School is well underway now and it's time to help you or your children succeed by practicing the piano. There are a variety of ways to promote good habits. Here are some simple suggestions.

1. The Magic Three. For students who have just begun, I recommend that they play each new song three times each day. For most students that will take all of five minutes.

2. Listen to the new songs. On the day your child has a piano lesson, ask them to play all of their new songs. That will reinforce what they have just learned and give you an idea of what to listen for.

3. Don't be too tidy. Allow your child to leave the books out. That way if they just walk past the piano they will be tempted to sit down and practice. Keep it open like a working office.

4. Keep the piano in a lively place. If your piano is in the living room or family room, spontaneous practice is more likely to happen. If you have the piano shut away in a separate room (or in the basement) it will seem like a punishment to be locked up with. You can even keep it close to the television. Whenever there is a commercial break, hit the mute button and ask for a little concert.

5. Prepare for the next lesson. On the night before the next lesson sit down and ask your child to play everything they should have ready. Then help them put their books together and place them by the front door so that you remember to take them along before school in the morning.

6. Praise, praise, praise. Even if you don't know how to play or read music, you can praise your child for the good habit of practicing. Some parents reward their children with a special treat if they practice every day. My students know that if they practice every day they will be rewarded with a trip to the "prize box" at my house.

7. Choose a regular time to practice. Help your child to find a good time to practice daily. Immediately after school is good, but if you have after-school activities, you may want to set up a regular piano practice time after supper. Some of my students practice regularly in the morning BEFORE school. My mother had a great method: I could wipe the dishes or provide music while my sisters cleared up after supper. You can imagine which I chose. My father always asked me to play one more song before I went to bed. These are just a few suggestions for beginners. In later posts we'll discuss practice and performance for more advanced students. My students are settled in to their routines and I am very please with their progress. Just today I ordered new Christmas music and I am excited to get the delivery and play through the new works.

Many people fall asleep with the television on in their room. Watching television before bedtime is often a bad idea. Television is a very engaging medium that tends to keep people up. We generally recommend that the television not be in the bedroom. At the appropriate bedtime, the TV should be turned off and the patient should go to bed. Some people find that the radio helps them go to sleep. Since radio is a less engaging medium than TV, this is probably a good idea.

Other Factors

· Several physical factors are known to upset sleep. These include arthritis, acid reflux with heartburn, menstruation, headaches and hot flashes.
· Psychological and mental health problems like depression, anxiety and stress are often associated with sleeping difficulty. In many cases, difficulty staying asleep may be the only presenting sign of depression. A physician should be consulted about these issues to help determine the problem and the best treatment.
· Many medications can cause sleeplessness as a side effect. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if medications you are taking can lead to sleeplessness.
· To help overall improvement in sleep patterns, your doctor may prescribe sleep medications for short-term relief of a sleep problem. The decision to take sleeping aids is a medical one to be made in the context of your overall health picture.
· Always follow the advice of your physician and other healthcare professionals. The goal is to rediscover how to sleep naturally.

Workshop Coordination and Facilitation Available
Gospel Music Workshop coordination and facilitation are available through Want Music Ministry. Please call for details. (919) 427-5826

Substitute Musicians
Seeking qualified and committed relief musicians. If you are available or you know someone who is available to sub on Sunday mornings from time to time, please contact me at (919) 427-5826 or (919) 266-2502.

Fall Recital
Our annual fall recital will be held at Ruggero Piano on December 12th at 6:30 pm. All students can invite 7 guests. Individual pictures will be taken beginning at 5:30 pm. If you are interested in getting a picture of your self or child or children, please give me your order by November 22, 2008. Include your quantity and size. (ex. 2 8x10)

Want Music School Schedule
Want Music is currently operating on Wake County Public School track 4 schedule. We have classes for 9 weeks, and then we track out for 3 weeks. During the 3 week period, each student should spend time perfecting their musical pieces for the upcoming recital. Some students received an assignment to write a research paper on a composer. All papers are due the week of October 20th. If you have questions regarding the track out calendar, or the payment schedule, please don't hesitate to call me at (919) 427-5826.

Make up Classes & Tuition
As a reminder, Want Music does not offer make up classes for absences caused by the student. We will offer make up classes for inclement weather and absences caused by the instructor(s) only. Each of you should have received an outline of the current payment schedule with payment due dates. If you did not receive an email or letter outlining the payment schedule, please contact me as soon as possible.

Williams Grove Baptist Church
735 Rock Quarry Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27610
Pastor: Rev. Kirby Jones

Sunday School 9:45 am
Worship Service 11:00 am
Bible Study (Wed) 7 pm - 8 pm

Sunday, November 30 is Jubilee Day.
Join us at 11 am.

Seeking Musicians

Gallilee Baptist Church in Smithfield seeking a Minister of Music.

Maple Temple in Raleigh off Dacian Rd is seeking a musician.

If you are interested, please contact me at
(919) 266-2502.

If your organization could use an email newsletter like this one, for more information please contact:

Mike Marinaro
919-374-9209
cmmdtp@gmail.com

Students of the month: A shout out to all students enrolled with Want Music School. Everybody is doing so well that it is too difficult to point out a particular student to recognize. So kudos to everyone, and keep up the good work!

Welcome new students: Jay Stegall, Camille High, Gladys Bobbitt, Arlette J. Horton, Kaylah Armstrong, Jessica Anderson.

What key areas we are stressing this semester:
Technique
Key Signatures
Major Scales
Chords
Intervals
Finger drills / speed

Happy Birthday - September and October
Happy Birthday to you!
Hope your day is pleasant too,
Enjoy it in a safe way
Remember it is your day!