My Piano Journey

Olivia in HISTORY, year 2022 Usually it takes a student a total of 7 years to reach the ability of sight read Level 7 Keith Snell Series. But Olivia made it in 5 years. Watch the video to find out her secret !!!  https://www.facebook.com/sue1yn/videos/401778301986461 Jade in HISTORY, year 2018 Playing piano makes me happy. Playing duets makes me extra happy! https://www.facebook.com/1070913465/videos/10214475001483414/ This duet was taking Jade approximately 1 month to master, along with her Level 10 test pieces the same time. This is relatively easy for her. She jokingly told me not to make mistakes before the video! Hahah, that is because I was having a hard time turning the page twice and playing at the same time !! Dylan E, year 2023 Dylan is playing “Dance” by Kabalesky, in preparation for Level 6 test:  https://www.facebook.com/1070913465/videos/758554722942906/ Koji, year 2023 Koji is playing Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven from Book 24 of 30: https://www.facebook.com/107...

  Good news from former student Edgar. He moved away to Moreno Valley September of 2022. His dad asked me to write a letter of recommendation back in May of 2023, then I helped him. Today (July of 2023) I got a text from his dad that he had been accepted into the “Junior Scholar Program” at middle school. I am so proud of him !! All my students love to play piano because I maintain great relationships with them (even after they moved away)!! =================================================== Matt shares Fur Elise ====================================================== Zara explains how she use the HW email to help her to focus in practice. Total lesson today is #398 Interview with Zara, been taking lesson since age 4, now she is 12. That is approximately 8 years! She is taking Certificate of Merit Level 8 test in February 2024. Every lesson I type out a HW email and send it to her and her dad so that she can focus about which area to improve. As you can see in the picture, there ...

Duet with student Gala . This is her first duet ever!! I love duet !! It makes piano more fun !! Video click here Casey sharing a song with us ... A song to defeat the "Heartless Monster".  So beautiful and sad..... Hope you like it !!!!   Video click here    Alma (adult student) - play piano for two years in community college, took two years of break. Now returning to private studio. Video click here Samantha   sharing one of her fav piece f rom Book 21 of 30 <<Fifties Serenade>> Video click here Aiden B share <<Bittersweet Blues>> from Book 17 of 30. Video click here Congratulations to Kaden (teenager) finish 24 flash cards in 0:49 by Book#4 and Lesson#4. Here is his record = 2:25, 0:49  Congratulations to Emi (4 years old) finish 24 flash cards in 0:55 by Book#4 and Lesson#15. Here is her record = 1:31, 2:00, 1:27, 1:16, 1:14, 1:23, 0:55  So happy to receive a text from former student's ( Jared ) mom over the Mother...

  Building a Mini Habit of Practice Piano How to practice piano? - Print out https://bit.ly/MiniHabitOfPracticePiano Watch this 21 minutes video - Adapted from a book by Stephen Guise  Rewrite by Sue Dibble, piano teacher from mypianojourney.com “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” ~ Lao Tzu  When you repeat a behavior over time, your brain learns to automate the process. Repetition is the language of the (subconscious) brain.  Tips 1: Choose your mini habits & habit plan In this case, we are building up a mini habit of practice piano for lifetime Tips 2: Define your habit cues   The two common habit cues are time based and activity-based . In a time based cue, you’ll say, “I’m going to practice piano MWF at 3 PM.” In an activity based cue, you’ll say, “I’m going to practice piano MWF 30 minutes after I take my last bite at dinner.”  Tips 3: Create your reward plan  Talk to your piano student and design a reward system. Rewards ...

 8 C video This is the video you will learn about a piano tuner means when he or she said "C4". You will learn about the nicknames of all the C on piano !! All students should watch this video and take notes into your Compositional Notebook !! 4.7.2023 Good and GREAT Friday Nicolas took his last level of CM test in Feb of 2023, then the result was published in March. On April 7, 2023 Good Friday, I had him stop by to collect his certificate from me. He brought me a very nice letter, a bunch of sweets and a VISA gift card. Thank you Nicolas !! Your letter means so much to me!! Background Story...READ MORE here.... shorturl.at/fsFMY Woman Composer piece played by Olivia - Tiny piece played by Gala These students are taking CM test in Feb 2024 - Zara, Isaac, Vedhika, Olivia, Casey, Suvi and Dylan E . If you want to take test this year but your name is not here, then please TEXT Sue right now so that I can send you a video to find out what does it means taking CM test? Thank you...

  Congratulations to Alexis for finishing Book #17 of 30 !!! This book is so meaningful to me because it has total of 5 big round stickers, it means five generations of piano students are using the same book !!! They are two families of cousins, total five kids in my studio since 4/17/2012 !!! I want to give thanks to dedicated parents and these five children that has so much grit to be persistent in your beliefs ! THANK YOU SO MUCH !! (picture being post with permission of parents) Why Do We Practice? Article taken from Piano Explorer November 2017, page 11 Knowledge and Skill Sometimes students think that they don't need to practice very much because they simply know what to do and how to do it. Have you ever gone to a lesson thinking that only to discover that everything falls apart when you play it for your teacher? This can happen when your brain knows how the music sounds, but your body has not yet learned all the movements.  Just knowing the way something is supposed t...

Encouraging young kids to practice the piano can be a challenge, but here are some tips that might help: Make it fun: Incorporate games and fun activities into the practice routine to make it more enjoyable for the child. For example, you could play a game where the child has to play a certain song correctly to earn points, or you could have them play along with their favorite songs. Set goals: Help the child set achievable goals for their practice sessions. This will give them a sense of accomplishment and help them stay motivated. Praise their efforts: Encourage the child with positive feedback, even if they make mistakes. Let them know that you appreciate their efforts and that you're proud of them for trying. Practice with them: Sit with the child and practice with them. This will help them stay focused and give them someone to look up to and learn from. Make it a routine: Set aside a specific time every day for practice, and make it part of the child's daily routine. This ...