When I sit next to my piano students and watch them play their scales and chords, occasionally a child will stop,    looking earnestly into my eyes and tell me something important. Or silly. And if the child is three to six years old, h/she might not know the difference. Sometimes I feel like I’m in a sitcom from the 1950’s.  Picture George Burns and Gracie Allen: Unfortunately, I’m always the straight-man in these scenarios…minus the cigar and chin stubble. One afternoon while I was teaching three year old Matthew, he stopped playing his five finger C scale and looked at me with urgency. “Miss Heidi?  I have to tell you. Something ‘portent,” “Can it wait until after you finish playing your scales?” “Nooooooooooooo!” I looked at the three year old with concern.  “What is it?” “I used to have a pet.” I grinned.  “Oh?” “Uh-huh.” Here comes the set-up a la George and Gracie: “What was it?” “An ant.” “You had a pet ant?” “His name was Fred.”  “What ...

  ¿Habla usted español?  Parlez-vous français?   Sprechen Sie deutsch?  Parli italiano? Huh?  Has Heidi Goldman's  tattletalesfromabroad.blogspot.com become a multi-lingual blog?  Not to worry.  You may not speak a foreign language, but you already understand one:  Music.  The universal language. It may sound cliché to say that music is the universal language, but I discovered first- hand how true that phrase is. When I lived in Segovia, Spain, I went through piano withdrawal by week two.  I missed playing the piano, expressing my emotions musically and just playing for the sheer joy of making music. One evening, I stumbled upon an old tavern and as I made my way downstairs, I heard a fabulous band playing everything from Bob Dylan to Flamenco music.  Oh, how my ears perked up.  When the musicians took a break, I snuck over to the piano and began playing.  Before I knew it, they came racing back and accompanied m...

  Do you ever feel depressed?  Not clinically, but   blue ?  Maybe   blue-er   than   blue ?  I have days like that, too. While the whole world seems to be popping Xanax, using illegal drugs or drinking too much alcohol, consider music.  Yes, music.   Whistle a Happy Tune  may have seemed cliché in the King  and I …but just think about it for a moment. Don’t you sing when you’re happy?  Maybe in the shower or driving to work.  Some may whistle.  Some may hum.  In some way, music is being made. Usually when we’re depressed, we have ugly thoughts that appear out of nowhere.  They won’t go away.   They torment us, making us feel worse.  We isolate ourselves and feel lonely. A few years ago, a dear friend was depressed and I suggested that when the voices came to haunt her and fill her with self-doubt, she should begin singing either aloud or in her head.  It’s impossible to hear th...

  The most frequently asked question people ask me is, “At what age should my child begin music lessons?” Every teacher will have a different response based on h/her own experiences.  I’m a child specialist and have taught children as young as two and one half.  Does that  seem rather young to begin lessons? As a parent, you know your children.  Do they need constant activities and stimulation?  Do they get bored easily? Or, can they sit quietly and be engaged in a hobby for ten to thirty minutes?  Do they listen and take instruction, or are they the Tasmanian devil on steroids?  Most kids are ready at age three, but I like to give a few trial lessons to be sure. Once I began creating teaching tools for the very young, my lessons consisted of a half hour lesson, broken into three-four segments:  learning to read music on  The Name Game , my over-sized grand staff, followed by teaching the names of the keys on the piano, reading/playing m...

  Okay, I admit it.  I’m not your average piano teacher like Mrs. Schraeder who taught me when I was four years old.  She was an old lady with blue-rinsed hair, orthopedic shoes and nylons rolled below her knees. Like the traditional teacher, I travel to the homes of my students, but that’s where the comparison ends.  Heidi Goldman heading out to teach Donned in high-heels and haute couture,  I come  equipped with visually dynamic teaching tools that help kids learn and giggle.    And now in the age of iPhones and iPods, I bring my iPad, adding another dimension to my individualized lessons.  Finger Painting App ~ Drawing Music Symbols When I began teaching, I was unable to find innovative teaching materials in music stores.  My goal was to teach three year old children how to read music.  With felt and scissors, I designed  The Name Game , an over-sized grand staff and Voila!  PureGold Teaching Tools, Inc., a boutique pub...