Crayons - and how many??!!!

Hello PPiF teachers.

It's the London Marathon today! The sun is out shining, and the first runners are crossing the finishing line! What a lovely day for a marathon - both for the runners and the spectators!

Anyways, Marathon aside!! During my PPIF sessions, one teacher asked me how many coloured crayon sticks does a child need. I strongly suggest at least four of contrasting colour - red, orange, blue and green. This adds variety and the answers become very distinctly clear too. For very young children, if Mathematics skill is not ready, BOX the section (eg page 18 under GAMES question 2a,b and c) - you can introduce this when the child is ready. Have fun with other GAMES activities. Get your crayons ready!

May I suggest to introduce pages 27, 29, 35 and 41 by verbalising (semibreve-ta-aa-aa-aa; minim-ta-aa-aa; crotchet-ta; quaver-te) and clapping along STEADILY first before actual playing on the keys. Please avoid counting (eg page 27) 1and 2and 3and 4and... Try verbalising tetetete ta ta. You will be surprised how more effective and more enjoyable than counting in numbers for the students to grasp quavers/eighth notes values. Again, if the little fingers are not ready to play - keep these as rhythm exercise pages - verbalising and clapping - such activity can break monotony in the lesson and also relaxes any stress in the class. Later when the student is ready quavers/eighth note can be played more evenly too - voila - go ahead! Have fun!

Meanwhile, I am off back to watch more marathon! Come on Runners!!!!

Have a good sunday everyone!

Love,
Alice Chua

Happy belated Easter wishes... From both of us in Taipei, Taiwam

Hi everyone,  apologies for this belated Easter well wishes. I want to share with you the exciting moment when the display of Easter eggs - very huge and mini ones... It is very exciting to see the creativeness of the commercial sector!!!... This year we see eggs packed along not only with bunnies but with chickens, duckies and teddy bears (???)... Nonetheless it is the season to celebrate the resurrection of Christ... If you enjoy music, compose a tune for post-Easter and share with all PPiF enthusiasts... How about with these few notes as the melodic stimuli - mi-fa-so-so-so-do'-so???... (to any rhythmic pattern).  Have fun!!!... With best regards from Taipei, Taiwan - Alice Chua & Mitra-Alice Tham

Hello once again, Spring is here soon with the last taste of snow last week.  How are PPIF users in the Far East?  May I recommend that to know the series more, use one book of each level with existing student from now.  To have a better understanding of the series, start a new student with PPIF Book One and see her//him through the four books.  You will be amazed.  Voila.  Have enjoyable, relax and fun lessons yet keeping the learning element intact!  I wish you the very best.  Alice Chua

Happy 2nd day of Chinese New Year!!!

Hello everyone!

Gong Hey Fatt Choi! Gong Xi Fat Chai! Happy 2nd day of Chinese New Year! We haven't stopped eating since Chinese New Year's eve! But that is exactly what i love about Chinese New Year!!

Have just seen the PPIF on Faber Music UK webpage! How exciting! Link is below:

http://www.fmdealers.com/46/Playing-Piano-is-Fun.aspx

Apologies for not writing in a while! All this preparation for Chinese New Year, cleaning the house, pre-celebrations (but of course! haha!), packing all the red packets, seeing and smelling all the food being cooked at home...and not forgetting to buy new clothes for the Chinese New Year season, everything else seems to have taken a back seat! I think i'm slowly coming back down to the nitty gritty of daily life...

I am still trying to get to grips with all this social media! I THINK i might just be about getting the hang of it....! Perhaps i'm not getting the hang of it at all! Who knows?! haha! Well, the question is...how often should I blog, facebook and twitter? Sometimes I feel like doing it every minute. Sometimes, i don't do it for days on end! I will get there, i know! says me....crossing my fingers.

I have just posted up 6 youtube videos on suggestions on accompaniments for some of the pieces for PPIF Book 1. Please do subcribe to my channel on youtube - AliceChuaPPIF.

Alrightey folks! I'm off to bed now - have an early start!

Have a good week ahead - and i'll keep you guys posted!

Musical love,
Alice Chua

My First Blog!!

Hello Everyone!

How exciting! My first blog! I am slowly trying to find my way getting set up on twitter, facebook, youtube and blog!

My facebook page is: Playing Piano is Fun by Alice Chua | Facebook
AliceChuaPPIF - YouTube
Playing Piano Is Fun - Blog
Alice Chua - Google+
Alice Chua (AliceChuaPPIF) on Twitter

Please like my facebook page, and follow me on twitter.

Many exciting videos to come too! We have recorded some accompaniments suggestions for this series and will be posting them up very soon.

Let's get down and have some fun!!

Love from London,
Alice Chua