January 13th, 2009 by Lisa | 1 Comment »

How To Be Your Own Piano Teacher

Have you considered teaching yourself how to play the piano?
Many people share the common belief, (including piano teachers), that it is not possible to teach yourself how to play the piano without developing bad habits. That belief might have been true years ago, but today there are piano methods that have been written specifically [...]

January 13th, 2009 by Lisa | No Comments »

Piano Lessons: Smile Management

Here is a common concern I receive from students and thought I would address it to everyone here.
Dear Lisa,
I never smile when I practice. My sister says I am too tense. I am having difficulty learning,
can you help me?……
Relax. You are concentrating too hard and not enjoying the
learning process. Learn to be happy [...]

January 13th, 2009 by Lisa | 1 Comment »

Why Can’t I Count in my Head?

Because I said so!  ~wink~  Just kidding.
There is an interesting phenomena that happens when you count in your head rather than count out loud.  I have been teaching for 25 years now and I have seen this certain phenomena happen 100% of the time with all my students.   What is this phenomena?
Time after time, when [...]

January 12th, 2009 by Lisa | 4 Comments »

Why Count Out Loud?

Why do I stress counting out loud?
If you started the free lessons, you will notice right away that counting out loud is a very important skill to develop right from the beginning.  Counting out loud while you are playing develops rhythm, coordination, and prepares you for doing even more complicated tasks all at the same [...]

January 12th, 2009 by Lisa | 1 Comment »

The “Tick-Tock” Counting Method

In the beginning of my curriculum, (in the free lessons), you will see that I start you off  by teaching you how to count rhythm.  (See lesson 2)
Traditionally, counting rhythm is counted by saying 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and etc…
In the early stages of my lessons, I present a unique way to [...]