06Mar 2023 by Shelly Davis
PPP 323: PIANO DAY Project and Music Cryptography

PPP 323: PIANO DAY Project and Music Cryptography

Podcast, Practice Challenge
March 29 is the 88th day of the year - PIANO DAY!!To celebrate one of our favorite days of the year, we are going to do a fun Piano Day Project where we will encrypt a secret name in our special, one-of-a-kind melody.Learn how in today's show! Listen to the full episode here Resources mentioned in today's show PIANODAY.orgYouTube videos you might enjoy:Musical Espionage and the BACH motifMusical Cryptograms: the Easter eggs of classical musicHow Beethoven accidentally contributed to free Europe in WWII Download the first step of our PIANO DAY Project here Plot your own cryptographic melodyDownload the Alpha-numeric code to create a melody using your name or a fun secret message.Send me the worksheetWe respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.Built with ConvertKit Social Sharables Click an image…
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22Feb 2021 by Shelly Davis
PPP229: Let’s Celebrate Piano Day!

PPP229: Let’s Celebrate Piano Day!

Podcast, Practice Challenge, Practicing and Motivation
I love arbitrary holidays. I have a calendar on my studio wall created by Sandra Boynton called Every Day's a Fabulous Holiday. Because of that calendar, we've recently celebrated Static Electricity Day (Jan 9), Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day (Jan 11), Kazoo Day (Jan 28), Ice Cream for Breakfast Day (Feb. 6).You may have seen that January 21st of this year was the 21st day of the 21st year of the 21st century. Nothing special happened on that day for me, this year or any year as far as I can recall but now it's kind of special because of that distinction. (If your birthday is January 21, Happy birthday, 32 days ago!)For all us math lovers, March 14 is truly a day to celebrate as Pi day.…
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02Nov 2020 by Shelly Davis
PPP215: External Motivation to Practice – PIANOVEMBER

PPP215: External Motivation to Practice – PIANOVEMBER

Podcast, Practice Challenge
At the beginning of this semester, in August and September, our excitement and enthusiasm for the new school year were high. As October came and went, our school workload got heavier and our schedules got busier; and piano practice became less consistent. Now that November is here, we are full-on in a mid-semester slump. This is true not only for piano kids but also for piano parents. This is the perfect time for a world-wide piano practice challenge. Enter PIANOVEMBER!! Listen to the full episode here You might also enjoy these previous episodes PPP105: The Blessing of Routine PPP126: Building Practice Habits PPP198: The Etching of Character Social Sharables Click an image to share directly to your pinterest account. Download an image to share in your social circles. If the…
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19Oct 2020 by Shelly Davis
PPP213: Interleaved Practice (Couldn’t they come up with a better name?)

PPP213: Interleaved Practice (Couldn’t they come up with a better name?)

Podcast, Practice Challenge
I learned a new word this summer. Here is a great definition from the University of Arizona, Academic Affairs "Interleaving is a process where students mix, or interleave, multiple subjects or topics while they study in order to improve their learning. Blocked practice, on the other hand, involves studying one topic very thoroughly before moving to another topic." Listen to the full episode here Interleaved in other academic studies Before we talk about how this works for piano lessons, here are a couple of examples related to school. One article http://pianopracticeassistant.com/interleaved-practice/ I read used learning the state capitals as an example. You could recite 10 times in a row, "Montgomery is the capital of Alabama. Montgomery is the capital of Alabama" and then "Juneau is the capital of Alaska. Juneau is the capital…
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09Mar 2020 by Shelly Davis
PPP183: Spring 100 Practice Challenge

PPP183: Spring 100 Practice Challenge

Podcast, Practice Challenge
Spring is springing around here! Trees are budding. After lots of rain and gray skies, the clouds have parted and we're enjoying blue skies and sunshine. Just like changes in seasons, the practice needs of our piano kids change too. Fall - new school year, reestablish practice habitsWinter holidays - more family time, more opportunities to share the gift of music.Spring - semester winding down, preparing for the big finale Listen to the full episode here “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!” Hunter S. Thompson, American author Let's finish this semester…
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14Oct 2019 by Shelly Davis

PPP164: PIANOVEMBER 2019

Podcast, Practice Challenge
This is the fifth year of the PIANOVEMBER Practice Challenge! As I was thinking about what to share in this episode, I was thinking about practice and how we can motivate our children and students to put in the time and discipline to practice. There is a quote often attributed to Julie Andrews (who celebrated her 84th birthday on October 1st) "Don't practice until you get it right, practice until you can't get it wrong." Listen to the full episode here As I was researching that quote, I stumbled upon a book called, "Psychology for Musicians" written by Percy C. Buck, Professor at the Royal College of Music in London. I love the dedication page he wrote, "Dedicated to the innumerable pupils who have passed through my classes at the…
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29Oct 2018 by Shelly Davis
PPP116: How to Change Major to Minor

PPP116: How to Change Major to Minor

Music Theory, Podcast, Practice Challenge
 Happy Halloween! No matter what you choose to do with this holiday, there is no denying that a lot of music we hear this time of year tends to have a more creepy, spooky spin on it and it seems like that’s what I enjoy talking about on the podcast. Last year I talked about how young children tend to respond to music in a minor key. Episode 066 was about the powerful effect music can have on our emotions.I also interviewed Marcia Vahl (like wall), president of the Minnesota Music Teachers Association, in episode 067. On the episode, Marcia talked about the three forms of minor scales. I encourage you to go back and listen to both those episodes.In the past I’ve also talked to you about how I…
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22Oct 2018 by Shelly Davis
PPP115: PIANOVEMBER Practice Challenge 2018

PPP115: PIANOVEMBER Practice Challenge 2018

Podcast, Practice Challenge, Practicing and Motivation
Many of you participated in our last Practice Challenge, Fall Into Music back in September. In fact, some of you are using the challenge for the remainder of the fall season. It’s been a lot of fun seeing your piano kid’s pictures on Instagram. Now that November is just around the corner, it’s time to start our next practice challenge. What do you get when you combine piano with November? PIANOVEMBER! Here’s how it works. Students, you will tally one point for every piece you play, every time you play it. You can play review pieces, old pieces, new pieces, memorized pieces, songs by ear, original compositions, or even songs on piano apps. Older students may count smaller sections of larger pieces they are studying.Count tally points when you play…
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26Feb 2018 by Shelly Davis
PPP081: March Photo Challenge

PPP081: March Photo Challenge

Podcast, Practice Challenge, Practicing and Motivation
March Photo Challenge - but first, an introduction Being a podcaster, I'm sure it comes as no surprise to you that I enjoy listening to lots of podcasts. Lately, I've been bingeing on James Clear. Although James is not a podcaster, (he's a blogger and you can find him at JamesClear.com AFTER you finish listening to my podcast!) he is invited to guest on many podcasts, especially those about productivity, habits, fitness, and entrepreneuring. One podcast I listened to the other day focused on one of James' blog articles, "The Difference Between Professionals and Amateurs." You can read the whole article here. He starts the article with this paragraph: I've started to notice (partially because of my own failures), that there is one skill that is so valuable that it…
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09Oct 2017 by Shelly Davis
PPP063: PIANOVEMBER Practice Challenge

PPP063: PIANOVEMBER Practice Challenge

Podcast, Practice Challenge, Practicing and Motivation
#3020 September Practice Challenge Recap Before I jump into our next piano practice challenge, I wanted to share the ups and downs of the September Practice Challenge. Ups: There was a lot of positive feedback from parents and teachers alike. I received wonderful videos and photos of students working toward their practice goals. 27% of my own students met the challenge with success! I even met the challenge myself!! (I wouldn't have if I hadn't taken time to plan my practices and put them on my schedule.) Downs: Several of my students not only missed the goal of 20 days practice, they hardly practiced 10 days for the whole month. No wonder they're not progressing like they could. Some students were traveling and had other family outings that made getting all their…
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04Sep 2017 by Shelly Davis
PPP058: Use Your Talent for the Good of Others (aka Hurricane Harvey Relief – How you can help)

PPP058: Use Your Talent for the Good of Others (aka Hurricane Harvey Relief – How you can help)

Podcast, Practice Challenge
Hurricane Harvey was a Category 4 hurricane that made landfall on the coast of Texas Thursday, August 24 In less than four days, the storm dropped 40 inches of rain in south Texas, whose average amount of annual rainfall is 49.72 inches. The resulting flooding has caused massive damage to the homes and businesses in that area. I am a proud Texan, born and raised. Texas is a BIG place and my home is many miles away from the storm and flooding. My family is safe. (more…)
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