 Piano Practice When You Have An Injury By Jenny Leigh Hodgins
Today’s Piano blog features the ideas provided by Veteran Piano Teacher, Dawn Ivers, of Kansas, in her blog, Broken Arms & Sprained Wrists. Ivers runs a successful piano studio in Kansas and was recently featured in her local newspaper, McPherson Sentinel. See Iver's article on tips for handling stage-fright (featuring ideas from my blog, How To Turn Your Nerves Into Good Energy.) Yikes! What do you do about piano lessons when you (or your child) have an injury like a broken wrist, a sprain, or jammed fingers? Is it best to take a break until the injury has healed? Or would it be best to press on with piano practice and lessons? Piano Teacher Recommendation I recently came across Kansas Piano Teacher, Dawn Ivers’ blog about this on her website, dawnspiano.com. Of course, performances would obviously need to be postponed, unless the program consists solely of one-handed repertoire. But I wholeheartedly agree with Ivers’ recommendation to press forward with both practice and lessons. Why and how are the important questions to ask. Why Should You Continue Piano When You Have An Injury Stopping piano practice when you have an injury risks the loss of momentum with your piano progress. It’s challenging to get your groove back if you’ve sat it out for more than a week. Our muscle memory, not to mention our brain’s recall, suffers from inactivity during gaps in time. Absence Makes Learning Harder This issue was never more apparent to me than during my years as a public school music educator. Students returning to music class after winter, spring or summer break had glaringly forgotten large chunks of information, musical and even social skills. This is why the first several weeks of public school music classes were spent on review and hands-on immersive practice. Moving forward without these refresher activities caused more frustration for students and decreased successful learning in the music classroom. Fortunately, with piano lessons, the student or parent of the student has the option of moving forward despite an injury. The critical point is how you focus your piano practice to accommodate the injury. How To Practice Piano Is Key If you’re dealing with an injury, fortunately, there are lots of ways to move forward while working around it. In her blog, Ivers offers no less than eight piano practice strategies for continuing musical progress while accommodating an injury. Often, budding pianists get in the habit of relying on two-handed playing, leaving other weaknesses unattended. The healing period for an injury provides a great opportunity to strengthen those areas. Ideas For One-Handed Piano Practice In her blog, Kansas-based piano teacher, Dawn Ivers suggests practicing sight-reading, one-handed duet practice with a partner, pedal practice, technic and solo pieces for one-hand, and honing scale and musical theory while building improvisation skills through one-handed practice. Duet Practice Helps Sight-Reading & Rhythmic Skills I agree with Ivers focus on using the opportunity for duo playing. In my piano studio, I often honed in on a piano student’s sight-reading, rhythmic, or technical skills by having them play one hand while I played the opposite part. This is a great way to have the student focus on developing better notation reading skills, or to provide more practice for those struggling with maintaining fluency with rhythm. By playing duets with the piano teacher and only having to play with one-hand, the student’s technical skills may be addressed. This works particularly well when the teacher guides the student with a slower practice tempo. One-Handed Improvisation Opens Creative Expression I often found students more engaged when providing the chance to improvise in a duet. One strategy is for the piano teacher to provide a simple, harmonic progression while the student is assigned an allotted key signature and a specific range of notes and/or fingering. The student practices improvising in this manner, learning from limitations with the use of specific form, fingering, rhythmic or melodic phrasing. The restriction of having only one hand to practice takes the pressure off the student. I have found that many students open up more creatively with this type of stress-reduced activity. Forging Musical Comprehension Through Music Theory Ivers also recommends more time spent on games and exercises to develop musical theory expertise. Often, time runs out during a piano lesson before the piano teacher can fully address the student’s musical theory needs. Using the injury healing period to work on those music theory topics is time well spent toward greater piano mastery. Assigning music theory worksheets or other theory-based work throughout the week gives the student the chance to build their musical understanding. As the student grasps theoretical aspects, he or she expands musical comprehension on multiple levels, contributing to a greater performance mastery, and a deepening confidence. Students Tap Self-Expression Through New Approach Ivers also points out the opportunity to develop musical composition abilities while a student’s injury heals. This is a great way to encourage students to try something new, engage their personal interests and encourage self-expression. Lessons could be spent teaching compositional aspects and allowing the injured student time to learn more about notation, intervals, chords, scales, fingering, form, key analysis, melodic phrasing and rhythmic patterns. Lastly, Ivers suggests taking time to work on rhythm and sight-reading. This is one of my favorite ideas, as students can solidify understanding and better grasp rhythmic and meter issues when the focus is narrowed to the use of only one hand. If you or your child has an injury prohibiting piano practice with one hand, consider these suggestions as encouragement to continue musical progress throughout the healing period. For more information from our featured piano teacher, Dawn Ivers, her piano studio and informative blog, click here. More tips on effective piano practice can be found in my blog on left and right hand coordination here. Let me know in the comments below if you found this blog helpful or if you have more piano practice tips! CLICK HERE for a list of piano and music-making resources I use and recommend. SIGN UP for more strategies for creativity, piano, caregiver and spiritual wellness at YourCreativeChord.com
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 My Baby Grand Piano Speaks. By Jenny Leigh Hodgins
This is a poem I wrote from the viewpoint of my piano instrument. My piano is encouraging me to make time for music-making despite my busy schedule. Responsibilities can pile up but regular music-making has tremendous benefits. I look rusty, dusty, cold and untouched You’ve been away from me far too much I have voluminous sounds to reach your ear A wealth of richness for you to hear But you have left me in the corner Covered up, like some kind of mourner Grieving death with silence Leaving me in the distance While you scurry and scamper around Burying your heart deep underground Look this way! You'll miss me, friend! Recall the melodies we have penned! Rhythms pulsing, drumming, beating Music flowing, moving, defeating everything that tried to bring you down Remember me--our joyful sound! That's it--I see I've caught your eye-- You know you need me as well as I So meet me here upon this bench Sit down, relax, release, unclench Share with me your hidden story Tap your creative repertory at once, when you connect with me with fingers placed on key to key Of bliss, of love, and spiritual height When you release your inner light to me--I'll feel your every thought, Kindly untie the angry knot That's twisted up your soul And spun you out of control If you would meet me here again You'd alleviate your abysmal yen Cathartically, simultaneously, Immediately and beautifully Bringing dimensions to life from experiences inside to fruition, realization satisfaction, revolution. Just sit with me and feel The true, authentic, real. And when you open up to this, The flow of music's gentle kiss upon your fragile heart will mend the broken, then you will transcend beyond confusion, doubt or fear illuminating perfectly clear; Your strength, your power, Your Treasure Tower-- As you listen from within. How does your piano speak to you? Share in the comments! CLICK HERE for a list of piano and music-making resources I use and recommend. Empowering Strategies For Piano, Creativity, Caregiver & Spiritual Wellness! Get more inspiring content when you signup for the mailing list at YourCreativeChord! You can also find me on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook!  Photo by Jenny Leigh Hodgins By Jenny Leigh Hodgins
This article originally appeared in the September/October issue of LivingWell60+ magazine. If you’ve always wanted to play piano, taking lessons as a senior adult has more benefits than you may think. Beyond the sheer joy of musical experience, there’s a good chunk of science behind the benefits of learning piano as an older adult. Aging adults who learn to play piano experience enhanced cognitive function, slowed deterioration in the fight against the aging process, stress relief, improved mood, and a boost in self-esteem. Learning Piano Makes You Smarter A study by Frontiers in Psychology journal on aging adults reveals that learning a musical instrument enhances the activation of brain regions related to memory, attention, language processing, motor function, and emotion. Listening to music has been shown to activate these multiple brain regions, but learning to play an instrument further increases these functions. Neuropsychologists found such significant brain function activity enhancement from playing an instrument that the use of music training is under scrutiny for understanding brain plasticity progression. An institute in Barcelona, Spain found that participants who were assigned piano practice as opposed to others who did sports or painting showed greater neurological and psychological improvement on the scale they were using. University of South Florida assistant professor of music education, Jennifer Bugos, studied the results between aging adults who did or did not take piano lessons. Bugos discovered that six months of piano instruction for seniors showed impressive enhancements in memory, verbal fluency, information processing speed, planning ability, and other cognitive functions, over those who had not learned piano. Playing Piano Slows Deterioration Musical training improves the cognitive reserve in aging adults. Cognitive reserve, the term for how the brain fights against deterioration of function, is improved dramatically in aging adults who take piano lessons. Engaging in activities like reading, writing, or crossword puzzles is known to improve cognitive well-being and reduce risk of dementia development. But, seniors learning to play piano yield even more extraordinary improvements in multiple brain functions. Additionally, learning piano enhances auditory working memory, which may reinforce the memory capacity that facilitates communication, conversation and the ability to distinguish consonants and vowel sounds. In other words, learning piano fights against hearing loss and strengthens communication skills despite the aging process. Piano Study Reduces Pain Older adults learning piano have increased amounts of human growth hormone, which is connected to reducing aches and pains that come with age. Higher human growth hormone levels slow the progression of osteoporosis, and increase energy, sexual function and muscle mass. Learning Piano Boosts Creative Thinking Learning piano is a complex activity, requiring the ability to read as you play. This multi-tasking trains eye-hand coordination and develops independent hand coordination. This stimulates multiple brain sections, improves reaction and productivity while strengthening neural pathways between the left and right brain hemispheres. Playing piano uses a creative technique called divergent thinking, that forces the use of both sides of the brain. By exercising this technique regularly, players become better at creative thinking, improving the ability to problem solve. Learning Piano Makes You Happier And Healthier Those who play the piano regularly improve their mental state. Experiencing the victory of learning to play a piece of music encourages self-confidence. Engaging in music affects mood, and provides stress relief. Playing piano is a kind of ultrasound therapy, sending sound vibrations to the player’s body that improve circulation, and relax muscles. Playing music soothes and stimulates primary senses of touch and sight, causing the brain to release beta endorphins and dopamine, which leads to decreased anxiety, depression and loneliness. These aspects of mood affect overall wellness by stimulating the immune system to improve players’ health. The advantages of taking piano lessons as an older adult go beyond simple enjoyment. The health benefits and effect on cognitive abilities are a greater incentive. There are private piano instructors who offer group lessons as well as in-home instruction. See How To Find A Good Piano Teacher and What Keyboard Do I Need For Piano Lessons? for more information. Piano Method Books I recommend: For the Adult For the Older Beginner For Young Children For Very Young Children CLICK HERE for a list of piano and music-making resources I use and recommend. Feel free to SHARE this with others who may benefit from this info! Thank you! Empowering Strategies For Piano, Creativity, Caregiver & Spiritual Wellness! Get more inspiring content when you signup for the mailing list at YourCreativeChord! You can also find me on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook! ********************************************************************************************************************************** Source: NAMM Foundation https://www.nammfoundation.org/articles/2014-06-01-why-play-music-seniors Source: Music and Health http://www.musicandhealth.co.uk/articles/WatsonReview06.pdf Source: Science Nutshell: http://www.sciencenutshell.com/piano-playing-benefits-for-cognitive-function/ Source: NCBI https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3814522/ Source: The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/nov/12/scientists-creativity-pianists-brain-activity Source: Linde Blad Piano https://www.lindebladpiano.com/blog/benefits-of-playing-piano TIPS FOR LEFT & RIGHT HAND COORDINATION Practice piano by isolating one hand at a time. by Jenny Leigh Hodgins Single-Minded Focus Learn to play piano with both hands based on a single-minded focus on goal-oriented, multi-step tasks. Approaching piano practice in this manner has proven highly effective for me. One Hand Only For example, choose one hand to work on at a time. Isolate the bass part in the left hand. Then, break down your left hand practice into feasible chunks; work on only playing the correct notes for example. Practice the left hand part while fully focusing on the first selected goal (correct notes). Don’t worry about the rhythm, the fingering or any other aspect other than what you’ve chosen to focus on practicing (correct notes).  STOP. Evaluate. Stop. Evaluate.
After you play through the section with full focus on that one goal, stop and evaluate. If successful at playing that particular section with no hesitation, move on to the next goal and repeat the process. Multiply Your Focus Then add the first two goals together (correct notes and rhythm) and practice that until you are able to play through successfully without any hesitation. Add the third goal, and so on. Repeat Procedure With Opposite Hand Switch to the opposite hand and repeat the process of focusing only on one goal at a time, stopping to evaluate, then repeating until you master each section and goal. Then repeat until you are successfully able to master multiple focus goals with the musical section chosen for that hand. Put Both Hands Together Finally, choose a small section, one goal (correct notes) and play both hands together. Do not jump to this part of practice until everything prior to this point has been successfully mastered. The same process applies when practicing hands together. Handling Mistakes If you make mistakes, stop immediately and evaluate why, then go back and practice until that issue is resolved. For example, if you played through a few measures correctly and then made mistakes, determine what happened. Usually the problem is that mentally you dropped the ball. Were you daydreaming about lunch? Were you distracted by someone walking past your window? Refresh Focus Go back to the trouble spot and refresh your single-minded focus on the practice aspects you’ve chosen. Once you achieve success, play through a larger section, or the entire musical composition. Be sure to apply the exact same practice strategy and address any mistakes immediately. Otherwise, you may make the common mistake of practicing your mistakes repeatedly, ingraining them further into your mental memory and making things more difficult to correct. This is how many students typically practice and defeat progress! One Last Note (heh heh) Practicing piano with clear goals, one hundred percent mental focus, evaluation and troubleshooting issues is an incredibly effective way to progress as a piano player. However, if you run into difficulty, besides lack of focus on a particular goal, the most common culprit for difficulty in piano practice is practicing too fast! If you are having problems with the above-described practice strategy, SLOW DOWN and try again! Most of the time, slowing the tempo resolves the problem. Many students have difficulty slowing their practice tempo. Use a metronome to set a defined, slower tempo. This enables you to reset your pace at a manageable speed. When you slow down, it allows you to master your goal of choice without repeatedly making mistakes due to a faster tempo. If you are still having problems slowing down, change your mindset about tempo. Students often are deluded that a faster tempo is equal to mastery. The opposite is more accurate. Playing purposefully at a slower tempo while focusing fully on one specific goal takes greater concentration, discipline and patience. Use Imagery Make setting a slower tempo an exciting new mission, to frame your attitude around it. Practice deep breathing in sync with your metronome as you set your inner pace with the new, slower tempo. Envision yourself playing under water in slow motion as a fun way to switch gears from playing faster to embracing a slower pace. From there, it can be amazing to see how simple and easy it is for you to master your chosen practice goal. More Piano Practice Tips Here. CLICK HERE For a list of piano and music-making resources I use and recommend. Like, comment and share this blog with someone who may benefit from this information! SIGN UP for more strategies for creativity, piano, caregiver and spiritual wellness at YourCreativeChord.com  The right piano keyboard is essential for successful piano lessons. By Jenny Leigh Hodgins Are you an adult who’s looking forward to finally learn piano? Do you have a teenager eager to explore music? Are you a parent looking to start your child’s first piano lesson? Having a quality instrument is critical for successful piano learning. There are many ways to learn piano. From note-reading to aural training, from digital exploration and beyond. Regardless, the quality of a keyboard instrument is essential to successful music progress. Some of the most important points to consider are:
WHAT’S YOUR COMMITMENT? If you have always wanted to learn piano, and now have the time and energy to devote to it, a piano may be a great investment. For adults, buying a quality piano is a beautiful addition to decor, adding value to your home. Practicing on a quality-crafted piano inspires hours of dedicated musical progress. Making a strong commitment to your love of piano music is a great reason to buy a good piano. If you have a young child, or a teenager with sudden interest in piano, your child's attention span may not be clear. How long will your child stay motivated for the long haul of musical study? For these cases, consider an electronic keyboard. A digital piano may be an inexpensive investment to explore your child's interest. An electronic keyboard is usually less expensive than a piano. A 61-key, light-action digital keyboard would be acceptable as a smaller investment for initial music exploration. After a year of piano study, I recommend investing in either a piano or an 88-key, weighted-action keyboard. Over time, a student’s repertoire grows. This will encourage accurate, physical technique, and the full piano range. CHECK YOUR SPACE & SURROUNDINGS A beautiful grand piano brings artistic flair to a large room. Piano playing brings lively fun to the entertainment of guests. Playing piano in the home adds festivity with holiday music. It also fills the home with beloved musical expression year-round. If you’ve got the space and the budget, no investment brings as much enjoyment to a home. If you don’t have a large space, consider a smaller baby grand, or an upright piano. Playing a real piano offers authenticity. The action of a real piano (how the wooden keys respond to the touch of your fingers) lets the player achieve healthy piano technique. An acoustic piano sends an organic, gorgeous, sound reverberating throughout your home. For even tighter spaces and budgets, consider an electronic keyboard. An extra advantage of having a digital piano is the use of headphones. This feature allows music practice at any hour without disrupting others.  Digital keyboards open the door to computer-based music. WHAT’S YOUR STYLE
Consider your personal preferences when choosing the right keyboard. If the touch of a real piano is inspirational for you, buying a piano may be infinitely more satisfying. Traditional classical and jazz repertoire is often preferred played on a real piano. The popularity of modern music is another point in favor of buying an electronic keyboard. Teens and adults may be more inclined toward digital music production. Digital keyboards open the door to computer-made music. Using a digital piano and a computer allows you to create music with virtual instruments. In our technology-driven world, much of the future's music-making will be digital-based. This offers opportunities for electronic music-production. Music technology offers opportunities in composing for video games, commercials, film and TV. HOW BIG IS YOUR BUDGET When selecting a keyboard, consider your budget now. Weigh that budget against the longevity of the instrument’s life and use. One of the best investments you can make is buying a piano. This is because craftsmanship and longevity add to the value of a piano. The piano's beauty as an aspect of your home decor adds artistic value, too. If you’re tight on funds or space, start with a smaller digital piano or upright acoustic piano. Consider upgrading a necessity when your music skills progress. Get an instrument that suits your current needs, to last as long as possible, based on what you can afford. WRAP IT UP Are you looking to explore contemporary music with a digital piano? Delve into the vast musical repertoire from the traditional masters? Or tread lightly into the first moments of piano learning? Whatever your interest, there is a perfect instrument for you. You will make the best piano keyboard choice for you when you consider your commitment, style, available space, and budget. How to Find A Good Piano Teacher Piano Method Books I recommend: For the Adult For the Older Beginner For Young Children For Very Young Children CLICK HERE for a list of piano and music-making resources I use and recommend. Like, comment and share this blog with someone who may benefit from this information! SIGN UP for more strategies for creativity, piano, caregiver and spiritual wellness at YourCreativeChord.com |
PIANOIn my PIANO blogs, you'll find ways to overcome boredom, get past musical and mental blocks, explore the creative process with piano, and improve musical progress through piano teacher recommended best practices and effective piano practice tips. Archives
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