On the CMajor Radio Show Broadcast, CMajor has already spent a few episodes talking about piano lessons and what's involved in learning to play the piano.  Listen in again as she explains more about the nuts and bolts of learning to play the piano in the early stages.  Have you ever done any singing or want to sing?  If so, you'll want to listen in as CMajorPorter shares with you some of her students' successes by learning to play as they sing the words.  CMajor is passionate about music and aims to support her students in every way that she can.  Aside from helping advanced students with graded exams, she is also excited about helping the beginning student by showing them how to sit right down to a piano and play songs that they already know and like.  Sometimes it's best to play by reading notes and sometimes it's not.  Regardless of age if you can hum or whistle you can learn to play the piano.  See you soon!  Thank you for listening.

Imagine you are back in time in the 20th Century...You are living in the 1950s.  You are thriving in a time when Stephen Foster songs were popular.  Someone gives you a book that reads "EASY AS PIE"--You can sit right down at your piano...and play songs you know and like--EVEN THOUGH YOU CAN'T READ A NOTE.  All musical terms have been eliminated.  It was a novel idea, apparently, during that time.  CMajor discovered some time ago that learning to play the piano by color was an idea of that time in our history, the 1950s.  In the broadcast, CMajor will talk about how she stumbled upon books that tried to make it easy for adults to learn to play the piano and in some cases, the organ.  Listen in as she describes that way that adults and children were learning to play the piano.  It's fascinating, especially the comments that compare playing the keyboard to sports.  That's next time on The CMajor Radio Show.  See you then!

What parents think of you as a piano teacher is important.  But, how do you go about getting feedback.  In some cases, parents will offer written notes and unsolicited comments.  Other times, you may want to actively pursue a light assessment of how they think the lessons are coming along.  Tune in to the broadcast as CMajor shares some of the comments that she has received from parents.  How do parents let you know that they are pleased with their children's progress?  What does CMajor think about asking parents directly for any feeback or comments?  What do you do when you are not able to pinpoint parents' expections for piano lessons and their child's progress?  CMajor will share some tips about her experience as a piano teacher of young students as well as older adult students. That's next time on the CMajor Radio Broadcast.  See you then!

Tune in to the next broadcast when CMajorPorter will talk about what it takes to become better at sight-reading.  Having accompanied many, many different instrumentalists over the years, CMajor will bring to the table her passion for sight-reading.  It's a subject that she enjoys speaking about--Having Fun at the Piano.  If you are a student who is preparing to take an exam, don't miss this episode.  What is sight-reading anyway?  What does it mean to "sight-read" a piece?  Tune in to find out.  That's next time on The CMajor Radio Show!

Learning more chords--How 'lit' or "exciting" can it get?  Very!--It all depends on you and what you want to do with your personal chord library.  There are many, many experts out there on the internet just waiting to discuss this topic with you.   If you are looking to play "phat" chords on the piano, this episode is for you.  If you are a producer just waiting to "one up" your piano skills, please listen in to this broadcast.  You don't want to miss this topic.  Just to whet your appetite, think about the chords you can use to voice a melody--C, CM7 C7 C6 Cadd6 C6 Cdim7 C6 is one example.  And, I have a confession...I may or may not use these chords myself in my own solopiano songs, but I have students who want to learn these and sometimes I'm called on to play piano songs that call for playing different inversions of harmony that keep the melody on top.  Thank you for listening!!--I'll see you soon on the next show!

How do you prepare to take a test?  Do you just wing it?  Or, do you really study the 'right' way?  Tune in to the next broadcast.  CMajor will offer helpful hints for teachers, students and parents preparing for examinations.  CMajor will share stories about working with teachers who prepare students.  You may be surprised to hear that sometimes teachers need to prepare themselves further in order to help their students, making themselves better teachers in the long run. You'll hear about the success rate of teachers and whether they are able to keep a 100% pass rate when tutoring students for exams.  What can do wrong in the preparation?--That's a question that sometimes students will need to address based on their study skills.  Parents!--What do you expect from your child(ren)?  Sometimes parents who don't know anything about music, may be surprised at how much preparation it takes to be successful on a music exam.  CMajor will go over prep materials and how to aquire them.  See you on the next show!

Are you a student who is wondering how much time you should spend practicing the piano?  Practicing the Piano--CMajor will talk about practicing 30 minutes a day 5 days a week on this episode of the CMajor Radio Show.  How Much Time Should You Devote to Everyday Practice?  That depends on how serious you are about seeing progress in your piano playing.  If you are taking a more casual approach to lessons, you may spend less time.  Also, if you are practicing on a real piano versus a digital piano you may re-consider how much time to spend practicing based on the construction of the instrument.  Playing on a well-constructed, great sounding piano can motivate students to practice too!  But, let's say on average that the average piano student can expect to practice 15 to 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week to see good progress in their lessons.  If they don't, they won't.  That simply means, if you don't practice at all your progress will not be good.  Take care and see you soon on the next CMajor Radio Show!

Paying for Piano lessons can be a "touchy" subject among parents.  Some parents have an idea of what lessons will cost.  Others may have heard through the grapevine what the ideal price will be to pay for lessons.  When it comes to paying for piano lessons, parents may have different ideas about the price to pay.  How Much Do you Want to Invest?--That's the top question on the next CMajor Radio Show Broadcast.  CMajor will discuss what it may cost to make your own music, everything from investing in a keyboard/piano/digitalpiano to buying lesson materials to what experts are saying about the piano lessons industry.  While she may not pinpoint a particular price over another,  CMajor will give a range of what you might expect based on internet research and your personal budget.  She'll go into a discussion of long-range versus short-range goals.  Many teachers are just as curious to know what parents expect when it comes to paying for lessons.  Tune in to the next broadcast as CMajor shares what she knows for sure about signing up for and investing in lessons...See you then!

Many teachers still struggle with how to give piano lessons in their communities.  CMajor recommends giving piano lessons based on how you best teach.  What kind of piano teacher are you?  How would you describe yourself as a "lesson giver"?  Are you patient?  What is your overall presentation like?  Do you realize that some students pick teachers based on their appearance?  Some students select their teachers based on whether or not they demonstrate/or are willing to demonstrate how pieces are played first.  Some students are comfortable with teachers who talk and guide students through lessons without demonstrating at all.  I think we should be aware of what students are looking for.  Once you understand your market, it will be easier to know how to market yourself as a teacher to students of all ages, i.e. children, adults and senior citizens.  See you on the next show!

Making Music with Technology is a fun topic for CMajor.  Let CMajor be your "tech girl" for this particular episode of the CMajor Radio Broadcast.  CMajor is kicking off 2018 with a forward thinking show topic about making music.  You'll want to tune in to hear about the opportunities to use technology, making it easy for you to play the piano.  Have you ever heard of MIDI (Music Instrument Digital Interface)?  What is a digital piano?  Can technology really enhance your life when it comes to music making?  CMajor will share with you her opinion about to role of technology in her life as a musician, recording artist and piano teacher.  Happy New Year!--Listen to the first broadcast of the New Year.  We'll see you then.