17 Apr 2023
By Shelly Davis
PPP 329: Spring Cleaning Our Music Bags

PPP 329: Spring Cleaning Our Music Bags

Mom to Mom, Podcast, , , ,
I am amazed at the things students collect in their music bags. I've seen everything from books and music that was completed long ago to old theory tests and worksheets to candy wrappers from my prize box. Once I even found a banana that was well past its expiration!So many odd items creep into my own music bag. Exactly why do I have three types of breath mints, two lip balms, and seven hair ties?!?On today's show, let's clean out our music bags together. Listen to the full episode here Watch the companion video https://youtu.be/rWHBkQ6MPkISee more videos on the Piano…
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22 Nov 2021
By Shelly Davis
PPP268: Christopher Oill shares the value of sight reading

PPP268: Christopher Oill shares the value of sight reading

Podcast, Practicing and Motivation, Teacher Interviews, , , ,
A textbook definition of sight-reading would be the ability to read a piece of sheet music on the spot and to be able to play it as you're reading it. Another aspect of sight-reading is the ability to use your eyes to track the music on the page while your hands find the notes without having to look at them. On today's show, Christopher Oill talks about sight-reading - it's value and how to improve this skill. Listen to the full episode here What is a good definition of sight-reading? A textbook definition would be the ability to read a…
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25 Oct 2021
By Shelly Davis
PPP264: Level Up Your Video Game Music with composer Chrissy Ricker

PPP264: Level Up Your Video Game Music with composer Chrissy Ricker

Podcast, Teacher Interviews, , , , ,
Chrissy Ricker, NCTM, is a pianist, teacher, and composer from North Carolina. Chrissy holds a Master’s degree in piano performance and pedagogy and has been teaching piano for 23 years. Chrissy specializes in creating exciting original music and arrangements for pianists of all ages and skill levels. She has published over 30 collections of piano solo and duet music for students, and her piano music is featured regularly on the contest lists of teaching associations across the United States and Canada. A prolific arranger, Chrissy has also arranged hundreds of pop, classical, video game, and anime titles and is a…
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09 Nov 2020
By Shelly Davis
PPP216: Musical Mystery Opus 2, No. 2, “One Night at the Opera”

PPP216: Musical Mystery Opus 2, No. 2, “One Night at the Opera”

Music HIstory, Musical Mystery, Podcast, , , , , , , , , , ,
In the style of Mike Rowe’s “The Way I Heard It” and Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story” this episode of the Piano Parent Podcast brings you the backstory of a musical group who had an unexpected interruption during their performance at the Opera House in the oldest town in Texas. Listen to the full episode here This story is about a mother's desire to give her young sons something productive to do to keep them from getting mixed up with the wrong crowd on the streets of New York. While her plan worked, it didn't turn out exactly the way she might…
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13 May 2019
By Shelly Davis
PPP142: Intervals – Going beyond EGBDF

PPP142: Intervals – Going beyond EGBDF

Music Theory, , , , ,
Today let’s talk about intervals. As with any musical topic, we could make this discussion very in depth and complicated. It seems like there is a never ending well of information we can learn with music theory. Today we are going to stay with the basic foundation of intervals; things your second or third year student will be learning. Hey! I just used some intervallic terms when I described the students. I mentioned second or third year students and this offers a reference point for the knowledge of those students. Intervals in music do the same thing; they offer a…
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30 Oct 2017
By Shelly Davis
PPP066: Major and Minor – The Powerful Effect Music has on Our Emotions

PPP066: Major and Minor – The Powerful Effect Music has on Our Emotions

Music Theory, Podcast, , , , , , , , , , , ,
Music is everywhere and it has a powerful affect on our emotions This time of year, unusual sounding music is all over shopping malls, television shows, and even commercials. Those sounds can be frightening for young children. While I am not a child psychologist, I do want to share, mom to mom, some of my experiences working with children and music. Parents are the filter for their children First of all, you must decide what types of music you allow your child to hear. Protect them from sounds and lyrics that will be too frightening for them. Even when you…
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16 Jan 2017
By Shelly Davis

Episode 025: Parent Interview with Melissa Cornelison

Parent Interviews, Podcast, Practicing and Motivation, , , , , , ,
Melissa Cornelison is the mom of two boys who have been studying piano since they were very young children. Her family recently moved and had to transfer to a new piano teacher.  Learn about how they made a smooth transition for their boys in this episode. Listen to the full episode here How do you schedule practice at home? Treat home practice like homework, chores, or any other responsibility. Kyle, Melissa's older son, practices three hours each day.  He hopes to make music part of his profession some day.  While Kaden isn't as passionate about music as Kyle, he still practices…
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15 Aug 2016
By Shelly Davis

Episode 003: Piano Geography (aka Do not, under any circumstances, buy those cheesy music alphabet stickers!)

Music Theory, Podcast, , , , , , , ,
Listen to the full episode here DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, BUY THOSE CHEESY MUSIC ALPHABET STICKERS!! You, as a Piano Parent Podcast listener, are too smart to fall for that retail trap! Helping your child learn the names of the piano keys is too easy and too essential for their piano proficiency to depend on stickers or any other external aid. (more…)
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