Author: glasshouseofmusic

As a child I took piano lessons. For years. Started in primary school and I stopped in the beginning of high school. Actually, what I should say is my mother stopped paying because my only practice during the week was the twenty minutes before my lesson. That’s it. Let’s be honest, you have to practice […]

I’ve been asked many times before- do you ever get sick of teaching the same Christmas carols over and over? No! First of all, Christmas music is so beautiful. Secondly, it’s a different experience with every student I teach them to. Thirdly, everyone loves learning their favourite Christmas carol! So how could I possibly get […]

I spoke of my latest project (the tattoo song), and how meaningful it was to me. It couldn’t have come at a better time, too. I was so relieved for the extra income, and I have ample amounts of time that I could spend on it. My practice time suffered slightly, but it just meant […]

As a piano teacher in Barrie, I place ads for my services on Kijiji. Recently, someone contacted me with a very interesting request. They had a recording of their friend singing and playing piano- an original song they had written. She had passed away some years ago, and he wanted the song written down on […]

Such a tricky topic! It’s so hard to find the right balance here. It’s absolutely necessary for parents to show an interest in their children’s piano lessons and practice, otherwise the kids themselves won’t be interested. Of course they would be discouraged- they feel like they’re doing something that is boring and nobody cares about. […]

I mentioned in my very first blog post that I was a competitive gymnast as a kid. I was doing 16 hours a week of gymnastics when the piano was first brought into our home. Needless to say, it wasn’t brought there for me. My parents got it for my younger sister. We had a […]

Do you believe music is healing? I’ve talked quite a bit about how music is so helpful to seniors, particularly ones with diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. I see how they light up when I play one of their old favourites, or the way they gently sway to the music in their wheelchair.  What […]

Why not both?! Ok, so realistically that’s not usually a viable option. Most people are going digital these days. It’s more affordable,  they’re easier to move, never need to be tuned, and you can use headphones! This means that practice can be done at any time. Even if someone is trying to get an assignment […]

Sometimes I get lost in the vortex, and I know I’m not the only one! You’re on YouTube and you search for a song. There are so many other enticing videos that pop up underneath it. One click leads to the next, and before you know it a half hour has gone by! In one […]

While Jarred Dunn has achieved a high level of playing, he doesn’t just sit on his laurels. He is always looking to improve. For many of us, when we think of piano lessons, we imagine little children clunking away, or maybe a pre-teen trying to master a popular tune. But professional performers know there is […]