Let Go! Have Fun! and Make Music!

Fall classes are in full swing here - kids running in with smiles on their faces - parents happy - kids happy - grabbing headphones - experimenting with voices on the digital keyboards. We don't have a practice policy in our studio. We use a phrase borrowed from my friend, Matt Perez, "Play what you love and love what you play!" As RMM teachers, if we're truly going to allow this experience to be about what our students want, regardless of their ages, we must LET GO! I have students in my adult classes who only play what we play in class, during our class. At home they play from Fake Books, Hymnals, Classical Anthologies, Reader's Digest compilations, or whatever else is appealling to them. When we developed Way Cool Keyboarding for teenagers, the experimental materials stayed at the store so the kids couldn't play them at home. At home they looked up tutorials of all kinds and downloaded Yiruma tunes. When they came back to class we played Way Cool together - they learned - they played - they had rewarding musical experiences each week - they loved music and loved piano. . . and they still do. It's our job, first of all, to guide our classes to LOVE MUSIC! In a relaxed, FUN environment we help them develop reading skills, chord playing skills and technical skills so they can go home, play what they love, and love what they play!