Every Good Boy Does Fine by Jeremy Denk - Reading Together - Chapters 1 and 2

Welcome to the first post discussing Every Good Boy Does Fine by Jeremy Denk. In the opening chapters, Denk intertwines candid memoir with accessible music theory. Chapter 1 introduces his restless childhood in New Jersey, where early piano lessons offered a sanctuary to channel his energy amid clumsy fingerings and early technical hurdles. In Chapter 2, he deconstructs the mystery of harmony, moving from basic intervals to the emotional architecture of the triad. Blending humor with insight, he illuminates how chords express tension, longing, and release, showing how foundational keyboard rituals and raw emotional grammar converge to shape a young musician’s understanding of art and sound.

If you want to delve into more music theory with your students, here are some resources to do that.

- Teoria Music Theory: Interactive ear training and harmonic construction that is perfect for reinforcing the concepts in "Harmony, Lesson One." It offers customizable exercises for building and identifying intervals, triads, and inversions by eye and ear, without requiring student logins.
- Music Theory: Animated theory lessons and rapid-fire identification drills that feature clean, interactive visual demonstrations of how chords and scale degrees interact. Teachers can use the Lesson Builder or assign custom-generated practice codes for triad recognition.
- Piano Inspires: Piano pedagogy research, lesson strategies, and repertoire curation from the premier hub for keyboard educators. It regularly addresses early-childhood technical habits, creative ways to teach note reading beyond mnemonics, and reviews of pedagogical literature like Denk's memoir.
- Hooktheory: Visual chord function and harmonic analysis that illustrates harmony using intuitive relative-pitch color blocks rather than strictly traditional notation. It helps beginner and intermediate students see and hear how chords build tension and resolution across familiar melodies.

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I've published five piano music books and one guitar music book. Get them here. Sign up here for my free monthly newsletter! Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest.

Every Good Boy Does Fine by Jeremy Denk - Reading Together

Welcome to the newest Reading Together series. I'll be posting a summary about our reading each week on Tuesdays. Come join us!

We'll be reading Every Good Boy Does Fine by Jeremy Denk. You can get a copy from your local library, or pick up a copy from Bookshop.

We'll read two chapters each week.
I'll post the first installment on Tuesday, September 29. That means you have one week to get a copy of the book and to read the first two chapters.

The great thing about this program is that it allows us to read works together that can help us in our professional development, as well as providing a level of accountability and the added interest of comparing notes as we read together.

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I've published five piano music books and one guitar music book. Get them here. Sign up here for my free monthly newsletter! Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest.

Competitions and Performance Opportunities - Winter and Spring 2027

MusicLink Playathon
Minnesota students will again be given the opportunity to show off their musical talents by participating in a MusicLink Playathon at the Mall of America. This is a fundraising event sponsored by MMTA and Schmitt Music to benefit the MusicLink Foundation. It has been very successful in raising much-needed funds for the Foundation and is also an exciting experience for students, teachers, and parents while providing a convincing public face to the value of music education.
Date: February 2027 (exact date TBA) 
Registration fee: no fee
Ages: any age

https://musiclinkfoundation.org/playathon-registration-form/
Registration deadline: February 2027 (exact date TBA) 

Piano Solo Festival
Students who would like to have the opportunity to participate in the Piano Solo Festival at Northwestern University.
Date: March 2027 (exact date TBA)
Registration fee: $20
Ages: 4th grade and up

Thursday Musical - Young Artist Scholarship Competition
Scholarships are awarded in each age division and instrument category. First place awards for college are $1,300; high school, $800; and junior high, $550. Second place and honorable mention awards are also granted. First place winners are recognized with a featured concert performance at MacPhail Center for Music, Minneapolis. Additional performance opportunities are also offered to winners.
Date: February 2027 (exact date TBA) 
Registration fee: $25
Ages: 7th grade and up
https://thursdaymusical.org/competition
Registration deadline: January 2027 (exact date TBA) 

The Schubert Club Student Scholarship Competition
The Schubert Club Student Scholarship Competition is open to junior high and senior high students. Three cash prizes in each age and instrument category are awarded – $2000, $1500, and $500 – to be used for further musical education.
Date: January 18, 2027 
Registration fee: none
Ages: 7th grade and up
https://schubert.org/education/competition/
Registration deadline: January 18, 2027


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I've published five piano music books and one guitar music book. Get them here.
Sign up here for my free monthly newsletter! Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest.

My Piano and Guitar Books

I have published five books of piano music. They are available as printed and bound books through Amazon.

Each book has 10 to 13 original pieces or arrangements and each book is geared towards a specific ability level (beginner, intermediate, and late intermediate).

Book 1 titles: Jase’s Song, Olivia’s Song, Summer Memories, All in a Garden Green, Largo from Concerto in D Major, Drunken Sailor, Avondale, Snowfall, The Skye Boat Song, Ballyshannon, When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Bonny Kate

Book 2 titles: Annie Laurie, Flow Gently, Sweet Afton, Rain Drops, Autumn Waltz, Clouds and Sunshine, Admiral Gambier's Waltz, Follow Me Down to Carlow, Alice's Song, Down by the Sally Gardens, My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose

Book 3 titles: Avery's Song, Morning Has Broken, Winter: Largo from Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Day by Day, Be Still My Soul, Now Thank We All Our God, A Prelude in B Minor, A Chromatic Boogie, Stormy Sky, Celtic Reflections, Greensleeves, Lo! How a Rose E'er Blooming, Wings of the Morning

Piano Seasons: 12 piano solos for the intermediate piano player. Selections from different seasons of the year. Titles include: Apples in Winter, Cold Frosty Morning, Like a River Glorious, Savannah's Song, Castle Donovan, At the Fair, Oranges and Lemons, Dancing Leaves, Der Mond Ist Aufgegangen (The Moon Has Risen), Leise Rieselt Der Schnee (The Snow Falls Softly), O Du Frohliche, and The Wexford Carol.

Piano Escapades Book 1: 13 Elementary Piano Solos.

Titles: Blue Bells of Scotland, Rainy Day, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Bison Stomp, The Boar Head's Carol, Flight, The Water is Wide, Christmas Lights, Early One Morning, Largo from Concerto in D Major by Antonio Vivaldi, Green Leaves, Sakura Sakura, The Parting Glass.

I also have published one book of guitar music.

Acoustic Guitar Adventures: 9 Beginner Guitar Solos.

Titles: Minuet in G Major (from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach), Sonatina in C by Muzio Clementi, Guitar Etude in E Minor, My Grandfather’s Clock, Silent Night for Guitar, Minuet (from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach), Cantabile from Vivaldi's "Il Gardellino”, Ständchen from Schubert's Schwangesang for Guitar, and Early One Morning (for flute and guitar)

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Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest.

Now Looking for ... Guest Bloggers!

Do you have a passion for teaching music? Are you eager to share your unique insights and perspectives with a wider audience? I’m seeking talented and engaging guest bloggers to contribute to Laura’s Music Studio. If you're an expert in your field, a skilled writer, and excited to connect with our community, I invite you to submit a guest post proposal. Here is a platform to showcase your expertise, build your online presence, and contribute to valuable discussions within music education.

How do you get started?
I'm looking for blog posts relating to music education, piano lessons, guitar lessons, and studio management. 
Each blog post should include the following:
- a well-written post about a topic in one of the four categories listed above
- about 200-300 words

To submit your post, you can email me at pianolessonsmn dot gmail dot com.
I do reserve the right to choose whether to post your submission or not.  You will be notified of my decision and, if it will be posted, also of when your post will be up on my blog.

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I've published five piano music books and one guitar music book. Get them here.
Sign up here for my free monthly newsletter! Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest.