Some moves are in the future. Gotta love those moves. Of course, just look to the left. This is exactly what we look like. I grab the bottom, Paul the top, the legs are still on, we slide it down the stair rail. Saves time, who needs pads?

But seriously, there are some moves coming up. The most fun one will be to take our Disklavier over to the DECC for our very first Home Show! Yep, we are going to the Arrowhead Home Show, and will be there from April 8th until the 12th. Come by and visit, and register for some free stuff! We will have restaurant gift certificates for a few lucky people. 

But that is not all. Somehow we will have a 2nd Friday Art Crawl on April 9th. Esther is bringing new things in, so we will get a new look, and there will be music as usual. If for no other reason, you should stop in and see the progress on the Art Piano!

Things are hopping at PPFP. Always something moving around here.

I have been sharing this article with parents and grandparents as much as I can. They all seem to be grateful for it. I think it validates them as parents. How often (again twice today) have I heard something like, "I insisted that my kids take piano lessons, but now they don't continue that with their own children." How often did your parents say to you, "You don't like practicing piano now, but later, when you are grown up, you will thank me." 

Well, this article is the next compilation of the increasing science which shows that learning a musical instrument has incredible benefits for our brains. And they are numbered off. I would recommend that you print this article, paste it to your fridge, and read one little article every day, just to help give you the strength (you parents) to cajole, encourage, tease, bribe, and other wise get your children to practice one more time. Not only will your children live longer, you will live with the knowledge that you did the Best Thing You Could Do For Your Children.

Last night, a wonderful blend of music, art and conversation during Pierce & Piszczek's monthly 2nd Friday Art Crawl Duluth event. The featured instrument, a predecessor of the piano, was a hammer dulcimer, played adroitly by Wendy Grethen from Duluth. The music was traditional, folk oriented, and even in honor of St. Patrick's Day, a bit Gaelic. Questions from the crawlers kept Wendy busy, and the sound of the dulcimer was enhanced by vibrating piano strings all around. A lovely evening, and one we hope to repeat soon. In the meantime, our next event will be on April 9th, which, not coincidentally, is the 2nd Friday of that month. The music is still undecided, but I'm sure it will be something different and wonderful!

The weather outside is amazing. It makes me want to move a piano out the front door, and just start playing in the breeze. One of these days, Alice, one of these days!

We are now getting ready to move a piano out the front door, so I am making this short. Paul is strong, but we work better as a team. 

Come down and visit us!

It's Wednesday. Generally a slower day for retail businesses, Wednesday is also a teaching day in the store, and it is also church choir rehearsal day for many....myself included. 

But, relatively speaking, for retail businesses it is a slow day.

I have sung all over the world. I am not bragging. Just did. It has been interesting seeing how people live in different parts of the world. Also interesting how similarly we all live, and particularly, how similarly we make music. Music is a language that a lot of people understand. Selling a song, therefore, has been possible for me in a lot of different lands and languages. 

What is this thing, Selling a Song?" On TV, there are a lot of 'reality' programs that deal with singing, starting with American Idol, and The Voice. Somehow, in order to be an idol, you have to be a singer. (Insert sarcastic remark). And even the title, The Voice, would imply that success is more about talent than skill. "Just open your mouth, and if gold comes out, we will help you cash in!"  But, as we all know, there are 'singers' who have had fabulous careers without much vocal talent. Our own local, famous, folk-singer, Bob Dylan, is an iconic example. But what does Bob Dylan have (using him as an example for many such performers) that makes him great? Is it his ruggedly handsome good looks? The visual aspect of an Idol, or a Voice has, over the years, proved to be pretty important. Or is he just really good at selling. And if so, how does he do that? 

I teach singers, too. Believe it or not, there is a lot to know about singing. I have found that the more a singer is in touch with themselves and their voice, the better able they are to identify for themselves what sells and what does not. A student asked me yesterday, "How do I know when what I do is too much?" I think that question applies to the retail piano business, too, BTW. I answered, that practice and experience will help you know. But, you will never know if you don't push the limits. Some people need a hard sell, some people need a soft sell. Part of selling anything meaningful is educating your customer (audience). 

See, it all makes sense!

Get your tickets to the St. Matthew Passion, coming to Duluth in a couple of weeks. There will be lots of good singing, and one of the greatest musical works of all time will find life in a performance by Duluth's finest!