Finale Notation Products

My students just finished their week of our Songwriting Workshop and we used Finale Notepad 2012 (free) to make lead sheets. While this is a very helpful tool, it has many limitations, so I wanted to outline the other Finale products that are available for purchase which do not have as many limitations:

PrintMusic® is designed […]

Finale Notepad 2012 is Now Free!

You’ve probably already seen me announce this on my Facebook page, or perhaps have seen it announced by all the many wonderful piano teaching bloggers out there, but Finale Notepad 2012 is now free!  Download it here.

Here’s what Finale Music says about their Notepad:

NotePad is, of course, entry-level music notation software. […]

Creativity Traded for Efficiency

If you are interested at all in the concept of creativity, you need to read this Wall Street Journal article, “Chains That Set us Free.”  Now, there have been any number of articles, musicians, and all kinds of creatives that talk about the benefits of setting limits when […]

Distractions: From the same device for work and play

I struggle with distractions like everyone else, but as an entreprenuer and self-employed individual, distractions can mean a loss of money or the slowing of a project.  I thought Seth Godin had a great explanation for my specific situation:

One reason for this confusion , is that we’re often using precisely the same device to do our work […]

Creativity: “Oh the Thinks You Can Think!”

I know that I am not alone when I say that Dr. Seuss was a brilliant writer and illustrator of children’s books. I’ve always enjoyed reading his books to children and my fascination with sounds makes it all the more enjoyable to listen to the subtle music his words create. As I’ve developed a definition and philosophy of creativity in my life, I’ve come […]

What is Creativity? [A definition that can change your life]

Recently, I gave a workshop in Wichita called “Nurturing Creativity and Inspiration.”  I shared about how to be more creative in teaching and how to find that elusive concept of inspiration.  Though I cannot condense a 2 hour workshop into a blog post, I will be sharing a few of the things that I spoke about throughout this year.  I hope that you too […]

Revised Manuscript Paper

I just revised several files in the Manuscript Paper section of the website.

It always bothered me that my large print, “6 stave with grand staff” staff paper allowed only 3 measures per line, since so many phrases are in 4 measure increments.  It was also curious to me […]

Writing Lyrics

Writing lyrics can be a tricky thing for composers.  Recently, I found some great articles and presentations on writing lyrics. 

8 Cures for Lyric Writer’s Block

If you ever plan to write lyrics, you should make watching these next few videos a priority!  Pat Pattison is a Professor at Berklee College of Music, where he teaches Lyric Writing and Poetry.  In addition to […]

The Sensitive Amateur Listener

Like most composers, I am always testing my music.  I test it for the following reasons:

  • To know what works and what doesn’t. 
  • To know what is difficult for the performer and what is easy. 
  • To know if the piece sounds as I intended it to sound.

But above all, I need to know if my piece makes a connection with the musician.  This is especially true in writing […]

By |February 16th, 2010|Composer Tools, Composing, Creativity, Inspiration|Comments Off

Printers that are Piano Teacher friendly

Brother printerI LOVE my new Brother MFC-6490CW printer!  It is an all in one printer that enables me to do everything I have wanted as a piano teacher.  Here’s how I am currently using the printer:

  1. I can print on both 8.5×11 and 11×17 paper, which will save me a bundle in printing […]
By |November 14th, 2009|Composer Tools, General, Piano Teaching|Comments Off