I’ve been wanting to share a bit more about some behind-the-scenes things happening around my piano studio, so I decided to create a new themed post full of piano and not-so-piano things going on. (You can also catch some of this info over on my FB page.)
We’ve also had a lot of new faces visiting Pianissimo lately, so I hope these posts give you a chance to get to know me a little better, too.
I’m a fan of lists and numbers, so here it goes, in list format:
1. Out-Of-Town Visitor
Blog reader Julie is visiting my area this week and reached out to see if we could connect. She visited my studio and then we had a lovely lunch together. We both run big studios out of our homes and we are also very much on the same page with our approaches to teaching. It was great to have someone to bounce some ideas around with. Things like – carpet in a piano studio, yay or nay? What methods are working the best for our students right now? Field trip ideas.(She’s got me excited to check out a fun idea for this summer!) How to set up and use 2 cameras for online lessons. And so much more!
2. Moving
Some exciting news around here is that my family and studio are moving to a different house a few miles away. Our little 2 bedroom bungalow wasn’t cutting it anymore. We found a great new spot that has plenty of space for our family and an awesome studio set up.
We’ll hopefully be moving to the new place by the end of the month, but in the meantime wallpaper removal, painting and packing are high on our priority list.
Check out these built-ins! Think I can fill them up with piano music?
3. Community Orchestra
I joined my local community orchestra for this past school year playing second violin. We had our last concert of the season a few nights ago and one of the pieces we performed was Pictures At The Exhibition. I had forgotten that it was first written for piano, so now that I know the music so well, I’m looking forward to reading through the piano version.
4. Piano Flip Books
Did you see the piano flip books my piano students made? I saw these on Notable Music Studio and knew that they’d be a hit with my students. They turned out to be a pretty big commitment to get them all put together, but it was well worth it. The books are packed with great information about the piano. It prompted a lot of important conversations with my students on topics that don’t normally fit into piano lessons like the parts of the piano, how it works, it’s history and how to care for a piano.
5. Preschool Music Picnic
For the past several years, we’ve ended our spring Preschool Music session with a picnic in my backyard after the last class. It’s highly anticipated among the little ones and always a huge hit. Each student brings their own lunch + a cut up piece of fruit to contribute to our community fruit salad that we share. It’s always a good excuse to pull out my kids’ bounce house and let the kids run around and have fun!
6. Beatles For Classical Piano
In honor of my new nephew Jude born last week, I’ve been practicing Hey Jude from Philip Keveren’s Beatles For Classical Piano Collection. You may have heard me say this before, but I just love his arrangements, so I’ll take any excuse I can get to add another one to my repertoire!
And, in not-so-piano news:
7. Kombucha
I’ve been hooked on drinking kombucha for the past several months. My assistant teacher, Amanda, and I often split one on Thursdays and cheers to the end of our teaching week. Something about the sour, bubbly, subtly sweetness really hits the spot. I haven’t found one that I don’t like yet, but Brew Dr. Clear Mind and GT’s Gingerade have been repeat favorites.
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