Do you stay up or do you sleep?
Do we mind beginning the year tired? Many claim the party is a “can’t miss” and oh the stories they tell. But no matter the fun … I just can’t keep my eyes open to stay up for the festivities. Do you?
New Years Eve
When I was a child, New Year’s Eve was always a great big deal. The neighbors across the street had a huge party including decorations, party hats, noise makers, and endless talk about fireworks filled the air with excitement. Everyone buzzed with anticipation, planning to stay up late and welcome in the new year with a bang. Each year, I’d be determined to stay awake. “This time I’ll make it!” I’d tell myself. After all, there was No Bedtime Tonight on New Year's Eve. We all had permission to stay up as late as we liked. But no matter how hard I tried, and no matter where I went, sleep always found me. “I’ll just rest my eyes for a moment or two,” I would think. And then the next thing I knew, I’d wake up the next morning realizing I’d missed everything. “Oh no! I slept! I missed it all!”
I laugh about it now but when I was young, I somehow felt like I was missing out on the most exciting night of the year. To this day, I think I have slept through every single New Year’s Eve party except one. I’ll save that for another story!
My own No Bedtime Tonight experiences inspired me to write an elementary piano solo and I bet you can guess the title: No Bedtime Tonight! It will be available on my website soon.
The piece is in ¾ meter, and it is set in the happy key of C Major. The lyrics capture the excitement of a child eagerly awaiting the New Year’s Eve celebration. There will be fireworks, a big party, cheering and much fun to come. But as the clock inches toward midnight sleep wins and the child misses out on the big moment. The next morning, of course there’s the realization: “I missed it all!”
The New Years piano solo No Bedtime Tonight is a lighthearted and playful piece that many students can easily connect with and enjoy learning and performing.
No Bedtime Tonight! is an Elementary level piece that’s perfect for students to play because it’s pedagogically sound, fun to play and it is very easy to learn. Written in 3/4 meter, the music will help reinforce those rhythms that elementary students need more practice with. Be sure to give this piece to your students who love a little drama! The music includes built-in drama tips like head nods and loud snores which make it a perfect piece for those who are ready to ham it up for an audience and make a recital exceptionally fun. For recitals or other performances, someone can read or sing the lyrics to the audience for an added touch of entertainment. Plus, the piece comes with an optional teacher duet that adds additional energy and fun making this New Years solo a real crowd-pleaser.
No Bedtime Tonight is part of my new Studio Savers Songs for the Holidays Collection, which will be available on my website soon. This collection offers Early Elementary and Elementary Level piano music for holidays throughout the year such as New Year's Day, Valentines Day, St. Patrick's Day, Fathers Day and more. I wrote the Studio Savers Songs for the Holidays Collection to keep my own students reading new music every month and to have fun playing the piano all year long. This reinforces reading skills and helps them become better overall musicians. My students love these pieces and yours will too.
Whether your students are preparing for a recital, a festival, sight reading, or simply playing for fun, remember that the more they read, the better readers they’ll become. Encourage daily sight reading.
Arm your students with music. Build your STUDIO LICENSED digital library so you can set yourself apart as a teacher by adding value. Have a variety of music to give to your students to simply read on a regular basis.
Enjoy the teaching journey, and perhaps No Bedtime Tonight! will become a favorite in your studio as it captures the joy and humor of those early New Year’s Eve memories.
Do you want to see some of my music that is already published? Have a look today!
Studio licensed music that is easy to learn and fun to play. Most pieces have lyrics and optional teacher duets included.