New Music for the New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone!

I want to start this year with one of my VERY favorite piano songs...Once Upon a December composed by Stephen Flaherty.  It is gorgeous, complex, and emotional.  If you want a challenge, give this one a shot!

New Year New Lessons

Give me a shout asap to get your piano lessons scheduled for the new year! Spots are filling up and I'd love to add you to my list! 

Me: Ashley Walker / Piano at the Beach

email: ashleyerinw@gmail.com

phone: 803.370.1275

Hard Work Pays Off!

Check this out guys...just another example of how hard work pays off!  It doesn't matter how old you are - the important thing is how much work you put into it!

Just wow.

Home again Home again!!!

Hey guys! I've missed you! As most of you know, I had the opportunity to spend two weeks with my family in Europe and have been traveling around like crazy! I saw amazing things I never thought I'd be able to see, and I was able to spend quality time with my family.  Here is a sneak peak (through my iPhone) into what I got to do and see while I was away!

The BigBen skyline! This was the only blue sky we saw during our week in London haha

Close up of Big Ben on a dreary, yet gorgeous London day

These bright yellow fields are all over England! This is what they use to make Canola Oil.  Who know it was so pretty!!!

Cardiff Castle in Wales

Florence, Italy was breathtaking

Me and the little brother at the Mediterranean!

The Queen's Garden in London

Me and Sam pigged out on Gelato the whole time we were in Italy!

Oh yeah....I ran through Platform 9 3/4....no big deal ;)

Italian window boxes made me want to plant flowers everywhere!

Mom and Sam in London

Italian street musicians were insanely amazing!

The Palace

Pizza in Italy makes me want to move there.

Poppies were growing all over Italy!

Stonehenge

Westminster

Amazing street artists in Florence!

I'm so glad I had the opportunity to spend this time with my family and see incredible things I never thought I'd be able to see! I'm ALSO tremendously glad to be home to my students, my fuzzy little kittens and puppy, and the Charleston summer sun :)

Happy Spring Time!

I can't get enough of the warmer temperatures right now! I'm planning on spending all of next weekend on the beach!! Are you guys getting out in the sun yet?

I want to post a link to a new song for you guys today.  Its a little  challenging but SO worth it.  One of my students is working on it right now and he ALMOST has it mastered! I'll ask his permission when he's done and see if we can post a video of his final product once he is satisfied with it.  

This is basically Twinkle Twinkle taken to a whole new level.  Its "Ah, Vous Diral-je, Maman" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart! Check it out and let me know what you think! 

Ah, Vous Diral-je, Maman

As usual guys remember to tell your friends to give me a shout if they'd like to try out lessons! I've got some available time slots and I'd love to chat about getting started! I'll be passing out some of my beachy business cards to all my current students this week too so you can share the love with your friends! <3

Song of the Week!

Happy Tuesday!  First of all, I apologize for being MIA the past few days.  My crazy schedule is finally giving me an opportunity to jump back on here.

Now, down to business...this week's song?? The Bare Necessities!  I've never met an adult or child that didn't like Walt Disney's The Jungle Book.  My favorite character would have to be Bagheera simply because he looks like my my cat Boo, but Baloo certainly comes in at a close 2nd.

I ended up choosing this as my song of the week because one of my newest piano students has volunteered to play a song at his school's music recital in a few weeks.  The music is a little more technically challenging than he is ready for (he's only been taking piano lessons for a few weeks!), but since he'll be playing with other students who have been taking piano lessons for years, he wanted something familiar that he could impress his friends with.  Normally I wouldn't give my students something that was considerably above their difficulty level, however, I know how excited he is to be playing something his friends will recognize and I know he'll put the time in to learn everything he needs to learn in order to pull this off.  Nothing like a little outside motivation to push students into something new and challenging!!

We are kicking off the week with page 1 from this three page piece, so I'll update you next week on how our crash course is going! We are determined to have this ready for his recital in a few weeks :).  

**PS everybody...Time slots are still available for in-home piano lessons in Charleston, SC and surrounding areas!  Shoot me a text/call 803.370.1275 or email ashleyerinw@gmail.com to schedule now!!! I can't wait to hear from you!

Song of the Week!

Für Elise!!

I know I'm going a little old-school here but I just couldn't resist.  Every couple of weeks my piano students and I visit an ongoing music wish-list.  We discuss styles of music that they enjoy playing and listening to, songs they're curious about, and songs they wish they knew how to play.  Normally my students will ask me for contemporary sheet music simply because they're more familiar with it than classical, but this week something was different.  THREE different students asked me for Fur Elise! Its rare that I have multiple students ask for the same piece in the same week, so to have three of them ask me for something classical at the same time was one in a million.  I love seeing my kids happily delve into music they don't hear on the radio every day!  I've got the music all printed up and ready for them to get started, so I'll keep you posted on their progress.  Fur Elise was actually one of my favorites to learn when I was a piano student myself.  

PS...Adele's Someone Like You is going swimmingly for my girls.  They're happily ticking away with their metronomes! What a happy piano teacher I am this week :)

**Hey Don't Forget!!! I currently have time-slots available for piano lessons in Charleston and the surrounding areas.  Shoot me an email (ashleyerinw@gmail.com) or drop me a call/text (803.370.1275) to book your spot! Oh and tell all your friends too ;) 

Road Trip!!

As most of you know I am a commercial photographer by day, and an enthusiastic piano teacher by night. I love the fact that my work life is composed of my two very favorite things! After my last piano lesson this week, I hopped in my car and headed on a three day road trip to Nashville, Tennessee!! This was a business trip, but as I said, work and fun are one in the same for this lucky pianist. My purpose in the music capital? I had the opportunity to photograph an up-and-coming guitarist, wearing incredible vintage clothes in some amazing locations!! I grew up in the back-woods of Tennessee, so being out in the fields surrounding Nashville exploring old barns and antique shops was like coming home for me. Actually being in the city was more of a new experience. While exploring, I ran across The Big Bang, a dueling piano bar on Broadway in Nashville. Anybody been?? Between all of the location scouting and shooting, I didn't have time to stop in, but The Big Bang is now on my list of MUST SEE places in Nashville. You really can't beat a good dueling piano bar :).

As much fun as I had out in the fields of Tennessee and exploring the musical side of Nashville, I can't wait to be back home with my piano students again! I'll be back on the road tomorrow and will get home with just enough time to stop and pick up some new sheet music on my way home. See you soon!

**Don't forget everybody!! I currently have some available time slots for piano students! Anyone in Charleston and surrounding areas give me a call 803.370.1275 or shoot me an email ashleyerinw@gmail.com and lets start playing!