Monday, May 31, 2010

The ease of preparing my students with the new book "Play Piano in all Keys"

New scales, Chords / cadences, arpeggios book introduction: "Play Piano In All Keys" by Eva Martin Hollaus.


I have been entering students in the Annual Guild Auditions since 2001 and average about 26 - 35 students each year with a National or International program. All my students, with the exception of students I only had for a few months and that are entering Guild, are performing scales, arpeggios and chords / cadences.

I have used the usual scales books, e.g. Hanon, Keith Snell; those are all excellent books giving accurate scales fingering. BUT I was not happy with the results. My students are your above average mostly straight A students, who are busy with too many school activities and also are talented in everything they touch, including piano. Piano playing is an extracurricular choice activity for my students and most enter the Certificate of Merit (TM) and the NGPT Guild auditions.

I could organize their preparation folders so they could zip through efficiently practicing their 7 pieces (or bringing them back) and then learn / review their scales / chords / cadences / arpeggios - musicianship phases.

Years ago, when I started my piano studio here in Perris, CA, that was in 2000 (brand new), I used to hand draw the scales fingering charts, to help my students memorize the fingering and help acquire accurate, permanent fingering. A few years later, I asked my students to draw up the fingering charts on their computer spreadsheets.  Well, as you could guess, that did not happen - too busy with everything else.

So, I decided to do it myself.  I learned this internet course how to create a website, a little about advertising, learned the windows Office Suite and started putting down how I could get my students through any 10 piece programs. First, I published my downloadable books and then I took the time to develop the print books. I did not want to compromise. I knew I had to take the time and typeset it all myself to get the look the way I wanted it. All my books and charts are tested in my studio. These books are what I use to get a rock solid technical foundation in the least amount of time. In the 10 years of Guild auditions, I have only had 2 students whom I could never motivate sufficiently to learn a national program. And I am counting now, over 200 National / International programs.

I developed these books, to efficiently teach the phases from EB through High School Diplomas. I also entered students in EA with 5 musicianship phases and as soon as I can, I will put my Elementary A manual together.

But for right now, I am truly enjoying the results of my hard work. This is the first year, where I can sit back and my students are playing through their scales / chords / cadences / arpeggios phases one scale after another, one keys set after another. Often Guild judges ask to play the phases in one particular key. Well, that's how the book is structured: "C" everything, then "G" everything, etc., including black keys, including enharmonic keys.  This is the first year, I can sit and enjoy and they turn page after page and play ACCURATELY and EXACTLY scale after scale, chords / cadences and arpeggios.

What a relief for me as a teacher to have these books!  Using the usual scale books, the notes are small, the fingering uses a 10 point type style and reading keys signatures and notes adds many obstacles for some of my students.  My teaching philosophy is, to teach each element by itself. That way I get undivided attention and focus and in a short time each of the baby steps gets accomplished easily. When we practice scales using my charts, all difficulties are removed: no notes and a HUGE print; the notes letter match the keys black and white, the contrast is great. Even 5 year old students and beginners can decipher these scales charts. The entire manual is graphic. White keys are white, Black keys are black. All labeled correctly, with the correct letter names. Each correct keys has the correct finger number!

I also really like the idea of ONE BOOK, rather than needing to purchase a new book each year. When students learn the phases in the various levels, I simply mark the sections they need to practice, and that's how they learn them. Even with minimal practice time, we are able to get the national programs done.

The essence of practicing scales is technique and fingering. With the scales charts and scales sorted, so you can practice sets of keys, it is actually fun practicing scales. Several months ago, I took some time in the morning and practiced blocks of 30 minutes one set of Major / Harmonic, Melodic, Natural Minors scales with metronome and found it very relaxing.  I could not wait to get back to the piano and practice another block of 30 minutes. Remembering back to my Conservatory times, just like most students, I hated scales thought of them as boring -- and you know they were: there is not much variation in playing Major and relative minor. On the other hand, practicing one set Major and Parallel Minors - the fingering is quite similar, or identical, there is just enough variation for the mind to not fatigue and you can actually relax into the tonality of the key to really "tune" your body. This only makes sense: the loser you are, the more reverberation your body with feel with the sounds of one scale, the better your playing will be and the sound quality and your projection of melody.

Please, visit: http://www.playpianoinallkeys.com for more information, or just purchase your copy with the free reports as a product bundle at: www.classicalpianolesson.com.www.classicalpianolesson.com

Good luck and enjoy!


 


 

Glendale Piano Competition 2010

Cynthia Phan was so courageous and participated in the Glendale Piano Competition. She held her ground, beautifully performing the Bach prelude BWV 807, from the a minor English Suite.

MTAC Young Pianist Competition 4/11/2010

As always, this competition is quite difficult. Everyone who entered played very well. Here are our results:

Sai Sivapalan

HS I

9th grade

Liszt Etude and Bach Fugue

participant

Patrick Xu

JH

8th grade

Debussy Claire De Lune / Beethoven Bagatelle

Honorable Mention

Alex Few

HS 1

10th grade

Debussy Pour le piano / Beethoven Moonlight 3rd

participant

Kelly Rausch

E I

3rd grade

Streabbog Orphan, Bach Prelude

participant

Ranen Unger Hicks

E I

3rd grade

Chopin Waltz /Bach Invention

2nd place

Certificate of Merit ™ Results 3/21/2010

I am very happy with the results. Everyone who tested passed. We also received many Branch Honors and Convention eligibilities. Juliette Beucler and Bret Paddock received 90% -100% theory test scores and are now officially "theory exempt". Congratulations.

Cassiopea Bostan, Anais Perkins and Patrick Xu tested in the Certificate of Merit ™ for the first time and passed exceptionally well.

Here is a list of our Path A students who entered. What an accomplishment working through those theory books, your performance pieces, sight reading, ear training and technical skills! The Certificate of Merit ™ is a California State Examination and enforces strict musical knowledge standards.

  

Student

  

CM Level entered

School grade

Eligible for:

  

  

  

  

  

  

1

Juliette 

Beucler 

Advanced 

Grade 10 

Branch Honors Recital

theory exempt

2

Cassiopea 

Bostan 

Grade 4 

Convention Recital

3

Brittany 

Durgiah 

Grade 7 

  

4

Alex 

Few 

Advanced 

Grade 10 

Branch Honors

5

Maxine 

Imura 

Advanced 

Grade 12 

Graduating Senior

6

Mitchell 

Johnson 

Grade 10 

Branch Honors

7

Chloe 

Lovato 

Grade 10 

  

8

Shalini 

Nair 

Advanced 

Grade 11 

  

9

Song 

Nguyen 

Grade 9 

Convention

10

Bret A. 

Paddock 

Advanced 

Grade 10 

Branch Honors

theory exempt

11

Anais 

Perkins 

Grade 6 

Convention

12

Cynthia Nguyen 

Phan 

Grade 6 

Convention

13

Kathleen Nguyen 

Phan 

Grade 4 

Convention

14

Vinayak 

Pillai 

Grade 10 

Branch Honors

15

Vishakh 

Pillai 

Grade 7 

  

16

Niranjana 

Premananthan 

Grade 4 

  

17

Sharmini 

Premananthan 

Grade 8 

Branch Honors

Convention

18

Kelly 

Rausch 

Grade 3 

  

19

Sierra 

Rupnow 

Grade 9 

Branch Honors

20

Shanti 

Ryle 

Advanced 

Grade 11 

Branch Honors

21

Sai 

Sivapalan 

Advanced 

Grade 9 

Branch Honors

Convention

22

Ranen 

Unger Hicks 

Grade 3 

  

23

Andrew Nguyen 

Vu 

Grade 10 

Branch Honors

24

Nessa Nguyen 

Vu 

Grade 6 

  

25

Patrick 

Xu 

Grade 8 

Branch Honors

Convention

26

Thulasi 

Yogarajah 

Grade 4 

  

TVMTA Spring Music Festival 4/24/2010

A few students decided to perform two pieces in the local TVMTA Music Festival. This was Robechelle Mina's very first performance and she pulled through beautifully. All is learned, how to prepared for a performance, how to present a performance, how to get ready. She received a Silver Medal for her efforts. Sierra Rupnow and Anais Perkins also received Gold, Ranen received a double gold medal for both his pieces.

Steinway Awards Festival, Rancho Mirage, CA 3/6 and 3/13/2010

Not only did our students perform, we also had a winner this year in this event: Congratulations to all students' participation.

Patrick Xu

Participant Junior Event

Sharmini Premananthan

Participant Junior Event

Ranen Unger-Hicks

Winner Junior Event

Sai Sivapalan

Participant Senior Event

Alex Few

Participant Senior Event


 

Ranen performed March 28,2010 in the Rancho Mirage Public Library and received his award.

Lake Elsinore Rotary Competition 2/17/2010

Hello all:

I am happy to let you know that Bret Paddock participated in the Lake Elsinore Rotary competition in both Piano Solo and Instrumental (he also entered double bass) and he received 1st places in both events. He will be competing in the Finals at the University of Redlands.

 
 

Congratulations to Bret's commitment and accomplishments.

Eva

Certificate of Merit Panel 2/28/2010

Alex Few, Bret Paddock and Shanti Ryle successfully entered and performed in the CM ™ Advanced Panel auditions. Bret Paddock passed his advanced theory exam in the 90% - 100% range and is now exempt from taking the exam another time. What accomplishments! Eva

AVSOMC Bach Competition Winners 1/30/2010

Cynthia Phan (age 12) decided to enter this event and came home a WINNER! Of course, for me, she was a winner just preparing this difficult piece. I enjoyed listening to her practice and lesson performances time after time. Congratulations. Eva

LEVEL ONE –Piano

2nd – Cynthia Phan – English Suite II, Prelude BWV 807

Age. 11, Menifee Teacher: Eva Martin-Hollaus

SCJB Branch entry and results 2/28/2010

We had a great time performing the Southern California Junior Bach Festival. Our students were as well prepared as they could be, being so busy with all their school activities. Additionally preparing for such an event shows amazing ability. Congratulations to all. Eva

Cynthia Phan

English Suite BWV 807

Prelude

  

WINNER

Patrick Xu

Invention #9

  

  

WINNER

Sai Sivapalan

WTC I BWV 860

Fugue

Complete Works entered: yes

WINNER

Cassiopea Bostan

WTC I BWV 846

Prelude

CW No

  

Kelley Rausch

Prelude BWV 927

  

  

  

Anais Perkins

Minuet in G Major 114

  

  

Honorable Mention

Ranen Unger Hicks

Invention #8 BWV 779

  

Complete Works entered: yes

WINNER

Sharmini Premananthan

WTC I BWV 855

Prelude

CW yes

  

Juliette Beucler

WTC I BWV 866

Prelude

CW NO

  

  

  

  

  

  

Inland Empire Piano Festival Studio Results 2010

  

Database for Inland Empire Piano Festival, 2010

  

  

  

  

Perf.No.

Last Name

First Name

Division

Results

Piece performed

12

Alex Few

Alex

V-A

Honorable Mention

Debussy, Prelude from Pour Le Piano

16

Juliette Beucler

Juliette

V-B

  

Debussy, Claire De Lune

19

Bret Paddock

Bret

V-B

  

Liszt, Un Sospiro Concert Etude

39

Sharmini Premananthan

Sharmini

IV-A

2nd

Joplin, Paragon Rag

42

Patrick Xu

Patrick

IV-A

Honorable Mention

Chopin, Nocturn in C# Minor op posth.

66

Song Nguyen

Song

IV-C

  

Schumann, Knight Ruppert

77

Sai Sivapalan

Janardan Sai

IV-C

Honorable Mention

Liszt, Transcendental Etude #6, Vision

93

Anais Perkins

Anais

III-A

Honorable Mention

Chopin, Waltz in a minor op Posth

109

Cynthia Phan

Cynthia

III-B

3rd

Chopin, Waltz Op 69 #2

156

Mitchell Johnson

Mitchell

V-C

Honorable Mention

Schubert Impromptu Op 142, No 2

161

Shanti Ryle

Shanti

V-C

2nd

Debussy, Claire De Lune

205

Kelley Rausch

Kelly

I-B

  

Streabogg, The Orphan

230

Ranen Unger Hicks

Ranen

II-A

Honorable Mention

Chopin, Waltz Op 64 #3

241

Cassiopea Bostan

Cassiodea

II-B

  

Chopin, Waltz a minor Op Posth.

 
 

I am happy to say, that everyone who entered, performed and performed well! Congratulations!