APPI NEWSLETTER
Spring 2011
Issue 12
Inside this issue:
Add Some Pizzazz to Your Teaching Vocabulary
In Focus: APPI EFTs
2
Pete & The Piano
4
These Are A Few of My
Favorite Things . . .
4
How Do You Teach . . .
Recital Pieces?
5
A Call To Action
6
My Top 5 . . .
7
By Jeremy Hanson
Upcoming Events:
APPI Teacher Meetings
2nd Friday of every month!
Where: Roseville Schmitt Music
Store
Time: 12:00–1:30 PM
Judge’s Training Session
Friday, March 25
Where: Kathy Gelino’s House
Time: 7:30 PM—?
APPI Festival
Saturday, April 16
Where: Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church,
Plymouth
Time: 8:30 AM—5:00 PM
APPI Planning Retreat
Friday, June 24—Saturday, June 25
Where: Duluth, MN
Time: 12:30 PM Friday—3:00 PM
Saturday
APPI President
Imagine the following
teacher-student exchange:
The student plays his
piece. The teacher says,
“Good work. That sounded
good. Nice right hand melody.” And later, “Good
staccatos in the left hand.”
Now, imagine the following alternative: The student plays his piece. The
teacher says, “That was
terrific! Your right hand
melody soared above the
accompaniment brilliantly!” And later, “The
staccatos in your left hand
were so energetic!”
Both exchanges communicate roughly the same
ideas, yet one is clearly
more specific, interesting,
and uplifting while the
other is more general, monotonous, and falls flat.
Because we as teachers
often see student after
student, day after day, it is
easy for us to fall into a verbal rut, using the same
words over and over to respond to our students. In
which example above do
you think the student will go
away more motivated to
practice? In which do you
think the teacher is having
more fun? By choosing our
words carefully and adding
some creative words of
compliment, we can become more effective teachers. Why?

We can articulate our
meaning more clearly
and can give more accurate, specific feedback. To tell a student
that something is
“good” is to tell them
little more than that we
are pleased. Words
such as bold, delicate,
elegant, expressive, and
tender are much more
descriptive and convey
more emotion.

We can reach students
with different learning
styles. Visual learners
may respond to creative
imagery better than
technical language:
“Play this passage like
twinkling stars in a velvet-black sky” vs. “Play
this passage pianissimo
with light staccatos.”
It is more stimulating, interesting, and fun and it can
change the attitude and
atmosphere in the studio.
One study has shown that
the working vocabulary of
the average 14 year-old has
declined from some 25,000
words to 10,000 words in
the past 50 years*. Students will perk up and pay
attention when you use unexpected and surprising
words. Using positive adjectives can also dramatically
improve the mood in your
studio by encouraging your
students and infusing a bit
of whimsy into the lesson. I
am reminded of a great
quote by Tom Robbins:
“Those who shun the
whimsy of things will experience the rigor mortis before
death.”
P age 2
APPI NEWSLETTER
Issue 12
Add Some Pizzazz to Your Teaching Vocabulary (continued)
I find it helpful to have a list of words available
to use at a moment’s notice. You can create
your own list (which is in itself an inspiring and
useful exercise!) or you can download a list of
150 Words of Compliment from the APPI website, as an addendum to this newsletter (http://
appimn.org/newsletters.htm).
“One study has shown that the
working vocabulary of the average
14 year-old has declined from some
25,000 words to 10,000 words in the
past 50 years. ”
- Jeremy Hanson
I am not suggesting the indiscriminate, overabundant, or hollow use of praise words with
your students. However, pay attention to the
words that you use and try adding some wild
new words to your teaching vocabulary. A few
well-chosen words can breathe life into a lesson,
encourage a student, and raise your own spirits.
Now, have a radiant day, all you dazzling piano
teachers!
* Orr, David. Verbicide. October 25, 2000. Retrieved February 25, 2011, from http://
www.oberlin.edu/news-info/00oct/
verbicide.html. And important and compelling
article—check it out!
In Focus: APPI Educational Field Trips (EFTs)
By Monica Allen
APPI Secretary
Each year, APPI offers two Educational
Field Trips (EFTs) for the students of
APPI members. For a reasonable fee,
and sometimes for free, students can
get an awesome, educational experience relating to music. As a teacher, I
like to chaperone these events when I
can—to listen, learn, and enjoy. Students and parents are always so appreciative of these opportunities and I
hope the participation in the EFTs continues to grow. As an added bonus,
attending an APPI EFT also counts as
one of the eight requirements for the
APPI Arts Appreciation Award, another
great program for piano students of
APPI members. If you have not registered a student yet, I hope you will for
the next EFT!
Here are reactions to the February 2011 APPI EFT from a couple of my piano students who
attended the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra concert. It was
excellent to have reserved seating in the front of the audience,
to get an up-close-and-personal
look at the musicians and conductor.
“On Sunday, February 6 I went
to a concert by the Metropolitan
Symphony Orchestra. The
pieces the played were festive
and came from around the
world. The conductor was very
animated and used a lot of facial expressions. The concert
was the World Premiere for the
new narration for the Carnival of
the Animals. The concert ended
and everybody got a cookie. My
favorite part was the piece
called Hoe Down from Rodeo. I
liked how the mallet instruments went with the wind instruments. In the end, I really liked
this concert.” - Kunal Sujanani,
age 12.
“On Sunday, February 6, 2011 I
went to a performance hosted
by the Metropolitan Symphony
Orchestra. They played pieces
that included Romanian
Dances. The conductor was
very energetic and used facial
expressions as well as body gestures. The Carnival of the Animals was very interesting. I
liked how they imitated the Elephant using the French Horn.
P age 3
APPI NEWSLETTER
Issue 12
In Focus: APPI EFTs (continued)
It was exciting to listen to
the poems told by Kim
Hines. Another thing I
thought was interesting was
watching the pianist playing
when they played Kangaroos
and Pianists. They had
cookies at the end for refreshment. I really enjoyed
this recital and hope I could
go to a recital like this one
again.” - Raj Sujanani, age
10.
By Laura Kroeze
APPI Member
As a child, I loved any band
concert, musical, or other
“extra-curricular” musical
activity I got to do. I’m sure
that the broadening effects
of those activities deepened
my love for music. That’s
why each year I encourage
my students to take advantage of the APPI Educational
Field Trips (EFTs). Over the
past few years they, and I,
have experienced some
great music through our participation.
The first EFT that my own
sons were able to attend after starting piano lessons
was an organ demonstration
given by Jeremy Hanson. Not
only were the boys awed by
the size and sound of the
organ, they were impressed
that Jeremy let them play it!
Even their five-finger pieces
sounded grand on the organ.
Last year, a couple of my
students who were interested
in guitar, drums, and popular
music had their experience
broadened by an EFT to a
recording studio in Minneapolis. When asked to sum up
or share about the experience, my 5th grade student
said, “I think it was cool!”
A few weeks ago, two families from my studio attended
the Metropolitan Symphony
Orchestra Concert in Hopkins. My students’ mom confided to me that her family
felt she was punishing them
by making them go to an orchestra concert on a Sunday
afternoon. When I asked my
student about it the following
day she said, “Well, I didn’t
really want to go, but I didn’t
Don’t forget!
Attending an APPI Educational
Field Trip counts toward one of
eight APPI Arts Appreciation
Award requirements!
know it would be THAT
good!” I was satisfied that
her misgivings had been
replaced by positive feelings
for a type of music that had
been foreign to her before
the concert. Once again, the
goal of the EFT had been
accomplished.
Editor’s Note: While this
year’s two EFTs have already
occurred, please plan to
encourage your students to
attend next year! The APPI
calendar is usually available
in August, so I include the
dates on my studio calendar!
“Well, I didn’t really want to go—
but I didn’t know it would be THAT good!”
- student of Laura Kroeze, after participating in the February 2011 APPI EFT
P age 4
APPI NEWSLETTER
Issue 12
Pete & The Piano
By Katie Condon
These are a few of my favorite things . . .
By Jeremy Hanson
APPI President
Editor’s Note: This column is
the brain child of APPI President, Jeremy Hanson. It is
meant to be a quick list of
things that can be immediately useful —much like My
Top 5. So, when you find a
new resource you just love, or
hear a new recording, or see
a new, interesting ANYTHING,
start a list! Your fellow APPI
teachers might love to hear
about it in an upcoming Newsletter!
Susan Paradis’ Piano Teacher
Resources:
http://susanparadis.com/
Music, worksheets, composing
activities, games, teaching aids,
and a blog.
IMSLP (International Music Score
Library Project) / Petrucci Music
Library:
http://imslp.org/wiki/Main_Page
Virtual library of public domain
music scores, all free and legal for
you to download and print! All
classical periods, genres, and
composers are represented.
The Great Courses:
www.teach12.com
More than 300 Great Courses on
CD and/or DVD in diverse subjects
and fields including history, science, philosophy, science, philoso-
phy, mathematics, literature, economics, and the arts. Currently
there are 26 music courses including: comprehensive music history
survey courses (How to Listen to
and Understand Great Music, 3rd
edition and How to Listen to and
Understand Opera); courses on
compositional genres (The Symphony, The Concerto, Symphonies
of Beethoven, Beethoven’s Piano
Sonatas, Chamber Music of Mozart); and courses about specific
composers (Bach, Beethoven,
Brahms, Haydn, Liszt, Mahler, Mozart, the Schumanns,
Shostakovich, Stravinsky, etc.).
While the courses can be expensive, every single course goes on
sale at least once a year, with savings as high as 70%.
P age 5
APPI NEWSLETTER
Issue 12
How Do You Teach . . . Recital Pieces?
for self-expression? A technical
challenge?
By Sue Ruby,
APPI Founder & Vice President
It’s Recital season which I look forward to with equal parts eagerness
and dread. Each spring, I make the
effort to select one recital piece for
each of my students that is
uniquely theirs for that semester—
no two students may be working on
that piece or performing that piece
in the same timeframe. This is often quite a daunting task. However, my students appear to enjoy
the challenge of their own “special”
piece and the amount of motivation
and piano practice sparked by this
tradition makes it well worth the
effort on my part.
The selection process begins in
January. I try to consider the following factors:

Student Level. This is informative, but not a limiting factor. I
have had students work on
pieces much more difficult than
the level they are on—students
who are motivated by the
“carrot” approach of a
“challenge” piece. Other students seem better suited to the
types of pieces listed in the My
Top 5 column on page X of this
newsletter.

Student Personality. What
styles of music is the student
naturally drawn to? What type
of music motivates this student?

Student “need”. What does the
student most need at this point
in his or her study? An ego
boost? An emotional vehicle

Sibling Rivalry. Has a sibling or
close friend played this piece?
If so, how recently? What was
the reaction of the student?
Were they inspired to also play
that piece or will they not want
to live in the shadow of their
sibling/friend?
After the piece has been selected,
the next looming question is that of
the Timeline. It’s important to introduce this “special” piece with adequate time to master the selection
by the recital date, yet not so early
as to have the piece hit its “peak”
two weeks before the actual performance. Timing is everything;
and with spring breaks, school programs, sporting events all competing for student time and attention
in spring, when you introduce the
recital piece can be almost more
important than which piece you
assign.
Throughout the recital season, I
work hard to maintain focus for
both my students and my own
teaching. In my studio, I try hard to
balance events such as MMTA
exam, APPI Festival or studio recitals with students’ weekly rate of
progress. In the words of Bel Kaufman, “Education is not a product; it
is a process, a never-ending one.”
When an event begins to control
the direction, speed, and purpose
of our piano lessons, I know I need
to revisit the student’s yearly and
lifelong goals for musical study. I
want to help my students create
the best possible product — a
well-mastered recital program
or exam program — while never
losing track of the process —
that I am helping them take
steps toward self-teaching and
a lifelong love of music.
“Education is not a
PRODUCT;
it is a
PROCESS,
a never-ending one.”
- Bel Kaufman
P age 6
APPI NEWSLETTER
Issue 12
A Call to Action! APPI Officer Nominees Wanted!
By Monica Allen
APPI Secretary
Vice-President
We are currently taking
nominations for the following four APPI Officer
(“APPIcer”) positions.
Elections will be held at
the monthly meeting on
May 13, 2011. For more
information, or to nominate yourself or another
APPI member, please contact Monica Allen, APPI
Secretary, at monicakayallen@hotmail.com
or (651) 330-5412.
The following positions
are two-year terms of office. All officers are encouraged to attend the
quarterly Board meetings.
President

Presides over officer
meetings and monthly
teacher meetings

Writes and distributes
e-mail updates and
announcements


Event accountability
manager
Attends APPI Board
meetings

Coordinates monthly
teacher meetings

Attends officer meetings;
presides over monthly
meetings when President is
not available

New member liaison
Treasurer

Attends officer meetings

Keeps budget updated on
QuickBooks; prepares
budget report for quarterly
Board meetings

Collects monies and distributes reimbursements;
writes checks
Secretary

Attends officer meetings
and keeps minutes

Tracks monthly meeting
attendance

Assembles and distributes
APPI Membership CDs

Responsible for maintaining and updating member
directory
Other APPI positions (one-year
term of office):

Arts Appreciation Award
Chair

Educational Field Trips Chair

Festival Chair/Co-Chair

Honors Recital and Teacher
Showcase Chair

Living Room Session Chair

Newsletter Chair

Teacher Liaison to APPI
Board
For more information or for duties or descriptions of these positions, please contact Sue
Ruby, APPI Vice President, at
suelruby@comcast.net or (612)
521-3739.
APPI NEWSLETTER
Issue 12
My Top 5 . . . Pieces that Sound Harder Than They Are!
By Sue Ruby
APPI Vice President
1. Victorious Knight—Scott Price (E)
2. Dance in E Minor—Carolyn Miller (EI)
Guide to Levels:
3. Squirrel Chase (E)
E = Elementary
4. Sonatina in C—Kristy Mitchell (EI)
EI = Early Intermediate
5. Prelude No. 1—Carolyn Miller (E)
I = Intermediate
IA = Intermediate/Early Advanced
A = Advanced
Honorable Mention:
Rhythm Machine—Lynn Freeman Olson (E)
Sonatina in C—Frank Lynes (EI)
The Great Smokey Mountains—David Carr Glover (EI)
Puck, op. 71 no. 6—Edvard Grieg (IA)
Magnificent March—Melody Bober (I)
White Heat—Robert Vandall (IA)
Le Petit Negre—Debussy (IA/A)
By Cathy Smetana
APPI Newsletter Chair
1. Seascape—William Gillock (EI)
2. L’orage—Johann Burgmuller (IA)
3. Etude I—Paul Sheftell (E)
4. Monet’s Garden—Ted Cooper & Amy Glennon (E)
5. Toccatina in A Minor—Dmitri Kabalevsky (I)
P ag e 7
1853 Deer Hills Trail
Eagan, MN 55122
Phone: 763-257-2128
E-mail: appiinstructors@yahoo.com
Founded in 2001, APPI enables piano instructors of all levels and
abilities to network with others to energize and enhance the art of
teaching piano. In addition to professional development and networking opportunities for teachers, APPI offers a variety of educational activities for students. Meetings are held the second Friday
of every month at Schmitt Music in Roseville. We have so much
to learn from each other—come join us!
We’re on the web!
http://www.appimn.org
APPI Spring!