Friday Freebies: Piano Apps and More

Photo credit and permission: Color The Egg Puzzle, Susan Paradis

One of my favorite online music teachers for children, who has beginner piano students, is Susan Paradis. Her site is loaded with free songs and lots of music resources. You'll find games, puzzles and Easter Bunny Keys to color (print out) and she recently posted an Easter Bunny Song.

I usually use these books, Bastien Primer Level Lesson and Theory Books and start students in C Position before I move on to thumbs sharing in Middle C Position.

Bastien Piano Basics: Piano Primer Level (Primer Level, WP 200)

Free sheet music download, Take Me Home (Sweet Sunny South) is available at http://www.musicnotes.com I played the song and it sounds just like At The Cross.

You'll want to check out this new piano app for your iPad. It's called Joy Tunes Piano Dust Buster and is free in the App Store. It includes 23 songs in all. The first few, such as "Mary's Little Lamb" and "Frere Jacques," can be played immediately. As players progress, they unlock access to more advanced pieces, including "Ode to Joy" and "La Bamba."

In the basic version, with an on-screen touch keyboard, you swat at little creatures as they descend by playing the piano key on which they are about to land. In a more advanced version, you smack the critters when they slide along as notes on the music staff, so you get a sense of where A4 or D#5 is in music notation, for example.

For more advanced play, you can use the "Real Piano" mode, in which the app acts as an accompaniment to an actual piano or electric keyboard. The invaders still drop toward the notes or slide along the staff. But you play on the real keyboard, and the app uses the iPad's microphone to recognize whether you have played the right note.

I use this app with my piano students and it's fun... just get past the name. Kind of crazy but this new technology that we have, especially with the iPad3, is sensational. Steve Jobs was so revolutionary and I'm very thankful.

Although this app isn't free, I think it's a great investment of $.99 for every student and teacher to have. You'll love it! It's called Flashnote Derby. Another app for $.99 that I use with my iPad is
Pluto Learns Piano.

Best wishes and much continued success with your piano practice!







"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King