You know I love art, right?

Do you also know I love children’s books?  And I obviously love the piano.

Put them all together, and what have you got?!?!

Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum by Robert Andrew Parker

The children’s picture book follows the childhood of Art Tatum, one of the all-time greats of jazz piano.  Art Tatum had very bad vision that only got worse with age.  The book tells how, because of this, he loved playing around on his family’s piano.  As he grew up, he had many opportunities to play for people- first at his church, in his school, at cafes, and soon he became a fixture in local bars.  Shortly after that, he was asked to play for a radio station, five days a week.  As the book says, he soon became famous for his ability to “play one song and then weave another song in and out and through it.”

I especially love the above picture, as I have my own tiny pianist at home.

I confess, I did not know who Art Tatum was when I picked up this book.  But I have since been listening and watching videos of him on YouTube.  And I am in LOVE.

Don’t you just hate it when you discover something or somebody you wished you had discovered long ago?  I’m glad to have found Art Tatum.  How about you?

It’s finally summer here.  We had rain nearly every single day in the month of June.  It energized me beyond belief.  Now that we’re approaching 100 degree weather, I’m feeling the motivation being sapped from my body.

Will you share a happy story from your week with me? 

 It could be about music or teaching if you want, but it really doesn’t have to be.  I just have a suspicion that many of us could benefit from some happy stories today!

Do you ever have those moments where a big hand reaches out and slaps you across the face while you say, “DUH!”

When I have an announcement that needs to go out to all the parents, I type it up, and hand it out on each lesson day.  Nearly every single time, I miss at least one parent because I forget to send the note out.  Then, the next week is all about interrogating each child to remember if I sent a note home or not.

Here is where the big hand comes in.  With the last note I sent out, I wrote the name of each student on top of each paper.  DUH! 

As expected, I did forget to send the note out with 3 students.  But now I know exactly which students I need to give the note to this week.

What a relief.

Suzan Pleva, who said

Hello All! I always feel so at home among my fellow teachers! Everyone has such great and interesting things to say. It’s amazing how it doesn’t really matter what state you are in; the quipps of our profession seem to have that similar melody!

Suzan, send me your address at pianoteacherblog(at)yahoo(dot)com, and your free sheet music will be shipped to you!

Could there be anything better than after a week of practice, a student comes to lessons and says,

I want to play this piece for the next recital!

Well, I’m sure you could think of a dozen better things, but this one is pretty good, wouldn’t you say?

Enter the fabulous giveaway HERE

If a student seems daunted by a piece that moves around a lot, this is what I do.

I have the student do a “dry practice,” where she simply moves her hands to the new positions.  She doesn’t play a note- the goal is to just get her hands where they belong.

Then, to make it really fun, I time the student!  The goal being, of course, that she will improve with each “dry run.”

It’s a sneaky way to get my students to drill.  They love trying to beat previous times, so they’re willing to do this over and over. 

It’s also a very effective self-esteem boost.  The second time is generally always faster than the painfully slow first time.  And the third much faster than the second.  I always point out how much they improved.

Once they feel comfortable moving their hands, we introduce the notes.

Enter the giveaway HERE

I’m doing my first Student Only Recital (meaning, no parents allowed) at the end of this summer.  I want this to be an opportunity for my students to perform for each other in a relaxed setting, as well as get to know each other.

Have you ever done a Student Only Recital?  Do you have any advice?  How about “getting to know you” games?

I just LOVED the thoughtful responses I got from last week’s giveaway. 

I asked for your favorite things and least favorite things about teaching.  So many of you said your favorite things are when you see your students “getting it,” when they move on to be real musicians, and when they are excited. 

So many of you said your least favorite things are dealing with unhelpful parents, the business side of things, and students who don’t practice.

It was fun to read those comments, because they mirrored my own feelings!  I love when my students succeed, and when they are excited.  I love when I don’t have to urge them to practice.  I love when they are so excited about a piece that they move on from what I’ve assigned, and teach themselves more!

I absolutely detest the business end of piano teaching- collecting money, scheduling recitals, etc.  But I’m learning to deal with it!

And I was so pleased to discover that many of you love the color purple!  I’m also a purple lover, so I love you all!

If you didn’t get a chance to read the comments, go here.  They’re fun! 

And don’t forget to comment to win this week’s giveaway HERE!

Ok!  Are you ready for another giveaway from www.discountlessonbooks.com?  Discount Lesson Books offers lesson books at a discount, if you didn’t already figure out!  You can order from their website or call 1-800-692-4540.

This week, they are giving away 1 copy each of:

According to Random.org, the winner of the awesome giveaway is:

Comment #20: Dan the Music Master!

Dan, send me an email at pianoteacherblog{at}yahoo{dot}com with your address, so your copy of Mozart’s Sonatas and Fantasies can be shipped to you!

And to everyone who didn’t win, you’ll get a chance for another giveaway.  Check back later today for the announcement!