Piano Lesson Reviews

Play Well

2007-09-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

Neil is just about ready with the next set of video lessons.

Stay tuned here for more info in the next week or so...

And sign up for the mailing list at:

http://www.pianolessonreviews.com/

Pete

To Anonymous

2005-10-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I know of noplace else to buy the program!
I'm really not sure what to tell you.
Do you have a credit card yet? If not,
maybe someone you know has one...use it and
pay them the money, perhaps....

Best regards,

Pete Cullen

2005-06-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

Piano teachers count too!!!......piano lessons build character, concentration, self-control, self-esteem....

Title: 10 Reasons to Appreciate Teachers

Author: Susan Dunn, MA Psychology, Emotional Intelligence Coach

Article:
For National Teacher Appreciation Week, and every other week of
the year, here are ten reasons why I appreciate certain teachers
I had.

If you appreciate a teacher, let him or her know!

1. Mr. Thompson, my first-year Latin teacher.

He taught me to question! To use my brain and not allow myself
to be spoon-fed. He told us verbs were conjugated one way on
Monday, and then introduced the other way on Tuesday, saying,
"And now you're saying, 'My teacher has lied to me.' Well, they
do!" It kept me on my toes, so to speak, and brought me into the
real world where the rules don't always apply and tricky things
can happen.

2. Dr. Drake, my third-year Latin teacher.

Taught me how much I respect someone who stands for something
and enforces it. The students had been picking on a girl I'll
call Clara. Dr. Drake sent her from class one day on an errand,
and gave us a lecture about how people were going to be treated
in her classroom. I can still see her pacing the floor, making
her point. Things changed for Clara after that ... and for me.

3. Mrs. English, my high school English teacher.

She cared enough to notice I was goofing off and called me on
it, teaching me to respect myself. She refused to accept the
half-a**** paper I had turned in, saying it was nowhere near
what I was capable of producing, and told me to do it over.

4. Dr. Harriet Sheridan, college professor who taught me
Principles of Teaching.

Dr. Sheridan gave me a role model for how a woman can live a
balanced life. At the time, few women were working outside the
home. She had a Ph.D. and taught full-time at the college, and
also had 2 children. She invited us to her home often enough for
me to see she was excellent at both.

5. Dr. Owen Jenkins, college English professor.

Taught me how to reason. And also that when you have
self-confidence you can be warm and funny. Brilliant, he was
also very funny. He taught the senior Logic Seminar. No quarters!

6. Mrs. Wilson, my fourth grade teacher.

Got me into the creative world. Coming from a household that was
intellectual and didn't encourage creative work, I was a budding
but un-acknowledged artist. Mrs. Wilson put one of my drawings
on the cover of the school newsletter. I was never the same
after that.

7. Miss Adams, my first grade teacher.

She showed me how much I loved to teach. I was assigned to teach
the new girl, Janie Lambert, how to read. I've been teaching
(and loving it) ever since.

8. Mrs. Sledge, my piano teacher.

She taught me discipline. I started, with great excitement at
the age of 6 and learned I could learn something very hard if I
would just stick with it. She taught character along with piano.
I stood up tall when I walked in for my lessons (and when I
walked out)! 9. Mr. Framingham, high school English teacher, who
supervised my student teaching.

He taught me how to really teach. At the local high school, he
taught the honors class and the remedial class, and under his
supervision, I taught both. Anyone can teach the brightest and
the best. Mr. Framingham knew how to teach people who were very
difficult to teach. He told me senior year in high school would
be their last chance for a formal learning experience, and he
wanted to make it happen. Go Mr. Framingham!

10. Dr. Porter, my college Greek and Mythology teacher.

He (and really all the ones I've mentioned) taught me to love
learning. So incredibly passionate about his field, he made
Greek (the language), interesting ... every morning at 8 a.m. He
couldn't wait to begin class. He never wanted to let us go.
"Just one more thing," he would say, his eyes gleaming.

He, and all the other great teachers I've had, lit a fire under
me, igniting a lifetime love of learning. I hope you▓ve had some
too! If so, pass it on.

About the author:
Susan Dunn, MA Psychology, Emotional Intelligence Coach,
http://www.susandunn.cc . Let me teach you emotional
intelligence. Coaching, Internet courses, teleclasses and ebooks
for your personal and professional development.
Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for free ezine.

2005-05-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

Thinking of starting piano lessons? Friends tell you to "forget it".....read this article by Leo Quinn Jr. ...and start playing!!!

Title: Forget "Thinking" Outside The Box....GET Outside The Box
Author: Leo J Quinn Jr

Article:
I happened to overhear a conversation the other day between two
men┘

Young man has started learning about real estate investing. He
has read books and attended seminars put on by some gurus who
make more money selling information about real estate investing
than they do investing in real estate BUT at least he is taking
the initiative to learn more. This is more than most people will
do.

Old man owns his home. Young man wants to buy real estate as an
investment┘.apartment buildings, office buildings┘that type
stuff. Old man has o experience in this area. During the
conversation old man says to young man┘"are you doing anymore of
that real estate nonsense?"

By "nonsense" I know old man was referring to attending the "get
rich quick" type seminars and not a condemnation of real estate
investing. BUT it came across as a condemnation of the young
man▓s process of educating himself about something
new...something that could improve his life and the lives of his
family.

Unfortunately, you probably have people like that in your life.
You may BE a person like that in someone else▓s life. People in
your "box" don▓t want you getting out!

You know the type. Negative about any attempt you might make to
improve your life┘to be different┘to stand out┘.to be more
successful than they are.

I heard a great analogy for this by attending a free investment
seminar. I knew this guy would be advocating some risky
financial moves but I figured since I was in the seminar giving
business myself, that I might be able to learn something useful.
I did.

The people you associate with most are probably just like you.
You have similar educational backgrounds, families and incomes..
You live in houses and drive cars of similar value. You attend
the same church┘your kids attend the same schools┘you shop in
the same stores. You get the idea.

One could say you are in the same "box" or rut.

The analogy continues...

Unfortunately, the "instructions" on how to get out of your
"box" are posted on the "outside" of your "box" where you can▓t
read them. You▓ll need the help of someone who has already made
it out, to "read" you the instructions so you can get out too.

It▓s not enough to get that help though. You▓ll probably have to
deal with your "boxmates" who would rather you stick around to
keep them company in their sad little "box."

In listening to the conversation between old man and young man I
immediately flashed on the image of young may starting to climb
out of the box and old man reaching up and grabbing him by the
belt to pull him back in.

Sad but all too common I▓m sure. If any of this sounds familiar
you might have some hard decisions to make.

If completely getting rid of a negative person from your life is
not possible (spouse, relative, employer) then you might have to
clam up about your goals, dreams and desires. Discuss them only
with people who will support you or preferably with people who
have already done what you want to do.

Author Dan Kennedy has coined the phrase "mediocre majority" to
describe most people. This is a group you want to avoid.

So, no matter what you want to accomplish, be it changing your
life to get out of debt┘starting a business┘going back to school
(imagine at your age!)┘investing in real estate┘mystery
shopping┘losing weight┘taking piano lessons or anything else,
simply get started and keep the pie hole shut! (salad hole if
losing weight)

Good luck!

About the author:
Leo J. Quinn, Jr. owner of www.LeoQuinn.com is a financial
educator from the Albany, NY area. For over eight years he has
been helping thousands of people get control of their finances
and get out of debt in a fraction of the normal time. He has a
special offer for readers of this newsletter at
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=132551

2005-04-29T08:21:00.000-07:00

Another interesting article....

Title: The Joy of Learning!

Author: Mike Lim

Article:
⌠ Part of what motivates me to write this book is a concern that
we▓ve lost touch in education with the sheer joy of what it
means to learn something new.■ Thomas Armstrong, Author,
Awakening Genius in the Classroom

I think I was around 6 years old, when my mum decided to put me
into Piano class. I am quite sure it was an afterthought because
it was my younger sister who was first put into the class. Till
today, I could still remember, following my mum and sister to
her classes at Yamaha.

Why was I asked to learn the piano with my sister? I guess it
was my demonstration of my musical ability on the piano (which
was bought for my sister to practice). Without any formal music
lessons, I stunned my family by playing tunes from the TV shows
on the piano. And, of course, I disrupted my sister practice
sessions (and maybe, self-confidence, in the process).

My mum, a ⌠talent scout■ of sorts insisted that I should have
formal training to bring out the best in me. Like all parents
would do. So, I began to attend piano lessons each week in a
small cramped room that was only big enough for my piano
teacher, the piano and me. Frankly, I cannot really remember
much of the lessons. But, without a doubt, I could definitely
recall the constant nagging of my mum to practice everyday
pounding in my head. This went on for about 2 years. During
those two years, I did not take any practical exam, as I was
averse to the idea of being graded. Fear of failure, maybe. Soon
after, my dear mum withdrew me from the piano lessons. I guessed
she must have realized that I was not going to amount much since
I had adamantly refused to go for any practical exams.

Was I being a difficult child to my mum who probably had so much
hope in me to be the next Richard Clayderman or even, a Mozart
in the making? How could it be when I had actually passed my
theory exam with flying color (shocking everyone in the
process!)? To top it all, my piano teacher was very pleased with
me and raved to my mum about my prodigious musical talent during
the initial few weeks of piano lessons. But, I just wouldn't go
for any exams and hated the piano lessons as the weeks passed.

Yes, I HATED the whole learning process!

Thinking back, I realized that it was the strict and pressurized
formal music training that killed my interest and eventually,
not wanting to touch a piano since then. Did I resent my mum for
sending me to the piano lessons? Probably not, although I could
still recall the agony whenever I was ⌠coerced■ to practice. I
supposed my mum could have been more observant towards my change
of attitudes before and after the classes. So, mum and dad (yes,
you!), please observe your kid▓s behavior and attitudes when you
send them for enrichment classes or just school, for that
matter.

At the end of the day, it is your child▓s joy of learning that
would sustain his/her interest to excel if he/she chooses to.
Bear in mind that force-feeding would only do more harm than
good. As always, keep a balance in whatever you do for your
child. Try to put yourself in their shoes. The joy of learning
that you imbue in your child would outweigh the anxiety (and
fear!) that you put your child through to excel in a certain
area.

Be mindful and stay balanced!

Reflect upon these Words of Wisdom:

"At times, it is difficult to keep a proper balance in our
lives. But, over time, an improper balance will lead to
problems."

Catherine Pulsifer

"Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to
go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment,
you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions,
goals, and values are in balance."

Brian Tracy

About the author:
Mike Lim is the Managing Director (and Chief Learning Officer)
for Tumble Tots (Singapore and Asia-Pacific). A believer of A
Balanced Childт philosophy, he hopes to inject balance and
wisdom in Tumble Tots▓ variety of preschool educational
programmes.

Rocket Piano

2005-04-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

I found a new piano lesson product that I think looks great.....called Rocket Piano...you can look at it at www.rocketpiano.com. I'll be reviewing it soon on www.pianolessonreviews.com.

Here are just two of the testimonials from the site...

"I wanted to learn how to play piano as a harmonic accompaniment to my singing and I am very pleased with my progress thanks to your course. I'm loving playing music that suits the songs I'm writing!"
--

"I was skeptical at first, however your package truly delivers on its promises. And the bonuses were twice as good as I expected, especially Jayde Musica. I can't believe it's so cheap! It's definately the best learn-piano product out there and I'm so glad I found it!"
--

2005-04-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

Here's another great article by Emily Sigers about piano playing.
To learn where to find online piano lessons, check out www.PianoLessonReviews.com

Title: 12 Reasons You Should Learn to Play the Piano

Author: Emily Sigers

Article:
All right, folks, here you go: My 12 reasons why you should
start learning how to play the piano. Immediately. As in today.
This very minute.

Okay, fine, finish this article first, THEN get started. And
yes, I know that there are more than just 12 reasons to play the
piano. But I happen to like the number 12. :)

1) Everyone should play at least one instrument. I truly believe
that. Every person on Earth should be able to sit at SOME
instrument and be capable of making beautiful music.

2) Playing the piano makes you feel (and look) sophisticated.
Truly. No matter who you are or how many warts you have, you'll
just exude class the second you begin tickling those ivories.

3) Piano playing keeps your brain active. It's very hard for
your brain to rot when you consistently throw it the musical
language to interpret.

4) You won't run out of things to do when you're bored. There's
always a new way to play, always a new approach to playing, and
always, always, ALWAYS a new song to learn. (See number 8.)

5) Family members can live vicariously through you. I'm
semi-serious about that. The reason I began taking piano lessons
(back when I was 10) was because of grandparents who didn't
play, and over the years I've had numerous relatives enjoy
playing through me. (I live to serve.)

6) People will automatically assume you're a genius. Honestly,
I've heard this a lot. People uttering "He/she plays the piano"
in the same tone reserved for "He/she has an IQ of 174." You
just can't help but admire someone playing an instrument.

7) Piano playing is good for your hands. Indeed it is. I
probably have stronger hands/fingers than most people I know.
And have you ever noticed the hands of a pianist? Beautiful,
long, tapered fingers. Chances are that if you've ever admired
someone's hands, they play the piano.

8) Pianists never quit learning. There's absolutely no way to
memorize every musical piece on earth. You could learn 10 new
songs a day for the rest of your life without scratching the
surface of songs out there.

9) Piano playing is FUN. Really. It's one of the funnest things
I do. Think about it, why would so many of us do it if it
weren't a blast?

10) Deep down, everyone wishes they played the piano. Have you
ever read other people's New Year's Resolutions lists? If you
haven't, then you're just not nosy like me. No, seriously, if
you haven't, I'll tell you which wish consistently pops up:
"Learn to play the piano."

11) Piano playing is SATISFYING. It's truly one of the most
satisfying things you can do. (Right after touching your nose
with your tongue. Or so I hear.) There's no feeling like playing
a difficult song and playing it flawlessly. Quite an ego-boost.

12) Everyone loves a musician. 'Nuff said. :)

Visit: The Piano Pages

About the author:
Please visit my website, The Piano Pages for
more articles, free piano lessons, piano sheet music, tips,
products, and lots more. Also, feel free to send me comments,
questions, or hate mail at: emily@thepianopages.com

Can Music Make You Smarter?

2005-04-25T17:36:00.000-07:00

I was wandering the Web and found this, which I thought was you mighr enjoy. Can it be, then, that piano lessons can actually make you smarter? Well, they will certainly make you play the piano better!! :>> But read the article...it's very interesting...

Title: Increase Your Intelligence With Music

Author: Steve GillmanArticle:

You Are What You Listen To

Can music really help you think better? Yes, according to the research that has been done so far. Listening to, and participating in music creates new neural pathways in your brain that stimulate creativity. Studies have shown that music actually trains the brain for higher forms of thinking. There was a study at the University of California, for example, about 10 years ago. Researchers followed the progress of three year olds, split in to two groups. The first group had no particular training in, or exposure to music. The second group studied piano and sang daily in chorus. After eight months the musical three year olds were much better at solving puzzles. When tested, they also scored 80% higher in spatial intelligence than the non musical group. With such a dramatic difference, there is bound to be more research like this in the future. There is also anectdotal evidence that listening to music, especially from Mozart's era, can help you study and learn better. Hopefully there will be research done to confirm or disprove this soon, but there is really no good reason not to do your own experimentation in this area. Stephen King writes with loud rock music playing, so maybe any benefits here are according to your own tastes or brain-organization.

Brainwave Entrainment

Want to listen to some music, and get smarter? There are a number of products out there that are based on an entirely different principle than the research mentioned above. They rely on "entraining" your brainwaves, in order to put you in a meditative state. Brain wave frequencies vary according to mental state. Daydreaming and light meditation usually take place in the "Alpha" range of frequencies, for example. So if you listen to music containing beats at a frequency of 10 Hz it will feel very relaxing, because your brain will begin to follow this frequency and reproduce the rhythm in the music. You will automatically generate more brainwaves at a 10 Hz frequency and enter a relaxed Alpha mental state. What these new products do is embed music with beats and pulses that entrain your brain waves to a specific frequency. You just put in the right CD or MP3 for your activity (you don't want an Alpha state for analytical work), and you get better brainfunction. Science? Partly. It is well established that our brain wave frequencies change with our mental states and vice-versa. It is has also been clearly demonstrated that meditators can go into an alpha state at will, and that this has beneficial effects (lowering of stress, blood pressure, etc.). Do the tapes accomplish this more easily? Yes, in my experience. I've found two products that put me in a peaceful state unlike any other music or meditative practice. Studies will prove the effects (some have already), and disprove the wilder claims of some of these products. Given the results I experienced, however, I wouldn't wait for the research, any more than I would have waited for proof of the existence of vitamin C before I'd continue eating limes to cure scurvy a hundred years ago. Wait for more evidence of the benefits of brainwave entrainment, if you must, but why not try classical music the next time you need to study, just to see if it helps? Experiment with music -I haven't yet heard of any damage caused by Mozart.

About the author:
Steve Gillman has been studying brain improvement, concentration, creative problem solving, and related topics for years. You can visit his website, and subscribe for free to hisBrain Power Newsletter at: http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/newsletter.html

Instant Pro Piano

2005-04-22T07:22:00.000-07:00

There's a new product on www.PianoLessonReviews.com. It's called Instant Pro Piano, by David Seagal. David has a great offer on his site at www.instantpropiano.com. Look at the Special Offers page. David also offers free email support for 6 months when you buy one of his products....like having having a free piano tutor! Good deal. Here's a little bit of the review. To read it all, check www.PianoLessonReviews.com/propiano.html.

I just finished reading David Seagal's product. What a great job! There are 30 lessons included and each and every one taught me something useful. One really nice feature about how David put this set of lessons together is that there are multiple paths through the material. The author realizes that readers may have different goals in terms of the level of piano expertise they are trying to achieve. The material is arranged so that if a student is not particularly interested in some of the more technical aspects of music, those sections can be skipped.

It's important to realize the author's goal with this product - and that is for the student to have FUN learning to play! Wow! Learning any instrument should be fun. I like that approach. Another very encouraging statement that you'll read early on is that yes, it does take some work and effort to learn to play the piano! I get a little tired of web sites that make ridiculous claims like...."learn to play the piano in 24 hours!". What drivel! Of course it takes time and effort and commitment..and the author (a professional musician) knows that and works hard throughout the course to encourage you and keep our motivation level high.

The way he does that is by getting you to play the songs you want to play right from the start. As David says, the classical method of piano training would not have you playing from sheet music for quite a while after you start lessons. The goal of this product is to give you enough technical knowledge and facility very quickly so you can play songs that you'll actually enjoy!

The primary approach taken in this product is teaching you how to "improvise". The way he suggests you get started is to go out and get the sheet music to some of your favorite songs, start working on them and use the questions that come up as motivation to look through the lesson materials to find the answers. By the way, you can even learn to play the songs you love without buying the sheet music. David can show you how.

See more offerings on piano lessons at PianoLessonReviews.com

The Basics of Reading Music - By Kevin Meixner

2005-02-22T21:13:00.000-08:00

There is so much free stuff out there, it's mind-boggling! I just read the article below (click on the blue text to go to the site to read it all). It's a great ten minute introduction on how to read music. It's very good. Take a look. Learning to read music should be part of everyone's piano lessons.

The Basics of Reading Music - By Kevin Meixner: "To better understand how to read music, maybe it is best to first ask ourselves: What is music exactly? Well, according to the 1976 edition (okay so I need to update my book collection!) of Funk & Wagnalls Standard Desk Dictionary the definition is: mu.sic (myoo'zik) n. 1. The art of producing significant arrangements of sounds, usually with reference to rhythm, pitch and tone colour. 3. A succession or combination of notes, especially if pleasing to the ear. "......

There are more options to help you learn to read music at Piano Lesson Reviews. Take a look there too.

Piano Lessons

2005-02-14T19:30:00.000-08:00

Blogs are exploding! Will websites disappear? I don't know, but you should take a look at Mr. Ron's blog at http://mrronsmusic.blogspot.com/. It looks like he's just starting up over there, but I'm sure there's great stuff to come. You can read a lot more about Mr. Ron's piano lessons and other piano lesson products at Piano Lesson Reviews.

Piano Lessons and Ear Training

2005-02-09T08:58:00.000-08:00

Ear training is an important aspect of learning any musical instrument. I just found a great site that offers free software that helps a lot. It has a free test that rates your ability to distinguish the difference in pitch between two tones, and a whole list of things you can download to work on ear training. Good stuff. Here's a little bit of what the home page says:

Ear Training WebSite: "Music students should know how important ear training is for their development. Also experienced professionals still need to stay in shape, especially with the rhythm. Even those not interested in music should realize that a 'tone-deaf' ear will somehow affect their personality as a whole. The very first requirement for a musician is to be able to imitate sounds. You hear sounds in your imagination or from the outside world. You should be able to replay those sounds using your voice or an instrument, and this is the real task for any player or composer. Technically this is what making music means. Musicianship starts here. A professional musician, especially one with the perfect pitch may consider this as childish. In fact even a pro should strive to improve the ability to memorize and replay sophisticated rhythm patterns. This contributes a lot to better musical phrasing. "

There's a lot more information on piano lessons and music books at Piano Lesson Reviews.

Piano Lessons

2005-02-08T10:31:00.000-08:00

Piano Lessons

Are you thinking about piano lessons? There are a lot of different ways to approach learning to play the piano. The traditional approach is to follow a fairly strict regimen of exercises and then start to learn to play traditional pieces; and don't forget scales! Some practitioners advocate a different approach.

In an article titled " The Case Against "Traditional" Piano Lessons" by Edward Weiss (Copyright 2004) the author says, "how would you like to spend 4 years in a University learning how to play other peoples music? If you think this is ridiculous, you're right! Because that's what thousands of piano music students do each day. They sit in front of their piano or keyboard with sheet music of a dead composer in front of them. Then they are told to "play it right." Have you ever heard of such nonsense? Imagine a budding writer forced to copy another novelists work? In essence, this is what classical piano students do. They copy."

Have you ever seen a child who has just started piano lessons sitting at a piano? What do they do? The ones who actually enjoy the instrument almost always sit and try things out. They try to make melodies. They are not concerned with the "correctness" of what they're doing; they're enjoying the act of creating musical sounds. Maybe Edward has the right idea?

To read the rest of Edward Weiss' article take a look at Piano Lesson Reviews and see the wealth of different approaches there are to learning to play.