*New* Easy Harry Potter Sheet Music for Piano!

It’s finally here! The complete Harry Potter series book of sheet music for easy piano has finally been released by Alfred.  You can grab the new series from Sheet Music Plus (my absolute favorite online retailer for sheet music). The 144 page book (awesome!) contains just about every piece of music from the 8 film series you could want so it’s definitely the one stop shop for music from the Harry Potter films.  And best of all – there’s a 5 finger version for beginners!  Definitely adding this one to my collection.

Some of the songs included: Diagon Alley * Family Portrait * Harry’s Wondrous World * Hedwig’s Theme * Leaving Hogwarts * Nimbus 2000 * Voldemort * The Chamber of Secrets * Fawkes the Phoenix * Buckbeak’s Flight * Double Trouble * Hagrid the Professor * Harry in Winter * Hogwarts March * Potter Waltz * This Is the Night * Dumbledore’s Army * Fireworks * Loved Ones and Leaving * Professor Umbridge * Dumbledore’s Farewell * Harry and Hermione * In Noctem * When Ginny Kissed Harry * Farewell to Dobby * Godric’s Hollow Graveyard * Harry and Ginny * Obliviate * Ron Leaves * Snape to Malfoy Manor * Courtyard Apocalypse * Harry’s Sacrifice * Lily’s Lullaby * Lily’s Theme * Severus and Lily * Statues.

Grab your copy here: Harry Potter — Sheet Music from the Complete Film Series

 
(The links in this post are affiliate links meaning that by clicking on them and making a purchase, NormanPianoLessons.com gets a small referral fee which allows me to purchase new music & supplies for my studio & students at no additional cost to you. Thanks for making your purchases through my link!)

Preschoolers CAN.

A few years ago, if you had asked me if I thought piano lessons for preschoolers was a good idea, I would have laughed. “Absolutely not!” I would have said and then gone into all the reasons why I couldn’t teach a preschooler to play piano.

They can’t focus
They can’t sit still
They can’t move their fingers
They can’t, they can’t, they can’t.

Then…I became a parent.

When my daughter was only a few months old, I remember her laying on her belly looking at me intently as I talked to her about folding clothes and my dislike of such a task. I finally stopped, look her in the eye and said, “You understand every word I’m saying don’t you?” She gave me that little half-cocked grin that can only say “Duh, mommy.” Whether or not she did understand or was just responding to my making eye contact I’ll never know for sure but that moment was an eye opener for me as a parent.

“Never assume they don’t understand. Never assume they can’t do it.” After the “duh, mommy” laundry moment, those two phrases became my parenting motto. And now, they apply to my teaching as well.

There’s a lot a preschooler can’t do but if we focus on what they can’t do, so will they. So let’s turn this whole piano thing around:

Preschoolers CAN focus – for short periods of time on engaging activities.
Preschoolers CAN sit still – for a reasonable amount of time & only if given the chance to wiggle and giggle as part of the deal.
Preschoolers CAN move their fingers – if given simple motions to help them learn control while focusing on larger muscle movements.
Preschoolers…can do anything as long as it’s designed with them in mind.

After searching for a long time through numerous wonderful programs, I finally found the one that appealed to the music teacher in me and that the parent in me loves.  This program was created just for preschoolers. It was created to meet them where they are, grab their attention through a variety of activities and get them learning about music & the piano (and a little math too!) on a level where they CAN be successful.

Because preschoolers CAN.

Find out more about this exciting new piano program coming to Norman by joining our Preschool Piano Newsletter! Just be sure to click the link in the confirmation email so you actually get added to the list!

 

Play Music. Grow Minds.

There are numerous psychological studies out there about the effect of music study on the brain. Notice I said “study”, not listening to music. Passive listening & active study are two very different activities and your brain treats them as such. Sure you can learn about discriminating pitches & rhythms by listening but not with the same effect as actively participating with it.

I’m not a neuroscientist but I am a long time studier & teacher of music. I could get into all the brain stuff – like how musicians have been shown to have thicker connections between their brain lobes and how people who studied music during their lifetime have improved cognitive functions in old age – but I doubt you really care that much about brain matter. So let’s just focus on what we can see happening with our kids.

Children who study music are learning far more than simply notes & rhythms. They are learning to focus their attention, build their motor skills (generally fine motor in piano as we need to move all fingers individually), improve pattern recognition (great for math!), develop rhythmic awareness, improve their counting, number & letter recognition, have higher self-esteem and, ready for this one, if they continue their study will actually have a higher chance of scoring better on their college entrance exams (you know, the SAT?) than students who did not study music!  Hmm…wonder if long term music study trumps a test prep class?

Kids who participate in the study of music do better in math, science and language than their non-music peers. Why? Because learning to read music and play an instrument work the parts of the brain responsible for processing these subjects. Music learning is like a gym – for your brain. The more you use it, the stronger it gets.

Music & Movement classes are wonderful. I think they are a fantastic place for you to begin your child on the path to music study and if you haven’t taken a music & movement class with your child I would highly recommend it. But…if you’re looking for something more and think your child, ages 4-5, may be ready to explore the piano, please join my Piano for Preschoolers newsletter below. I won’t spam you, I’ll just let you know when our lessons will be opening for registration. Be sure to click on the link in the opt-in email that will arrive shortly after signup so that you are added to the list!

Preschoolers, Pianos and Playtime

Preschoolers love pianos. If you have a piano or keyboard in your house or have visited a place with one, it’s likely your preschooler walked up and just started plunking away on the keys. They didn’t need to read music, have proper hand position, or be told anything. They just played. But that’s what preschoolers do right? They just play. All. The. Time.

Our traditional piano lesson format fails our preschoolers which is why many teachers will refuse to take young children as students. But as music teachers, I think we may be doing them a disservice. They instinctively explore and experiment and have the kind of courage that we lose as our brains begin to understand consequences to our actions. It’s not the kids that can’t learn piano. It’s the teaching methods that aren’t meeting them where they are.

Your preschooler needs to play. They learn through play. They build block towers to learn about gravity and stability (any future architects out there?). They throw things to learn about cause and effect. They sort shapes to learn about geometry and patterning. Wait. What?!? Who knew our toys were really teaching us math & science!

Just like our toys, music teaches so much more than just how to play an instrument and especially music that is in the ears of a preschooler.  We’ll look at all the brain stuff tomorrow but in order for your preschooler to learn they must play.

Preschoolers need to be hands on in their learning. This is why their piano lessons must engage them actively. Preschoolers need to be part of the show – not just an audience member. They need to touch things, explore them, experiment with them and move around with them in order for them to fully grasp what’s there. Think about it – doesn’t physics make more sense in the real-life application of seeing a roller coaster go upside-down or watching an ice skater spin than it did in a book?

If we want our preschoolers to learn we have to let them play. And what may seem like simple child’s play is actually building brain connections and thinking skills for their lifetime.

Let’s get playing! Preschool Piano lessons will be starting soon so if you’re not already on our mailing list, be sure to drop your email in the box below so that I can let you know when the big day comes!

I promise I don’t hound you with tons of annoying emails. You will only be notified of preschool piano news and you can unsubscribe at any time. But be sure to click on the opt-in email that will come right after signup so you actually get added to the list!

 

Traditional Piano Lessons Fail Our Preschoolers

In my last post we took a look at why piano teachers refuse to teach your preschool aged child. It does, in fact, have a little to do with the child and a lot to do with the format of the lesson.  You can read more about it here but today I want to share with you the reasons why preschoolers will fail in a traditional piano lesson.

Doesn’t sound very optimistic does it but let me say it again: Preschoolers will fail in a traditional piano lesson.  And it’s not at all their fault.  If you took piano lessons I’m sure you were taught the same way I was taught, which is the same way our parents were taught, and their parents and so on and so on. You go to the lesson, you play your technical exercises, you play your old songs, you review your music theory work, you get all new work and you go home and practice every single day. Snoozer. I don’t know about you, but I sometimes wonder how I survived as long as I did in piano lessons without going completely nuts!

Preschoolers are amazing. They are learning at a rate that you and I can now only experience through their eyes. Everything is theirs to touch, climb, play and experiment with. They wiggle, they squirm they run and they bounce. In fact, they never stop moving and if they do, you’re pretty sure they’re either doing something they aren’t supposed to or sleeping. Now think back to our old piano lessons…where in there do they move? Play? Experiment?

Our lessons, the ones you and I dutifully went through, were never meant to teach a preschooler. They were meant to work with the attention span, motor skills and brains of a first grader or older. This is why preschoolers will fail in a traditional lesson. And more than likely, those that start lessons in the “old” method will never return to them again. If it wasn’t fun at the beginning, how could it be fun later?

Preschoolers have very unique requirements for learning and if those requirements are not met, we lose the chance to engage them in the experience right from the start. This is why their piano lessons must be unique. Must be fun. And must be done so that your preschooler is successful, right from the start.

If you are interested in finding out more about our piano lesson designed just for the preschooler, please put your email address in the box below to be added to our preschool piano mailing list. Registration for our Piano Lessons for Preschoolers will begin soon and I don’t want anyone to miss their chance to be notified when it opens!

I promise I don’t hound you with tons of annoying emails. You will only be notified of preschool piano news and you can unsubscribe at any time. But be sure to click on the opt-in email that will come right after signup so you actually get added to the list!