Are there any apps that can help?

There is the issue of sound quality and household internet bandwidth problems while livestreaming, the which I am sure many of us have been experiencing in our online teaching. Some of us may be considering posting video recordings of performances, something that I personally currently plan to do, in the HOPES that the videos will actually get watched by families!!

I am hoping that some of us can contribute to this blog by commenting with their recital ideas or already-utilized solutions. Or, perhaps someone out there would like to write a whole blog dedicated to this purpose! I think we as teachers would like to know what each other is planning to do-- or not do. Anyone? Let’s share and continue to support each other...

​Submitted by Miriam Shingle

This blog is created for the purpose of teacher discussion as to how we can circumvent the impact that the Coronavirus is having upon our private teaching. I am sure that many of you are wondering what is happening in other teachers’ studios in this situation.

Some teachers have no doubt opted to suspend lessons for a few weeks, while those who teach in a community center or school are forced to cancel lessons due to a shutdown. In addition, out of an abundance of caution, many parents are choosing not to send students to private lessons, even though these do not take place in a group setting.

So far, I personally have opted to continue with private lessons at my home, assuring parents that keys are being disinfected between lessons and students are using hand sanitizer before and after lessons. This seems to alleviate parental fears for now, as no one has told me they would prefer not to come.

Additionally, we as teachers have already told parents not to bring students who are ill, including the parents themselves.

What I would like to accomplish here is for our teachers to weigh in on how they are dealing with this unique situation. And indeed, if you have moved to online lessons, please offer your insights and procedures for accomplishing this.
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Thank you all in advance for contributing to this blog!! Let’s support each other in this difficult time.

Submitted by Carol Angus

Going through some old papers, I came upon a letter sent to parents and students from 2002. The sentiment shared then is still appropriate today. I took my own words and tweaked them a bit to share with you. We may have modern devices and new attitudes but the basic sentiment still applies.

Allow yourself to enjoy the satisfaction of making music. One’s life is made better with the making of and appreciation for others making music. Review the following positive reasons for studying piano or any musical instrument.

I like to equate musical studies as a “musical adventure”.

• M – Music nurtures the intellect and produces long term improvements in the educational experience.
• U – Understanding how your eyes, ears and body all play an important part of creating music.
• S – Self-discipline is developed through practice and conscientious lesson preparation.
• I – Instills poise with participation in recitals and other public events.
• C – Confidence build through repeated successes as each new musical experience is completed.
  
  
• A – Art form of creating music helps to enhance a child’s reasoning skills as seen with increased SAT scores in students studying piano and other instruments.
• D – Develops good practice skills.
• V – Ventures into composers never heard or played in today’s busy lifestyle.
• E – Emotional release through the universal language that speaks to the performer as well as to the listener.
• N – Nature of teaching piano or other instrument allows tailoring of lesson to meet each student’s needs.
• T – Teaches concentration.
• U – Understands the universality of music that crosses all language barriers and emotional peers.
• R – Respect is acquired for peers who play instruments through one’s own knowledge of the mandatory time spent practicing to refine one’s skill.
• E – Enjoyment of recreating musical sound is a lifetime by-product of studying piano. It goes on and on and on and on...

My goal remains that every student should be given musical challenges that can be met without frustration while nurturing a love for music that grows with each musical accomplishment. Learning to play the piano or any other instrument is not an easy task. Developing the art for playing any instrument especially the piano takes time, patience, fortitude and self-discipline. Along with good parental support and willing students, it is my hope that I have made an impact on the students who have graced my studio.

​Submitted by John Kline

Learning a new piece of substantial length can seem like an impossible task for some students.  Here are the steps I use when I am learning a new piece of music (I also use these steps for students above intermediate level or so).

1. Listen to 4-5 different recordings of the piece without the score.  Go into this process with a goal of knowing the form and structure of the piece on a "surface" or "macro" level.  Knowing exactly what notes will sound next is not really that important at this stage.  Memorizing what I feel when different parts of the piece occur, how they connect, hearing if there is anything connecting the sections thematically, if they are all the same mood or different is what is important here.  Using just my ears and emotions to guide me is more important than what the notes actually are at this stage.
   
   
2. Listen to 3-4 (could be the same or different recordings from Step 1) recordings following along in the score.  At this stage, I sort of decode what is happening from the notation in addition to seeing how the composer decided to encode the information.
   
   I also use this step to break down the piece into manageable practice sections.  Parts that look easier can be longer in length, parts that look more difficult can be shorter.  My section length is always determined by technical difficulty along with "aural" difficulty.  A section could be very easy technically, but hard for me to memorize the melody or pattern contained in the section.  So that section would be relatively small.  My sections range from 2 measures to 2 lines of music.  These sections are also pretty malleable.  They can change within the practice time of a piece.  A section I thought was easy may be more difficult than I thought, so I alter it with no shame. I do the same with sections I thought might be difficult but end up being rather easy.
   
   
3. Now I actually get to the piano!  I usually try to learn at least two different sections in a practice session.  Usually one difficult one and one easier one.  They can be anywhere in the piece.  I look through it, try to play through that part in my head, and see if there are any patterns I can notice that will facilitate my practice.  Then I write in finger numbers, any accidentals, or extremely high or low notes I might need.  Then I play through it (hands separately, if needed).  My goal is to make no mistakes, to reinforce my memory from the first play-through, so I go very slowly and with a lot of focus.  But, of course, I rarely play it perfectly the first time, so I just correct it as soon as possible.  My goal is to be able to play that section memorized by the end of the practice session. 
   
   I should also mention that when I practice in this way, I always learn a "section" plus the first note of the next section.  If I do not practice this way, there ends up being a small break in between each section in a play-through.
   
   It is also important for me, once I learn adjacent sections, to practice combining them, as to not wait too long before putting together all of the puzzle pieces.  So a typical practice schedule (usual setbacks included) for a moderately difficult, 50 measures long piece, split up into 10 sections looks like this for me.
   
   Day 1:  Learn Section 8 (difficult) and Section 1 (easier)
   Day 2:  Learn Section 2 (easier), review 8 and 1, combine 1-2
   Day 3:  Learn Section 9 (difficult), review 8, combine 8-9, review 1-2
   Day 4:  Learn Section 4 (easier) and Section 7 (difficult), review 8-9
   Day 5:  Learn Section 3 (easier), review 7 and 4, combine 7-9, review 1-2
   Day 6:  Learn Section 5 (difficult), review 3 and 4, combine 3-4, combine 1-4
   Day 7:  Learn Section 6 (easier), review 5, combine 1-5, review 7-9
   Day 8:  Learn Section 10 (easier), review 6, combine 1-6, review 7-9
   Day 9:  Review 10, combine 7-10, combine 1-7
   Day 10: Combine 1-10, review difficult sections
   Day 11: Review difficult sections, combine 1-10

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Submitted by Elaine Friedlander

If you have considered judging for festivals or competitions but felt you did not have the right background or advancement, think again. Most festivals have many more students who are beginner or intermediate level. If you feel that is as advanced as you can judge there could still be plenty of chances for you to broaden your scope of work and earn a little more money.

Competitions sometimes have a very young division. Yes, sometimes these students are amazingly far advanced but you were trained to hear good playing and that can be readily apparent no matter how advanced the student. You could prepare for this work by listening to several recordings of the same work by different pianists. With the internet, this is now quite easy. Listen to the subtle differences in each performance. We will assume all the performers are playing the correct notes and rhythm. See if you can verbalize or write down the differences. The ability to write down quickly what you perceive is in need of improvement in a performance is the beginning of becoming an effective judge particularly for festivals.

You should probably have about 10 years of teaching experience before you offer to judge for an event. You will have a better understanding of both the literature and the children. The literature is vast but children are children. They may come in different shapes and sizes but experience gives you the eyes to see who is too nervous, underprepared, over confident, shy or even on the autism spectrum. Experience will give you the edge to see all of that in a blink. Smile and help them make sure the bench is at a good height and a comfortable distance from the piano. They feel much happier if the judge is “nice.”
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Usually the judge chair of any event will send you the guidelines for that particular occasion. There is a rating form which will have the name or number of each student along with the literature they will play. Check to see which piece they are playing first so the comments align with the correct piece. Always make sure you understand the purpose of the event and your role in it. Festivals are usually not competitive so your job is simply to give a rating. Just like any other evaluation your comments are very important. Make sure you can say something positive about the playing and be specific. They can play half the notes wrong with the right rhythm so you can say their eighth notes were even or they kept a nice steady beat. Then remark on what can be improved.

The form our Main Line Association uses for the Constance Murray Festival is quite good. All the important qualities are listed with a place for each to be evaluated and space for comments both suggesting improvements and
recognizing what was prepared well. Other forms only give you space to write. Sometimes the hardest part is deciding how much to write. On a few occasions I have heard playing that was so poorly prepared I could only write about half of what I felt should be addressed. While you may give a few low ratings for festival students competition is another matter. The forms are usually just an open page with the pieces listed at the top. Competitors are given time constraints and repertoire requirements. It might be best to create a personal rating system. After listening to many performers, it’s helpful to have a small guideline of your past thoughts in order to choose the best.

​On the day of the event make sure you arrive on time. The judge chair is usually prepared to remind you of the intent of the event and what you are expected to do. Dress appropriately. Everyone respects the judge more if they look professional. Students may arrive in shorts and flip flops (you may comment on that if you wish) but we need to look the part of the judge. After all, we do not have robes. Occasionally I have been in a situation where pencils were not provided. Bring some along just in case. There is usually time left between performances but it is rarely enough so be prepared to write while they are playing. I know some students are disturbed by that but it is important that you get to say everything necessary and have a little time to think about additional comments in between. Keep an eye on the time and the schedule. Make every effort to stay on time. There are many people involved in this production. The judge’s part is important but there is a great deal for everyone to do so make sure you are prepared and ready to work. It can be a fun and rewarding experience.