10 Things That Will Happen When Your Child Begins Piano Lessons

Are you considering enrolling your child in piano lessons? In this month’s blog post, we’ve put together a list of 10 benefits to starting piano lessons for kids. Here at North Main Music, it never ceases to amaze us when we see the positive impact that piano lessons have on kids.

If you’re considering piano lessons for your child, here are 10 great things that you can expect to see as your child moves forward on his or her musical journey.

1. Your child will do better in school
Research shows that children who study music do better on standardized testing and in school overall. After all, music and math are very much intertwined.

2. Your child will become more disciplined
Practicing everyday teaches kids discipline as well as patience. Oftentimes, the discipline it takes to learn the piano carries over into other areas of life, such as school or sports activities.

3. Your child will gain confidence
Learning to accept constructive criticism from a music instructor will help your child build self-confidence. What’s more, being able to do something special, like playing the piano, helps kids feel good about themselves.

4. Your child will become more outgoing
Of course, participating in student concerts and group programs, such as being in one of our bands, helps kids feel less self-conscious. However, talking one-on-one with a teacher also helps children feel more comfortable speaking with others.

5. Your child will make new friends
At North Main Music, we pride ourselves on having a true music community, where many of our students become friends with one another within and outside of our music studio. At NMM, your child can make friends with other music students by participating in one of our group programs, accompanying another student in a semi-annual concert performance, or by attending one of our other many activities and classes throughout the year.

6. Your child will develop a “Musical Ear”
Studying music makes kids into musicians. This applies to all areas of music, not just the piano. Many of our students also participate in their school’s or town’s band, orchestra, chorus, or musical theater.

7. Your child will learn to read music 
Reading music is a skill most people don’t have. People who can read the treble and bass clefs required for piano playing can read music for almost any instrument.

8. Your child will gain a new hobby
Social media, TV, and video games are fun for kids, but playing the piano is much better for young minds.

9. Your child will improve concentration
Concentration is something one must build. At first, your child may only be able to concentrate for 10 minutes, but as he or she advances and the music becomes more difficult he or she will learn to concentrate for an hour or more at a time.

10. Your child will learn to handle stress better
It is a well-known fact that playing music reduces stress. Today’s kids have higher stress levels than previous generations--playing an instrument can be a positive way to deal with life’s difficult moments.

The bottom line is that piano lessons are great for children. There are so many benefits to learning the piano--from developing life skills to creating a lifetime of memories. If you’re a piano parent congratulations, you are giving your child a wonderful gift! If your child is interested in taking piano lessons, give us a call at 603-505-4282 or email us at NorthMainMusic@gmail.com.




This article was inspired by and adapted from this article on takelessons.com.

The 5 Easiest Instruments for Adult Learners

Are you an adult interested in learning how to play a musical instrument, but nervous about getting started? We've compiled a list of some of the easiest instruments for adult learners that we teach at North Main Music.

It’s a commonly held misconception that learning to play a musical instrument as an adult very difficult, if not impossible. The myth that one must pursue music lessons early in life in order to master the craft has kept many capable adults from exploring their musical potential.

As the saying goes, it’s never too late to learn! In fact, there can be some advantages to learning music as an adult. Adults are much more independent and self-motivated than kids who may be pushed by their parents to take music lessons. With the right help, guidance, and motivation, any adult can excel at playing a musical instrument.

If you’re not sure where to start, here are five of the easiest instruments for adults to learn.


1. Ukulele
Inexpensive to buy, highly portable, and super fun to play, the ukulele is one of the easiest instruments to learn. With just four nylon strings (instead of the guitar’s six), you can quickly pick up simple chords and play some of your favorite songs within a few weeks. When you learn ukulele, you also gain many fundamental skills that will make it easier to graduate from the ukulele to the guitar, should you decide you want to explore a new instrument in the future.


2. Voice

Everyone can sing something. Most adults usually have some level of vocal skill coming in to lessons and tend to underrate their own ability. One of the best things about having your own voice be your "instrument" is that your instrument is always with you and you can practice it anywhere--while driving, in the shower, walking your dog, etc. 





3. Piano

Beginner pianos or keyboard are inexpensive, but to some, the piano may seem complicated — after all, you need to learn to coordinate both hands at once — but it’s actually one of the easiest instruments for adult learners. Because the notes are all laid out in front of you, it’s easier to understand than many other instruments and good for your mind because you are reading music from day one of your lessons. Plus, though you may play wrong notes sometimes, you can’t ever play out of tune the way you can with other instruments. Moreover, due to its popularity, you’ll have no shortage of useful learning materials when you choose piano as your instrument! 



4. Guitar
There are some great advantages to learning the guitar as an adult. First, the guitar takes some hand strength to play, so it is not a suitable instrument for most small children to learn. Second, many adults have had some prior experience with guitar lessons as older kids or teens, and therefore guitar lessons, in some ways, can be liking "riding a bike" and feel like you are picking up where you left off all those years ago.


5. Drums
For sure, learning to play the whole drum kit is difficult. It's also not a requirement for taking drum lessons. You can start your lesson with just the snare drum and add additional pieces as you become more comfortable and confident in your playing. 


Learning how to play a musical instrument as an adult is not as intimidating as it may sound. While the options listed above may be some of the easiest instruments to learn, there’s no need to limit yourself! You are always welcome to take a 30-minute introductory lesson in any instrument that may interest you to get a feel for it.

Whatever instrument you pick, excelling at music will eventually feel easy and natural, just as long as you’re genuinely engaged in your lessons, practice regularly, and have a dedicated teacher who will nurture your inner musicality along the way. Check out the talented and caring instructors at North Main Music and start becoming the musician you’ve always dreamed of being!



This article was inspired by/adapted from this article on takelessons.com


Photo credit: Doug Guarino

Making the Most of Music Lessons

With fall just around the corner, our phones are ringing and our email box is full of messages from parents and students looking to get back into music lessons after a summer full of vacations and relaxation. As we all get back into the swing of things, are returning music students prepared to make the most of their lessons?

Some are, but some may not be because they are unclear about their roles as students and lack confidence in their communication skills. To help students excel in their lessons and beyond, this post highlights the attributes of successful students and suggest ways in which everyone can enhance their communication with their teachers.

Attributes of Adept Learners
What’s the primary goal of music lessons? Learning, of course! What, then, is the primary responsibility of a music student? To be an adept learner. (Teachers facilitate learning.) So let’s look at what it means to be good at learning. In a nutshell, adept learners are:

• Growth-minded. They recognize that skillfulness arises from steady effort; their growth mindset inspires them to set meaningful goals and practice with enthusiasm.
•  Mastery oriented. Unlike helpless students, intrepid ones take responsibility for their learning. They adhere to high standards, tackle appropriate material, stay within healthy limits, and seek help when needed.
• Independent and collaborative. They’re resourceful when practicing alone and team-minded when working with others.
• Persistent. Their mindset and goals give them the strength to persevere in the face of challenges.
• Professional. Adept learners exhibit professionalism in all of their musical activities – they’re punctual, prepared for lessons, courteous, and honest.
• Open to new ideas. They thrive on fresh perspectives.
• Communicative. In lessons, they listen keenly, speak authentically, and question frequently.

Communicating in Lessons

In order to embody that last trait – being communicative – a student needs both a desire to connect and the skills to do so. Nonetheless, communicating can get tricky, more so with some teachers than others. Words and tone of voice can easily, albeit usually unintentionally, be misconstrued. In the end, though, poor communication equals little or no learning.

Given that learning in lessons hinges on communication, here are 7 ways that students can heighten their communication with teachers:

1.    Record your lessons. By listening back and taking notes, you can retain all of the advice you receive.

2.    Query your teacher when something is unclear. Students sometimes shy away from asking for clarifications because they don’t want to seem clueless or imply that their teacher’s explanations are flawed. Believe us: educators want students to understand and ask questions. Always ask if you’re unsure.

3.    Agree on lesson goals. Before you depart from a lesson, ensure that you and your teacher spell out goals for your next meeting – verbalize your aims so that they’re captured on your recorder. Also, periodically discuss your long-range objectives with your teacher so that lesson goals support your interests.

4.    Document questions during practice. Keep a notebook handy as you practice and then bring your questions to lessons.

5.    Ask for feedback. During and at the close of lessons, inquire how well you’re attaining lesson goals and whether there’s anything more you could do to improve your musical or practice skills.

6.    Listen actively. Communication involves articulating one’s thoughts and hearing the thoughts of others. So listen attentively during lessons and paraphrase complex concepts to help your teacher know that you’ve absorbed them.

7.    Be positive. Bring a positive attitude to lessons so that you contribute to creating a productive learning environment. When miscommunication does happen, and from time to time it will, resolve them promptly, and then let go of any negativity.

What if you can’t establish a communicative rapport with a private teacher? For starters, you could solicit advice  from a mentor. Then, if your attempts to communicate still fall short, it might be time to find a new instructor.

Adapted from this article on musiciansway.com.

Photo: McKenna Chaput and her instructor, Jason Latham, at the North Main Music spring 2015 student concert. Photo by Robyn Neville.

Tips to make music lessons & practice a breeze this summer

As the weather gets nicer and we head into summer, are you having a hard time getting yourself or your child to stick with music lessons and practice? You already know that consistent weekly lessons--and practice in between--are vital to get you to your musical goals. So how do you beat the summertime blues and start making your musical dreams come true? Two of our top instructors, Shea Ellis and Christie Conticchio, were kind enough to share some of their expert advice for students and parents who need a little help getting into the music lesson and practice groove this summer.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes the hardest part of practicing is simply getting yourself to start? Guitar and ukulele instructor Shea Ellis has several great recommendations to help you get started!

· Have fun with your instrument and try being creative. To spice up your practice routine, write a song. Song writing is easy and fun, if you don’t overthink it, and can open many new doors for your playing.

· Choose to learn songs that you love, songs that pull you to your lessons and drive you to practice each day because you want to hear them!

· Call it playing, not practicing; playing is fun but practicing sounds like work. You never want to lose the element of fun!

· Remind yourself to practice by scheduling reminders on your phone or putting up post-its, whatever works for you.

· Make a practice schedule or calendar and mark the days that you practice.

· Get inspired to play by looking up information about a favorite musician. Even the greatest musicians are human just like you and none of them turned into famous geniuses overnight.

If you’re having trouble committing time to music this summer, voice and piano teacher Christie Conticchio has more great advice for you or your child to stay on track:

· Get involved with an activity or project that uses your instrument, whether it’s joining a band, entering a competition, or covering a favorite song.

· For singers, vocal technique can be applied when you are silent or talking, pretty much any time! You can work on your technique while you are doing other things such as talking to friends, texting, watching TV, riding in the car, on the computer, walking, standing, on a plane, etc.

· Find a way to add practice to your routine. Make it the first thing you do when you get home from camp or play for a few minutes before heading off to the beach or summer job each morning.

· On any instrument, it’s okay to play in short bits of time. Five minutes here and there can add up and even a little bit of practice is better than none at all.

· Make sure you and your kids see live music! Being exposed to music in the real world will inspire you to play, too. Summer is an awesome time to go see live music, as there are so many outdoor venues, from parks to band stands to stadiums.

Hopefully these tips will help you or your child get more from music lessons this summer. And remember, North Main Music has a bunch of summer activities to help you and your child stay motivated this summer, such as the Sizzlin’ Summer Cover Song Contest, North Main Music Night at the Fisher Cats, and our Rock Camp. So turn practice time into play time and watch as musical challenges become easier and easier!

Do you have any other tips for music students this summer? Share them with us in the comments!

Top left photo: Damon and Shea at the Spring 2015 student concert.

Bottom right photo: Christie and Nora at the Spring 2015 student concert.

Photo credits: Robyn Neville.

Adapted from this article on takelessons.com.

What if I forget the words?

We promise, the show will go on--and you’ll live to tell about it

No matter how much you prepare for your moment in the spotlight, anything can happen on stage! This unpredictability makes performing lots of fun, but it can also be scary. However, if you prepare for your performance the right way, you can even forget the words to the song you’re singing and still deliver a top-notch performance. Professional musicians and North Main Music instructors, Lizz Potter and Sibvon Rose, have experienced their share of performance blunders and lived to tell about it. In this article they share some of their experiences and offer advice to musicians who may be worried about making mistakes while performing live.

Tell us about a past performance during which you made a major blunder.

Lizz: I recently had a gig in Boston. It was a 3-hour solo set and it went well overall, but as I was both singing and playing piano, I was trying to read lyrics and chords at the same time, so I screwed up both a couple of times and panicked. However, I recovered as quickly as I could and as strongly as I could.

Sibvon: I can’t recall a specific performance with a major blunder, but I will say that I’ve learned from past mistakes that you have to learn to cover them really well—don’t let the mistake show on your face and in your body language. The audience won’t have a clue that you’ve screwed up unless you show it in your facial expressions and body language.

How do you recover from mistakes during a performance?

Lizz: Finish strong—people won’t remember a flub in the middle of a song if the rest of the performance is solid.

Sibvon: I always tell students to “own the mistake.” In other words, if you do a part wrong, one great way to cover it up is to purposely mess it up again. It’s a way to stay in control of your performance.

What advice would you offer to budding musicians who may be scared about making mistakes when performing live?

Lizz: Even if you’ve practiced a song 1000 times, mistakes can still happen, and that’s ok. Throughout my career, I’ve found that using breathing exercises as a method of relaxation is very helpful and important. Breathing helps me to be less in my head and more in the song. And, remember, have fun with your performance no matter what happens.

Sibvon: Audition for everything you possibly can. The more your audition, the less scary performing live will be. And use that nervous energy to your advantage; harness it and use it to take your performance to the next level.

Lizz and Sibvon teach piano and voice at North Main Music and both have been studying and performing music since childhood. To learn more about their musical backgrounds and teaching philosophies, click here for Lizz and here for Sibvon.


The above article was inspired by and partly adapted from this article on takelessons.com.