22 Days of Wellness

This wellness competition was the inspiration for my recent studio practice competition which you can read more about here.

22 Days of Wellness

I am not a fitness buff.  In fact I really despise exercise and am only consistent because I have a great friend who comes to my house 5 days a week who I love to socialize with and get some early morning inspiring conversation as we do our "Walk away the pounds" video.
The past few weeks I've joined with some other ladies in my neighborhood to do a 3 phase wellness challenge and  have loved the feeling of conquering myself and also focussing on spiritual elements.  Everyday I track my points for drinking water, eating healthy meals, at least 2 servings of fruits and 3 veggies a day, limiting to 2 healthy snacks, 30 min exercise, 5 min abs, spiritual enrichment, 10000 steps, no pop.  One of my favorite parts is focusing on one  of 22  things happy people do each day (see below).  I'm less tempted to eat sweets when I know I have to lose points, although going without treats for 22 days was a serious challenge for me. I "celebrated" last night on my free day by making some mint chocolate hot fudge pudding dessert with vanilla ice cream. I've always been a listmaker, goalsetter, tracker personality so this worked perfectly for me.  I lost 7 lbs in 22 days ( of course 5 of that was the results of all the extra sweets I totally indulged in over the holidays).  I took first place!  Of course, next round I don't expect things to happen so quickly, but I love feeling like I'm accomplishing something each day and it has totally helped me feel more optimistic.  I've pasted the 22 Day Focus items below.

22 Things Happy People Do Differently

Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions. – Dalai Lama

There are two types of people in the world: those who choose to be happy, and those who choose to be unhappy. Contrary to popular belief, happiness doesn’t come from fame, fortune, other people, or material possessions. Rather, it comes from within. The richest person in the world could be miserable while a homeless person could be right outside, walking around with a spring in every step. Happy people are happy because...

Meaningful Musical Easter Traditions

A friend gave our family a book last year that emphasized the idea of having family traditions starting the week before Easter leading up to Easter Sunday.  I loved the idea of singing a hymn or song to represent events in the Saviour's life leading up to his resurrection. 

During the month of April, I felt inspired as I spent more time reading passages from the 4 gospels.  Although, my plans of reading a scripture passage and singing a hymn together each evening with all of our children didn't happen perfectly, I enjoyed reflecting on the meaning of the music of Easter hymns and songs throughout the week.  

As we anticipate the coming of Easter each year I look forward to celebrating his life as his followers did during his Triumphal entry (Palm Sunday), reflecting on his example and sacrifice for us, and feeling gratitude for his resurrection and the opportunity he gives us all to live again after death. 

 Following are some of the online resources (music and videos) that have made the Easter season more meaningful for me this year . Have a wonderful Easter!

Teaching Note Stem Direction : Poppin' P's and Down- Low D's

I was playing Simple Stems with 2 of my children to review note stem placement.  A few turns into the game after I had explained that notes look like p's or d's (They can paddle and dive but never bbq) my son was still making a few mistakes. My daughter excitedly exclaimed, "Hey, I know... Poppin' Ps and Down low d's."  She explained that all of the notes above the middle line look like ps, and popcorn pops up, and all of the the notes down low (below the middle line) look like ds.  This little analogy worked really well for both of them and they whizzed through the game after that.

Musical Storytime: "Flight of the Bumblebee" and "Berlioz the Bear"

After reading the delightful story of a bear with a buzzing bass ("Berlioz the  Bear" by Jan Brett) with my preschooler we decided to listen to his performance song, "Flight of the Bumblebee" by Rimsky-Korsakov


Boogie Style

Piano Lab Online Activities Level 1

The Online Piano Activities correlate with concepts in Hal Leonard Book 1 or Faber Piano Adventures Primer

Piano Technique

  Piano Adventures Primer Technique Secrets
  Piano Adventures Primer Artistry Pieces
  Piano Safari Animal Adventures Technique Videos
  Piano Safari Pattern Pieces Videos

Left/Right & Finger Numbers

  Tonic Tutor Finger Puppets

Music Protection: An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

The dog ate my music (or at least that's what it looks like)! Fortunately I don't have any pets to destroy my music, but children can be pretty rough on it. 

Contact Paper has become one of my most purchased supplies as a piano teacher other than music of course.  I've gone through many rolls "laminating" cards and game boards for printable games.  It also comes in handy for

Festival Gold Star Choice Piece Listening Assignment

Click on the link of your festival level below.  Listen to the Instrumental and Piano Samples of each song and answer the following questions

1. Write 2 or more words to describe the mood of this piece.
2. What is the tempo (speed) of this piece (Adagio, Andante, Allegro, Presto, etc.)?
3. What articulation do you hear in this piece (staccato, legato, accents, pedaling etc.)?
4. Choose your personal rating for this piece from the following: 

1. 1- I have no interest in learning to play this.
   2 - This piece is okay
   3 - Nice, but not my favorite
   4 - I would like to play this piece.
   5. I would love to learn to play this.

PP Faber Primer(Blue/Black) 
Select the Purple Primer Book at the top of the link page 
I Found a Penny
Pony Express
French Cathedrals
Chugging Choo-Choo
Eternally Music

P1 Faber Level 1 (Purple/Pink)
 Select the Red  Book 1 at the top of the link page
Most of all I Like Rainbows
Colorful Sonatina - Happy Red
Canoe Song
Chinese Painting
Three Pirates

P2 Faber Level2A (Yellow/Orange)
 Select the Blue 2A Book at the top of the link page
There's Nothing Like a Circus
Concert Sonatina -Andante
Home Run Harry
Toy Town
Grandpa Leprechaun


P3 Faber Level2B (Green/White)
 Select the Orange 2B book at the top of the link page
Festive Sonatina
Tijuana Tambourine
Gypsy Dance by Firelight
Rainbow Sister
Banuwa