Tuesday, November 30, 2021 by Mary O'Connor | listening

I have purchased a set of Christmas Shades of Sound Listening & Coloring Book for the studio. 

Please let me know if you do not want your student to participate in Christmas activities and I will assign alternate activities.

Each week, I will print out some of the pages for your student and put them in his/her notebook.  After listening to the music on YouTube, the student may color the pages.

After they are colored, please return them to the notebook so that there will be a complete book when finished.

If you are an adult and want to listen and color, too, just let me know and I'll print you a set.  

From the website: 

Get your piano students listening to great classical music!

The Shades of Sound Listening and Coloring Books are a great way to encourage students to listen to great piano and orchestral repertoire. Students of all ages will love coloring the fun pictures while listening to and learning from the music of the great composers.

This Shades of Sound Christmas edition includes 20 pieces of piano and orchestral literature for the Christmas season, from the Baroque to the Modern period. Includes background and historical information on the pieces and the composers, and a beautiful coloring page for each piece.

The Christmas Shades of Sound book includes 20 different pieces, including:

• In Dulci Jubilo from the Christmas Tree Suite by Liszt
• Pastorale from the Christmas Oratorio by Bach
• Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring by Bach/Hess
• Farandole from L’arlesienne Suite #1 by Bizet
• Christmas Sonatina by Reinecke
• Elegy #4 by Busoni
• The Adoration of the Magi by Respighi
• Winter Sonatina by Rowley
• Christmas Concerto by Corelli
• Ave Maria by Schubert/Liszt
• Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Gillock
• Diversions by Dello Joio
• Nuit de Noel by Busoni
• Sheep May Safely Graze by Bach/Petri
• Carol Symphony by Hely-Hutchinson
• Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by Tchaikovsky
• Trepak by Tchaikovsky
• Arabian Dance by Tchaikovsky
• Waltz of the Flowers by Tchaikovsky
• Hallelujah Chorus by Handel

Tweet

Sunday, November 28, 2021 by Mary O'Connor | holiday

Hanukkah 2021 will begin in the evening of Sunday, November 28 and ends in the evening of Monday, December 6

Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights.

It commemorates the victory of the ancient Israelites over the Syrian Greek army and the subsequent miracle of restoring the menorah in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

The miracle of Hanukkah is that only one vial of oil was found with just enough oil for one day, and yet it lasted for eight full days.

Tweet

Friday, November 5, 2021 by Mary O'Connor | parents

I have ordered this book and CD combo for the music studio so parents can check it out to see if it would be useful for them to buy for home use.  If any of the studio parents have this book already, please let me know what you think. Thanks! 

My copy came today and it looks fantastic.  I am considering ordering some for the studio for parents.  The list price is $19.95 plus tax and shipping but I can get it for $17.00 including tax and shipping.  Please let me know if you'd like a copy - or you can borrow mine a week or so to see if you think it would be helpful.

From Amazon: Help Your Kids with Music is a step-by-step visual guide to music theory and is the perfect primer to help students gain a solid foundation in music, no matter their age, skill level, or instrument. Help Your Kids with Music clearly explains key concepts in five step-by-step chapters:

• The Basics explains the types of instruments, notation for keyboard and stringed instruments, the "musical alphabet," and counting a beat.
• Rhythm covers the length of notes and rests, as well as basic rhythms and meters, phrasing, syncopation, tempo, and using a metronome.
• Tone and Melody includes everything a student needs to know about tones and how they work together to build a melody.
• Chords and Harmony shows how intervals work together and includes examples for horn and woodwind instruments.
• Form and Interpretation helps students understand how musical form can aid appreciation and interpretation for classical, jazz, blues, and other musical styles.

Sample pages:  

Tweet