Want to Reward Your Brain? Listen to New Music – Piano Teacher, Wallsend, NSW

Recently I attempted to have an MRI. I say ‘attempted’ because I failed. Miserably. Previously-unrealised claustrophobia swept in and took over… big time. Crying, sweating, shaking and stricken with headache and nausea, I was pretty quickly pulled out of the tunnel of terror and sent on my way.

But while I may now be overcome with unpleasant sensations at the very thought of an MRI (or any closed space) the technology is increasingly being used in research with very interesting results.

We all know it is impossible to listen to music and not be moved. What music moves us, how much and why are mysteries that have for many years intrigued both musicians and scientists. Last year a study* was undertaken at the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University in Canada to find out some of these answers.

Piano teacher Wallsend Newcastle NSW While most previous studies had used only strongly-emotive music, this study had participants bring in music they preferred. This ranged from classical music through to techno, country, film soundtracks and heavy metal. The participants were then studied using MRI while listening to 60 different excerpts of new music, based on their musical taste. They also had the option to ‘buy’ a song in a mock online store, based on the 30-second samples.

What was discovered was that a particular part of the brain becomes active when we hear a piece of music for the first time. This part of the brain is the nucleus accumbens, a zone that is operated by the chemical dopamine, which plays a major role in reward-motivated behaviour.

One of the researchers, Dr Valorie Salimpoor, said, “What’s cool is that you’re anticipating and getting excited over something entirely abstract – and that’s the next sound that is coming up.” The more a participant liked the music they were hearing, the more stimulated the ‘reward region’ of the brain became.

Because our brains are so well-suited to using patterns to predict what will happen next, we are constantly making predictions. Even if the piece of music we are hearing is new, our brains are predicting – based on past musical experiences – how it will unfold. If we enjoy the music more than predicted, the nucleus accumbens (partnering with pattern recognition and high-order thinking centres) fires off with delight.

“What makes music so emotionally powerful is the creation of expectations. Activity in the nucleus accumbens is an indicator that expectations were met or surpassed,” Dr Sapimpoor said.

So if you want to get that dopamine pumping and reward your brain, treat yourself to some new music. Launch your Spotify app or go through some recommendations in iTunes. You never know what joys you may discover.

And I promise you won’t have to visit an MRI machine to feel the benefits 🙂

Credit: Image courtesy of MGH-UCLA Human Connectome Project.

If you are considering music lessons for your child or for yourself, please contact me to discuss the options. Piano lessons are conducted at my studio in Wallsend, NSW or mobile lessons are available in the eastern suburbs of Lake Macquarie.

* The study is published in the journal, ‘Science”.
Salimpoor VN, Benovoy M, Larcher K, Dagher A, & Zatorre RJ (2011). Anatomically distinct dopamine release during anticipation and experience of peak emotion to music. Nature neuroscience, 14 (2), 257-262 PMID: 21217764

Helping Your Child Achieve Good, Quality Practise – Piano Teacher in Wallsend, NSW

Let’s assume your child has made a commitment to learning to play the piano and has ceased to see you as the ogre in the household because you are constantly hounding him/her to practise. “That’s a fantasy world!” I hear you exclaim. Well, it may never become quite that easy, but there are some things you can do to ensure the practise sessions they do get through are as effective as possible.

Overall I think the most important thing you can do to show your child you are committed to their learning and progress, is to schedule their practise time in to your weekly schedule. It should be included in their regular tasks, just like school homework (and also ensures “too much homework” doesn’t become an excuse for not practising).

Try some of the following tips and see what works best for you:

Encourage your child to practise most days (with a couple of ‘rest days’ interspersed in between). Consistency is so important and regular, shorter practise sessions are far more effective than one or two long practises. The more they practise, the more they will improve and this will increase their enjoyment of playing the piano.
This may seem obvious, but encourage your child to really focus when they are practising. Chances are their mind is more engaged in what they are wanting to do next and if they are rushing to finish, they will make more mistakes. This will only result in increased frustration and no improvement in their playing. A short practise brimming with focus is far more effective than a long, unfocussed session.
Encourage your kids to play the pieces they find difficult. If they are becoming frustrated, have them play with hands separately and become comfortable with that before joining their hands back together.
Let them write on their music (in pencil, of course). While you don’t want them writing in every single note name, marking up spots where they are having trouble every time may help. It might be the note names of a tricky passage or an unusual timing count that trips them up. Having a little help written in may increase their confidence with the whole piece.
Encourage slow playing, particularly of new songs. Most of us – not just the kids – have a tendency to want to play quickly, particularly once we know how the piece should sound. What we risk doing is ‘practising-in’ mistakes and learning the piece incorrectly. It is also frustrating for both there person playing and the person listening! Playing slowly also helps increase control. Once they are more familiar with the piece, playing it faster will come naturally.
Count out loud. Nice and simple. If the timing is tripping them up, counting out loud is far more effective than counting silently in their heads; it makes the count more dominant.

Think Long-Term – Piano Teacher in Wallsend, NSW

Remember the great info-graphic/picture from last week’s blog post that talked about all the ways learning music helps to train your brain?

There are so many benefits to learning to play an instrument, but they aren’t all going to happen overnight. As well as the cognitive training, the muscles required to play the piano need to be developed as does the control and coordination required to play.

Piano teacher Wallsend Newcastle NSW Because of this, it is not really appropriate to take the, “we’ll try it for a few months and see how it goes” approach. The commitment needs to be made for at least a couple of years. It’s about being realistic about what it takes to gain musical skills.

Besides, you have made a substantial investment in not only time, but tuition fees, music and possibly even an instrument. You want it to be worth it!

Piano Lessons Are Good For You… And Your Brain! (Piano Teacher in Wallsend, NSW)

Piano lessons involve so much more than just music; dedication, discipline and critical thinking are all part of learning to play the piano.

Check out the information in the following picture to find out all the great ways learning and playing the piano can help to train your brain.

If you are considering music lessons for yourself or your child, please contact me to discuss the options. Piano lessons are conducted at my studio in Wallsend, NSW or mobile lessons are available in the eastern suburbs of Lake Macquarie.

It’s Not Just About the Piano – Piano Teacher in Wallsend, NSW

“He gets so much more from this time than just piano.”

Oh, such wonderful music to my ears!

Yesterday I was having a conversation with the mother of one of my students, discussing our musical goals for her child. It was such a blessing to hear her say the words above, because that is exactly what I aim for when I teach. I love spending time with my students, watching them blossom, learn new skills and gain confidence. In fact, last week I was so excited when a teenage student finally (and beautifully) grasped a technique with which she had been struggling, my gleeful reaction gave her a wonderful chuckle! And a lot of pride :). I don’t want the only thing your child walks away with to be the basic piano know-how – these are the notes and this is where they are on the keyboard etc.

My hope is that the environment I provide in my Wallsend studio is encouraging, yet relaxed. I want my students to enjoy coming to their lessons and to know that I will guide and support them to meet the goals we have developed together. I am strict with technique, because I want my students to be the best they can be. Good technique translates to ease of playing, which ultimately will make it easier for them to simply enjoy what they are creating at the piano. But it’s about so much more than that.

Following are just some of the benefits I hope my students will take away from their time with me:

Increased confidence – learning to play the piano is hard work and requires dedication from the student. With each song they master, your child’s self-esteem will increase. Learning that mastering a new skill is a patience-requiring process helps kids then approach other tasks in their life with a similar level of confidence instead of frustration.
Theory/musicianship – when learning to play an instrument, good theoretical knowledge is a vital skill that goes hand-in-hand with the practical playing. It’s not just about learning the concepts, but how those concepts fit in to what they are playing. Not just how to do something, but why you are doing it. Understanding how music is constructed not only helps with understanding music that is already written, but also aids greatly with improvisation and composition.
One-on-one attention – let’s face it… who doesn’t need this every now and then? Life today seems to be so busy, even for children. Their lesson is an opportunity for everything to be about just them. I enjoy learning about their lives and other interests so I can better understand them and how their minds operate but to them, this time is simply about them being special.
Critical and creative thinking – reading a piece of music requires a large dose of focus. The student needs to interpret both a rhythm and a note and translate that into what their hands will do on the keyboard, also considering technique. Then they need to immediately move on to the next one! A whole page of that can be rather daunting, but pianists develop these complex thought processes they will then take into many other areas of their life.
Music appreciation – through playing the piano, students are exposed to a range of music they might not otherwise encounter, from classical through to jazz and pop. I think it is important to be not just playing music, but immersing yourself in it and learning to appreciate the way different styles make you feel. Most people will identify a style of music they like for relaxation or for concentration, for example. I find Baroque is great for studying, but when it’s time for the housework, I need a good beat!

So it may not be that every week your child (or yourself, because this also applies to my adult students) comes home with a new piece of music to practise through the week, but they will have spent their lesson time immersed in music, feeling special, developing skills and absorbing more than they realise.

If you are considering music lessons for your child, please contact me to discuss the options. Piano lessons are conducted at my studio in Wallsend, NSW or mobile lessons are available in the eastern suburbs of Lake Macquarie.

piano teacher Wallsend NSW

Tips for Making Piano Practise Fun – Piano Teacher in Wallsend, NSW

We all know practising anything can quickly become a drudgery. We need to go over and over the same thing, often with frustration at the mistakes we make.

Following are some tips to make your child’s piano practise more fun:

Do you know another family with children taking music lessons? Set up a buddy system and let the kids set practise goals together. They can encourage each other to practise and celebrate together when they meet their goals.
Encourage your child to perform. They could host a little recital for family and/or friends. As well as being a fun way to encourage practise, it also allows your child to become accustomed to performing, which will help with exams.
Use the grandparents/relatives. If your child has a grandparent who lives a distance away, have your child call or Skype them and play a piece for them. The grandparent will love to hear how they are progressing and the child will love the support and encouragement to practise the piano regularly.
Find a role model for your child. Perhaps an older child who plays the piano, or even a musician at church. Somebody whose talent your child admires and who is willing to encourage your child.
Duets! It’s always fun to play with a friend. Siblings often enjoy playing together, even when it inevitably ends in giggles. If you don’t have siblings both learning the piano, see if any of their friends are at the same level.
Be working on some sort of goal yourself. You and your child can set goals together and when you both meet them, you can treat yourselves together. It’s a great bonding opportunity as well as teaching your child the value of working consistently for a result.

Piano teacher Wallsend NSW

Practise Tips: Things You Can Do Right Now – Piano Teacher in Wallsend, NSW

Providing piano lessons for your child is providing them with a blessing – the gift of music. But like anything of value in life, it requires work and unfortunately for the parents this usually means hounding your child to practise.

Following are some tips for practising:

Make practise a priority! If children don’t practise, they don’t play well and they may start to believe they can’t play the piano. You have committed to your child’s piano lessons by paying for them, so they need to show the same commitment by practising or your money will be wasted.
A great time to practise is straight after the lesson and on the next day. This is when what they have been taught is fresh in their mind and will result in a much better quality practise. If they wait a few days after the lesson before the first practise, chances are they will forget what was discussed.
Consistency is so important. Shorter, focussed but consistent practise of 4 or 5 days a week is much better than a longer session at the piano on only one or two days.
Should you remind your kids to practise? YES! We have to remind children to do all sorts of things from brushing their teeth to loading the dishwasher (or whatever their given jobs may be) so piano practise is no different.
Decide on a minimum number of years your child will commit to lessons. Often when things become harder and they start to feel challenged, they will see the solution as quitting. Everybody struggles at some point… it just means we’re growing and learning.
Have your child see you practising something or learning a new hobby. They will realise that learning anything involves work.
Give your child lots of encouragement when they put in the effort at the piano. It’s great for them to overhear you telling somebody else how well they are doing.

Sight Reading Tips – Piano Teacher in Wallsend, NSW

Sight reading is such an important skill for any musician to master. As a teacher, my ultimate aim is to teach my students the skills they need to be able to pick up a piece of music and play it on sight. No stress, no struggle – just enjoyment.

For examination students, it is also a component of the exam (for grades beyond Preliminary), so is certainly a necessary skill.

But sight reading doesn’t come as easily to some as it does to others.

The following article was written in consultation with educators who specialise in the skill of sight reading, hoping to make it less scary and more enjoyable 🙂

10 Tips for Sight Reading Music

10 Stretches for Musicians – Piano Teacher in Wallsend, NSW

It is easy to underestimate the physical demands placed on our bodies when playing music. To prevent common injuries, we need to develop endurance, control and overall flexibility. Instrumentalists use their arm, hand and finger muscles extensively while performing and practising, making them vulnerable to a range of injuries.

Our bodies were designed to move, not hold static positions for a length of time as we do when playing an instrument. Added to this, musicians have the general problem of often spending these lengthy periods in far-from-natural positions.

Good posture is important whenever possible, so the body experiences correct alignment, therefore placing minimum stress on the body. Because the inevitable reality for musicians is a less-than-ideal posture that can lead to imbalances in flexibility and strength, it is imperative to keep our bodies flexible.

We can prevent injuries, relieve tension and ease arm and hand pain by integrating stretching exercises into our routine.

The following helpful article lists ten essential stretches for musicians. We warm up our instruments, so we should warm up our bodies as well.

10 Essential Stretches for Musicians

Why sit for an exam? – Piano Teacher in Wallsend and Lake Macquarie, NSW

Some students prefer the structure of working towards an exam, while others prefer to play just for enjoyment. Both options are perfectly good.

At merri bell music all students are taught the skills and techniques required for an exam even if they are learning for their own pleasure. I believe these skills will help them to play better, thereby increasing the range of music they are able to play and consequently enhance their enjoyment.

For those who are sitting on the fence about exams and don’t know whether to take the plunge, the AMEB (Australian Music Examinations Board) has recently published an article that lists five great reasons for sitting an exam. Rather than me repeating all the information, please click on the following link:

Why take an exam?