piano Archives - Nassau Bay Music Lessons

Piano With Tabby

We wanted to highlight another local piano instructor whose consistently provided her students with first rate musical training! Tabby Worthington’s studio Piano With Tabby has been voted the best music lessons in Clear Lake three times concurrantly by the Macaroni Kid Gold Daisy Awards. Although focused on piano, Tabby also instructs in guitar and ukulele, an takes advantage of the latest methods and technological tools available (like Rocksmith!) to keep her students excited, and insure years of great musical development and fun.

Tabby Worthington lives in Clear Lake with her husband, Ryan and their 2 children, and has a menagerie of pets. Before she was a music teacher, she worked in technical support and computer repair.

Beginning with a handful of piano and voice students in 2000, Ms. Tabby has worked for several schools in the greater Clear Lake area, teaching many students of all ages and building a reputation in the community as a compassionate teacher who is patient and adapts her lessons to the needs of each individual student. Over the years, her approach to individualized learning hasn’t changed, but the tools she uses to teach have. She now incorporates technology in new and innovative ways, offering practice assignments in the iPad Piano Maestro app and digital worksheets via Sproutbeat. She teaches using the cutting-edge Piano Pronto method, in which students will master the instrument while playing familiar and engaging melodies from a wide variety of genres.

In 2007, Ms. Tabby graduated from Kindermusik University and became a Licensed Kindermusik Educator, which makes her a special expert on early childhood development through music and movement. Kindermusik is a wonderful program for children from infants to 7 year olds. She is no longer able to offer Kindermusik classes, but still recommends them highly for all children under 7. Visit the Kindermusik website for more information.

Ms. Tabby encourages all students to experience different styles of music instead of focusing on just one. “I believe that having a well-rounded background in all kinds of music makes for better musicians,” she says.

Piano Lessons And The Brain

We all know music is kind of magic. It has the power to tap directly into our emotions, and ignite our imaginations. It can make us bust a move, or move us to tears, sometimes in the course of a single song. But that’s not all it can do.

There’s growing scientific evidence that shows learning to play an instrument—and piano in particular—can actually make you smarter, happier, and healthier. The cognitive demands of learning piano could help with everything from planning skills and language development to reducing anxiety and even boosting memory!

Taking piano lessons comes with some great benefits. Are you ready to start learning the Piano? At Music Academy of Texas, we have instructors specializing in each of the phases you will go through, from beginner to advanced.

infographic-piano-lessons-are-good-for-you-and-your-brain

Infographic from Encore Music Lessons

1. Piano Players Are Master Multitaskers

Learning to play piano means teaching your brain how to work on overdrive. Think about all the individual tasks your brain has to perform simultaneously: keeping time, following pitch, forming chords, maintaining posture and controlling your breath, all while your right and left hands are operating independently from each other while ranging over 88 identical little black and white buttons. Also, you might be operating the pedals and reading and interpreting sheet music too. Every time you sit down to play piano, you’re giving your brain a monster workout, exercising your logical, creative, visual, auditory, emotional, and motor functions.

2. Learning Piano Actually Builds Brain Power

The mental demands of piano are so significant that players’ brains are structured differently than other people’s. Breakthroughs in brain imaging have shown that playing piano strengthens the bridge between the right and left hemispheres of the brain, and makes the connections in the frontal lobe much more efficient. According to Mic that means pianists may have a serious leg up in terms of “problem solving, language, spontaneity, decision making and social behavior.”

3. Musicians Really Do Think Outside the Box

Researchers at Vanderbilt University have discovered that musicians are innately proficient in a creative technique they call “divergent thinking, which is the ability to come up with new solutions to open-ended, multifaceted problems.” Their work suggests that because playing music enhances communication between parts of the brain, musicians literally think about complex problems differently, and come up with more creative solutions.

4. Learning to Play Piano Is Beneficial at Any Age

While learning piano at a young age is a great way to develop discipline, self-esteem, and academic skills, it’s never too late to benefit from the power of playing. Adults who learn to play piano experience a decrease in depression, fatigue, and anxiety and an increase in memory, verbal communication, and a feeling of independence. Playing piano can also help alleviate symptoms of dementia, PTSD, and stroke, by improving cognition and dexterity, and reducing stress.

Tickling the ivories may not give you superpowers, but it’s clear that learning to play piano is one of the most powerful ways to exercise your mind, and soothe your soul.