2017 MTAC Convention Day 1 cont.

Many joyful things happened in the exhibit hall....

Being a member of both MTAC and MTNA/CAPMT,  I am delighted to help out at the CAPMT booth and promote the organization during the convention.  It is a privilege to belong to both of them, with MTAC being the longest CA professional music teachers association and CAPMT being affiliated with the National MTNA. They provide professional connections and invaluable resources for both teachers and students. Here is my picture with the CAPMT president Noreen Wenjen since I was the first one to help out on an opening day! 10 am sharp. It was good that I had the jetlag from traveling to Asia to keep me wide awake in the morning hours.

One of the best advantages of attending a conference is to visit the exhibit hall and check out the books and music that I want. Not to mention the opportunity to meet with the authors and composers whom I admire! Got an autograph from Mr. A, Dennis Alexander, on his favorite solo piece collection when cruising Alfred's music booth, lucky me! 😊
Since there is no line, Mr. A and I had a bit of discussion on his compositions and teaching with using technology just right before his inspiring presentation, which he included my new fond app "SuperScore." Hmm, time to update my app review as well.

I have also discovered an excellent survey book on piano concertos, which just published this year, with an inclusion of contemporary composers! Exactly what I am looking for over the years. My review is coming soon!

My First MTAC Convention '17 - Day 1

It has a been a pretty inspiring convention especially with the sessions given by my local South Bay Area prestigious musicians like Professor Hans Boepple's "Toward Advanced Playing" and Dr. Gwendolyn Mok's Lecture recital. And I will be writing a short article for the Santa Clara County Branch newsletter about my experience at the MTAC convention, stay tuned!

MTAC Convention provides a cool app that helps the attendees to navigate and plan their sessions.
Technology well used!!

Podcast interview released!

My Oclef Podcast interview is now released! 😄 This episode includes discussions on practicing quality/strategies as well as how to get parents involved more with their children's' music learning.

For more detail information, please also visit my blog "Effective Practice Strategies" "For Parents" and "Teaching Resources."  The effective strategies will be posted periodically on different subjects like notes reading, dynamics, rhythm, pedaling, etc..

Podcast interview with Oclef

Here is my NEWest adventure of being a featured guest for a podcast interview! The host Julian Toha, who is the Oclef music app developer and co-founder, and I had lively discussions on the topics of parents role and practicing quality in music learning!

My episode will be released on this Friday, June 2 tentatively 😊.  Meanwhile, the "standout quotes" and show notes are now available on the Oclef website. If you like a preview of this interview, please click here

Van Cliburn International Piano Competition 2017

Van Cliburn International Piano Competition 2017 is going live now!! May 25th - June 10th.
Look forward to watching these 30 elite pianists from all over the world!

Van Cliburn International Competition 2017

Workshop handouts and books reviews

New Updates in this blog!

1. Handouts for Music Apps and Duet Repertoire workshops are now available at the Pedagogy Workshop page.  Both of them contain lists of "hall of fame" apps and duet repertoires favored by teachers and students! Hopefully, they will make it to your teaching library!

2. Summer is a precious time to rejuvenate and start to plan the new academic year. I have always enjoyed summer time reading which gives me tons of teaching ideas and helps me to reflect on my teaching methods as well.

So, here is the new page, Teaching Resources. It contains my favorite teaching websites and books reviews, which will be posted periodically. The books are listed by categories from piano pedagogy, repertoires to performance practice and more. Hope theses resources will bring benefits to your teaching as they did to mine.

Have a sizzling and relaxing summer!

Effective Practice Strategies - Notes Reading

Notes reading is such a fundamental skill for beginner and elementary students to have. As a piano teacher, I deeply felt that it is my responsibility to constantly check these young students' reading ability to ensure that they stay on track and continue their interest in music learning.

Because the beginner pieces are often written in five-finger position with fingering indications, they are easy for students to figure out without actually knowing the notes. Therefore, I use the following tips to routinely examine if these young students are failing or getting behind on their notes reading:

1. Single out any note without fingering or hand position indications and ask them to name and play it. It can be a note within the five-finger position that they are currently learning.
2. Evaluate their concept on "correct register," for example, middle C vs. base C

Teachers shall detect signs of any reading deficiencies during the learning process and use methods to prevent possible future reading obstacles.

HOW CAN WE HELP?

• Practice individual notes reading. I like doing this in almost every lesson based on the pieces that they are currently working on. For example, if students are learning specific ledger line notes, working with them on those notes to reinforce their memory and reading speed. I love notes reading Apps like Flashnote Derby, Note Rush, and Noteworks. My students have so much fun and eager to see how much they have improved every week!
• "Landmark" notes and the concept of skip and step. By teaching students landmark notes, such as middle C, base C, G clef, F clef or "treble clef space notes FACE," they will have reference notes to work with the concept of step and skip. (you can be quite creative when introducing landmark notes to suit individual student's learning style!) 
• Seeing "patterns" is essential for advanced students. It fosters a successful sight-reading ability. Students shall be able to analyze a piece and quickly spot patterns such as "C major scale," "chromatic scale," or "certain hand position like broken triads."

When students establish a solid foundation in notes reading plus accurate rhythmic counting, they will soar in playing! And that's when the real fun begins!

Please share your favorite reading tips, can't wait to hear them!