It is Lesson 20 today! We will be playing Vivialdi’s “Spring,” and studying the repeat signs and multiple endings on p.63 in our Upper Hands Piano, BOOK 1. [NOTE: If you are just joining us for the first time, you can find my previous Sixty and Me Free Piano Lessons on my Author page. You […]

In music, we generally “count off” or “count down” a measure or two before we start playing to establish the tempo internally. When we play in bands, ensembles or orchestras we always count off a measure or two to make sure that everyone starts together…

If I make an agreement with myself that I get to have my morning matcha AFTER I have practiced my piano for 20 minutes, I will be more likely to get my practice in, and it will be sooner rather than later, because I don’t like to have caffeinated drinks after noon…

Tempo markings tell us how fast or slow to play a piece. Tempo is another way we add expression to our playing; playing slowly, or at a medium walking tempo, or at a quick, lively speed definitely affects the emotion of the music…

I love reading about strategies that explain how we can turn our goals into habits, because I know that once we form a habit we are more likely to stick with it, and I have several activities for which I want to improve my skills…

I had a dear student fall backwards off the bench at our piano lesson, and it was terrifying for both of us. I was afraid that he was having a stroke, but it turned out that he was simply dehydrated. He had to be hospitalized for a couple days until he stabilized…

It’s super important to maintain good posture at the piano. Hiking up your shoulders or hunching your back over the keys can cause neck, back and shoulder pain, so you want to keep your shoulders relaxed, your back straight, and your elbows slightly…

It is lucky Lesson 13, and we are going to continue learning the Bass notes C, D, E, F and G this week. Sometimes our ears help us to remember melodies so that we are not practicing our reading skills as much. This week we will be playing random…

It is the first day of summer as I am posting this in the USA, woohoo! I hope that you are warm and safe wherever you are, and you are enjoying playing music on your piano or keyboard. I think music makes everything a bit better, don’t you?

Many of you report to me that you are taking your lessons more slowly than I am posting them, and that is great, and completely expected! There is no set timeline for your learning as long as you are able to maintain consistent practice…