Music and More: Sara Penny Blog

Sometimes stress can yield a pleasant surprise. I was outside trying to decompress and looked up to this neighborhood visitor in the sky. Dealing with Stress and Building Resilience Predictable and moderate stress leads to resilience. Remember from the Talent Code book that a bit of frustration is often the breakthrough teaching moment. The tricky bit is to challenge without overwhelming. Overcoming a problem that is frustrating leads to success. Celebrate the baby step triumphs. Uncontrollable stress leads to vulnerability. This is when we push too hard.  This may be when we are dealing with a trauma that makes us feel out of control. This can also be some event totally outside our power. "...it's often not what happens that makes something traumatic; it's the lack of emotional support before, during, and after, that causes much of the harm. One of the hardest things that can happen to a child is to be left alone with their feelings." "Knowing and feeling ...

 A few photos and nature videos from this summer. Short video links: Hummingbirds in real-time Hummingbird in slow motion Paraglider over golf course Backyard waterfall Golden afternoon on Cedar Mountain by Des Penny Photos by Sara Penny: Blanketflower Sunflower from porch Late summer bouquet Gazania Four o'clock, seeds were from Mary Anker's front yard when we moved. Embroidery by my mother Pauline Hafen Nelson Even the summer squash blossoms seem brighter this summer. July rainbow with enhanced color New statue for the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Bottom and Puck from Midsummer Night's Dream Wild roses on Cedar Mountain Summer means enjoying the cool streams on Utah mountains. Kid's Pond at Woods Ranch Sunset at Southern Utah Museum of Art at SUU Sunflower with flash Moon and Jupiter

Index to blog entries updated periodically Hummingbird from "World of Birds" Lovely example of balance and magical colors. Music Education Sharing Magic with Your Music  Using changes in color and mood to create musical magic. For string players ideas on your bow as a magic sound wand. Talent Growth Mindset  Why do some students have an attitude of trying again and others get defeated easily. How can we build confidence in the value of failure and giving it another try for progress? Poole's Poems and broken 3rds  Words to pieces can help with memory, pitch, and rhythm. Using broken 3rds before Allegretto to help with skipping notes. Video index  Videos from beginning skills to advanced ideas. Learning points for specific pieces and techniques.  @sarapenny is the youtube channel handle. Long, Long Ago Variation  Using simple ornaments and scales to create a variation for students who need a bit more challenge when playing with beginning students. Exploring m...

  (Photo of an advanced student with rainbow lighting during an online lesson) Sometimes we suddenly see things very differently, as happened during an online lesson when the light hit the window. How can we add magic to our music? Experiment with characters. Is the phrase heroic or playful? Is it the soprano singing a tender aria or a mother lamenting a lost child? Experiment with your interpretation. What's happening in the story of the music? Is it a feeling like serenity or does it feel agitated? Is there an actual storyline? If so, who are the characters? For composers like Mozart who wrote operas, you can identify characters like the hero or the king, the alto or the tenor, the jester, or a child. You may hear the music singing or is it a dance? Most dance music should be steady. Practice with a metronome. A song needs to breathe and often has more tempo changes for expression. Are there skipping parts? Are there sighs?  John Kendall described a sigh or the end of a phra...

Here is a simple variation that uses a few ornaments and scales for Long, Long Ago. This will fit with the A Major version in Suzuki Book 1.  Link:  Video for learning Index of more teaching videos designed for students Index of blog posts