Resources

Links

• 5 Marches : 5 great classical marching songs to really feel the musical PULSE
• A Slow March: Pomp and Circumstance : The Graduation March, "Pomp and Circumstance" by Edward Elgar - a slow march to feel the PULSE
• A Slow Waltz (for conducting waltzes) : This song, "A Slow Waltz" by Dmitri Kabalevsky is great to practice conducting waltzes. Remember beat 1 (arm comes down) - beat 2 (arm to the side) - beat 3 (arm up)... and repeat! See if you can even keep up with the pianist when he plays a bit faster in the middle section!
• Age-Appropriate Practice Times (1) : PianoTel's guide for practice times
• Age-Appropriate Practice Times (2) : TakeLesson's piano practice guide
• All White-Key Piano! : If you don't like playing on black keys, just imagine if they weren't there! How would we figure out which notes correspond to which keys? Oh the horror!
• Baroque Era "Doctrine of Affections" : In the Baroque Era, artists felt feelings or passions could be represented by other means (such as music). Often one feeling was represented by an entire piece. Learn more about this important aspect of the Baroque Era.
• Baroque Era (c. 1685-1750) : Learn interesting facts about the Baroque Era (approximately 1685-1750) and its best-known composers (like J.S. Bach, Vivaldi, Handel and Pachabel).
• Baroque Keyboards: Clavichord : Listen to this cool recording of one of the FIRST keyboard instruments - the clavichord. It dates back to the 1400s and would have been one of the instruments J. S. Bach played on in the Baroque Era (1685-1750)!
• Baroque Keyboards: Harpsichord : One of the 2 main home keyboard instruments of the Baroque Era (think J.S. Bach, Handel, Pachabel, Vivaldi) which spanned from approximately 1685 - 1750.
• Baroque Musical Terms : Having trouble understanding some of the terms in your Baroque Era (1685-1750) music? Try this website for help and definitions!
• Beethoven's "Greatest Hits" : Some of Beethoven's most famous compositions
• Bulletproof Musician (Dealing with Performance Anxiety) : If you struggle with nerves getting the best of you when you perform (rather than using that energy for the positive), this may be a good website/blog for you. Noa Kageyama is an accomplished violinist and Ph.D. psychologist who works with musicians worldwide (including the Julliard School of Music) to help them overcome their anxiety and get excited about sharing their performances with the world.
• Classical Era (c. 1750-1825) : Learn a little about the Classical Era of Music (approximately 1750-1825) and its composers (like Beethoven, Haydn, Clementi and Mozart).
• Classics for Kids : Information about musical eras and famous composers
• Free Fun Music at PianoSongDownload : Free music to download for piano!
• Free Lead Sheets - Michael Kravchuk : A whole bunch of free lead sheets to download and try at home with chording! :)
• LOOKING at sound (visible sound wave patterns) : A quick video showing that sound really does travel in waves and creates patterns caused by those waves!
• Making Music Fun - Famous Composers : Biographies of famous composers
• Metronome - free online : Online free metronome
• Metronome Tap : Ever hear a song and wonder what the tempo is? You can use this app to tap out the tempo and see how that would translate in metronome time.
• Middle C (explanation) : Listen to Robert Estrin explain why Middle C is called "Middle C" in a very engaging and humorous way!
• Music Intervals Plus Song Links (Rebekah Maxner) : Great for ear training for interval identification! If you need a song name to help you out (or want to listen to the song for that interval), you can find it all here!
• Musical Notation Paper - Free : Free and printable musical notation manuscript
• My First Piano Adventure: Audio for Lesson Book A : Audio to accompany the "My First Piano Adventure" Lesson Book A - to use at home for practice time.
• Online Music Theory : Lots of free music theory lessons and exercises!
• Piano - Early Pianos (1700's) : Discover facts about the origins of the FIRST PIANO, invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori of Italy in 1700.
• Piano - How a Piano Works (for kids) : Describes how a piano makes sound and fun facts about the piano
• Piano: Piano Pedals (What do they do?) : A simple explanation of the pedals on a piano and/or keyboard
• Royal Conservatory of Music : Your place to register for exams, see RCM updates and check for your exam results! Also great for purchasing RCM books!
• Sight Reading Factory : Free Sight Reading Site
• The Rhythm Trainer : Listen to rhythms and learn how to write them out!
• White and Black Piano Keys - An Explanation : An explanation why we need BOTH white and black keys on the piano (or other keyboard instruments).