Piano Lessons Children

Just in case you haven't noticed - there are tons of child prodigy (musical ones) on youtube. I sat down with my daughter and watched quite a few of them this morning. She is so inspired -- guess what? She practiced quite a bit today. I am excited about this. Nothing inspires her more than seeing another kid playing piano beautifully and get watched on youtube :)


This one especially inspires us:



We also discussed some positive and negative piano playing techniques and postures. It is a great way to talk about piano playing watching videos.

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Child prodigy - A blessing or a curse?

Have you heard people saying so and so is a genius - he plays piano at 3 years old? Or, so and so is composing music at 5 years old. Is child prodigy a blessing or a curse? Why are the general public so amazed by what a younger child can accomplish?
Just the other day I was browsing through youtube and watching kids play piano - there are not just 1 or 2 video clips put up by the parents, they are tons of video clips titled music prodigy. Many of these video clips are lovely - I enjoy watching younger children playing music and express their passion. Yet, I am annoyed with the idea of parents pushing the kids so much that they want the kids to excel in piano playing in order to complete the parents' unfulfilled musical dream.

I strongly believe a child needs to have a normal kid's life - just like any young children in their neighborhood. Yes, a child may show interests in specific activities - that does not mean they need to be pushed so far into practicing the activities 8 hours a day.

Here are a few video clips that I enjoy watching on youtube, I think the kids and their parents have done a marvellous job:


Here is an impressive one (I would need to practice hard to play like that):

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Writing A Resolution - A musical one!

Do you know what are some common new year resolutions? A few years ago I started a routine to always include concrete plans to improve my piano playing as part of my New Year resolution.

I know and understand that the moment I stop learning and practicing piano, my musical journey comes to a halt. Do you realize that this is true for all players, including you?

Many people think learning is only for children or the novice.

When you attend school, you learn many new things, and, once you grow up, you can take a break.

Right?----Wrong! That is just not true. Your entire live is a continious learning process.
I have seen many disciplined adults learn a second language later in their life or learn to play an instrument for the very first time. They sure understand the fact that learning is not limited by age - it is the disclipine and will that helps them to succeed in learning something new.
I urge you to write down some concrete ideas and plans to take your piano playing to a different level this year. Statistics have shown that those who write down their plan and strategy for the coming year have a much better chance of succeeding, (almost 80%).
The reason is quite simple - if you take the time to write down your goals, you know what you are aiming for; it becomes concrete. If you can't even spare 10 minutes to write down what you would like to accomplish in the next 12 months, chances are you may not accomplish much, you will have another year of the same old routine.
I am here to help you set a goal, a piano playing goal, for this coming year. Ideally your goal should include mastering new repertoire (at least 2 pieces a year and etc).
Here is my piano playing goals for this year to give you inspiration and an example of what I'm talking about:
1. Master at least 3 new pieces (one ballad By Chopin, one etude by Liszt, one suite by J.S. Bach). As you can see, I wrote down "master" and not "learn". There are differences. By mastering I mean to really know the piece, and be able to perform it.
2. Improve on improvisation skills (spend about 60-80 minutes/week on it)
3. Improve sight reading skills (read new pieces by sight every week)
4. Spend a total of 30-45 minutes daily practicing, at least 5 days a week.
You see, I am here to walk the talk. It is useless for me to encourage you to set a new year resolution if I can't even draft a goal myself. The one thing you can do right now is spend about 5-10 minutes writing down what you would like to accomplish in the next 12 months. Remember, you will be much more likely to achieve your resolution if you write it down.
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Beautiful Classical Piece

Here are some beautiful classical piano sheet music I put together for this past Valentine. This inludes The Swan, Moonlight Sonata, and Fur Elise. These are all time favorite beautiful songs.
Besides these classical pieces, I also enjoy Claire De Lune, Chopin's etudes, and many other pieces.
This is Claire De Lune -By Debussy, performed by Liberace (you got to love that piano):

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Piano Video Tutorials - Music Rhythm

Music rhythm is often a challenge for young piano players. I have taught many students who do not have a sense of rhythm. When they play piano, they cannot feel the pulse (or heartbeat of the music).

Some of the effective ways to train these players are by turning on the music accompaniment keyboard, or have them play along with another duet player who have stronger rhythm abilities.
I too struggle with rhythm when I was younger. I tended to ignore the rhythm and play at my own pace.
Below is a video tutorial on music rhythm I uploaded on youtube:




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How To Memorize Musical Pieces

I used to struggle with memorizing music pieces. There are so much to memorize....
Then, I discover the improvisational techniques. They seems to tie in together. You see once you understand how to arrange and improvise music, you can put all puzzles, bits and pieces together.
All of a sudden you look at the music from a different angle. It is not just memorizing pieces anymore. You can figure out why certain chords are used and why they are chosen (base on harmony or reharmonization). You can also predict the patterns.
One way to help memorize music is to analyze the pieces. It does take some time. Be a music detector, spot the key signatures, the rhythm patterns, the chord changes and so on. Pretty soon, you will be analyzing every pieces and feel confident about it.

Ornaments And Trills Practice

Ornaments are used extensively in music. Certain ornaments such as trills or mordants were used quite a bit in Baroque period. If you have played Bach's music, you probably came across many ornaments.

Musical ornaments are much like other ornaments :)

If you wear too much ornaments, it looks weird and out of style.
Similarly, if you use lots of ornaments when playing music, it gets to be showy and un-natural.

It takes certain amount of techniques to play trills -especially if you want to play it fast and clear. A good way to practice them is by using trill exercises in Hanon. Also, many of the earlier exercises in Hanon prepare the hands for trills.

I found it useful to practise the trill in various ways - crescendo, diminuendo, syncopation, or anything to make it fun.

Always keep your body relaxed. Even when playing forte movement (loud movement), let the hands drop down to the piano without using extensive muscular force.

Printable Blank Sheet Music

I use printable blank sheet music or manuscript paper to write my own transcription and composition. It is a lot more natural to write than typing on computer. Nowadays there are lots of transcription softwares such as Finale, Notepad, Sibelius. Still nothing works better than a piece of manuscript paper.

Printable Disney Sheet Music

Many of my younger students prefer playing disney's music. Even my daughter likes to play from Disney's sheet music. My philosophy - if the student can associate with certain type of music, let them play it. Kids that are grown up with Disney movie for sure enjoy playing Disney's sheet music, it is understandable.
When I was younger, the only type of music I got to play was classical music. It was boring and uninteresting to me (not any more now). The practice session became very unproductive and even torturing. When I was in my teen years, I started to play music that was popular and familiar to me (pop song). Sure enough, my interests toward piano playing get stronger.
And because of the exposure to pop music, I mastered a few new techniques - improvisation and arrangement techniques.

If you likes Disney sheet music, check this out.

The New Illustrated Treasury of Disney Songs - 5th Edition Songbook for voice and piano. 264 pages. Published by Hal Leonard. (HL.313100) See more info...

Titanic Song

Have you watched Titanic? My piano students like to choose this song for their recital piece. I believe the original Titanic song was written in E major. It is not an easy piece for beginner or intermediate players (four sharps to play). You can get easier piano version for Titanic Song.

My Heart Will Go On - Easy Piano By Celine Dion, lyrics by Will Jennings, music by James Horner (1953-). Single for voice and easy piano. Love Theme From "Titanic". D Minor. Series: Hal Leonard Easy Adult Piano. 7 pages. Published by Hal Leonard. (HL.110080) See more info...

Another popular piece for piano students is the Jaws theme song. The following solo piano book has easier version.

Movie Music - Beginning Piano Solos (17 Songs from the Silver Screen Arranged by Phillip Keveren) Arranged by Phillip Keveren. Collection for easy solo piano. 47 pages. Published by Hal Leonard. (HL.311213) See more info...

Music Rhythm Worksheets

Let me tell you a rather embarassing thing: I struggled with music rhythm earlier on in my life. My piano teacher told me I was poor in music counting. Neither could I kept a steady tempo.
To be honest, I was not comfortable with music rhythm. There seems to be so much going on when one plays piano, who have time to keep track of the rhythm?
It turns out that there are many piano players who face the same rhythm challenge :)
Here are some music rhythm worksheets to keep you busy.

Piano Worship Chords

Praise music is written to praise and worship God in a Christian community or environment. It is meant to be powerful and to give praise, worship and thanks to a Mighty God. Since the concept of worship is to glorify God, the actual music must be too.

In piano worship (style) playing, there are many different aspects that make this type of music stand out among the rest.

Rhythm is an important aspect of worship style playing. It makes songs so much more powerful to have strong chords backed up by a strong rhythm. Syncopated rhythms are commonly used, so it is a good idea to have a solid knowledge of different kinds of rhythms when it comes to playing this type of style. Try to listen to other instrumental players to imitate their styles.

Color chords are commonly used. Some of the common ones are, the dominant 7th chords, major 7th and minor 7th chords. When playing the gospel style, you may also dress up your song using arpeggios, runs, fillers, modes, walk down and walk up. When using a run, you must first determine the exact placement within the song.


The worship chord's style uses a number of piano worship chord progressions, but there are a few that are used more predominantly than others. The chord progression I-IV-V is the most popular. And so are I-VI-II-V. Not only are chord progressions important in this style of music, but so are the chords used.

Girl From Ipanema Chords Lyrics Portuguese

If you like the "The Girl From Ipanema" and is interested in learning this song. Check out this book - so call the big book of latin american song. It also includes "How Insensitive", "Kiss Of Fire", "La Cucaracha", "Little Boat", "Malaguena", "Meditation", "Miami Beach Rumba", "One Note Samba", "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps (Quizas, Quizas, Quizas)", "Poinciana", "Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars" and many others.

Printable Sheet Music

Over the years I have composed and arranged many piano music. They come in a variety of styles and genres. My favorites are ballad style, latin rhythm, blues, gospel and many others. The exposure to different piano styles helps me to "diversify" my own piano playing. The mixing of different genres makes my piano playing more rhythmic and interesting.

The main difference in different piano styles is influenced by the rhythm. Traditional music has solid rhythm where as many swing styles (latin, blues, or jazz) use heavy syncopation and lively rhythm.

Here are some printable sheet music:

1. Celtic Dance Printable Sheet Music, listen to midi file. This piece is composed in celtic rhythm. Uses 6/8 meter.

2. The Arabian Night Printable Sheet Music, listen to midi file

3. The Dream of Sakura Piano Sheet Music , listen to midi file

4. One Step Blue Improvisation 1 Printable Sheet Music, listen to midi file. You can hear the syncopated rhythm in this piece.

Apologize One Republic Sheet Music

If you have not been paying attention to pop song lately, you are missing out on Apologize One Republic. I am not a fan of pop song. I do keep an eye on songs that my students are interested in. When I used to teach private students, I let them choose pop song to play - this will help them feel involved in the song selection and be in tune with their playing.
Most high school students like to choose pop songs for their recital pieces. A few years ago I have one good student who chosed to play Pirates in The Carribean and she did an excellent job during the recital. I am very pleased with it.

Apologize One Republic Sheet Music (you can download the sheet music by clicking on the link and type in Apologize One Republic) is not a particularly challenging piece. In fact, once you listen to it a few more times, you will know how to play by ear - it is the same chords progression repeat and repeat again.

Here is another video of Apologize One Republic

Planning For Piano Recital Program

Piano recital is an unique event that should be put together with a lot of thought. Being a piano teacher, it is important to recognize that this is a special time for your students to perform for their family and friends. Piano recitals are fun and meaningful for all parties involved: family, friends, students, and teachers alike. Below I will give you a few tips that will help you plan a successful recital.

The typical length for a recital is around one hour. If your recital is too long, the children may become fidgety. If there are too many students involved in the recital, it would be a better idea to break the recital into two sections with an intermission in between. Perhaps forty minutes of recital, then an intermission break for refreshments, and then another forty minutes of recital.
The order that your students play in is entirely up to you. However, I would suggest that you place your best (or most advanced) players both at the beginning and at the end of the recital. Then feel free to sort the intermediate and beginners throughout the middle time slots.

Of course, the order is also in the hands of your students. Perhaps some have a preference to play first or last. All of this should be taken into consideration when planning the lineup. Each student should typically perform two pieces. They could play these pieces in a row or you could break up the performances and run through the lineup twice instead of once. This might calm the nerves of some, and might encourage them to be more comfortable the second time around. It would also be a good idea for the teacher to play a song at the end of the recital. This will make the students feel more involved with their teacher; they will share this special experience together.
It is wise to get the parents involved in the recital planning as well. Be sure that the parents are fully aware of the date, time and location. You may also request that each family bring something for the refreshments table. A few example dishes would be cheese platter, chips or crackers, finger sandwiches, and a soft drinks. This will take a lot of stress off of your shoulders and you will have more time to concentrate on the recital itself. It is also recommended that you hand out a piano recital etiquette pamphlet to both the students and the parents.
This document should address issues such as dress attire, no talking or tapping during performances, bowing and curtseying, and other issues you feel need to be discussed.
A piano recital is also a great time to display student work. For example, if one of your students completed a project on a particular composer, or if they received an award (like a trophy or even a diploma) in a competition; it would be a great time to showcase their work. I would also consider it wise to invite/hire another musician to play during the beginning, end or intermission. A few good examples would be a violinist, a vocalist, or even a guitar player. This will give a relaxed and more enjoyable atmosphere when the students are not performing.
If possible, it is ideal to have a separate stage for the performances. And of course, the best pianos to use for a recital would be a baby grand or a grand. A good place to hold a piano recital is at a church, because for the most part, the stage and the pianos are accessible. Another good place to hold a recital is at a nursing home. A nursing home is an ideal place to hold a recital because it allows your students the opportunity to play for a larger audience. This is important when learning the piano for one main reason: performance anxiety! Students can learn early to perform in public.
Public performance is one of the most challenging psychological barriers that piano players struggle with. You may offer your students the option to play their pieces with music, or by memory. If they are nervous and still wish to play by memory, it would be wise for the student to have the music on the stand just in case.
The most important thing to remember when planning a piano recital is to have fun! Don’t get too caught up in the preparation and the execution. If things don’t go as planned, just make adjustments next time you hold a recital. Parents and students will be thanking you for the recital, not criticizing you for it. So enjoy your time with your students, relax, and have a good time!

Chopin Frederic Biography

Frederic Chopin was a Polish composer that was around during the Romantic Period of classical music. He is commonly acknowledged as one of the greatest Polish composers, and his compositions have been recognized as one of music’s greatest tone poets.
Growing up, Chopin was regarded as a child-prodigy because of his impressive piano playing. He had become very familiar with music in various forms at an early age. His French father played the violin and the flute, his mother played the piano, and his older sister Ludwika gave him some of his first piano lessons. By the age of 6, Chopin was already trying to create his own melodies on the piano. Only a couple of years later, he composed two Polonaises: one in G minor, and one in B flat major. In 1821, at only 11 years old, his next Polonaise A-flat major showcased his development of harmonic and melodic invention. He was compared to Mozart, as well as his contemporary Beethoven. At the age of 20, he moved to Paris and proceeded to write compositions, and made a living by giving piano lessons. He made very few appearances because of his health; less than 30 in his whole lifetime.
In 1836, Chopin met a French writer named George Sand. As Chopin’s illness developed, Sand became more of a nurse than his lover. She soon began to worry about her own health as well as her 2 children, so she kept some distance from Chopin. Their relationship was very rocky, and after 10 years they could not be reconciled. Then in 1849, at only 39 years old, Chopin died in Paris due to pulmonary tuberculosis.
Chopin’s composed music was very patriotic, and was intended to reflect his nationality. They were written for the piano as the primary (or even solo) instrument. Chopin was also responsible for major piano innovations such as piano waltz, etudes, preludes, sonatas, and many more. Some of his most popular works are his Waltz 1 and 2, Etudes, 2 Sonatas, 2 Concertos, and his Prelude “Raindrop.”

How To Find A Piano Teacher

There are many piano teachers available to you, so how do you know which one is best to choose? You need to keep in mind a few things when finding the right piano teacher for you. Here, I will give you a few tips on finding a teacher that is worth your time and money.
One of the most important things to look for when finding a piano teacher is their qualifications. If a teacher is qualified, you can be certain that you are getting the most out of your time and investment.

Typically, the more qualified the teacher, the more expensive. It is also important that the teacher belongs to some sort of association, such as the MTNA (Music Teachers National Association). This is important because it will assure you that your teacher is legitimate and take
their profession seriously, and that they are in company with other teachers.
Finding a piano teacher that is involved in community events is a gem. For example, a teacher that takes exams on a regular basis, or even judges piano performances. It is also beneficial for you to find a teacher that holds piano recitals for their students at least once a year. This will give you the opportunity (or your child) to play publically, which will help with a common psychological block called stage freight. If your teacher is involved with the community, they will be involved with you as well.
If the teacher is qualified and is involved in their community, then that is great. But that doesn’t mean they will be right for you. Look for a well-rounded piano teacher; someone that teaches sight reading, as well as improvisation. It is important to find a teacher that caters to your needs as a piano player. For example, if you are mostly interested in songwriting and composing. Therefore, I found a teacher that focused on improvisation. Even though my main concern was to improvise, I still learned music theory to back up that knowledge.
Find someone whose personality excites you. After all, you will be spending quite some time with this person. This is especially important with children. If your child does not like the teacher, then they will automatically not like piano. Finding a teacher will take time, so be prepared to put some effort into the search. Be prepared to meet with a number of teachers before you settle with just one. It is ok to browse! Be persistent with your search, and eventually you will find a teacher that works for you.

If you live in a rural area or could not find time to meet with a private piano teacher on a regular basis, consider getting piano lessons on dvds. You can repeatedly watch these lessons. Definitive take a look at my piano lessons

My Piano Lesson Squidoo Lens

Recently found out about Squidoo and thought it is an interesting idea to create lens for my hobby - piano playing.

If you like to this blog I think you will like my lens, feel free to head out to piano music sheet

Looks like social networking or social web 2.0 is mushrooming. Everywhere I go, I ran into people discussed about twitter, facebook, delicious (did i spell it right?). Hard to keep up with so many things. Squidoo is one of them. I think there are a few hundreds social networking websites floating around nowadays.

Learn To Play Songs On The Piano By Ear

Sometime people ask me if it is okay to learn songs on the piano by ear instead of by reading music.
Learning music is like learning a language. Some people tends to do better learning by ear. I used to learn music by listening to what my piano teacher played. Doing this tends to help me learn a piece faster than reading initially.

No matter what approach you take, sooner or later, your will discover your own strength.

Even if you like to learn piano by ear, I do encourage you to also master the sight reading skills. I believe both skills (play by ear and sight reading) are equally important to advance the piano playing techniques.

A lopsided piano player tends to do well in one area but deficient in another area.

A good example is you can teach you child how to speak English by talking to him - eventually he will need to learn how to read book and absorb information on his own. Similarly, a good reader will need to develop his conversational skill in order to better communicate with other people.

Outbreak of piano fever in China

This article is refreshing and encouraging. While the western world has generally lost the interests for classical music and piano playing - the rising China population has grown to love this instrument.

Many parents in USA and other western world rather sign up for soccer or baseball lessons for their kids, our friends in China has grown to love the piano lessons. The piano manufacturing industry in China has grown so much in the past few years, it has taken over many leaders in Western world.

When I was a private piano instructor I know for a fact that many parents would not enforce the piano practice session at home. Yet, they do not mind to drive hours with the kids to attend soccer or baseball camp. It is a shame.

Some parents undoubtedly hope that their children will become the next Lang Lang or Li Yundi: the starry pianists who are the current darlings of the music industry and whose posters cover many a teenager's bedroom wall.

But most are practical, seeing learning the piano as a route to a good high school or university place.

In a piano shop, I meet a man who works as an engineer at a power station. He tells me he hopes learning the piano will make his 10-year-old daughter grow up a well rounded individual.

"The discipline will be good," his wife adds, "It will make her concentrate."

A professor at one of China's music conservatoires puts the current love affair between the piano and China's children even more succinctly:

"Kids who are studying piano don't go wrong."

Advanced Piano Music For Free

I posted a video of Scriabin's etude yesterday. I thought I may also post the sheet music for it as well. Scriabin's pieces are for advanced players for sure. Also, I thought I might post a couple other advanced piano music for free as well.

Here is another advanced piano music for free by Liszt.

How To Transpose On The Piano

In order to transpose on the piano, it is necessary to have knowledge of some piano theory. One of the most important things to be familiar with is the 12 major and 12 minor scales. This will help you immensely as you transpose a song from one key to another. You will not have to guess which note to play, but instead you will already have a thorough knowledge of that particular key signature and will therefore know which note to play.

Another concept you should be familiar with when transposing is the Circle of Fifth Theory. This theory is a simple way to understand key signatures. By starting at any key, count seven keys to the right or left (both black and white keys) and you will find the perfect fifth. In other words, the perfect 5th is seven half steps, or the distance between the first and the eighth key.

If you start at C (which has zero flats and zero sharps in the key signature) and count upwards, G is the fifth key. G is the perfect fifth of C. The key signature of G only has one sharp. Then if you find the perfect fifth of G, you will find that D has two sharps. Then A, the perfect fifth of D, has three sharps and so fourth. Now, lets say you go back to C and find the perfect fifth of C counting downwards. You will find that F is the perfect fifth, and the key signature of F has only one flat.

Counting downwards again, you will find that the key signature of B flat has two flats. Continue on in this pattern for the rest of the keys. This theory will help you enormously in terms of transposition.

Being able to freely transpose songs to different keys is a talent that takes time to build. Stay positive and be patient. If you have knowledge of these concepts previously mentioned, you should have no problem transposing songs.

Here is a diagram of circle of fifth

Most Difficult Piano Piece To Learn And Play?

A common question that is asked by piano player after they learn piano for a period of time is "what is the most difficult piano piece to learn and play?"

The answer varies.

A composer can compose a song with tons of notes to play. Sometimes, the notes can be all over the places (with more than 13-15 notes finger span); it also comes with impossible rhythmic expression (syncopated rhythm such as 5/8 beats or 3/5 beats, etc). You get my point.
I can compose a challenging piece even a music professor find it hard to sight read.

Personally, I think Scriabin probably wrote some of the most technical pieces in classical music. His etudes are rather technical and hard to master.

Some says Liszt's pieces are hard to master as well. I generally agree with this because most of us have small hands and hard to stretch more than 10 notes apart. Many of his pieces are written to fit his wide finger span.

Here is a Scriabin's etude played by Horowitz:

Listen To Fur Elise

If you've been around for a while, chances are you've heard of Beethoven's Fur Elise.

Fur Elise is one of the all time favorite classical music.

Kids as young as 3 years old listen to Fur Elise.

I recently improvised on this music. It is hard to get a new twist to this favorite classical music. I tried. This is what I came up with - Latin rhythm with some chord progressions.

Let me know what you think? Can you tell which few chords I used to create a chord progression and improvisation?

Also, if you are interested to play a simple version for Fur Elise. Here is an easy Free Sheet Music Fur Elise

Effect On Music And The Brain

Playing the piano has many benefits: enjoyment of music, the meditation of the rhythm, and being satisfied with releasing musical creativity. Moreover, there is another area that benefits from playing the piano that many overlook – your brain!

When you practice play and practice the piano, you are not only learning to play that particular instrument, but you are also practicing very important skills that can be used in your everyday life. Many researchers agree that playing the piano helps build abilities such as concentration. Many parents have already taken this information into consideration and have started their young children with piano lessons . It teaches anyone at all ages the capability to focus and concentrate on one thing and tune out the rest of the world.

Playing the piano also helps people build a better memory. This skill can be developed for both younger and older students. There are many things with regards to piano playing that build this ability: remembering a particular exercise, remembering the major scales, and even memorizing entire sheet music for a performance. Memorizing music can do wonders for your every day memory.
So piano playing not only benefits your ears (and the ears of those around you), but it also benefits your brain. The more you practice, the more you are building important skills that can be carried through to all parts of your life.

Here is a video on Fur Elise



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Printable Sheet Music

Here are some video clips and samples of my printable sheet music.


Printable Sheet Music Of Agape

More piano video and piano sheet music

Printable Sheet Music

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