Charging The Enemy
The fortune read: Keep on charging the enemy so long as there is life. I pinned the scrap of paper to the bulletin board beside my desk where, every so…
PA Shorts: Did I Do Good?
I have been doing some judging for various evaluation programs this spring. I love hearing the students. Mostly they are proud of their accomplishments but a little nervous too. I…
A Little Perspective
Now that March Madness has come to an end, it's officially recital/evaluation season. Our EAC recital is tomorrow evening. With that comes inevitable worry wart nerves and the polar opposite:…
Great Job!
Being specific with our praise phraseology isn't anything new. Social media is full of articles on parenting language. It helps if we as teachers also think carefully about our language. The student…
Lapbook Project For High Schoolers
Last semester I asked my high schoolers who study at the college to create a lapbook detailing one of their performance pieces. Some had no idea what a lapbook was.…
PA Shorts: Fortune Cookie Advice
Happy, happy Holidays to all you piano addicts and many, many thanks to each of you for reading and supporting the blog. On our recent trip to Las Vegas, we went…
PA Shorts: Playing by Heart vs. Memory
I found this in my inbox last Saturday and it really did my heart good. You were right, memorization CAN happen in fifteen minutes. I am so excited about being…
Playing With Wolfgang: Jesus Loves Me in Japanese
I remember clearly the day clearly. It was a big deal for us kids. We were going to surprise the whole congregation. We could barely sit still through the beginning…