4/4 School of Music

With the new school year upon us, this is a month of renewal for lots of us.  Take time this month to renew your passion for music by branching out and exploring exciting musical opportunities — check out the ideas below to get started!

Check out a new artist or style of music: Your teacher can probably suggest some new artists or styles to listen to.  The more we listen to music, the stronger our musical ear becomes.  Mix it up to keep things fun and fresh!

Join a school band, choir or orchestra.  These are a great way to practice your instrument, gain experience on stage, and meet other musically-minded people.

Sign-up for 4/4 student concerts!  Our student concerts are a blast, and are wonderful in helping students achieve music goals, overcome performance anxiety, and share their talent with others.  Sign-up and get ready to rock!

Check out a local concert or show.  There are so many great musical resources in our area.  Look for concert listings (lots of events are free! in local newspapers.  Seeing live music can be a great way to learn more about music, and can be a great source of motivation to improve our own musical skills!

Pick out a few new songs or music books.  Your teacher can suggest some titles!  Sometimes having new material to work with can make a big difference towards renewing our motivation in lessons.

Write down a few short-term and longer-term musical goals.  Taking the time to write down goals is a great step towards success.  Review your goals in a few months and see what you’ve accomplished! 

Keep rocking, 4/4 students!

–
Jennifer Iovanne

photo by chelseagirl

Dynamics: Say it louder!

Dynamics generally refer to volume in music – how loud or soft a note is played.  Dynamics originates from the Greek word ‘dynamikos’, which means powerful.  Used in music, the ‘power’ with which you sing a note or press a key will result in a certain dynamic level.  Because the musical language is Italian, we use Italian words to designate specific dynamic levels.  Here’s a breakdown of the basic dynamic levels you’ll see in music:

pp (pianissimo) — very quiet

p (piano) — quiet

mp (mezzo-piano) — moderately quiet

mf (mezzo-forte) — moderately loud

f (forte) — loud

ff (fortissimo) — very loud

As you can probably see, dynamics are a little subjective — ‘quiet’ to one person might not sound as quiet to another person.  Use dynamic variation in your music to help shape the entire piece — quieter sections, louder sections, in-between sections, etc.

You can also move between dynamic levels gradually.  These are represented with musical symbols or its defining word:

Crescendo — gradually increase volume

Decrescendo/Diminuendo — gradually decrease volume

Dynamic signs can be easy to overlook when practicing music, especially if you’re practicing on a keyboard that doesn’t have weighted keys (weighted keys allow you to hear the full dynamic range of notes).  Even if your keyboard doesn’t have weighted keys, you can still practice putting more or less pressure on a note to achiever a certain dynamic level.  Try circling or highlighting dynamic signs you find in your music, so they stand out more on the page.  When you listen to music on the radio, be aware of when the volume changes, and how that affects the overall song — does it make you feel excited, does it add to the suspense, does it make you feel sad or hopeful?  Does it come at the beginning, middle or end of the song? 

Building an awareness of dynamic signs can help us grow into stronger musicians — they play a huge role in connecting the notes and emotional appeal of a song.  They’re also really fun to add to music (who doesn’t love rocking out as loudly as possible?)   Keep it up!

Piano Lessons in Clackamas, Oregon
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Got Rhythm?

Gershwin said it right in his jazz standard: "I Got Rhythm, I Got Music!"  The more attuned we are to the rhythm of a song, the more musical it begins to feel.  Notes become less choppy, our fingers and mind feel focused and relaxed and we begin to play more naturally.  Rhythm is a tricky aspect of learning any instrument — but add in notes, hand coordination, dynamic signs and a repeat sign?  It’s enough to make any student flustered.  Rhythm plays a vital role in music, and it takes time and practice to build a strong foundation and understanding of rhythm.  Here are some exercises/games to help focus on rhythm – try these two or three times a week, for about 10 minutes, and see if you notice a difference! 

1. Think of a song — could be the one you’re assigned this week by your favorite 4/4 teacher, could be a song you just heard on the radio, could be an old nursery rhyme — anything!  If possible, play or listen to the song a few times through.  Now, try to hear the song in your head.  Chances are, certain notes are held longer than others.  This is the rhythm of the song.  The more aware we are of the rhythm, the easier it becomes to identify and then be able to replicate later in our heads and on our instruments.

2. Clap or tap the rhythm to the aforementioned song.  Are you hesitating and waiting to hear what comes next, or are you anticipating what comes next already?  By developing a natural, internalized sense of the rhythm, it becomes easier to produce the claps/taps on the beat, rather than in front of, or just behind the beat. 

3. For an added challenge, take a song you are learning. First, try saying the names of the notes (quarter, half, whole, etc) on the beat.  Then, try counting aloud while tapping the rhythm. 

4.  Want to make it even more challenging?  Try saying (or singing!) the letter names of the notes (A, B, C, etc…) on the beat.  This requires not only a sense of the rhythm, but also challenges us to identify notes on-the-spot. 

Practice these exercises a few times a week, and see if you notice a change in your practice and your awareness of rhythm both in and outside of lessons.  Next month we’ll focus on the role of rhythm on the written page – bar lines, measures, time signature, all that good stuff.  ‘Til then — keep rocking! 

~ Jennifer Iovanne

Piano Lessons in Clackamas, Oregon
Guitar Lessons in Beaverton, Oregon
Guitar Lessons in Vancouver, Washington

This month we’ll delve into some of the basics in reading sheet music — even if you are in voice lessons, a solid foundation in reading music is very important!  Without further ado….

1. Measures: Songs are broken into small sections, called measures.  Measures are divided on either side by a bar line – a thin black line that helps us clearly see where when measure starts and ends.  Each measure receives the same number of beats.  If you’ve ever seen a band perform, you’ve probably heard them yell "1, 2, 3, 4!" before beginning the song — they are establishing not only the number of beats per measure, but the speed of the song as well.

2. Time signature: How do we know how many beats are in each measure?  We look for the time signature, which is written at the very beginning of the song.  For example, a song in 4/4 time signature receives 4 beats per measure; a song in 3/4 time signature receives 3 beats per measure; a song in 2/4 time signature receives 2 beats per measure.  4/4 and 3/4 are the most commonly used time signatures, particularly in the early years of learning an instrument.  (By the way, 4/4 is also a clever musical reference in our school’s name!) 

3. Notes: There are many kinds of notes; we’ll learn 3 of the most common notes today.  Notes look different – some are black in the middle, others are white, some have dots – the difference in appearance is what allows us to identify the name of the note, and how many counts it receives. 

For example, a quarter note is a black oval with a stem pointing up or down.  A quarter note receives one beat.  So, if we were playing a song in 4/4 time signature (four beats per measure), we could fit four quarter notes into each measure.

A half note looks like a quarter note, but is white in the middle.  A half note receives two beats.  In 4/4 time signature, how many half notes could fit into one measure?  (If you said two, you’re right!)

A whole note looks like a half note, but has no stem.  A whole note receives four beats — that means we play the key/sing the note only once, but hold it for four beats.

Want any easy way to remember the names of the notes, and how many counts each gets?  Well, think of a whole note as a whole cake.  If you weren’t sharing the cake with anyone, you’d have whole cake to yourself.  What happens if you wanted to share it with a friend?  You’d cut it in half.  A half note is half the value of a whole note.  How many cake halves does it take to make a whole cake?  Two.  How many half notes (two beats each) would it take to equal one whole note (four beats)?  Two. 

Now, what would happen if you were sharing the cake amongst four people?  You’d cut it into quarters.  A quarter note is called such because it is a quarter of a whole — how many quarter notes (1 beat) would it take to equal a whole note (four beats)?  Four.  How many cake quarters would it take to equal a whole cake?  Four.  Make sense?

Take time this week to check out the latest song you’re working on – can you find the time signature?  How many measures in the song?  Can you find quarter, half and whole notes?  Try clapping the rhythm for the song.  Keep this up, and you’ll see your sight-reading and sight-singing improve!  
–
Jennifer Iovanne

Piano Lessons in Clackamas, Oregon
Guitar Lessons in Beaverton, Oregon
Guitar Lessons in Vancouver, Washington

There are many reasons why we don’t offer “every other week” lessons. Here are just a few:

1. From our experience in the past, 90% of students taking lessons scheduled ever other week will drop out of lessons (and stop learning) within a month or two.
2. When something comes up and you have to miss a lesson due to illness or scheduling conflicts it will be an entire MONTH between lessons. Habits and skills are created and learned by constant, regular exposure.  Every couple of weeks with occasional month sized gaps are not sufficient for the vast majority of music students to make any real progress.
3. Things come up and you will need to reschedule sometimes.  With weekly lessons at least you will get 3 lessons in a month and most of the time you can reschedule the one you missed so that you don’t loose any progress you have made recently.
4. 90% of scheduling errors (2 students showing at the same time or showing at the wrong time) occur with students taking every other week lessons. This is a huge problem for students, teachers and music schools.

If you are considering taking every other week lessons because of money or time reasons, you can achieve the same goals with FAR better results if you take weekly lessons a month on and then a month off. 

This way you can make some real progress during the month on and work on your own on the month off.  After teaching more than 8,000 students  we have a lot of experience in what works and what doesn’t.  It is generally a complete waste of money for students to take every other week lessons.  We don’t charge a registration fee so there is no cost penalty to take a month on and month off.

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With our biannual student concert just around the corner, some tips to help combat stage fright are in order!  Ah, stage fright – that dreaded onslaught of fear so many of us experience before (and sometimes while) we perform.  The pulse quickens.  Breathing becomes short, shallow and unsupported.  Hands become sweaty and shaky.  Sound familiar?

Stage fright is completely normal — and yes, there are several things you can do to help ease stage fright immediately.  The best solution over time?  Perform often!  Sounds counterintuitive, but the more often you get up there and perform, the easier it becomes over time. Here are some pointers to help make your struggle with stage fright a little easier:

1. Know your material.  Practice, practice, practice.  A lot of the fear of performing is centered around making a mistake — hitting a wrong note, forgetting a line.  The more you know your song, the more confidence you’ll feel!
2. Breathe!  (And keep breathing!)  Challenge yourself to breathe slowly and deeply — 10 seconds in, 10 seconds out; repeat.  Also, try yawning and stretching.  Relaxing your body and your breath will ease the uncomfortable feelings associated with stage fright.
3. Fake it.  If you’re scared, that’s ok.  Smile anyway.  Walk with confidence.  Give it all you’ve got.  Chances are, the audience won’t know you were nervous, and will be wowed by your stellar performance!
4. Think of the performance as a reward.  You’re here because you’ve worked hard, had a blast, learned a lot — and now you want to share that joy with others!  Performing is an awesome way to stay motivated, meet other musicians, and celebrate what you have accomplished!
5. Use a mantra.  Sounds a little cheesy, but some folks find a phrase ("I can do it/I am strong/Share your joy"….) and repeat it in their heads while prepping for a performance.  For many folks, using a mantra provides a sense of comfort, and helps focus the mind.
6. Think ahead: for most of us, the hardest part of stage fright hits us BEFORE we perform, and usually eases up within the minute or so of our performance.  After performing, lots of us feel a rush of excitement and relief — no matter how scared we were beforehand, lots of us finish the performance with a huge smile on their face and a rush of excitement — performing feels great, and we want to relive the experience!
7. Come prepared: be a few minutes early.  Have a light snack.  Avoid caffeine and lots of sugar.  If you’re a singer, warm up your voice. Bring a water bottle.
8. Think positive thoughts:  you’re here because you’ve worked hard and had a lot of fun, and you want to share that with others!  Always remember, the audience is on your side.  We WANT you to have fun and rock your performance! 

Guitar Lessons in Beaverton, Oregon
Piano Lessons in Beaverton, Oregon
Singing Lessons in Beaverton, Oregon

Occasional flu and cold symptoms are inevitable for most of us, especially during the colder months.  Added to the normal responsibilities of school and work, feeling under the weather can leave us with little energy leftover to practice music.  By all means, take a few days off of practice when you’re sick.  But what should you do when you feel well enough to get back into the swing of things? Here’s a few tips, whether you’re a piano guru, a guitar shredder, or a vocal star!

• Wash your hands before lessons!  This is always a good idea, whether
  you’re sick or not.  Preventative care is an awesome way to help avoid
  spreading germs!
• Aim to practice as regularly as possible – the more consistently you
  take time to rock out on your instrument, the easier it is to keep
  progressing and make learning fun!
• Get plenty of rest – the more rested and relaxed you are coming to
  lesson, the easier it is to focus and think happy thoughts!

For voice students, there’s a few other tips to follow:

• Don’t over-sing.  Yes, it’s tempting to belt out your favorite song
  another 4 times, but doing so can inhibit recovery from colds.  When
  your vocal chords are swollen, keep vocal use in check.  It’s worth
  it!
• Don’t sing too loudly, too quietly or too high.  Again, be as kind to
  your voice as possible.  Keep the singing range from venturing too
  high, and avoid volume extremes on either end.  Whispering is actually
  pretty tough on vocal chords, believe it or not.
• Drink lots of liquids.  Water, hot herbal tea are especially great.
  Even when I’m healthy, I drink at least 10 cups of water a day.
  Staying hydrated is really important to the voice!
  Stay healthy in the new year, and keep rocking!

Voice Lessons in Vancouver, Washington

Voice Lessons in Clackamas, Oregon

A few blogs back we discussed the basics of breathing and how our body should respond to a naturally formed breath.  Now that you have been paying closer attention to how your body operates daily when it inhales and exhales, let’s try some exercises to help form even better breathing habits!

There are two things we will do to help improve air function.  The first is to STRETCH our breathing muscle so we are able to expand and take in a large amount of air.  The second is to STRENGTHEN our muscles so we can have good control and support in the releasing of our air. 

Here is an exercise for stretching….

1. Sit on the edge of a chair and lean over, resting your elbows on your knees.  Relax your upper body.  Don’t stiffen your back.  Put one hand on your stomach region underneath your bellybutton.

2. Now squeeze strongly and release all of your air by pulling your stomach muscles in.  Squeeze everything out until there is nothing left inside!

3.  Now very slowly take air in through your nose and mouth.  You should feel your stomach expanding and filling up like a balloon.  Take air in until your stomach feels like it will pop.  Air should be filling your body from the bottom of your stomach then upwards.  Your chest and shoulders should not be moving. 

4.  Once you are filled up squeeze quickly and strongly again and push all of the air back out.  You should feel your muscles contracting when you do this. 

Implement this exercise everyday doing 3 to 4 inhales and exhales.  Stop when you feel dizzy!  As you do this exercise you will feel your stomach muscles being able to expand more!  Your body will also start to develop the habit of taking lower, deeper breaths.  Put this into your practice routine and watch as your breathing becomes a strong foundation to your notes! Then we will come back to learn how to strengthen those muscles….stay tuned and good luck! 

Voice Lessons in Vancouver, Washington

Voice Lessons in Clackamas, Oregon

Ah, nothing like alliteration to kick things off!  In this article, we’ll be discussing the ins and outs of posture and its role in piano lessons.  It’s often overlooked, and for good reason: it’s just not that exciting.  But it is important and plays a vital role in playing comfortably and effectively through the years, so it’s best to learn and apply these techniques early on. 

• Don’t sit too close to the piano.  I see this all the time – students nearly hover over the keys.  Sit in the center front area of the piano bench, and scoot the seat back until legs are at a 90 degree angle with the floor. 
• Relax!  Relax your shoulders, your jaw, your neck. 
• Keep hands loosely rounded, not flat.  Imagine a small tennis ball is underneath each palm. 
• Keep wrists off the piano – keep them relaxed, but don’t let wrists droop.  This causes unnecessary tension in the hand and usually causes us to play with flat fingers. 
• Sit tall, but comfortably so.  Office chairs often have special ergonomic features to prevent unnecessary strain for this reason.  When sitting at the piano, keep your back straight and neck tall but remember to stay loose and relaxed as well. 

For most of us, this posture won’t begin feel natural and normal for some time.  That’s okay – just remember to pay attention to it each time you practice, and before long it will become second nature.  The benefits?  You’ll avoid unnecessary strain, and you’ll gain better control over the keys, helping you develop as a stronger, more effective musician!

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If you’re in voice lessons, you’ve probably had your teacher lead you through some stretches, tell you to keep your knees relaxed, etc.  Ever wonder why?  Body positioning plays a significant role in producing a strain-free, natural sound.

Over the course of the day – especially if we’re spending long hours sitting at a desk! – the shoulders and neck tend to hold tension and the breath tends to be shallow.  Releasing unnecessary tension and relaxing the breath are paramount to developing a richer sound.  Here are a few specific posture-related pointers to focus on:

• Feet should be around shoulder-length apart, ideally with one foot a bit further forward than the other – this helps "root" you to the ground.  Avoid slouching.  Keep weight evenly distributed.
• Knees should be loose, not locked! 
• Hands ought to rest at your sides – avoid crossing arms, putting hands on hips, etc.
• Shoulders should be relaxed and back — think of standing tall with chest open, but not in a forced, strained manner.
• Keep chin roughly parallel to ground – don’t raise your chin to hit high notes, it creates strain!

It’s worthwhile to take a few minutes before singing to check your posture — it will make a difference! 

~ Jennifer Iovanne

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