Cosmic Piano Studio

03/29/2023

This week our students participated in a "composition corner" activity found in the theory portion of their books! These corners provide a guided exercise in melody composition, often providing one or two measures of prepared music to start off with or a range of notes to choose from. We love hearing the different melodies students come up with--an apt post for !

03/14/2023

03/08/2023

We have had a busy spring here at the studio! All of our students have made considerable progress in their pieces and we thank you for continuing to come in every week prepared and excited to learn 😁
Just a reminder that next week, in alignment with the Monticello school schedule, the studio will be going on spring break! If you have a makeup credit and would like to use it next week instead of the week of the recital, contact your teacher to schedule a time. Lessons will commence as normal starting Monday 3/20.
Have a wonderful, musical break!

03/03/2023

This week, many students started new pieces, including duets and dynamic solos! Students learned about new concepts like rests, chords, and new rhythms. Look for clips of student playing in the next week!

Our students and teachers alike are hard at work preparing new music as spring approaches. Look for more as March carries on!

Cosmic Piano Studio wishes to offer your child the best musical experience available. Ask your child today what new piece they have started this week! How are you learning and exploring music this week?

Learn. Play. Explore. Have Fun!

02/24/2023

As the last couple weeks were busy with MMEA, snow, and other events that interfered with lesson times, many students well be receiving make up credits. If you have not already scheduled a make up or talked to your teacher to ask if you need one, do so in the next week! Spring break for the studio is March 13th through the 17th. That week, we will not be having regularly scheduled lessons, so that would be a great time to do a make up lesson!

02/22/2023

Due to the snow, the studio will be taking precautions with lessons! If you feel that staying home would be the safest decision for you and your family, we have other options so your student still receives feedback this week!

1: Zoom lessons—Notify your teacher ahead of time and they will create a link for a zoom meeting at your scheduled lesson time
2: Recorded lessons—Send in a recording of your student playing their songs/a list of what they have worked on to your student’s teacher and we will record a video with instruction and feedback to send to you

Drive safely, stay warm, and have a musical week 🎶

02/20/2023

A little Monday motivation 🎶
We know that mistakes are unavoidable in our playing—no matter how hard we practice or how often, we still make mistakes here and there. But mistakes are besides the point! The real question is—HOW are you playing?
What images come to mind when you listen to your piece or play it? Do you imagine a color, or nature, or animals? Does it make you feel happy, sad, thoughtful…?
Music is a way of telling a story or expressing a feeling, and we can still do those things if we make a mistake or two 💗
Rather than striving for perfection with your piano playing, strive for EXCELLENCE and storytelling.

Have a great day!

02/14/2023

Happy Valentine’s Day from Cosmic Piano Studio!
The love we share for our family and friends can also be extended towards music—and our instruments! Our students shared why they love piano lessons. What do you love about music? We’d love to hear from you 💗🎹🎶

02/13/2023

What better way to begin the week but with Bach?! Today’s featured piece is one that is likely very familiar to many of us: Bach’s prelude in C major, from his work the Well-Tempered Clavier. If you recall last week’s post, the Well-Tempered Clavier is a set of two books written for teaching purposes, each book containing 24 preludes and 24 fugues in every major and minor key (96 pieces total); and is regarded as one of Bach's most famous keyboard works. His work was significant because it was geared towards beginners as well as those proficient in the instrument.

But what instrument? What is this ‘clavier‘ we speak of? Clavier means “keyboard instrument”. In Bach’s time, the piano hadn’t been invented yet! So he wrote music for a number of keyboard instruments—similar looking ones called the harpsichord or clavichord, as well as the pipe organ.

Take a listen to this well-known piece! Look up a performance using the harpsichord versus the piano. Does it have a different feeling depending on the instrument used? How do the instruments sound different form each other? How does the piece make you feel?

Bring all your Bach questions to the studio this week or drop them in the comments below! Happy Monday 😊🎶

02/11/2023

Welcome to this week’s Cosmic Chronicles!

Our Star Student is Mary Kate Davison! Swipe to see her favorite song to play plus some good advice for other students ⭐️🎹

In our Let’s Talk section we have a special friend who joined us in Evangeline’s lesson! Eliana learned about chords and inversions this week. Ask your teacher for more information so you can learn about them too! 😉

This week’s trivia includes some questions about what we can SEE when we look at our instrument. Can you find any patterns? The black keys on the piano, for example, are in groups of 2 and 3. How many pedals does the piano have, you ask? Look beneath the keyboard (if your piano has pedals, that is! If not, feel free to Google) and you should find 3 of them! 😊👀

Any questions about what the pedals do, or what the black keys are called? Write down your questions and bring them in next week to your teacher! In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend everyone! 🎶

02/08/2023

No matter your skill level, consistent practicing throughout the week will get you farther faster than playing right before your lesson 👀

When practicing at home, set aside 5-10 minutes to work on trouble spots in your music. Once that 5-10 minutes is up, switch it up and work on a different song or spot! Focusing on a few spots throughout the music rather than taking on the whole piece can help practicing be productive, not overwhelming or frustrating.

😉

02/06/2023

Bringing Bach Back:
Today our post is going to feature one of the most well-known composers of all time: Johann Sebastian Bach!
Bach composed over a thousand pieces, and many of them were for keyboard instruments! Did you know that the modern piano didn’t exist during Bach’s time? Instead, he wrote for the pipe organ, harpsichord, and a similar instrument called the clavichord.
Several of his works contain material intended for teaching! The piece in the third slide comes from “Anna Magdalena Bach’s Notebook”, which he had created for his wife to learn.
In addition to many compositions, Bach had 21 children! Out of those children, four of them became prominent composers.

Look for excerpts of some of Bach’s pieces in our stories this week, and be sure to take a listen to any Bach piece you come across 😊 What do you hear? What kinds of rhythms are there? What kind of instruments are playing?

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