July 8, 2022

New session of Crescendo Kids Online begins this Tuesday, July 12!

This Memo includes

• Feature Article: Why Do Kids Want Piano Lessons?

• Practice Tip - One thing to improve your piano playing without actually practicing!

• Students Hall of Fame

• Upcoming MOM events includes Fall registration for CLASSES at North Kirkland Community Center and Spartan Recreation Center in Shoreline.

• Parents Ask Pam - What should my child be practicing at home?
  

Feature Article - Why Do Kids Want Piano Lessons?

I’ve written extensively about why parents want their children to get a music education or play the piano, but this time, I want to write about the kids’ perspective.  What is the reason most children want to learn to play the piano?  

Kids are typically motivated by “fun.”  They want to do whatever it is that makes them feel good.  Music hits this drive on several different levels.

1. Playing the piano is easy. It is super easy to make sound come out of the piano. Because of this simplicity, many young children as well as babies love to play the keys just to hear what the sound will be. I’d say this is true of adults as well. It is fun to just play around, hitting different keys to see what it will sound like, how playing multiple keys together sound, and experimenting with how the sound can change depending on what is pressed or not pressed. The best part about this is that it takes no expertise to play a piano key.

2. Creating something of your own. As children understand how to play and how the notes interact with each other, sometimes they like to create their own song. It can be a simple melody that they build on, or it might be something new every time they sit down. The thing is, even as a child, they have preferences about what kind of music they like and what don’t like. As they learn how to produce different types of sounds, they can then take it a step further and create their own music using this new knowledge. But music is even a little more than just creating something of your own. It touches a person’s emotions and feelings. So for example, when you hear music that makes you want to get up and dance, then creating your own dance music is a form of expression and communication. When a student creates their own music, it isn’t just a creation, it is also their feelings and emotions, making this new song of their own, part of themselves.

3. Sense of accomplishment. Learning to play is a challenge. New music is given and initially the student has no idea how to play this new piece. It can seem quite daunting! But then, with guidance from their teacher, and persistence from their practice technique, they are able to play this seemingly difficult piece with ease. That sense of accomplishment comes quite frequently with learning to play piano. Being able to play a favorite song, or a cool sounding riff, especially when so much hard work went into the learning process is a huge motivator and source of pride.

Here are a few comments from the kids . . .

“I like it because I like how if you make up a song, as long as you don’t go wild, it will always sound good! I also like having creative freedom.” Lillian R.

“Because you can make tons of music and stuff.😎🙂😀😃😄😁😆😇😊🙃” Iris H.

“I play piano because it is really fun and satisfying to be able to play any song you want. It is also nice to be able to sit down and waste some time playing!”  Hannah S.

“I like to play piano because you get to do this . . .(Then he plays a chromatic scale followed by a cool, robot-sounding piece)” Kevin J. 

Student Hall Of Fame

Our students are making great progress! These students have accomplished new goals this last month.

Welcome to our new students! Abraham E, Adora L, Aiden E, Albert L, August M, Aurora G, Aurora X, Austin L, Bella F, Bryce B, Cadence T, Charlotte T, Cindy H, Chloe L, Clara J, Cora B, Cora D, Diego A, Eleanor Y, Elliott M, Evangeline K, Felix L, Harvey X, Janice L, Jasper S, Julian E, Korra B, Lucy F, Maximum H, Mike Adiya, Myrah B, Naoki D, Nicholas A, Nika A, Nora C, Oliver P, Quincy T, Remmington Z, Samuel S, Sebastian B, Sebastian O, Skyla Z, Sophia D, Stella S, Xiaoxun B, Xiaoyan W, Xiuqi T, and Zaara T.

5X5 - play the piano for 5 minutes, 5 days in a week, for 5 weeks in a row - Hannah S, Iris H. and Lillian R.

Met an Individual Challenge Given By The Teacher - 1st week of learning chord inversions and fingering is correct! - Nathan H.

Practice Tip

Listen to classical music. This is so obvious with the preschool children. Typically, those who listen to classical music at home catch on quicker and play more musically than those that don’t. Even when compared to those that practice during the week! Listening to classical music continues to be an advantage as the students get older.

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.

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 a theme 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

Saturday, July 9, at 11:00 am. (email to join at this late time)

Sunday, July 31, at 11:00 am.

Parent Information Meetings - Have questions about our online piano class program? Want a tour of our practicing app? Click the link to schedule your meeting with Miss Pam. Parent Info Meeting

Crescendo Kids CLASSES - Tuesdays or Thursdays at North Kirkland Community Center visit kirklandparks.net

Fall registration begins August 24, at 7:00 am

Tuesdays: September 20 - December 13

Thursdays: September 15 - December 15

Crescendo Kids CLASSES - Mondays at Spartan Recreation Center in Shoreline visit shorelinewa.gov/registernow

Fall registration begins August 23, at 8:00 am for Shoreline residents,

August 25, at 8:00 am for Lake Forest Park residents and

August 26, at 8:00 am for everyone else.

Mondays: September 19 - December 12

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, June 14. 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: What should my child be practicing at home?

A: Now that we have physical classes again, we are able to offer our practice app to the students in the class. This is optional, but a great way to keep track of your child’s weekly assignments and practice time as well as communicating with your teacher between lessons. Weekly assignments will be updated in the app. If you choose not to use the app, your child’s assignment will be written on the envelope of their book. Preschool students will be given song sheets each week. You can always email with additional questions.

Your Comments And Questions

We want to hear from you!  What are some ways that you have included music education in your children’s lives these last couple of years? Please leave your questions and comments below or email Pam directly at misspam@moveovermozart.net