How Tonara Makes Practice Fun - Mozart’s Monthly Memo-Volume 29
April 6, 2023
New session of Crescendo Kids Online begins Tuesday, April 11
How Tonara Makes Practice Fun
This Memo includes
Feature Article: How Tonara Makes Practice Fun
Student Hall of Fame
Practice Tip
Sign up link for our 2023 Spring Recital
Parents Ask Pam - For the Spring Recital, which times will be in person and which times will be online?
Feature Article - How Tonara Makes Practice Fun
By Pamela Cornell, Director for Move Over Mozart
What makes a strong piano student? It is all about the practice time! You’ve heard the expression, 10% talent, 90% perspiration? That is so true with musicians as well! It really doesn’t matter how musically inclined your child is, what matters is how motivated and excited they are to play the piano. With Move Over Mozart, we are fortunate to have a practice app, Tonara, that helps motivate and inspire our students to practice. While this app is optional, those that use it practice an average of 30% more than those that do not use it! This is a claim I read before purchasing the app and was pretty skeptical about its actual effectiveness. However, after tracking my own private students’ practice that first week, I was pleasantly surprised to find that 30% was a conservative increase! So what is it that draws students to play more while using the Tonara app? Today’s article will explain and hopefully motivate you to fall in love with this app as much as I have.
Here is a quick list of the fun features in Tonara and then more explanation below.
Points earned for practice
Coins earned for leveling up
Stickers, frames and animations to decorate the app
Leaderboard
Compare recordings
Easily record features
Easily send recordings or videos between student and teacher
Convenient texting between lessons for teacher and student
And more!
There are several features within Tonara that children love. One is the points. Simply put, the more piano playing with the app, the more points earned. As points tally up, the student goes up in levels. With each new level, the student earns coins. Coins can then be used to purchase stickers, frames and animations within the app. If the student is competitive, they can see how they rank compared to other students in our program on the leader board. The leader board only shows points earned for the last seven days, making it possible for anyone to reach the top with a little extra effort. We once had a 5 year old out play all the other students, including our private students, because he constantly played the piano to stay at the top of the leaderboard!
Another feature students love on Tonara is our compare recordings. Compares use technology to match the student’s playing with an example from their teacher. The compare gives a grade based on different aspects of their piano playing, so a student can instantly tell which area needs improvement and which area is fabulous! For example, the compare might give an A for pitch (meaning correct notes played) but a C for rhythm. By forwarding the compare results to their teacher, students also get additional bonus points just for trying.
Tonara allows a student to record their playing and keeps it in a safe place that only the student has access to. So if a person wants to see if they are improving, they could record their song on day one and then again on day five to hear the difference. Or, the student could record themselves and then be their own teacher and critique their own playing. Of course, if the student wants, they can always share their own recordings with their teacher.
The texting feature in Tonara is a fun way for students to communicate with their teacher between lessons. Not only can they text like any other phone, but they can also easily record an audio or video for their teacher. For our young, pre-reading students, this is a nice feature because the teacher can record messages that the student could hear for themselves, instead of read which they might not be able to do yet. Another aspect of the texting in Tonara is the ability to send stickers back and forth. The teacher could just send a text, “Love your playing!” But how much more exciting and motivating it is for the child when the words are accompanied with a picture of a heart made out of a treble and bass clef, or a cute little bear hugging a heart!
Of course, Tonara also keeps track of the practice time, giving a visual graph of how much time has been played in the last week. It keeps assignments organized all in one place, making it easy for students and parents to know what to work on each week. What’s even better though, is that teachers can assign a minimum time and day amount of practice for each assignment. Once that goal is reached, the assignment is crossed off, marked as completed, and bonus points are earned. Another way to celebrate your child’s accomplishments!
Tonara fits right in with our mission of keeping piano lessons fun, which encourages more motivation and a desire to learn. If you would like to understand more how Tonara works and how you can help your child enjoy their practice time, let me know. I’m happy to walk you through all of its fun features!
Student Hall Of Fame
Our students are making great progress! These students have accomplished new goals this last month.
Welcome to our new students - Alexander S, Alina H, Alina L, Alyssa C, Andrew W, Bitania A, Dominic M, Elliott B, Ethan G, Grace L, Jefferson H, Josefine H, Julia H, Lillian M, Mary B, Milo W, Noah D, Noah P, Penelope L, Sylvie E, and Weston A.
5X5 - play the piano for 5 minutes, 5 days in a week, for 5 weeks in a row - Nathan H, Siya P. and Theo M*. ( * indicates first time meeting this challenge!)
Listening - Listened to classical music for 1 hour/week for 4 weeks in a row - Calvin H, Elliott W. and Naoki D.
100-Day - played the piano for 100 consecutive days - Lillian R.
Completed current piano book - Gus K.
Practice Tip
Repetition is the key to learning a new piece. Put a bunch of pens, objects, or small toys at one end of your piano keyboard. (Make sure they are large enough to NOT slip between the keys!) Each time you play your piece or section of a piece, move the object to the other side of the piano. When all objects are moved, find a different section or piece and go through the whole process again, moving all the objects back.
Upcoming MOM Events
Want to see all upcoming events? Check out our calendar. It includes when the next Crescendo Kids class begins, school closure dates, piano parties, and recital dates.
Spring Recital - May 19, 20 and 21, 2023
Our in-person Spring Recital is BACK! Students may participate in person or online, and the audience my join in person or online. All currently taking piano lessons are welcome to join us, including former students and siblings of current students. Space is limited so sign up early! 2023SpringRecital
FREE Online Piano Party! Students share their own music as well as participate in musical games, creating music and learning some music history. Each party is a little different with new lessons and a special guest instrument. Come, meet our piano teachers, play some music, and have fun! All ages and musical levels are welcome. Parties are available to non-students, former students as well as current students. Click the link to sign up. Piano Party Sign Up
Sunday, April 30, at 11:00 am for ages 3 - 6 years old
Sunday, April 30, at 12:00 pm for ages 7 - 12 years old
Parent Information Meetings - Have questions about our online piano class program? Want a tour of our practicing app? Click the link to schedule your free meeting with Miss Pam. Parent Info Meeting
Crescendo Kids CLASSES - Tuesdays or Thursdays at North Kirkland Community Center visit kirklandparks.net
Registration is now
Tuesdays/Thursdays:
Spring: April 18/20 - June 20/22
Summer: June 27/29 - August 22/24 (no class July 4)
Crescendo Kids CLASSES - Mondays at Spartan Recreation Center in Shoreline visit shorelinewa.gov/registernow
Registration is now for Summer classes
Mondays:
Spring: April 3 - June 12 (no class April 24 & May 29)
Summer: June 26 - August 21
30 - Minute Private Online Piano Lessons - Did you know that many of our teachers also teach privately? Now you can continue your child’s musical education, or your own, with Move Over Mozart. Click here for more information. Private Lessons
New Crescendo Kids Online begins Tuesday, April 11. Our piano classes are fun and easy to do! Perfect for beginning students ages 3 1/2 to 12 years old. Students are put into one of 4 classes depending on their age and musical ability.
Crescendo Kids Online Sign Up
Pre-Reading - Ages 3 - 5 years, or students not yet reading,
We use a color-coded method for the students to match their five fingers to five keys on the piano. New songs using only those 5 notes are given each week.
Primary - Ages 5 -7 years or older and brand new to music,
This group is for the very basics of piano playing. Students learn to play simple rhythms, correct hand position, and the names of the white keys on the piano.
Beginning Elementary - Ages 7-12 years or younger and reading notes,
This is for students just starting to read notes on the staff. Students are taught how the staff relates to the piano and how to translate the notes to making music. Also, having the students memorize a few key notes on the staff will help greatly with their ability to read music.
Advanced Elementary - Ages 7 - 12 years with previous piano lessons
This group already reads notes on the staff and can immediately identify many of the notes by name. They will learn more advanced technique and music theory beyond the initial basics of learning to play.
Parents Ask Pam
Have a question for Miss Pam? You can email, text message, or message on Facebook your questions. She will respond immediately to you, and your question might be featured in future newsletters.
Q: For the Spring Recital, which times will be in person and which times will be online?
A: This year’s Spring Recital will be a hybrid of in person and online at the same time. We will be live-streaming the in-person part of the recital so you are welcome to invite friends and relatives from any geographical location, not just those in the local area. We will have a large screen displayed at the recital to present any online participants as well. When you sign up for a recital time, you can indicate if you prefer to attend in person or online. It will be a lot of fun to have both in person and online performers!
Your Comments And Questions
We want to hear from you! What questions do you have? What do you like best about this memo? How do you encourage practicing in your home? Please leave your questions and comments below or email Pam directly at misspam@moveovermozart.net