Summer is a great time to try something new!
We offer lessons in piano, guitar, voice, drums, ukulele and a variety of other instruments.
Contact us or call 626-296-0799 to get started.
Tag Archives: Music Lessons Pasadena
It’s Back to School Music Lesson Time!
Have you reserved your music lesson time for this Fall?
We teach piano, violin, singing, guitar, drums and more all in one location! Lesson times are first come, first serve so call us at 626-296-0799 today to arrange your first lesson!
Lesson Bag for Altadena Academy of Music Students
Altadena Academy of Music students: Stop by the front desk to get your free music lesson bag.
For information about music lessons at the Altadena Academy of Music, please call (626) 296-0799 or use our email contact form.
Five Tips for Making Practice Fun
1. Play Practice Games.
It’s effective for young children to play a song or passage three times during a practice session. To make this more fun, draw a picture with three different places and have your child place a small toy on the picture. Each time a song is played well, your child can move the character to the next spot on the picture.
2. Revisit Old Favorites.
Revisiting songs that your child enjoyed and learned to play well builds confidence and makes practice fun. These songs should remain a part of regular practice even after the teacher considers them finished and has moved on to new pieces
3. Have the Student become the Teacher.
Ask your child to teach you how to play a song. Ask your child to show you the notes, how to play it, and give comments on how you sound.
4. Listen to Music.
You should consider every listening experience a part of music learning. Going to a local concert or playing your or your child’s favorite album and talking about what parts you enjoy and why can help your child develop an appreciation for music.
5. Try a New Activity.
Teachers have lots of worksheets and other tools to help your child learn music. In addition, we recommend getting a note speller book to practice notes and you can also find flashcards that will help learning music symbols.
For information about music lessons at the Altadena Academy of Music, please call (626) 296-0799 or use our email contact form.
New Photos Added to Music School Gallery
We’ve added new studio pictures! Visit our gallery page to see updated photos of our music lesson rooms and reception area.
Altadena Academy of Music – Gallery
The Keys to Practicing: Part II
The quality and consistency of practicing is more important than the length of time practicing. For beginners, just a few minutes a day is all that is needed. The key is having a practice routine that you and your child stick to over the long term. Below are a few tips for effective quality practicing:
- Repetition is important in learning any skill, but it can be boring. An easy fix is to have fun and creative games for practicing your songs and exercises at home.
- Start small – Music is better learned in smaller sections rather than playing the whole song over and over. Identify the most challenging parts and play through them until you are comfortable with them.
- Most children don’t like playing the difficult parts and often end up skipping over them. You can help by asking them to stop and find the tricky part. You can even guide them to find a way to fix it.
- Sometimes learning a song will be difficult and it takes time. Praise and encourage your child daily for their efforts. Allow them to take a break or play another song if it is too frustrating.
- Include time for your child to play songs that they know well and enjoy. Improvisation and composition of new songs can also be included. Listening to music that your child enjoys, looking things up on the computer, or watching a music DVD of any genre all count towards your child’s at-home learning.
For information about music lessons at the Altadena Academy of Music, please call (626) 296-0799 or use our email contact form.
The Keys to Practicing: Part I
There is so much that can be said about practicing a musical instrument. Practice at home is the key to turning weekly music lessons into a lasting ability to play an instrument. The role of the parent is especially important with young beginners.
For children ages 4-6, the music teacher will need your help to guide your child in practicing at home. Make sure that you understand everything that is taught during the lesson, what your teacher expects to be done at home, and how you can be involved. Essentially, you will be learning music alongside your child.
For beginners age 7+, you may not need to be as involved in every part of practicing. We still recommend that you set a routine for practicing, ask your child what they are learning, and listen to and praise what they do. After 1-2 years of music instruction, your child will be more able and willing to practice on their own.
We recommend this guide to effective practicing. It provides many types of fun and creative practice tips and games that you can try at home: http://www.halleonard.com/product/viewproduct.do?itemid=296683&
For information about music lessons at the Altadena Academy of Music, please call (626) 296-0799 or use our email contact form.
New Fabric Art for Music Lesson Classroom
Special thanks to Jeanne, the artist who contributed the amazing wall hanging that now decorates our front music lesson classroom!
- New fabric art for the group music lesson classroom.
- Fabric Art
For information about music lessons at the Altadena Academy of Music, please call (626) 296-0799 or use our email contact form.