January 2, 2014

Product Review: Hoffman Academy Piano Lessons + Giveaway

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.
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I’ve tried a couple of  times to learn to play the piano with several different techniques to no avail. So I decided I’d give Hoffman Academy Piano Lessons a go.  I received a free Lesson 1 package which includes a Music Theory Worksheets & Activity Pages, Song Sheets with Practice Instructions, Piano Listening CD MP3s, Practice CD MP3s and a Parent’s Guide as this is geared towards kids a bit younger than me. 😉  However, I think that anyone who wants to try to play piano can benefit from these lessons as you will need to know the basics at some point in order to figure out how to read the music and understand what you are reading and trying to play.

The lessons are sequenced in a specific order to build ability and understanding, no prior experience required.  (While I did have my cousins attempt to teach me how to play piano and read music when I was about 9 and had to take some music theory classes – I’m not sure that counts as me having any “experience”).  There are 60 FREE lessons and then as your need and budget allows you can purchase learning activity pages, MP3 tracks and sheet music from their store to help you advance as a pianist.

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I really loved the Worksheets and Activity pages.  While, yeah, they were geared towards kids much younger than I am, I really find that I grasp the concept of things if they are explained to me as if I am a child. Maybe I’m simple minded, but I don’t care what you think because it works!  Figuring out the notes and their order and putting them on a staff, etc really made sense through this lesson.  It also showed the notes for the songs that are on the MP3s so it is easy to read along while listening and then read along while playing yourself.  Unfortunately I have no been sticking with practicing enough to make any progress (I know, bad!) but I hope that in 2014 I can create and stick to a schedule and maybe actually learn how to play and have it sound halfway decent!

If you want to get a jumpstart on homeschooling or just try and knock out a new years resolution of learning to play the piano – be sure to check out Hoffman Academy for their Piano Lessons.

Find out more at: https://www.hoffmanacademy.com/

Or you can find them at facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/FreePiano

and

on Pinterest at: http://pinterest.com/hoffmanmusic/

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One ConcertKatie winner will also be able to receive the Unit 1 Lessons that I received in order to get a jumpstart on their learning!  Contest ends 1/5/13 at 11:59 PM EST

The Complete Materials for Unit 1 include everything you need to get the most out of your Hoffman Academy piano lessons:

Music Theory Worksheets & Activity Pages (36 PDF pages)
Song Sheets with Practice Instructions (5 PDF pages)
Piano Listening CD MP3s
Practice CD MP3s
Parent’s Guide
(Materials are not for sharing or resale. Usage is limited to one household.)

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Book Review: When I’m With You

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When I’m With You is about an aspiring actress named Kat.  It is a modern retelling of the Jane Austen book “Northanger Alley” Kat gets the lead in all the school plays and now on Christmas break she gets to hang out with Josh who is a hot up and coming actor that went to the school and invited her along as his personal assistant.  When she gets to the set she finds out that they are looking for extras for a scene and wants to have a shot at it.  Josh said he already did her one favor by bringing an assistant when no one else did so he was not going to help her.  She ends up befriending one of the leads in the movie, Izzy and she gets her cast as an extra. Meanwhile, she seems to have a connection with Henry, the other lead on the movie.  They keep making “dates” like meeting for hot chocolate or dinner, but Izzy keeps  telling Kat that Henry is hung up working on lines or rehearsals or has left with another girl and pulls Kat away.  Kat continues to believe her even though Henry keeps telling her that isn’t whats happening.

When they film the scene with Kat as an extra, the director seems to like what she is doing.  But Izzy keeps deciding that HER character should be doing the ad libs and steals everything from Kat’s character. Now Kat isn’t even sure she will make it in as an extra.

Henry, Josh and Kat go to stay at Henry’s dad’s place (he is also an actor and supposed to be the reason why Henry gets all of his jobs) and Kat thinks that she sees his father with another actress – even though he is supposed to still be married to Henry’s mother.  When she mentions it Henry gets upset, but takes her to follow his Dad after he begins doubting him as well.  They see him leave with an actress and a couple of days later the news has made it to all the gossip sites.  Henry blames Kat for blabbing even though she assures him that it was not her! Henry doesn’t know who else would know.

Kat ends up leaving LA to go back to school early, thinking that Henry hates her.  But is that really how the story will end?

I thought that this was a cute story, a great YA novel and although I’ve never read Northanger Alley I did check out the snippit of the plot summary and it does seem to be a very similar storyline. Now I think I may have to check out some of the other Jane Austen Academy books!  A quick read and a lot of fun to be in the indie film world!

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

 

About the Book

Dive into the fabulous, fun lives of six Academy girls as their friendships are tested, torn and ultimately triumph.

 

Kat is destined to be a star and her big break has arrived at last! As the assistant to a celebrity classmate on the set of a feature film, she’s going to show everyone she has what it takes. That is, until she discovers pursuing her dreams may mean forfeiting her heart. Unless she can find a way to have both…

 

* * *

 

The last thing that the girls at the elite Jane Austen Academy need is hot guys to flirt with. But over the summer the school has been sold, and like it or not, the guys are coming. And it’s about to turn the Academy—and the lives of its students—totally upside down…

 

The Jane Austen Academy series are modern retellings of Jane Austen classics set at a beachside California boarding school.

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