Alberti Publishing

Did you know that practicing the piano burns calories?  According to Fitday.com, a 35-year old female who weighs 135 lbs burns 86 calories per hour practicing the piano.  Men who are 35-years old, weighing 190 lbs burn 118 calories when they practice (statistics represent average male and female weight).  Those are pretty good numbers when you consider you are doing something you love, but don’t cancel your gym membership.  There’s no substitute for good old-fashioned exercise!

Do your students tune their pianos? If you haven’t told them to call the tuner, they probably haven’t.

Having your students tune their pianos may help them more than you think. I once had a six-year old student who was struggling so much that I began to wonder if she had a learning disability. At one point, I went to her house and played her piano…neglecting the piano for 30 years had taken a serious toll. I suggested to her parents that they buy a different piano—which they did. Within three weeks of getting the new piano, their daughter had obtained perfect pitch, and her progress in piano took off like a rocket.

How much do you really know about your students’ pianos? I used to drive to my students’ homes to teach. I saw exactly what condition their pianos were in. I still have nightmares about the broken pedals, keys, strings, soundboards, and music stands that greeted me every day. Chances are, your students’ pianos need help too.

Technicians say tuning a piano twice a year keeps it healthy. Let your students know how important it is to tune and repair their pianos.