I'm just gonna share this cos i ♥ it so much !! It makes me think of my little piano students & their wonder & delight as we explore the creation of sound on a piano or percussion. Can't wait to teach again without a broken ankle so I can get up & move with the little ones as they let their little bodies explode with the rhythm & excitement! It's the worst feeling to be tied down to a chair & crutches when I have a little one dancing in front of me or laying on my floor describing their feelings or moving between extreme high & low keys on the keyboard creating words for the sounds! 
On Friday little R & M, who are sisters, were so excited at their new school holiday activity on the piano!!  They are to learn a song from the Wizard of Oz as a duet!!!  Little M met daddy on the verandah &, in a big voice (she only has big voices LOL), said, 'daddy we have to work hard on the piano EVERY day to do our homework!' Daddy looked at me with a grin & we both laughed aloud!!!  Homework was for each girl to learn the notes by themselves. Miss R, in a very organised 9yo tone, told me that we would need 10 minutes each week in between each sister's lesson to practise this duet together. Had to laugh! Daddy & I reckon this will be AS hard for the girls to get along as if we put them both in a 'Getting Along Together' T-shirt for the rest of the holidays! Miss M said, 'mummy will be SO pleased because she won't fit on the piano stool with us when we have to sit on it together!' Oh...I want to laugh & laugh & laugh!!!!

Happy 2013!

Hi everyone! Happy 2013!

We all look forward to the beginning of a new year - planning, organising, relaxing......well I started well.  <chuckling>  ;)

Some gardening got started...the vege garden is full of lovely fresh produce...the new hammock in the backyard was well tried with the company of Harry Potter (a Christmas gift was the boxed set of Harry Potter books)....cleaning & organising started & planned....THEN....

The vacuum cleaner pushed me over............FIVE minutes before my first student of 2013 was expected!

The vacuum cleaner is now in 'time out' in the spare room a day for each year of its age (it's an old vacuum cleaner). It is in there to think about the consequences of its choices. I'm hoping that it will come out of there suitably repentant.

In the meantime, 10 days later, my broken ankle is slowly recovering. I have a moon boot on my right leg up to my knee (yes, my piano pedal & driving foot) & am ambulating with crutches, who have both been given rude names. I'm pacing myself as this girl has to pay the bills. Started teaching flexibly from this week. Handling it OK thanks to my office chair on wheels. I am indebted to a truly awesome mother who cared for me for 5 days before I came home & now visits twice per day to assist with those things that are a challenge. She's also my personal driver, companion, shower lady, chat mate, garden waterer & picker, & general helper. Mothers are pretty awesome!

I've been back to the Dr this morning & she's pretty happy with things so it's the boot'n'crutches gigue until about the second week in February. Thanks to mum, we are organising the house to make things easier to work & earn a living. 

I'm also working hard on my little notebook on the lounge with my leg up. As Regional & Rural Chair and Secretary of the Executive Committee for CAPA NSW I'm working hard when my leg stops complaining. I'll be down in Sydney on Saturday for an Executive Planning Day so, between you & I, the leg is gonna have to start acting its age n buck up. As I'm also beginning my voluntary role with Lifeline in early February I'm also champing at the bit to get going for this year! I also reeeaaaally miss my kids!

Piano lessons for 2013..........I'm available from this week for those who love coming & want to start early. For those waiting until school goes back, I will be teaching from the week beginning 28 January. Please phone me on my mobile or email me so we can talk about how I can meet your needs this year. Visitors are welcome if you want to chat in person - please knock on my back door as the front is awkward for me with crutches (when I'm teaching access is through the front as normal). 

Until I hear from you.....take care.....keep smiling.....& if the choice is to laugh or cry...try out both. 

Sharon ;)

'Please tap...'

2 young sisters come for a lesson each every Wednesday after school. Daddy drops them off & one waits inside for the other, then they swap. My bathroom tap is a little tight to turn on & off & the little girls frequently struggle with it. One day one of them came out to me from the bathroom & said that the tap wouldn't work.
I replied, 'well did you say please?'
She replied, 'WHAT?'
I replied, 'I beg your pardon. Did you ask the tap nicely to turn on by saying please?'

'No' she said uncertainly.
So I went in & while she said 'please tap' I quickly turned it on. She looked at the tap with amazement, washed her hands, then as she turned the tap off she said, 'thank you tap'
I quietly killed myself laughing !!!
Today the 6yo sister came out & told me that she had asked the tap nicely to turn on but it wouldn't! 'I said PLEASE but it STILL wouldn't work!' she said.
I love my job. :)))

Hogpiano Cup Congratulations!

WOW!!!  Results from last term now all in....

And the House winner IS.................KREACHER HOUSE!!! YAY!!!  Congratulations to Mr M & Mr A on another job well done!

Those who showed SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT are.............Miss R, Miss A & Miss M! Woohoo!

Those who showed GREAT or AMAZING IMPROVEMENT are........Miss K & Miss S! Fantastic girls!!!

And.........the GREAT BEGINNERS are ..........Miss A, Miss J & Miss E!  YAY!! Keep up the good work!

The Value of Vitamin Seed

Miss E tells me this afternoon that she LOVES taking 'Vitamin Seed'! It's YUM! In fact, it's "too delicious"!

Miss Giggling Girty today learnt the rest of Twinkle Twinkle & the Music Alphabet. Not quite sure whether she's sure about 'H' yet though. LOL

Teaching Adults

I love teaching adults! We have such fun & find it a different way of teaching.
This morning I've been teaching Lyn, a retired lady with an extremely busy social & family life. She also has finger nails & early-arthritic fingers so I have to work a way around that.
The Skaters Waltz is a piece that she's learning at the moment - a beautiful piece that I remember my grandmother  playing on the piano when I was a tiny girl. Such a graceful piece of music & so joyful!
The grace....& the perfection....is hard to master in The Skaters Waltz. As with other students, I often try to create an illusion to aim for when creating a story through music. With The Skaters Waltz, I can't go past my memories of Sonja Henie on the old movies of my childhood. Who remembers those beautiful old pictures??
My instructions to Lyn are..........don't give her a wet backside or make her hat fall off... LOL  ;)

Gifts from students

6yo Miss M loves creating artworks for me while her big sister Miss R has her lesson. These drawings were the efforts of last week & are double-sided on the one piece of paper.

They are so sweet & I see the development of a child looking carefully at her world.

For those who can't read 6yo writing, the top says, 'Illustrated by Mia. These are penguins.' The bottom says, 'Illustrated by Mia. This is a boat.'

So very special... :)