Here is one of many articles The Creativity
Institute has reviewed and reprinted on nurturing and boosting
creativity in children. Among the articles you'll find on this
site are those that demonstrate the importance of right educational toys and musical opportunities, even on the toy piano.
Piano Tips
By Carlos Semilla
Here are some pointers to help you on your
journey in learning to play the piano:
1. Take some lessons with a good classical
teacher.
2. Use the Hanon exercises (especially the
scales and arpeggios) to gain finger dexterity and to know the
correct piano fingering of the scales and arpeggios. Always use
a metronome when you're doing these exercises to develop your
sense of timing. If you don't have a metronome try putting an
accent on the "one" count of every sixteenth note (e.g.
ONE,two,three,four; ONE,two,three,four... etc... ).
3. After learning the basics/rudiments of playing
the instrument, find another teacher who can teach you how to
play the chords (a good jazz piano improvisation teacher will
do!) and how to improvise.
4. Master the five qualities of chords (major
seventh, dominant seventh, minor seventh, half-diminished, and
the diminished seventh) their inversions, arpeggios and scales.
5. Try to apply what you are learning to your
favorite songs especially jazz standard songs even to some classical
music pieces. You can use songbooks, fake books, real books and
music sheets, which are readily available at your local music
stores or online.
6. Listen to all types of music and try to
transcribe phrases/passages/riffs/licks or songs that interests
you. Listen to piano players - the way they play, improvise and
learn from them. Try to read their biography to learn how they
study, practice, who influenced them and their achievements. I
believe these can help to make you a well-rounded piano player.
7. Play with other musicians or join a band
in your school or in your neighborhood.
8. Try to sing the melody of the song you are
playing (you might have a hidden talent in singing) or if you
are improvising, sing (scat) what you are playing.
9. Buy some piano lesson books, magazines,
piano lesson videos, piano lesson software or CD-ROM.
10. Practice, practice and practice!
About the Author:
Carlos Semilla got more piano tips for you
and free piano lessons at http://www.learn-to-play-piano-online.com
. A website with free sheet music, jazz improvisation lessons,
tips, and music resources.
Source: www.isnare.com
MORE ON CHILD CREATIVITY
Make
your child
more creative for life.
Every child has creative
ability just waiting to be tapped. Even infants have budding creative
potential. The right educational toys can bring it out. and let
children enjoy the benefits of creative pursuits at many levels.
Infants,
toddlers,
preschoolers,
early
school age and older
school age children all delight in opportunities for creative
expression through colors, shapes and sounds.
At The Creativity Institute, we handpick each infant educational
toy, every creative plaything, each piece of furniture and every
toy musical instrument based on its potential for developing vital
creative resources in your child.
Toy
pianos, oversized
foam building blocks, puppet
theaters and puppet stages and people
and animal hand puppets, art
supplies and children's
easels, play
tents and more. The scale and durability of many of these
toys make them perfect for classrooms, homeschool,
day care centers and waiting rooms, too. The benefits of nurturing
creativity can be profound, offering children tools for success
in all endeavors athletic, artistic or academic. Let your baby
begin now.