Challenge Accepted!

Last night I received the first video of one of my students playing! As promised, I recorded a song today, and here you have a playlist with both! I left some mistakes in my video...It’s a little tricky to feel like you’re playing well enough to record. It’s ok though; just be real.

Thank you, Anna B, for getting the ball rolling! Nice job!! Let’s keep those videos coming!

Let's Try Now

To all my wonderful students and families,

I hope you are well during this trying time of the COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Order. I don't even know how to explain how much I miss you all!  A lot!!!

Some would think I should be upset that I'm not able to generate any income right now, but I'm not. Money is not really what it is about for me at this point. I really don't make much working part time, and I am super thankful my husband still has a job to support our family. I really am just worried about all of you being able to continue to learn and use music!

I'd really like to try doing some piano lessons with those of you who would like to and can afford it. It is ok to take some time off here and there, but we are now 7 weeks out from the last lessons I taught. That is almost equivalent to taking a whole summer off--which I never advise!  There is just too much backing up and review that has to take place when there is no practice or progress for that long.  I want your music education to be as seamless as possible, and unfortunately, I don't really foresee being allowed to open my home to you again in the very near future.

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to begin to wrap my head around this and really want to try, but I think maybe we all have been wishing that the shelter-in-place and social distancing orders would end at some point in the foreseeable future. I am starting to feel that things could continue to go on this way for a very long time, and now is the time time to try to adapt and do what we can.

Here are some ways we could attempt online lessons:

1) You could send me videos of you playing your songs.

• This could work better than a live online lesson, as WiFi/cellular connections are not always good enough to see/hear clearly over Zoom or other online meeting apps. 
• I am up for whatever format would work best for you. You could upload videos and send me a link, or you could text or email me video clips of each song. As long as I can see you at the piano and hear you clearly, I can then send feedback (in your preferred format: email, text, reply video) like I would give in a lesson.  
• If you'd like to try this option, we would need to verify whether or not I have copies of your music to look at.  If not, I would need you to send me a picture/scan of the pages I don't have here so I can follow along with your videos.

2) At this point, I would really like to try a FaceTime lesson with someone.

• I've tried Zoom and Google Meet apps, and haven't had much success.  The quality of video and audio have not been good.  
• My own kids have had successful lessons via FaceTime with their private music teachers, and it seems to be the best platform for sound and video to travel both ways at the same time. 
•  If you would be willing to try a FaceTime lesson with me, please shoot me a text and we can get it set up. 
• If it goes well, I would be up for doing FaceTime lessons with as many of you as have access to an Apple device with FaceTime capability!

I believe music and the arts are important in our daily lives right now for our entertainment and comfort, and they will also remain important in the future for our mental and emotional well-being and healing!  Let's keep learning and sharing our talents and gifts!

Recording Challenge

I hope my students are all recording themselves making music at home during this time! It doesn't have to be fancy, but I would love if you would share it with me!

In fact, I challenge you to send me a video of yourself making music!  If you do, I will record myself practicing or performing something and share it here.

In the meantime, I thought I would share some videos of my kids making music in our home and links to their teachers.

This is my 15-year-old son Caeden practicing Guitar before an online Zoom lesson April 2nd with his teacher, Michael Hull. 

You can also check out Mr. Hull's YouTube Channel. He is an amazing classical guitarist and teacher!  We are very fortunate that Caeden has been able to study with him for over 7 years now.

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In February, my daughter Sylvia competed in the Bloomington Normal Youth Symphony Howard Rye Concerto Competition playing the Haydn Cello Concerto and won! That meant she would perform as the featured cello soloist with the orchestra on their concerts in May.  We are so proud of her, and so sad that she will now not have that opportunity, as the orchestra's spring concerts have been canceled due to the shelter-in-place order.

Here is Sylvia practicing the Bach Cello Suite (No. 2) at home, April 6th. 

Sylvia has studied cello with Dr. Adriana La Rosa Ransom for 6 years (after studying violin for 5). Dr. Ransom is Professor of Cello and Director of String Project and the Community School for the Arts at Illinois State University, and has been a wonderful teacher for Sylvia! 

In 2017, Sylvia and I attended an Illinois State University Symphony Orchestra concert conducted by Dr. Glenn Block. Dr. Ransom was the featured cello soloist for the world premier of a piece by Carl Schimmel called "There Was, and There Was Not" for solo cello and full orchestra. You can read about and watch this performance here: There Was, and There Was Not

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My daughter Annah is a college freshman studying Music Education. This year she has been at Greenville University studying voice with Caitlin Hadeler. Since she is not on campus now for the last quarter of the year, she had to record a performance of one of the songs she's working on in her voice lessons to be used in an online recital. We have really enjoyed listening to her learn this very difficult piece while at home: The Beauty Is from A Light In the Piazza.

I am so happy to be working with Annah some again while she is at home, and am excited to do both piano and voice lessons with her this summer before she begins school at SIUe--hopefully this fall!

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Remember, the point of this post is my challenge to you, my students!
I challenge you to send me a video of yourself making music!  If you do, I will share your video with permission, and also record myself practicing or performing something and share it here!  Maybe we can have our own virtual recital soon!

Online Music Resources

Here is a short list of websites for you to check out from home. Some are just cool performances to watch, others are fun music games to play, and some are fairly in-depth tools for you to use to deepen your musical skills and knowledge. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions about which sites and sections of sites would be best for you and where you are in your own personal study!


Note Naming Game

Chrome Music Lab - Music Experiments for Kids

Music Tech Teacher - Cartoon story music quizzes!

Classics for Kids - music games

The Remarkable Farkle McBride - video/reading of the book by John Lithgow

Sight Reading Factory - test your sight reading ability by playing along

The Ryhthm Trainer - test your rhythm knowledge by hearing and notating what you hear

5 Crazy Piano Performances You Have to See to Believe

Music Theory.net - music theory lessons online (iOS apps available)

From the Top - an independent non-profit organization that celebrates the passion, dedication, and personal stories of the nation's outstanding young classical musicians

Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration

teoria.com - music theory lessons/tutor

Khan Academy - music basics

Jazz Piano Tips

Update on Lessons During Stay-At-Home Order

Hello dear students and families,

I miss you SO much!  I miss making music with you, seeing your faces, and having you in my home every week and in my life!  I want you to know that you are all so very special to me, and bring such joy to my life!  It is really hard for me not to see you regularly. 

How are you doing?  Have you been using your gift of music during this time? I have to admit, I am struggling sometimes; I feel very "non-essential." But, I do find that when I make time to sit down and sing, play, practice, or even just listen to music, it helps me feel much better.  I hope you have been doing the same, and using your music to help you get through this time.

I have been thinking of all my students, praying you are well, and trying to figure out a way to continue making music with you... I have tried a couple of live online lessons with one student, and I have to say it's not great. With my husband working from home, a college student and 2 high school students doing all their schooling from home, and 15 devices in our home that can connect, our WiFi signal is very tired.  It is just not feasible for me to try online lessons in real time with all 16 of my students right now, which makes me really sad.

There are online resources out there, but music is so personal...I feel like there is no real replacement for one-on-one in-person lessons. However, I feel like there are some ways we can try to connect and move forward with your personal music study if you would like to. Please contact me if you would like to try some different kinds of lessons.

Above all, I pray you are safe, healthy, and enjoying some of the blessings that are coming along with this strange time in life. I know I am truly am happy to have my whole family at home every day, around the table more in a week than we have been in months. I am thankful for time to rest and relax, read, pray, be creative, and catch up with friends on the phone since we are not running, running, running here and there like we usually are. I'm grateful for the coming of spring (even with today's return of winter!) and I look forward to spending more and more time outside in the fresh air.

I would love to hear from you--whether you want to try some kind of continued music lessons or not.  I would love just to hear how you are doing and what you are up to. Feel free to contact me anytime, via email, phone call, text, or social media. 

I miss you and am praying for you!

Taryn