[NOTE: This was originally published in February 2011]
Image courtesy: Stihl
Gather ‘round, kiddos. I’ve got a story to tell you. It’s a story of God’s irresistible grace. I wanted to share this to urge you to keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities to share the Gospel and your God-given talents. You can never tell just how it will impact someone’s life. My story began six years ago. (more…)
I hope 2011 was a great year for you. It was for me. I had a great time writing for this blog and sharing many of my musical experiences and thoughts with all of you. 2012 is looking to be a growing year for Piano Animato. I’ve got several new ideas that I am implementing and look forward to your opinion on what you like and dislike. Here’s what’s coming up for the new year.
I’m always on the lookout for information that will help me as I try to teach piano more effectively to boys. My wife recently received several parenting books that were specifically written for training boys and girls. The first one that I read was a “boy” book entitled Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys. Written by two child psychologists, Dan Kindlon, PH.D. and Michael Thompson, PH.D,. Raising Cain gives a clinical and personal perspective on what it means to help boys understand and accept their inner emotional self. Before you write this book off as psycho-babble or worldly mumbo-jumbo, take some time to read one Christian dad and piano teacher’s take on it. You might be surprised what I learned. (more…)
I was recently contacted through this site by a young lady in the mid-west. She and her husband attend a very small church that has no musical accompaniment. She heard my performance of “Day by Day” by Lloyd Larson and wondered if she could sing along with it. It turned out to be a very singable arrangement although it was written for piano only.
She asked me to re-record a version for her to use as accompaniment in her church. She then secured the necessary rights that allowed me to record it again for her when I recorded three songs for missionaries to India,. It was neat to get to use my piano skills for another local church that is several states away. I haven’t met the young woman and probably never will, but being able to play for another group of believers without leaving home is pretty awesome. Isn’t technology great?!
Time for me to vent and rant a bit. I hear that it’s good for the soul though, so I’m sure I’ll feel better when I’m done. In the last few weeks I’ve been inundated with new music from a variety of sources. If there’s one thing that gets me excited, it’s getting new music. I was pumped about getting to sit down at the piano each day to sight-read some solo books, choral pieces, and sheet music. However, my excitement dwindled a bit when I started playing through some music by certain composers.
The music that I was disappointed by would be considered “advanced,” but that wasn’t what disappointed me. I consider myself solidly in the “late-intermediate” level of piano prowess, but I can play some advanced music. The fact that the music was a bit out of my league wasn’t what bothered me. It was why it was too hard. (more…)
There are three simple questions that I teach all of my students to answer whenever preparing for a lesson, practice, or performance. Why, how, and where? (more…)
