PianoTeacherSite.com

2010-10-30T22:14:00.000-04:00

This is a Public Audio Presentation of "Grandma Melody's (Friendly) Ghost Story" from Piano Bears Musical Storybook - "Little Bear's Halloween Party!"

This delightful audio presentation is full of music, surprises, and fun sound effects! A great Halloween story for all kids, and especially kids in piano! I hope parents, grandparents and teachers enjoy it as well.

18 minutes - be patient, may take a minute to load.
Click on the heart to listen!
Written, Narrated, and Produced by: Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

Free Printable Sheet Music - Halloween Treat Medley

Also, teachers and parents, kids will enjoy listening to this fun story around a pretend campfire in the music or piano room! Below are some directions to make one...

Gather enough rocks to make the fire ring. Clean them off before bringing inside. Rip up a brown paper bag and twist the pieces to look like firewood. You could use real twigs and sticks but paper is cleaner. Use scrap pieces of felt for the flames. To make the flames, cut up yellow felt scraps (you could use a mix of colors) so that they were a bit like irregular triangles. Then pull at the felt edges to soften the look. (you could also use colored tissue paper for the flames.) Arrange the rocks in a circle and build your fire. I recommend putting "real" marshmallows on safe sticks. Prepare the campfire ahead, before your young guests arrive at the party. Before the story, have a treasure hunt by hiding candy around your music room. The kids can decorate their own treat bags as an ice-breaker activity while students are arriving. At the end of the audio presentation "Halloween Treat Medley" is played. My students enjoyed trying to guess the names of these popular pieces for a prize. After the story, they enjoyed learning to play whole-tone scales on the piano to make scarry sounds. We had five at the piano at one time on the octaves from bass to high treble, taking turns and blending the scales as though one person was playing continuously up and then back down the piano. The person playing the middle octave gets to hold down the sustain pedal! (A very special scary effect!) Then we learned to play chromatic scales and played them together in the same way. My students also performed their fall piano pieces they've been working on for each other. They we played a few more piano games for prizes and finally we celebrated with a wonderful piano cake baked by Susan Slay!

Best Wishes,
Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

Put a Tune in Your Heart this Valentines Day!

2010-01-21T18:22:00.011-05:00

Get my free printable Valentines Sheet Music, Put a Little Tune in Your Heart!

This is an easy arrangement for level 2 students. The Audio is included - click on the speaker in the PDF to hear the music. I'm sure you'll recognize this fun tune!

To make this a gift that will keep on giving, you can share it with your friends, by sending the link in your own email on Valentines Day!

Also, you can save 25-30% on my New Holiday Book & DVD Paks at PianoBears.com . Order by February 14th, 2010, and get a free I Love Piano Bears T-Shirt.

Happy Valentines Day!

Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

Little Bear's First Christmas Recital

2009-11-17T11:47:00.037-05:00

Holiday Surprise - New!

Little Bear's First Christmas Recital

8X10 Color Print Edition Item # 3406070

This delightful storybook is full of Christmas joy and excitement as Little Bear learns to play holiday songs on the piano, and prepares to play in his First Christmas Recital.
(Perfect for Ages 6 - 10)

Includes Elementary Piano Solos & Duets

Plus, Fun Activity Pages!

Order Here
Printed Book
$11.97

DVD
$18.97

Preview VIDEO!

Preview Full Screen

Little Bear's Halloween Party Storybook & Sheet Music

2009-10-15T11:04:00.016-04:00

Order from Publisher
$11.97

Little Bear's Halloween Piano Party!
From Piano Bears Musical Storybooks

PLUS Sheet Music Halloween Treat medley
Listen!

This delightful story is full of clever tricks and treats that will have you and your students laughing and playing the piano! Little Bear's Halloween Party Storybook Includes Grandma Melody's Ghost Story PLUS Piano Sheet Music - Halloween Treat Medley. The Medley includes: Ding-Dong the Witch is Dead from the Wizard of OZ Movie, Casper the Friendly Ghost TV Movie Theme Song, Scooby Doo Theme Song, Tocatta in D Minor by Bach, and Ghost Busters Movie Theme Song!

Veeery Scaaary Halloween Music for Pre-Readers! Plus a Fun Piano Game!

2009-10-02T18:20:00.008-04:00

Piano Bears Musical Storybook -
Little Bear's Halloween Piano Party!
This delightful story is full of clever tricks and treats that will have kids laughing and playing the piano! Little Bear's Halloween Party Storybook Includes Grandma Melody's Ghost Story PLUS Piano Sheet Music - Halloween Treat Medley, and a lesson in playing scarying sounds on the piano with chromatic scales.

The Medley includes: Ding-Dong the Witch is Dead from the Wizard of OZ Movie, Casper the Friendly Ghost TV Movie Theme Song, Scooby Doo Theme Song, Tocatta in D Minor by Bach, and Ghost Busters Movie Theme Song!

Also below is a fun pre-piano game parents can enjoy with one or more children at home. It's called 'Cover the Keys' by Susan Parandis. Below are links to two of my previous articles explaining how students in piano benefit from having more "Knowledge at their Fingertips!" This game is a great start to this. After playing the game, students can enjoy playing LITTLE BEAR ON HALLOWEEN, my free Pre-Reading Sheet Music featuring the Piano Bear Musical Storybook Character, Little Bear. This printable sheet music also includes audio so students can hear the song played. Its veeery scaaary!

Download Little Bear on Halloween Free Sheet Music

Piano Articles:
Pre Piano Games are a Great Home Activity for Kids

Piano Students Rock with Knowledge at their Fingertips

GAME BOARD

Download Game Board from SusanParandis.com

MUSIC ALPHABET CARDS FOR GAME from SusanParandis.com

Download Alphabet cards

GAME DIRECTIONS:
To play the game, cut out the alphabet cards and put them in a small bowl. Print out one game board for each student. Students take turns drawing the alphabet cards and then covering the correct key on the game board. In an individual lesson the parent/teacher plays along with the student. There is an element of luck involved, and students will be tickled to actually beat their teacher (Mom/Dad!)

Best Wishes,
Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

Piano Bears Music Camp Video

2009-07-24T09:54:00.003-04:00

Below is a video on YouTube that two of my students, Erin and Kennedy helped me create as a momento of their fun Piano Bears Music Camp experience. In addition to piano games and activities, it includes Kennedy and Erin playing the "Piano Chord Tunes" they learned to create and improvise with. Watch the relaxed, fluid playing technique the girls perfected, and see how fun and easy piano can be for kids!

Best Wishes,
Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

Helping Kids in Piano Connect to their Inner Artist - 5 Tips for Recital Time

2009-04-14T12:25:00.001-04:00

Piano students spend a lot of time preparing their music, especially at recital time. Here are 5 tips to help piano students maximize their creative energy and get the most out of their practice time.

1. Ask Questions Along the Way - Feel free to stop and investigate any areas of the music you're unsure of or have questions about with thoughtful review. Just playing the piece over and over without changes limits the possibilities for improvement.

2.Make sure the objective is creative work at the piano, not just 'time at work' - Practice with a specific goal in mind that adds a creative purpose to your playing. Such as counting out the rhythms, checking for accuracy of the notes, or improving your playing technique.

3. Target your best attention to challenging areas - At the beginning of practice our minds are fresh and our attention is best. So begin practive on areas in the music that are most challenging. Then stop for a few minutes and start again fresh in another area. Look for areas of the music that need work and focus attention on these. Then play through the piece many times. Start the next practice session with another area of the music that is more challenging.

4. Don't gloss over the notes - To let the music speak clearly, become familiar with the melody. Your ear needs to hear the music clearly to play clearly. Also, don't rely only on your own creative ideas, listen to how others have interpreted the music as well.

5. Add the human element - Creative ideas come to individuals. To connect to your inner artist, make it personal. Imagine each note is an important word in a personal conversation you're sharing with your very best friend. This will bring your own, magical personality into the musical conversation, so that each note resonates as part of a coherent, musical idea that's important to you and honors your audience.

For more information on how piano lessons benefit children, read my earlier post How Piano Lessons Benefit Young Children.

Best wishes for a great piano recital,
Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

Easter Sheet Music - Level One

2009-04-06T17:54:00.002-04:00

I had several requests for a level one version of my Easter Composition, The Easter Egg Hunt. So here it .... Level One

2009-03-22T13:56:00.007-04:00

IT'S HERE! my new Easter piano composition for Level 2 piano students, The Easter Egg Hunt. Click here to Download Easter Sheet Music The file includes the audio so students can hear it played. It also includes a special Sing-Along recording so students can hear the lyrics!

Level 2 Piano Solo
By Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

Click the heart below to hear the lyrics!

Here is the direct link so you can share it with your friends. It will make a great Easter Gift!
http://www.pianobears.com/docs/The_Easter_Egg_Hunt.pdf

Easter Sheet Music for Children!

2009-03-20T20:48:00.004-04:00

Listen to my new Easter piano composition for Level 2 piano students, The Easter Egg Hunt. The lyrics are wonderful, I can't wait to share it with you. So stay tuned for the free sheet music - Coming Soon!

Level 2 Piano Solo

By Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

St. Patrick's Day Sheet Music & Audio

2009-03-02T21:18:00.023-05:00

St. Patrick's Day Sheet Music

Please enjoy my new piano composition for Level 2 piano students written in the style of an Irish Dance -
To Musical Acres I Go!
Click Here for Free Download
Students will love this music and cute lyrics. So students can hear it played, the audio is embedded in the PDF file (see link below). Share this link with your friends in an email. It will make a great St. Patrick's Day Gift!

Direct Share Link for email to friends
http://www.pianobears.com/docs/To_Musical_Acres_I_Go.pdf

Enjoy!

Whoop-de-do! I have Lyrics!

2009-02-19T11:48:00.024-05:00

I received an email from a mom who shared this story with me regarding one of my blog posts.

"Miss Vanlandingham,

I just did a Google search on "Whoop-de-do" and
your blog came up. We enjoyed listening to your duet with your student and we would love to use your lyrics to help wth tempo, etc. My son loves to sing and usually sings at his piano recitals even when no one else does. He will be playing Whoop-de-do! by Kim Williams at a music competition on March 7th.

Thank you for your help!

Susan Amalong"

My pleasure, Susan, I'd love to share the lyrics! Below are the audio recordings of this duet and my lyrics for it.

LISTEN TO THE PIANO DUET

LISTEN TO WHOOP-DE-DO LYRICS

This is the sweet level-one piano duet by Kim Williams that Susan was refering to. In the audio above I'm playing it with one of my young beginning students. The song doesn't have any words, so I wrote my own lyrics for it. The idea was to create a fun story that would capture my student's attention throughout this piece, and lift his spirits with music. He loved singing along as we played together at his lesson, and was able to keep the rhythm and tempo throughout the piece. Remember, parents and teachers, you don't have to be an opera singer to do this!

Here are the written lyrics so you can sing along too!

Here we go it's time to watch my favorite show
again it's called Whoop-de-do! It's a fun way just to
while away the afternoon with Boo!

But my homework is almost due, and my piano calls
me too, and then I need to clean my room - then I'll
watch my favorite show.

Gonna do my math, and spelling too. Then play my
tunes so I'll have time to watch my favorite show.

Here we go again it's time to watch my favorite show,
it's called Whoop-de-do! It's a fun show just for kids
like me on P-B-S. It's the best! Starting right now
with Boo!

My Piano Bears Musical Storybooks are also a fun way to share piano joy with children. They create a wonderful musical adventure I know your piano students will benefit from.

BTW, at http://www.pianobears.com/ you can download free my newest piano arrangement for intermediate students, American Liberty Jazz, published on January 20th, 2009.

Best Regards,

Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

On Valentines Day - Put a Little Tune in Your Heart!

2009-02-14T10:22:00.010-05:00

Recently one of my young students suggested a unique URL to my studio's Kids Piano Page would more convenient. I thought, "Gosh, she's right - why didn't I think of that!" So here it is - MyPianoClub.com My students can visit this special page to hear their beautiful piano music we recorded at their lessons in the month of January. We Love Sharing Our Music - Enjoy!

Also, here's a link to my Valentines Sheet Music, Put a Little Tune in Your Heart! This is an easy arrangement for level 2 students. The Audio is included - click the speaker to hear the music. I'm sure you'll recognize this fun tune. To make this a gift that will keep on giving, you can share it with your friends, by sending the link in your own email on Valentines Day! For more of my Piano Bears Musical Storybook Sheet Music visit KidsPianoSheetMusic.com

Happy Valentines Day!

Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

New Year Piano Hallelujah!

2008-12-20T20:57:00.012-05:00

Our Winter Holiday Open House was a great event! The students played BEAUTIFULLY!! This duet is played by Erin Falls and myself. I know Erin will enjoy having this recording in her On-Line Musical Memory Book on the Kids Piano Page. Many students played their pieces several times with me at the Open House. Playing together is so much fun - especially the joyful songs everyone loves to hear during the holiday season.

O Come All Ye Faithful, Played by TallyPiano Studios Student, Erin Falls.

The end of the year is a great time for students to celebrate their progress by taking a "listen" back through the years in their Musical Memory Books. It's so easy to do this on the Kids Piano Page. During the last week of the term I make time to do this during lessons. Students always say things like, "I remember playing that song last year!" and "Listen to my very first Holiday Piece - Jolly Old St. Nicholas! Gosh, I can't believe I've been playing so long! I've made a lot of progress since I began piano!"

Now it is time to set new goals for a New Year. To help with this, below is a link to free sheet music to encourage students to keep celebrating their piano progress. I hope students enjoy this fun variation for level 1 or level 2 students on a familiar tune from George Frederic Handel - Piano New Year Hallelujah!

from Piano Bears Musical Storybooks
Click Here Free New Year Sheet Music

Best Wishes for a Joyful Holiday Season!

Cynthia Marie Vanlandingham

Carol of the Bells - A Piano Student Favorite

2008-12-17T08:41:00.008-05:00

Carol of the Bells is a wonderful selection that all students love to play. This makes it espeically perfect for students who prefer more secular music but love to participate in the happy celebrations of the holiday season. Carol of the Bells is a universal melody recognized everywhere for its joyful spirit and intense rhythm. Below is a recording Carol of the Bells, played by Ismael Syed, which he performed at my Winter Holiday Open House. This arrangement is from the Faber Collection.

Carol of the Bells, Played by TallyPiano Studios Student, Ismael Syed.
Piano Adventures Christmas Book 3A
click link above to order

2008-11-03T00:06:00.013-05:00

Down this free, level-one sheet music from PianoBears.com for your beginning piano student. It's called 'Thanksgiving Surprise!' This is a familiar tune from Haydn with Piano Bear Storybook lyrics for young girls and boys.
Thanksgiving Surprise!

Yes, that's me singing this silly song!

Warm regards,
Cynthia Marie Vanlandingham

2008-10-31T21:44:00.008-04:00

Happy Halloween!

Click link below for free Sheet Music for you little goblin!

Little Bear on Halloween Sheet Music

Best Wishes for a Spooktacular Time!

Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

March Slav for Halloween Mood

2008-10-28T22:23:00.005-04:00

Looking for a piece of music to add a ghoulish touch of doom to your Halloween party? This is the perfect piece. This arrangement is from the Piano Adventures Lesson Book Level 3A. The original work was by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Piano Adventures Lesson Book, Level 3A

Pumpkin Boogie

2008-10-28T21:56:00.003-04:00

Here's another great Halloween Piece with a wonderful duet from Piano Adventures Lesson Book 2B. Click the audio player to hear my piano student and I playing this fun duet together.

Piano Adventures: Lesson Book Level 2B

Fun Halloween Piece - The Crawling Spider, Duet

2008-10-27T13:45:00.006-04:00

This is a cute piece in the level-one Piano Adventures Lesson Book. I's a great casual piece students can learn quickly and play for fun at Halloween. It's called the Haunted Mouse! Listen as I play it below as I play the duet part along with one of my students.

Piano Adventures Level 1 Lesson Book - The Haunted Mouse

Piano Piano Party Idea - Fall Harvest Mini Recital

2008-10-27T13:29:00.004-04:00

By Cynthia VanLandingham

Children in piano lessons benfit from opportunities to perform, but all of these don't need to involve a formal recital with kids dressed in their Sunday best and all their relatives present. Piano recital parties can be rather spontaneous events that allow children to enjoy sharing their music with other kids in a relaxed way. Here's a great piano party idea that kids love because it's just for students! If you're a parent, share this idea with your child's piano teacher. There many possible formats for such a party. Here is one of the ideas I have used with great success.

The Mini Harvest Recital - The Fall Harvest Mini Recital is a piano party just for students to share the progress they have made with other kids. Emphasize the harvest recital as a time for students to practice sharing their talent and the fruit of their hard work with others. Decorate with pumpkins, scarecrows and fall leaves.

Begin the recital with a scavenger hunt. Give each student a paper treat bag and let them find candy and small toys hidden around the piano room.

After the scavenger hunt let students enjoy their treats while they play their songs for each other on the piano. The songs students play for this recital can be the pieces they have currently been playing in their lesson books. Remember the idea is to create a piano community and to let kids learn to share their music with others in a relaxed way that will break down any walls of worry that students often have about performing. There is no need for formal seating since parents won't be there. Just put some big quilts to make a cozy place on the floor where the children to sit while they are waiting their turn to play.

After the students have played their pieces have enough board games on hand for everyone to grab a partner and get to know each other better. They don't have to be games that every can play at once. You can have Chess, Checkers, Boggle, Musical Bingo, Chutes and Ladders, whatever you think your students would enjoy. Remember the games don't all have to be about music, they just need to support your child's or your student's musical experience.

Remember to take some photos of this fun event and put them in a special piano party memory book to share with parents and friends.

Share the gift of music with Piano Bears Musical Storybooks
Kids love my storybooks books that Inspire and Motivate children in piano lessons.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cynthia_VanLandingham
http://EzineArticles.com/?Piano-Lesson-Recital-Party-Idea---The-Harvest-Mini-Recital&id=111854

American Fanfare

2008-10-25T15:48:00.003-04:00

This is a lovely selection from the Faber Level 5 Performance Book, played by Ben, one of my middle school students. He really enjoyed this piece and played it at my Fall Piano Party.

How Piano Lessons Benefit Young Children

2008-10-25T11:16:00.007-04:00

By Cynthia VanLandingham

Piano lessons provide a wide range of benefits to young children. Here are my "Top Five."

1. Piano lessons help preserve and develop children's natural creative abilities.

The best analogy of how children learn through music that I've found is from Donald Kroodsma's book "The Singing Life of Birds." Every songbird can be identified by the unique song it sings, but a baby bird has to be taught by its parents to sing the family song. Baby birds, like humans, just 'babble' at first. Mother birds sing the family song over and over to the baby birds as they try to repeat it back. At first, the baby birds are only able to sing back one or two notes, but they gradually learn to sing the whole song. And birds with two voice boxes even learn to sing their own harmony parts! Once baby birds learn the family song, they can start developing their very own songs. Similarly, I encourage students to compose their own music after developing needed skills. In my experience, young children in piano are a lot like baby songbirds!

2. Piano lessons help children perfect their natural learning processes.

Music is a language, and children are programmed to absorb languages. Studies have shown that kids can most easily learn new languages when they start at a young age. Piano lessons help children develop the very same skills needed to accomplish language arts, like reading. In piano, students learn how to follow directions, scan written materials, think critically, create solutions and translate writing into action. For example, students must look at each note, measure and phrase and decide how to play each note to make the music come to life. Many children (including my own sons) have become much better readers after starting piano lessons. Further, piano lessons involves an interplay of both right and left brain activity that stimulates neural development.

3. Piano lessons help children learn how to stay focused and achieve goals.

Piano lessons help children set specific goals and then work towards reaching these goals. Each new piece of music a student learns requires a specific set of skills and playing habits. To achieve these goals students must learn to stay focused and study each note, measure and phrase to understand how to play the song. In doing this students learn to think critically and creatively as they decide how to make the music come to life. Staying focused over time develops good study habits that become natural. This is important because learning to practice good habits that match their goals shows children how to make their dreams come to life!

4. Piano lessons help children develop courage.

It takes courage to face challenges without letting our anxiety and worries get the best of us. Piano lessons help students learn to accept challenges such as learning a difficult song, as well as to perform pieces in front of teachers, friends, and families at recitals. Lessons also help kids learn the importance of keeping a positive perspective despite difficulties. Learning to handle uncertainty and stress in a way that minimizes anxiety and maximizes creativity is a valuable life tool. We all need practice at this!

5. Piano lessons teach children to persevere.

A key part of accomplishing anything difficult is not to give up easily. As children grow, piano lessons teach kids to try and then try again if they don't initially succeed. However, as Yoda explained to Luke Skywalker, the objective isn't just trying itself, but accomplishing the desired goal -- "Do or do not, there is no try!" Piano lessons teach students how to adjust their expectations if they can't initially master a tough song or skills, and to tackle these big goals by taking small incremental steps. In the end, just like the baby songbirds that eventually learn to sing, students learn that they can accomplish great things and reach their dreams through careful and consistent effort.

Share the gift of music with Piano Bears Musical Storybooks
Kids love my storybooks books that Inspire and Motivate children in piano lessons.

Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-Piano-Lessons-Benefit-Young-Children&id=38953

Whoop-de-Do!

2008-10-23T22:39:00.004-04:00

This is a sweet level-one piano duet by Kim Williams. I'm playing this with one of my young beginning students. It doesn't have any words, so I wrote some lyrics for it. My student loved singing along as he played, and was able to keep the rhythm and tempo throughout the piece.

Listen to Whoop-de-do!

Played by Cynthia Marie VanLandingham

Email Me for my lyrics to this piece.

Cynthia Marie VanLandingham
Author of
Piano Bears Musical Storybooks
PianoBears.com

Piano Article: The Piano Parent Trap!

2008-10-23T21:46:00.006-04:00

By Cynthia VanLandingham

"My 6 year old daughter really loves the piano and wants to learn to play, but when I try to help her she gets very upset with me. What should I do?"

The parent who asked the above question has fallen into a hole that I call The Piano Parent Trap!

If this is you, you don't have to feel bad. In fact you should be flattered! This is just a problem of conflicting needs. The role of Mom or Dad is very important to the emotional security of children. Your acceptance and approval is everything to them! When parents move out of the parental role into the role of piano teacher, young children can become confused and anxious. The expectations of children are that Mom and Dad will always play the specific role needed to protect their emotional security. Because children must have their emotional needs met to feel loved and secure before they can learn, they may refuse to allow a parent to be "the piano teacher," even when they want to learn. And surprisingly, the child who really wants to play the piano may resist a parent's help even more! So, how does a parent get out of this trap? It's not really that hard. Here are two key things you can do.

1. Find the right piano teacher.

Look for a piano teacher you feel your child will be comfortable with. This decision should never be based solely on location and price -- those are important to your convenience, but they tell you nothing about the lessons your child will receive. You should talk with the teacher to get an understanding of how they will work with your child and the type of programs they offer. You should look for a teacher with a warm enthusiastic personality that inspires confidence, and they should go out their way to say, "I want to be your child's piano teacher!" If upon your interview you don't get this message, keep on looking. Remember, piano teachers are not selling a product, they are the product! The right teacher for your child is someone who will build a supportive relationship that challenges your child to do their best.

2. Be supportive, but don't try to be in control.

From the time your child approached the age of two they most likely have been sending you the same conflicting message over and over: "I need you - Let me do it myself!" Get used to this because it isn't optional and it doesn't really go away when kids get older-- it just comes with the package! There are, however, a couple of options you do have that involve your making a choice. I'll lay it out for you simply. Your choices are between Door Number One and Door Number Two. If you should choose Door Number One, you are in control. If you should choose Door Number Two, you are in charge.

Now you might be thinking this is some kind of a joke -- they are the same door! But not so, they are very different! A Door Number One approach requires you to make all choices for your child without their participation in the decision, such as when they should do their piano practice, what songs they should try to learn, and how fast they should progress. However, because this approach ignores children's need for independence, they will fight for this control - they may actively resist practicing at your appointed time, or could act totally passively and claim that they are just unable to learn new skills.

In contrast, a Door Number Two approach recognizes children's needs for independence but provides needed support and guidance. It allows children to make choices among options you identify for them, which lets them "do it themselves" while still receiving needed protection. As a result, here is your real choice in basic terms: Behind Door Number One lurks a hungry lion, while a happy child and family are behind Door Number Two!

3. Guide your child by following an authoritative, not an authoritarian approach.

An authori-tarian approach teaches power and control. In contrast to this approach, an authori-tative model teaches ownership and responsibility. These differences can be seen in the following descriptions.

Authoritarian approach

• Parent is in control -- child is powerless.

• Child believes parents and other adults are in control them.

• Child believes others are responsible for their behavior.

• Child waits for others who know more than they do to tell them what to.

• Child is passive and does not assert their opinions and ideas or take initiative, or is very angry and acts out! Or, is passive and later becomes very angry!

Authoritative approach

• Parent is in charge of setting appropriate consequences for their child's behaviors.

• Child has the choice to make reasonable decisions within protected limits where they can learn from their mistakes.

• Child learns they are responsible for the consequences of their choices and learns to take initiative and trusts their ability to make intelligent decisions and act responsibly.

• Child learns to be assertive and can ask adults for information and guidance when making important decisions, but accepts ownership and responsibility for their actions and decisions.

How can you start to use an authoritative approach to get out of the Parent Trap and open "Door Number Two?"

An easy way is to reverse roles. For example, after your child comes home from piano lessons, ask them to teach you what they've learned because you want to learn it too! This lets your child be in control as they share their special piano knowledge with you. Kids can't resist this. It's just so much fun to be the teacher, and children love to reverse roles! Your young teacher will probably even correct your playing, and tell you that you're doing it all wrong, especially if you play "their song" perfectly! So, be wiling to make a few silly mistakes that your little teacher can have fun correcting. Just don't get defensive. I can guarantee you'll get a lot of mileage out of this strategy!

Share the gift of music with Piano Bears Musical Storybooks

Kids love my storybooks books that Inspire and Motivate children in piano lessons.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cynthia_VanLandingham
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Piano-Parent-Trap!&id=38950