Metro Music Makers

Young Violin Student “Wows” the Audience

David Boyd — Fri, 04 May 2012 19:17:52 +0000

This young violin student’s performance received a great cheer of applause at our spring recital event. You’ll enjoy seeing his performance of Vivaldi’s Concerto in G in this video taken at the recital. Curious to know how much practice time he puts in each day, we asked. He practices 45 minutes a day. Not bad!

Recital Photo Contest: Win 2 Tickets to Colbie Caillat and Gavin DeGraw

David Boyd — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:29:52 +0000

Parents, get your cameras ready! This weekend’s Spring Recital Event provides the perfect photo op of your child performing on stage. Post your favorite photo of your child’s recital on our Facebook page for your chance to win 2 tickets to see Colbie Caillat and Gavin Degraw on June 13 at Chastain Park Amphitheatre. The winners will be sitting at Metro Music Makers’ catered table for this concert. In addition, your photo will be featured as the cover photo on the Metro Music Makers Facebook page for the month of May.

It’s Easy to Enter

Upload your best photo from our 2012 Spring Recital Event on the Metro Music Makers Facebook page: www.facebook.com/metromusicmakers
Invite your friends to like and comment on your photo.
The photo that receives the most likes and comments is the winner!

Rules: The photo must be of your participating student taken at our 2012 Spring Recital Event. The photo may include family members and MMM teachers and staff. Photos must be posted on our Facebook page by midnight on April 30, 2012.

We look forward to seeing your child perform and to seeing your photos. Happy picture taking!

That Little Thing Called Stage Fright

Allison — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:58:20 +0000

Sweaty palms, butterflies in the stomach, and mental pictures of freezing up on the stage – these are all telltale signs of that little thing called stage fright. Waiting your turn in a recital hall with a packed audience and nowhere to hide can be an intense and somewhat frightening experience for students, especially those first-timers who don’t know what to expect. These useful tips will help students to understand and overcome performance anxiety.

1. Just Breathe. While you are anxiously waiting your turn, take steady, deep breaths. Deep breathing can help to calm your heart rate and nerves. You can practice deep breathing in lessons by counting a steady 5 beats as you breathe in, hold the breath for another steady 5 beats, and then control the release of the breath for a final 5 beats. This is a great way to practice both regulated breathing and keeping a steady beat.

2. Focus Your Energy. Being nervous is actually a good thing. First of all, it means that you care about the way you present yourself before an audience. Second, the adrenaline rush that you experience when you are nervous heightens your senses; and you can use this to your advantage as you focus on the task at hand – performing your piece. Your preparation for a performance coupled with your excitement can result in a fun and memorable stage experience.

3. Carry Yourself with Confidence. Did you know that the way you carry yourself can affect your mood and outlook on a situation? You can improve performance anxiety simply by holding your head high and putting a smile on your face. Remember, you’ve prepared diligently for the performance, so you can be proud of the work you’ve already done. The stage is your place to show off what you’ve learned, and self-confidence can make a lasting impression on the audience.

4. Imagine It. Imagine yourself performing your piece successfully in front of an audience. Go through a step-by-step mental play of your performance: walking onto the stage, putting your hands in position, playing the first note, ending the piece with confidence, and taking your bow. It’s fun to imagine the applause coming from the audience, and it’s important to imagine all the good feelings you have walking off the stage. You can even take this a step further in lessons or in practice by pretending you are a world renowned artist performing at Carnegie Hall. Mental imagery can help you focus on a positive outcome.

5. Performing takes practice, too. Performing in front of an audience is a skill that takes practice. It’s important to note that this is a separate skill from learning how to play an instrument. However, these two skills are similar in that with time and experience both playing an instrument and performing on the stage greatly improve. So, perform as often as possible – for family and friends, at school and community events, at recitals and gigs. Even though you may never completely get rid of the “nerves” you will become a better performer; and you may even begin to really enjoy it!

Allison J Boyd, MT-BC

Private Piano Instructor

Music Therapist, Board-Certified

President, Metro Music Makers

7 Tips for Memorizing Music

David Boyd — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:22:18 +0000

In my 20 years of teaching I have noticed that students who memorize their music for performances are more likely to have successful performance experiences than students who don’t. This doesn’t mean that the students who memorize will always have a “perfect” performance, although some may come close. It does mean that students who prepare and internalize their music through memorization develop a familiarity with the music that cannot be achieved otherwise.

Memorization works hand-in-hand with the active learning of an instrument to achieve well-rounded musicianship. When beginning students express hesitancy about memorizing, I remind them that even the contestants on American Idol or their favorite artists like Taylor Swift and Coldplay always perform from memory. The comparison to a student’s favorite artist can be very motivating!

7 Tips for Memorizing Music

1. First step – learn the music - Take time with your instructor to analyze the form of the music. You may even color code patterns and repeating sections. Recognizing patterns can greatly aid the memorization process. Practice slowly and consistently with the music as you are learning it.

2. Stick with the fingering - It’s so important to use the same fingering each time you practice your music whether it is notated or not. If you have music that does not designate good fingerings, ask your instructor to help you notate the fingerings in the music. Your fingers build muscle memory when you practice. A lack of consistent fingering results in a lack of muscle memory, and this can greatly hinder the mental memorization process.

3. Memorize one section at a time - Don’t overwhelm yourself with the thought of memorizing an entire piece. Set memorization goals of a “section” at a time. A section may be a phrase, or a pattern, or a set number of measures. Once you memorize one section, then move on to memorize the next section. Once both sections are memorized, try playing them from memory back-to-back. You may skip around the piece using this technique as you initially work on memory. Ultimately, you’ll have the entire piece memorized.

4. Practice without the music in front of you - Many students want to keep the music in front of them as they look down to practice from memory. However, this kind of practice can become a crutch, especially when the music isn’t on the stand when you’re in front of an audience. Turn the music over so that you cannot see the notes when you practice from memory. Eventually, you will want to practice without the music on the stand just as it would be in a performance.

5. Know your Safety Sections – “Safety Sections” are the sections in the music that you can easily jump to should a memory slip occur. Jumping to a safety section will allow you to gracefully cover up your mistake and continue to the end of the piece. During lessons, I instruct students to fake a memory slip in order to purposely practice jumping to the safety section. Every professional musician that I know has experienced memory slips. It just happens. So, preparing your safety sections is necessary.

6. Set a memorization deadline - Performance events can be compared to taking an exam – you can’t cram for it and expect a successful experience. Mental and muscle memory take consistent practice and repetition. As a general rule, I require students to have their performance music memorized at least 2 weeks prior to a performance. Depending on the event, the learning style of a student and the difficulty of the music, I may require an earlier memorization deadline. Setting a memorization deadline allows time for the student to practice performing from memory in front of others prior to the main event.

7. Perform for a small audience from memory - Prior to a performance event, gather a small group of family and friends to listen to you perform from memory. They must be in the same room as you are! It doesn’t count if the family is at the dinner table in a separate room. Playing from memory while others are intent on watching you is a skill to be practiced!

The memorization of music is an essential part of overall musicianship, and it is a skill that can be developed through preparation and practice. Remember, the more you do it, the easier it will get!

Allison J Boyd

Private Piano Instructor

Music Therapist, Board-Certified

President, Metro Music Makers, Inc.

5 Top Reasons for Getting Your Kids Involved in Music Lessons

David Boyd — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 18:15:05 +0000

When I tell someone that I teach piano, the initial response I get is, “I wish I had taken piano lessons when I was younger” or “I wish my mom forced me to continue piano lessons rather than letting me quit.” Since I started teaching in 1992, no one has ever said, “I wish I hadn’t learned how to play the piano.”As adults and parents, we seem to understand how essential and beneficial learning to play an instrument is in our childhood and adolescent years. Parents have various reasons for investing in music lessons for their kids. One of the main reasons is parents’ belief that music lessons will help their kids in school. And they are right! This is one of the 5 top reasons why kids need to learn a musical instrument. As shown by research, taking music lessons has numerous benefits especially in the development of intelligence and character. Here are 5 Top Reasons for getting your kids involved in music lessons.

1. Music Lessons Enhance Brain Development.

Many research studies have been conducted to measure the effects of learning a music instrument on cognitive development. Findings indicate that children who take music lessons over several years show greater improvement in spatial-temporal reasoning skills which are necessary for learning math and science. Music-making kids surpass their classmates who don’t take lessons in reading comprehension. In addition, children who take music lessons benefit from improved memory skills. When we look at the research, it is easy to see that taking music lessons over a prolonged period gives kids an academic advantage to the point of increasing IQ and SAT scores. Your kids will be smarter!

2. Music Lessons teach kids how to Accomplish Goals.

Setting goals is crucial to making progress in anything that we pursue whether it’s a passion or not. Typically, if we are passionate about something, we pursue that “something” by setting our own goals. Many times others set goals for us including our parents, teachers, bosses, coaches, government, religious leaders or peers. Goal-setting is an important part of day-to-day living, and it is the first step toward achieving a sense of accomplishment. Proficiency on an instrument is a long-term goal achieved over a period of years. In order to accomplish this goal, the music teacher and student must set and accomplish short-term goals that will ultimately lead to long-term achievement. One of the greatest rewards of being a music teacher is to help young students become top-notch musicians and performers over the course of their elementary through high school years. Some students go on to pursue music as a career path. Others go on to pursue other passions. Whatever their pursuits, taking music lessons has taught them how to make progress towards their dreams.

3. Music Lessons develop Self-Discipline in kids.

We all know that anything worth having in this life doesn’t come easy and that with hard work and consistency we can achieve great things. How do we instill the character qualities of self-determination and discipline in our kids who are living in a fast-paced society that has grown accustomed to immediate gratification? Music lessons are a fun and effective way to help a child learn self-discipline. Students find motivation in the music they are learning. However, in order to perform this music well they must practice consistently. As the music teacher helps a student structure weekly practice time, the student is empowered to learn the music through self-discipline. Developing the skill of self-discipline can be adapted to achieve goals in other areas such as academics and sports.

4. Music Lessons help kids become Independent and Self-Sufficient adults.

Many child psychologists agree that a child’s happiness and ability to become an independent and successful adult is greatly dependent on that child’s sense of self-worth and confidence. The qualities of children with high self-esteem include:

tackling new challenges
being independent and true to themselves
taking responsibility for their decisions and actions
having confidence in themselves and taking pride in their abilities

These characteristics can be developed with consistent music lessons throughout the childhood and adolescent years. New challenges are tackled regularly in music lessons by learning a new piece or song, learning a new technique or progressing to a higher skill level. As students make progress in learning a musical instrument, they are able to choose the music they love to perform – classical, pop, country, etc. Being true to yourself is recognizing what you love most and pursuing it. The decision to practice or not practice can have its consequences, and students must structure their practice for progress. Seeing students perform in front of an audience is a highlight for teachers, parents, family and friends. Students experience a great sense of accomplishment after a performance.

5. Music Lessons promote Self-Expression and Creativity

The world’s greatest leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators and inventors have something in common – creativity. This creativity can evolve into the power of invention. Think of Benjamin Franklin and his numerous inventions that were born from his creativity in discovering improvements to the way things worked. Making music naturally elicits self-expression and creativity, and the ability for students to express themselves with confidence and creativity opens up incredible doors of opportunity. As you think about which extracurricular activities to choose for your kids, consider the true benefits of your investment. We all want our children to live life to the fullest and to experience great happiness as they follow their dreams. Sometimes, they need a little guidance from us. We invest in our kids’ futures by giving them opportunities such as music lessons. Taking music lessons cultivates qualities that lead to lifetime success. Make learning a music instrument a priority in your home and encourage your kids every step of the way. Allison J Boyd, Music Therapist – Board Certified President of Metro Music Makers, Inc. www.metromusicmakers.com www.facebook.com/metromusicmakers www.twitter.com/metromusicmaker