I've started assigning my intermediate level students "teach yourself" pieces (also known as YOYO or "you're on your own" pieces). I usually play the piece once and work through a brief score study with them. Then they work on it at home and bring it back as close to performance level as they can the next week. We generally work on it for another week or two and then move on to the next piece. My student Willow has been learning pieces by Elissa Milne recently. They're really fun. This is Salt and Pepper from Very Easy Little Peppers.
 A student's drawing inspired by Haydn's Farewell Symphony. Notice the empty chairs and musicians walking away! Tomorrow is Halloween! So, when a student today asked if she could learn a Halloween piece, there really wasn't time to learn a whole new piece. Luckily, I'd read this blog post by Diane Hidy last year! I suggested to my student that we could try taking a piece she already knew and make it more Halloween-y instead. The piece was A Prairie Dog Companion from Piano Safari Level 2. We changed the key to G minor and then she decided it would sound better in a lower register. She marked the new notes (B flats) with pumpkin stickers :-) Happy Halloween! 
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Lauren's BlogThoughts on Piano Teaching 
Lauren Sonder is a piano teacher in Norman, OK.
She believes in providing a well rounded musical education that emphasizes training the ear, learning music in a variety of styles, and being creatively engaged at the piano. Blog Categories
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