Friday Fun Link #13

Ooh, how auspicious. Friday Fun Link #13 on Friday the 13th.

I found out about this funky website from one of my students (Thanks Leah!). Called Take a Piano Sheet Music Break, this site offers FREE popular sheet music, transcribed or arranged for piano. There is a good selection of songs, ranging from classic rock to the 80s and from easy listening to what’s hot on the Top 40 charts today.

Happy exploring! © 2006, Musespeak™, Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

Lifelong Lessons from Great Music Teachers

Mrs. Ginzburg loved highlighters. They are pretty popular in my studio too. Credit: Rhona-Mae Arca

My last piano teacher passed away one year ago this week. Thinking of Irina sparked memories of all my music teachers. I thought I would pay tribute to Irina as well as to all the people who helped shape me as a musician.  

Lynn Eamer was a stern woman who terrified me. Mrs. Eamer taught me the importance of learning how to read. In my second year of piano, she discovered that I still hadn’t learned how to read notes (I was playing solely by ear). I still have the 100 lines she made me write of all the letter names.

When we moved, I studied with a woman named Margaret Fraser. I only studied with her for a year. She loaned me a Reader’s Digest songbook, which for some odd reason, was never returned to her. I still use it when I play at gigs. Margaret wanted me to be more relaxed. I played at either one extreme or the other (tense versus relaxed and sloppy).

Elizabeth Mahaffy had the challenge of teaching me as a pre-teen and teen. She was very sympathetic to the woes of teenaged angst. Elizabeth told me weekly to "listen to what you're playing" and taught me that having a compassionate ear is very important.

Elinor Lawson taught me for four years at the University of Lethbridge. I completed my B.A. in Music and my Gr. 10 piano with her. Elinor is an incredible accompanist with perfect pitch.

She taught me many things: how to make the most of my practice time when I had a repetitive strain injury, how to analyze my music to improve my memory, a few cheats to play through sections designed for larger hands and developed my inner ear. Many of the skills she taught me to practice efficiently were simple time and project management skills that I’ve applied successfully to other areas in my life.

My last full-time teacher was Irina Ginzburg, whom I studied with for three-and-a-half years. She was a vivacious spirit who demanded technical precision and overflowing passion. Our best was not her best. She didn’t just want her students to play well; she wanted us to play excellently. She once told me to drill one trouble spot until I got it right 11 times out of 10 so that I could get it perfectly 10 times out of 10 on stage.

Mrs. G taught me to channel all my frustrations from work into my music, helped me put an end to uncontrollable performance jitters and encouraged me to teach. She saw me through to my Royal Conservatory associateship diploma in piano performance. It was a bumpy road but we were both satisfied with the end result.

Sometimes, I catch myself saying something that one of my teachers said or doing something the exact same way. Not surprising since now I am teaching and performing. Sometimes, their words float into my mind in non-musical situations.

I suppose that’s the greatest tribute to them—the fact that even now— I continue to apply what they taught me.

© 2005 by Musespeak™, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. All rights reserved.

Christmas Music Recommendations

With Christmas less than a month away, many students rush out to purchase Christmas music. This usually reminds me that it’s time for me to practice for my Christmas gigs. There are wonderful Christmas anthologies available at various playing levels. For the beginning student, I usually recommend Faber & Faber’s supplemental Christmas books, from PreTime Piano (Primer Level) to AdvanceTime Piano (Early Intermediate piano). The books correspond nicely with the Piano Adventures series. For more information, you can visit Faber & Faber’s site:

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PreTime Christmas Primer Level. Arranged by Nancy Faber and Randall Faber. Faber Piano Adventures. Christmas, Recital, Supplementary. Softcover. 20 pages. Faber Piano Adventures #FF1015. Published by Faber Piano Adventures (HL.420124).

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PlayTime Piano Christmas Level 1. Arranged by Nancy Faber and Randall Faber. Faber Piano Adventures. Christmas, Recital, Supplementary. CD only. Faber Piano Adventures #CD1036. Published by Faber Piano Adventures (HL.420101).

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ShowTime Christmas Level 2A. Arranged by Nancy Faber and Randall Faber. Faber Piano Adventures. Includes traditional carols as well as seasonal favorites. Christmas. Softcover. 24 pages. Faber Piano Adventures #FF1037. Published by Faber Piano Adventures (HL.420146).

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ChordTime Christmas Level 2B. Arranged by Nancy Faber and Randall Faber. Faber Piano Adventures. Christmas, Method, Recital, Supplementary. Softcover. 28 pages. Faber Piano Adventures #FF1005. Published by Faber Piano Adventures (HL.420114).

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FunTime Christmas Level 3A-3B. Arranged by Nancy Faber and Randall Faber. Faber Piano Adventures. Christmas favorites arranged for the Level 3A - 3B student, including both traditional and popular songs which students find especially appealing. Christmas, Recital, Supplementary. Softcover. 32 pages. Faber Piano Adventures #FF1006. Published by Faber Piano Adventures (HL.420115).

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BigTime Christmas Level 4. Arranged by Nancy Faber and Randall Faber. Faber Piano Adventures. Christmas, Educational. Softcover. 40 pages. Faber Piano Adventures #FF1016. Published by Faber Piano Adventures (HL.420125).

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AdvanceTime Christmas Level 5. Arranged by Nancy Faber and Randall Faber. PreTime to BigTime Piano Supplementary Library. Christmas, Recital, Supplementary. Softcover. 40 pages. Faber Piano Adventures #FF1124. Published by Faber Piano Adventures (HL.420203).

For the intermediate to advanced student, I recommend the Reader’s Digest Merry Christmas Songbook. It is the only Christmas book I bring to gigs with me. It’s in Piano/Vocal/Guitar format, so it can be used in ensembles. The chord symbols are on the score, making it easy to fake the accompaniment if you wish.

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Reader's Digest Piano Library: Christmas Classics 50 Christmas Favorites Arranged for Piano and Voice. Composed by Various. Edited by David Pearl. Music Sales America. Christmas. Softcover with CD. 136 pages. Music Sales #AM993971. Published by Music Sales (HL.14026958).

These books are available at all major music stores or by clicking on my Sheetmusicplus affiliate links above.

© 2005, Musespeak™, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. All rights reserved.

Making Music with the Right Teacher

Next to fall registrations, people like to register for music lessons around Christmastime. If you are planning to start lessons next month or in the new year, consider the following:

• Family Commitment: Students and their families need to commit to regular lessons, practicing and performing

• Lesson venue: Music school, private music teacher or in-home instruction

• Teacher Qualifications: Student-teacher, professionally accredited or non-accredited

Here is a checklist to aid in your teacher selection:

1. Talk to your family, friends and colleagues

2. Check Teacher Association Directories: Alberta Registered Music Teachers’ Association (ARMTA), Alberta Piano Teachers’ Association (APTA), National Association for Teachers of Singing (NATS) and the Alberta String Association (ASA), Canadian Federation of Music Teachers' Associations (CFMTA), Music Teacher National Association (MTNA).

3. Ask music store staff for names of teachers

4. Conduct a preliminary phone interview

5. Conduct face-to-face interview/audition

6. Decision time

 Please refer to the links on the Studio Resources page to find out more about the music teacher associations or my website's link page.

Tuition varies depending upon the teachers’ educational and performance background, professional affiliations, track record, teaching experience and how their studio is set up. Good chemistry with the teacher, qualifications, high quality education and complementary vision should rate more highly than cost in your final decision.

After the interview/audition, the also teacher considers whether the student and family are a good fit for his or her studio.

Here’s to many years of merry music making once the choice has been made.

I’ve got rhythm…do you?

" Rhythm is everywhere. It surrounds us constantly in our environment and lives continuously within us." ~ Craig Cooke, CEO and Co-Founder, Rhythm Interactive, Inc.

I found this particular quote apropos for this week. Rhythm is extremely important in music but have you ever noticed rhythms in your everyday activities and environment?

From the soft breathing of a sleeping baby to a car alarm blaring in the night; from an egg jiggling in a pot of boiling water to Maestro’s “roll-roll-check” rhythm to force treats out of his Have-A-Ball -- these steady rhythms are soothing and comforting. They give us a point of reference.

I began studying the martial art of Iaido this month. Right away, I learned that there is much to gain by figuring out a steady rhythm to my movements. For instance, it takes five beats for me to complete a basic cut with my bokuto (wooden sword) and ten to complete first half of hajime no saho (beginning etiquette). The steadier the beat, the more fluid my movements became. The more fluid I became, the closer I came to attaining a state of mushin (no thought). Yes, it’s active meditation. I won’t dare go further because I am still learning the basics and don’t want to lead anyone astray.

Most people pay little or no attention to the rhythm in their lives. Only when the rhythm is off do they notice. A dancer automatically stumbles if the music is cut off suddenly or changes speed, a student may forget her lines in Romeo & Juliet if she hears a noise, while a daily commuter will notice the difference in the flow of traffic on the way to work if he wakes up ten minutes late.

As I say to my students, pay attention to the rhythm. Teachers often ask students to tap out tricky rhythms before they even attempt to play the notes. For if they don’t have the rhythm right from the beginning – it will always be off.