February news letter.
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http://www.softmozart.com/index.php/forum/index/22-soft-mozart-academy---academia.html LATEST NEWSDear Soft Mozart customers and music lovers,
We are continuing 4-month-marathon of intensive piano/music learning with the guidance of inventor of ‘Soft Mozart’, piano teacher Hellene Hiner.
First online International Piano Recital had been announced from 15th to 31st of May.
If you or your kids having steady progress learning with our outstanding software, please, sign yourself In NOW:
http://www.softmozart.com/forum/26-sign-up-area/868-future-participants-of-may-12-recital.html .
If you are thinking of beginning your learning journey, get the program download free version of our program
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join us.
With Soft Mozart you will be able to perform in May.New videos:
How to provide ear training for toddlers at home
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/VG_bNNMiZQ8&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/VG_bNNMiZQ8&rel=1</a>]]>And
how to awaken your child’s music creativity:
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/6XfnLDVRZwE&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/6XfnLDVRZwE&rel=1</a>]]>Our ‘Soft Mozart’ community is rapidly growing and we have many brilliant posts with personal stories, tips, suggestions, pictures, videos and even files from our piano learners that enhance our learning method big time.
We have new winner of International piano competitions!
11-year-old Alexander Beliakov, the first Spanish Soft Mozart child - third prize in International Young Piano Competition - Siguenza International Competition 2011
Thank you,
Accion Piano for sharing the videos!
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/H4ELYLIP2_c&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/H4ELYLIP2_c&rel=1</a>]]>
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ou4ImdHworI&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Ou4ImdHworI&rel=1</a>]]> FREE DOWNLOADSAlphabet Grand Staff MapSolfeggio Grand Staff MapDownload of Alphabet Song – ChantFlash CardsFree download of the Note Duration game (Exe.file)Free download of the Gentle Piano Demo - "Ode to Joy" (Exe file)Free downloads of materials created by members of our Soft Mozart community here:MAIN ARTICLE =>
The Gibberish of Notes 
As I have explained, the lines of the staves are like a spy’s secret code to beginners. If one tries to read them like the lines of a book, another trap lies in waiting. In a book, the stuff between the lines is separate, empty space. In sheet music, the spaces between lines are just as important. While reading books, we only have to focus on one line at a time; with music, we’ve got to focus on eleven at minimum! Five lines and six spaces, plus supplemental lines (and spaces) for high and low notes must all be fixated upon simultaneously!
Lines and spaces in sheet music are equally important, just like the squares on a chessboard. But they are represented in completely unequal ways: the black space is made of thin lines, and the white comprises the large space between them. This confuses our perception. The lines are perceived to be something important, like the lines in a book. The notes on the lines appear to be more prominent, and to a beginner, this means that they are more important. The notes on the spaces, in turn, aren’t as prominent, and are therefore believed to be less important. This tendency isn’t at all what we’d like to enforce in our students, is it? For example, this is why beginners that are shown notes on the first and second line, Mi and Sol, play two keys that are next to each other, like Mi and Fa. The interval between the lines (the note Fa) is assumed to be empty space.
To keep this from happening, music notation should have a different appearance when shown to beginners. We should widen the black lines, so their width matches that of the white. This makes the significance of both ‘paths’ for notes visually equal, and the beginner isn’t distracted by the ‘prominence’ of certain notes. The most important quality becomes their position on the staff, which is as it should be, practically speaking.
A child’s thought process is based on concrete evidence. In order to first understand that 1+1=2, the kid must pick up a stick in each of his hands, then see them together. In order to understand that the thin lines and the spaces between them are equal lines of text, he must be able to see this with his own eyes, and feel it with his hands. Where can one touch and hear the music staff? On the keys, of course! The keys of the piano are a natural extension of the lines and spaces in sheet music.
Simply by widening the lines on the music staff, we help the child to solve several problems at once:
• Understanding the logic of the positioning of the notes, and developing the perception of lines and spaces and their equal significance
• Perceiving the visual representations of intervals
• Seeing the music alphabet on the music staff
• Concretizing music theory and tying it to hands on the keys
• Developing the eye’s accuracy in music reading in order to fluently sight read.
Read more about it in Hellene Hiner’s book ‘You CAN be a musician’
Read more about it in Hellene Hiner’s book ‘You CAN be a musician’
TIP OF THE WEEK:Development of eyesight is very important in piano learning!
If you are using sheet music, don’t be afraid to use colorful pencils to help your eyes to see the notes!
It is better TO SEE and play then looking for and fail.SUCCESS STORY:Hello, I am Andrea Escalante, from San José, Costa Rica!!
I am one of Hellene Hiner's biggest fan!! I have teached piano to small kids and teenagers for 5 years, using this incredible Software. There is NOT a single person, or kid that has been introduced to this amazing piano learning experience, and does not LOVE it!! It pops the children's self-esteem right up from the beguinning, they simply realize that they really can do it...they can play piano!! Adult beguinners feel the same! And then...the program demands more and more from them, making it entertaining and exciting! Hope everyone has the chance to find out, that piano playing IS for anyone who wants to!! Click here to learn more!
Click here to learn more!
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