Category: Events

Summer Piano Party 2018

7/27/2018

Our 5th annual summer piano party was lots of fun despite the rain!

Summer Piano Party 2018 - Notes of Joy Piano Studio

Thankfully, we were still able to have the obstacle course, but we only played one inning of water balloon baseball before it was raining too hard. However, this year I was more prepared for the rain and planned games that could be modified to work in the garage: 'This or That', musical chairs (voted one of the children's favorite games), rhythm toss, and 'Name that Tune'.

To make things more interesting, I played music for the musical chairs using my glockenspiel. If a student 'got out', they were invited to play along with me on the next round. I also used my glockenspiel for 'Name that Tune'. This instrument proved to be ideal for the situation: small, portable, no electricity required, and my students can play it with me. :)

Check out my Music Games board on Pinterest:

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Summer Piano Party 2017

7/22/2017

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For each piano party, I make sure to have at least one new game. This year, for our 4th Annual Summer Piano Party, I tried a new icebreaker game and a built a musical bean bag toss game with my dad.

Notes of Joy Piano Studio - Piano Party 2017

Music This or That Game

My students and I enjoyed this music icebreaker game by Wendy Stevens. The questions immediately had my students sharing their opinion and connecting with other like-minded students. It was a great way to start the party, and I will definitely be using this game again in the future. To learn more about the game, visit ComposeCreate.com.

Photo Credit: ComposeCreate.com

Rhythm Toss (aka Musical Bean Bag Toss)

I love bean bag toss, so I was excited to discover Sheryl Welles' idea for a rhythm toss on Pinterest. My boards look similar to Sheryl's example, but I made the boards equal in rhythm value (ex: whole note on one board vs. whole rest on the other board, and so on). The rhythm values represented the points for each hole: an eighth note was 50 points, a quarter note was 100 points, a dotted half note was 300 points, and so forth. For the piano party, I simply divided the students into two teams and the team with the highest points won. For more information on the boards and how to use them to reinforce rhythm recognition, visit SherylWelles.blogspot.com.

Check out my Music Games board on Pinterest where I save ideas I find:

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2017 Spring Piano Recital

5/9/2017

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Our 3rd annual spring piano recital showcased the dedication of each student. The program comprised of nine piano solos and seven ensembles; four of these pieces were original compositions: Shooting Star (composed by a piano student), Spring Storm, Landing Point, and Faithful Sunset. Each student did a fabulous job, and I was so excited to see how far they had come in their music studies!

Notes of Joy Piano Studio - 2017 Spring Piano Recital

My brother and I have performed a piano/juggling entr'acte in the middle of the recital program for the last couple years, and it has become a spring recital tradition. Typically, my brother juggles while I play a ragtime piece on the piano; however, this year I knew we needed to change things up. So, we decided to switch...I would learn to juggle and my brother would learn a piece on the piano. This twist completely surprised my students and made for a memorable evening!

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YouTube Video Schedule

3/30/2017

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I have recently set a goal to deliver viewers one new YouTube video per month. These videos will feature my sheet music, recital performances, and original Bible verse songs.

Please check out my latest videos and sheet music:

God is so Good with Bach - January 16, 2017

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing: Hymn Medley - February 20, 2017

Christ Arose - March 19, 2017

If you enjoy these videos, show your support by subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you! :)

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Tips for Hosting a Piano Party Part 2: The Food

8/4/2016

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One of most important elements to any party is the food. Whether you provide a meal or a light snack, detailed planning helps everything come together smoothly. Below are some tips from my experience hosting piano parties.

Tips for Hosting a Piano Party Part 2: The Food

1. Do NOT try to make all the food yourself; let others get involved. Try to find out what your guests prefer to bring; some enjoy making creative desserts while others like the simplicity of bringing bags of chips. Personally, I provide the main dish and one side dish when hosting a piano party. This way, if someone isn't able to attend the party at the last minute, you have the necessary food for a meal.

2. Have plenty of drinks (i.e. water, lemonade, soda, and fruit juice). This is especially important if you are hosting your party outside. During our summer piano party, there is drink table outside with a 5 gallon water cooler and a cooler underneath the table with fruit drinks and small water bottles. Later, I'll usually bring out a couple 2-liters (root beer, lemonade, etc.) for the meal.

3. Choose easy recipes you can make ahead of time. By choosing easy recipes, the food prep on the day of the party should be minimal. As an example, I make macaroni salad the night before, and right before the guests arrive, I place hotdogs in the crockpot.

4. Include at least one music-themed food item. This is a nice touch and will reinforce the "music" theme of your party. Check out my Pinterest board Recital Recipes featured below for some fun creative ideas.

Please share your food prep tips in the comments below!

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Tips for Hosting a Piano Party Part 1: The Games

7/27/2016

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Have you ever thought about hosting a piano party or similar event? Sometimes the task seems a little overwhelming, but detailed planning and preparation can help make the event enjoyable for both you and your students. In fact, I look forward to our piano party with as much anticipation as my students.

This year the studio held its third annual piano party, and over the years I have learned some dos and don'ts. I hope this post will be a help to you as you plan a fun-filled get-together for you students.

Tips for Hosting a Piano Party Part 1: The Games

1. Ask yourself: Who is the piano party going to be geared toward?
Choose one or two of the following age groups: adults, young people, or children. Defining who the party will be geared for helps you determine the kind of games that you will have at your party. Personally, I have found it works well to combine young people (ages 12-17) and children (ages 4-11) at my summer piano party where they enjoy outdoor games, and to host a separate winter/spring piano party for my adult students (ages 18+) where we play musical board games.

2. Plan, organize, and prep age-appropriate games. A successful piano party doesn't just happen, it is planned and organized. Since the games are a very important of the event, be sure to have the games (and the supplies they need like tape, balls, glue, buckets, markers, towels, water balloons, etc.) ready the day before. To accomplish this, I use an old-fashioned pen and paper, write down the title of each game, and list every little thing I need to play the game. As I get the materials, I check them off my list.

3. Alternate the kind of the games throughout the party. At summer piano party, I start with a music game such as What Note Am I? to introduce all the students to each other. Next, is an energetic game such as an obstacle course; I always have it soon after the party starts because it needs to be set up before they arrive and takes up most of the backyard. After the energetic game, switch to a more relaxing game like Musical Chairs, and so forth. By alternating your piano party games in this manner, you will ensure that your guests stay engaged during the party and do not get overheated (if it is hot outside).

4. Use at least one game with water balloons or a sprinkler, if you are having a summer piano party. This lets the guests get cooled off, and helps reduce the chances of guests overheating. However, make sure you do these games in the middle of your event so guests have time to dry off. :)

5. Use Pinterest to help spark your creativity when it comes finding group games. Remember, many group games can be adapted to be "musical".

6. Use a tote bag or small bin to gather all the "little" stuff for the games/crafts. The day before the party, begin placing all the "little" stuff you need (pens, paper, card games, craft supplies, etc.) into a tote bag or small bin. On the piano party day, I place the bin on a card table in a corner of the yard/room for easy access, and store larger items for the games (i.e. balls, pool noodles, hula-hoops, etc.) underneath the table. The more you plan ahead, the smoother the day will go.

7. Be flexible. Even though I spend hours planning everything in great detail, I have learned that some games are more successful than others. For my students, the obstacle course, musical chairs, and water balloon baseball are super fun games that we play every year; however, to keep things fresh, I do change up the obstacles of the course. This year, water balloon baseball lasted so long that we ran out of time for the other game I had planned, but I didn't mind because the students were all enjoying the water balloons (and so was I).

Join me next week as I share "Tips for Hosting a Piano Party Part 2: The Food".

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Pipe Cleaner Musical Magnets

6/21/2016

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Let the creativity begin! Pipe Cleaner Musical Magnets is a musical craft that requires little prep, but it is tons of fun for young people.

Materials:
Pipe cleaners (variety of colors)
Round magnets (Warning: not for children under 3 years)
Hot glue gun

Easy Prep:
1. Spread out pipe cleaners on trays to make it easier for the young people to find the perfect color.
2. Heat hot glue gun.

Have fun creating!

At last year's piano party, I enjoyed watching my piano students be creative with the pipe cleaners. After making a couple musical notes and instruments, several piano students decided to make friendship bracelets for each other. They had a wonderful time.

I'd love to hear your creative ideas for pipe cleaners!

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2016 Spring Piano Recital

5/13/2016

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Our Spring Piano Recital was lots a fun with eleven piano solos and ten piano ensembles. In fact, one of my young students told me after the recital was over, "I wish the recital was just now starting!" because they had enjoyed it so much.

2016 Notes of Joy Piano Studio Spring Piano Recital Group Picture

This year at the studio, we held our first ever Piano Practice Competition. To acknowledge my piano students amazing hard work, I awarded certificates of achievement at the recital. Six students earned the Gold Certificate of Achievement with 30+ hours of practice in seven weeks.

In the middle of the piano recital, my brother and I perform a juggling and piano entr'acte created especially for my piano students (so they can relax for a minutes and enjoy the piano recital). This year my brother added a couple more difficult tricks including tossing it once over his left shoulder. Enjoy!

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2015 Piano Party!

7/18/2015

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One of my students' favorite events is our annual Piano Party. It gives my students and their families an opportunity to meet others attending the studio. The ultimate goal is to build camaraderie between my students and spend a fun-filled afternoon together. Each year there are organized games for the students to play while their parents relax and fellowship in the shade.

What Note Am I?

A fun game to begin any musical party with is What Note Am I?, a twist on the original Who Am I? game.

Instructions:
1. Print off various notation symbols (I also included a flat, sharp, treble cleft, and bass cleft to make it more challenging).
2. Use masking tape to secure the piece of paper to their back.
3. Clearly explain that they are to guess what music note symbol is on their back by asking questions (i.e quarter note, half note, etc).
4. When a student thinks they know the note symbol on their back, they say, "Am I a (ex: quarter note)?". If they guess correctly they are done.
If not, I guide them to the answer by asking them what they already know about the note on their back and using a couple tools I created especially for this game. One tool is a page with a sample note and the name of each part, the other is a page with helpful questions.

What Note Am I? - Game Materials
File Size:	236 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

This PDF file contains both pages that help students ask questions and visualize the note on their back.

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Patriotic Arrangements

6/16/2015

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On June 7th, I attended a home school group program in which three of my piano students performed. We worked several months in preparation for this event and I was excited to see each student do a fabulous job!

Two of my students, in Level 2B, performed original arrangements of "America the Beautiful" and "My Country, 'Tis of Thee." One of the reasons I created these arrangements was to challenge them with additional hand movement beyond the five-finger position. This also expanded their note reading skills.

My other student, in Level 6, performed "You're a Grand Old Flag" from a fun patriotic arrangement book, titled Let Freedom Ring, by Phillip Keveren.

look inside

Let Freedom Ring! 14 Patriotic Favorites Arranged For Piano Solo. Arranged by Phillip Keveren. Piano Solo Songbook, Phillip Keveren Series. Americana. Songbook (no lyrics). 55 pages. Published by Hal Leonard (HL.310839).

America the Beautiful - Level 2B Patriotic Arrangement

The sheet music is available on Sheet Music Plus.