It's here! It is O-fish-ally February, which means...

Stay tuned for more info on the blog and facebook page!

I found it!!!!

I found the perfect site to help track your progress. http://www.onlinepracticerecord.com/opr 
Please sign up for an account! It's free and it will help me to see how much practice time you have done during the week, as well as give you/your parents notes on how you are doing! It's fairly simple to use, but you do need an email address to access it. (Bummer, I know.) If anyone happens to find a better way of tracking progress, just let me know!

Hope this helps!
Mrs. Rebekah

Hi! Thanks for stopping by my site.
  This site is so that you can see the resources and sites I recommend so that you/your child gets the most out of piano lessons. Most of my tips will be linking to free stuff, because I understand how all those little things add up! On occasion, I'll post some links to music that can be purchased or downloaded to help. With that, I'll also give you clues as to which level could probably handle it.

  When I get it up and running, I'll give you a link to track your child's progress and practice so that you don't have to play the guessing game when it comes to their success. (No names will be used.) I'll continue to write down their weekly assignments in their assignment book/notebook and as always, please don't hesitate to call or text if you need to check with me about something!

  I don't check this site every day, so please contact me via phone or facebook if an issue comes up with a lesson/schedule/makeup/etc. Thanks again for your help!

Sincerely,
Rebekah Farnsworth

(423) 298-6433

Music is... fun?

      Growing up, we had our struggles... if you don't believe me ask our mom. :) Yet, even when we would pout and plot how to get out of the torture of sitting down for an ENTIRE 30 MINUTES of piano practice, we generally had the idea that it was good  for us. (Can you believe my horrible, very bad mother?! She made me stick with it until it was finished!) I'm not sure when it happened, but somewhere down the line came a revelation that music was not always fun! You see, music is what you make of it. If it is treated as an extracurricular activity, it will be just that... something that is extra. fun. expendable. However, if you treat music as a way of life it will blossom with time and maturity to take flight from the soul as an acute expression of thoughts and emotion. My family was always musical and we grew up surrounded by music. My mother taught us how to sing "Jesus Loves Me" and "The B-I-B-L-E" as well as many other children's songs. She eventually was my first piano teacher. My grandpa would play his harmonica and sing songs early in the morning when we would visit. He still does. He also had silly songs about everything from an old lady and a fly to a song about beans. One of my grandmas hums or whistles constantly as she works and she also plays piano and organ and accordion. My grandma on my dad's side taught us a song about a long-legged chicken and would make us laugh and have such fun. She talked about music and songs and how she loved to hear my daddy sing -- I was always fascinated by it all. The whole family was my symphony growing up -- a wonderful part of who I have become -- and their music is what tuned my soul and primed my heart for a lifetime love of music. Every bit that flowed from the hearts and fingers and lips and minds of those whom I love became a part of my life. A prime example of this is my dad. My dad used to play guitar and sing us a lullaby that he wrote before we went to bed. We cried every time. Even as wee babes we realized the sting of emotion that flowed from those guitar strings and how it was something very special. It stirred our hearts and we not only heard music, we felt it. So... what is my point? All that to say, quite simply, that music is fun, yes, but it is so much more than that! Ultimately, it has no language barriers, it can touch a person within their soul, or stir them into action. It changes and moves and flows and swirls all around us. Music is an expression of the heart. This is why I love it. This is why I am so grateful that even in the non-fun times, my mom made me stick it out. This is why I teach it and why I try to instill in each and every one of my students a love for music. Music is a part of all our lives and I'm grateful I can have a small part in making it a part of yours, too.