Tuesday, July 10, 2018 by Dawn Riggett | Benfits of learning music

Studies have found that musical experiences in childhood can actually accelerate brain development, particularly in the areas of language acquisition, reading skills, help to strengthen memory skills and can improve mathematical learning.

But academic achievement isn’t the only benefit of a music education and exposure. Music ignites all areas of child development skills - intellectual,social, emotional and motor. It helps the body and the mind work together.

Most importantly though, music is fun and if your child is having fun, their brain is open to learning. Music can enliven and enrich the lives of children, get them moving, thinking and inspire creativity.

Music and me provides piano lessons for children and adults. Lessons are tailored to each individual student to encourage musical development and creativity.

September start dates are now open, please get in touch to start your musical journey with Music and me – 07592 751774 / musicandmehitchin@gmail.com

Sunday, May 27, 2018 by Dawn Riggett | History

I was put in an unusual position last week, when one of my lovely students asked me ‘why does the piano have 88 keys?’ As a Piano teacher I should probably know this, so I was set homework from the lesson to find out why. What I found was quite interesting, so I thought a blog was required to share my newly found knowledge!

A standard piano has 88 keys: 52 white and 36 black. But who decided this number would be the norm, and why? The answer, as it turns out, has both historical and practical aspects.

Before the piano was invented, composers wrote a lot of music for the harpsichord, which has just 60 keys. This meant that everything they wrote was limited to the harpsichord’s five-octave range.

Around the year 1700, Bartolomeo Cristofori, a musical instrument technician from Italy, decided it was time to update the harpsichord. This new instrument had a brand new hammer and damper mechanism, two keyboards and a range of four octaves (49 keys). Poet and journalist Scipione Maffei described it in 1711 as a ‘gravicembalo col piano, e forte’ (harpsichord with quiet and loud). It was from here that the ‘pianoforte’ found its name. 

Piano, made by Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655-1731)

After Cristofori’s invention, composers started getting more ambitious, writing more and more music for the piano. But the instrument’s four octave range was limiting. Therefore piano manufactures designed new pianos with more keys, so that composers could write more interesting material with a wider note range.

By the time Romantic composers were writing music in the mid-1800s, pianos had up to seven octaves. 

In the late 1880s, piano manufacturer Steinway created the 88-key piano. Other manufacturers followed suite and the Steinway’s model has been the standard ever since. 

An 88-key piano has seven octaves plus three lower note (B, B flat and A) below the bottom C.

But why did piano manufacturers stop at 88 keys? 

Could pianos be made with even more keys? The answer is yes, but there are many considerations that weigh against pianos with even more keys. In addition to the fact that the human ear can’t distinguish many of these added notes, pianos with more keys are longer and heavier than normal pianos – and more expensive. Today’s composers usually write piano music that fits within the range of an 88-key model. 

There are a few expectations: a Bosendorfer 92-key piano and a 102-key Stuart and Sons which costs a whopping £225,000! 

The Bösendorfer 92-key piano. The four extra keys are coloured black, so the pianist can distinguish them from the standard 88. The keys are rarely used, but the extra bass strings add harmonic resonance that contributes to the rich, overall sound of the instrument.

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 by Dawn Riggett | General

You’re never too old, and rarely too young…..

Most students are ready to start traditional piano lessons around age 5-7. Part of the reason for that typical age range has to do with muscle tone and fine motor skill development in the hands/fingers, and part of it has to do with interest and attention span.

However, some students are ready earlier than others, so here are a few questions that can help determine if a child might be ready for piano lessons.

• Has your child shown interest in the piano? If so, what does do they at a piano – is it mostly banging on the keys, or trying out 1-2 notes at a time in a controlled manner?
• How is their attention span – are they able to focus on a "fine motor skills" task (a craft, Lego, drawing, etc) for at least 10 minutes at a time?
• How is their hand strength - can he press piano keys with at least 3 different fingers on both hands?
• Does your child know the ABC, numbers up to at least 10 and understand basic maths? The basic maths helps with note values, I really do mean basic we are not a maths class!
• How do they deal with frustration? Can they calmly repeat exercises when they don’t succeed the first time or is it meltdown?

High level of parental involvement is essential for 7 and under, even if you have no musical experience. You can help your child to be successful by providing a home instrument, adding regular time at the piano and sitting with your child to assist with practise and homework.

If you have any questions on the suitably of piano lessons for your young one please get in touch with Music and me on musicandmehitchin@gmail.com.

Thursday, March 29, 2018 by Dawn Riggett | General

Did you know there is an international ‘Piano Day’? Well you do now! Piano Day, an annual worldwide event founded by a group of likeminded people, takes place on the 88th day of the year – in 2018 it’s the 29th March – because of the number of keys on the piano. Piano Day is dedicated to everything around the piano: performers, composers, piano builders, tuners, movers and most importantly, the listener.

The aim of the day is to create a platform for piano related projects in order to promote the development of musical dimensions and to continue sharing the centuries-old joy of playing piano. This year Music and me will be joining in by listening (and playing) a few of our favourite piano pieces, with the little one. They are never too young to start their musical education ;).

Music and me provides piano music lessons for children and adults, from my home studio in Hitchin. Lessons are tailored to each individual student, to encourage musical development and creativity, for beginners and improvers. Whether you are looking for lessons for your child or considering starting / re learning the piano for yourself, there is no better time to start then now. Please contact Music and me to start your musical journey today. musicandmehitchin@gmail.com or 07592 751774. 

Monday, March 26, 2018 by Dawn Riggett | General

Welcome to Music and me first blog, very excitingJ. It’s been a lovely morning here in Hitchin, definitely feels that spring has finally arrived. Spring is often associated with new beginnings, this is very apt for me as I am delighted to be launching Music and me today.

Music and me provides piano music lessons for children and adults, from my home studio in Hitchin. Lessons are tailored to each individual student, to encourage musical development and creativity, for beginners and improvers. There are many studies that show the benefits of music from early years and up, I will be sharing these on this blog section for you to read in the future. 

Whether you are looking for lessons for your child or considering starting / re learning the piano for yourself, there is no better time to start then now. Please contact Music and me today to start your musical journey. 

musicandmehitchin@gmail.com or 07592 751774