Patti's Music

10/21/2016

Patti's Music has been teaching Piano in the neighborhood since 1993. If you are interested in learning how to play the piano I would love to be of service to you.

1 neighbor recommends Patti's Music on Nextdoor.

10/03/2016

Listening to music is great for the brain.
Playing a musical instrument is even greater.

Anita Collins has a great video showing how playing an instrument benefits your brain.

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-playing-an-instrument-benefits-your-brain-anita-collins

When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain become engaged and active. But when you actually play an instrument, that activity becomes more like a full-body brain workout. What’s going on? Anita Collins explains the fireworks that go off in musicians’ brains when they play, and examines s...

09/24/2016

Have you ever wondered if music training really matters?
Sally Cathcart has written a post pointing out the 4 key points explaining why music matters, from Professor Hallam’s synthesis.

1. Music* reshapes the brain.

‘Active engagement with music produces structural changes in the brain related to the processing of sound’.
•Music can help with phonics
•Learning to read notation may have direct transfer effects to reading text as many of the underlying principles are the same
•There is lots of evidence that musical training provides individuals with better overall aural memory
•There is strong evidence that making music has an impact on spatial reasoning
•Rhythm and movement seem to be particularly important for us as a species

* All references to ‘music’ means the aural experience of music. Notation is referred to separately.

2. Musical training matters.
‘Children who experience musical training have an advantage across all subjects except sport’
•In research studies children who learnt an instrument made better progress in school, no matter the level they started from
•Start young!
•The longer the training the bigger the impact

3. Music has a direct link to our emotions
‘It reaches the parts of the brain other things can’t do’.
•Music can improve our mood – how many pupils come into lessons with a frown and go out with a smile?
•Music can reduce anger
•Singing and playing with others gives a sense of belonging

4. Music improves self belief
‘When children engage in music and get positive feedback it helps them to develop a stronger self belief’
•The opportunity to perform with positive and constructive feedback can be highly motivating (performance can cover a variety of contexts including informal and more formal settings)

It all adds up to a very persuasive argument doesn’t it?

09/01/2016

I have taught Piano, Guitar, Violin and Cello, but what I enjoy most is Piano. It is so basic to music understanding. Once a student has the background that Piano gives them, they can translate that knowledge to any instrument. Rhythm doesn't change. Notes are always a to g. Chords can be translated from piano to string quartet any time a student wants to expand their base. But to get a well rounded understanding of music, it's all there at the keyboard or piano: all right at our ten finger tips.

09/01/2016

I have been teaching piano since 1993 and am so pleased with the wonderful progress each student makes. We have such great opportunities we can offer students. There is so much out there to draw from. There's so much to pass on to the next generation. I graduated Cum Laude from Seattle Pacific University with a Bachelors in Music Theory & Literature while my daughters were in High School and Jr. High. I have continued studies at the University of Washington and Seattle Pacific University where I pop in to take a class every now and then. Many music publishers also offer great workshops to both show off their new curriculum and equip teachers to better serve their students. Graded materials make sure nothing is left out in a student's learning experience and a wide variety of music at every level caters to students interests.