WINTER NEWS

HOLIDAY HALF TUITION

I will be teaching through December 18th this year so will only be charging half tuition. The first two weeks will be regular lessons then the week before Christmas break, I'll be giving my students things to play (music games too) through the holidays.

WINTER RECITAL

I'm happy to announce details for my upcoming student Winter Recital on December 20th @ 3:00 p.m. via zoom. After the success of my first zoom recital back in June, I will again be asking each student to make a video to send in which I will edit together into a recital movie. The best part is all family and friends are invited to attend the Winter Recital watching party! Read on for details:

DATES + DEADLINES
December 13: deadline for performance videos to be sent to me
December 20: Winter Recital @ 3:00 p.m. via zoom (invite with zoom info. to come)
January 4: Remote lessons resume

PERFORMANCE VIDEO RECORDING TIPS
1. Dress for success! Wear something recital-worthy that will help you be in a performing mindset. 

2. The audience will be watching the recital through the virtual window of zoom. Set up the camera horizontally so that we can see you and your instrument — not the tight vantage we use for lessons. Create a nice looking space: books away, pencils, etc. 

3. Make sure you record horizontally in an mp4 file. Most phones can do this fine and have good sound quality. Tripods (or propping it up against something) work nicely to keep the camera steady. 

4. Record! Stand to the side of your instrument, state your name and “I will be playing ——.” 

5. Relax, take a deep breath, and show your best of everything you have been working so hard for all year! Good posture, position, and technique. Remember all the things we talk about in lesson. Above all, do your best and be proud of your hard work so far this year!

6. When you finish. Pause, stand, then bow. Smile and wait 5 seconds (for applause) then stop the recording. You did it!

7. Send to me by end of day Sunday December 13. I’ll be sending out an invitation with all zoom and recital etiquette info once I receive your video. 

Thank you so much in advance for all this recording work at your end! I’m so excited to put this together for you all to show your hard work to family and friends! 

2020 Spooktacular Master Class is here!

Happy October everyone! All my students have been working so hard on their opening pieces for this year and I'm proud to say they are ready for my 8th Annual Fall Master Class. This year, in addition to my traditional student Playaround, I am thrilled to announce the presence of a special guest — Professor Trelawny formerly of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, who will be presenting "The Magic of Music."  Don't forget to RSVP!

A few things to remember:

1. Come in your Halloween best.

2. Have your music ready to go.

3. Make sure your camera/tech is lesson-style ready.

4. Come zoom with us! {zoom info. will be sent in a text with this post}

Can't wait to see you all Saturday!

SAVE THE DATES

Happy Monday everyone! Here are two dates for upcoming events to get on your calendars:

Saturday, October 24: Monster Master Class – in costume!

This event has always been one of the best of the year for my students and this year we'll be doing it on zoom! All my students come together with one piece prepared to play for the group when they will learn how to give positive feedback and learn from each other's progress. We also do a music appreciation section which is the highlight of the event. They will learn about a composer and get acquainted with some of their most Halloweeny works. Don't miss this one! Watch the link at the end of this post for a sneak peak and get your listening in for today.

Saturday December 19: Christmas Recital + Service

Let's give some Christmas spirit through music! This year, each student will be learning a Christmas piece to record and send back to me for recital video that we will all watch together with family and friends via zoom. I am looking into the possibility of inviting care facilities to join in the zoom as well. Our youth group has gone caroling to these homes in years past and I think that in times such as these, inviting them to attend our recital would be a great way for them to celebrate the holidays. If you have family in a care home, please let me know and I will reach out. Details to follow.

Have fun playing this week!

WELCOME BACK!

I hope you all had a fantastic summer and found time to play around on your instruments a little. And I hope that you had the chance to listen to lots of great music! We had everything from classical to hip hop, rap to jazz, pop to latin music going on at our house. 

Remember to keep listening to classical, instrumental, soundtracks, or jazz every day as you do homework, get ready in the morning, or eat dinner. A few times a month, I will post things here for you to listen to — but for this week how about a little review? For my new students, this will be an introduction to the staff. Don't worry! We will talk all about it in your first lesson. As for my seasoned students, here is a little review of both treble and bass clef notes. Please watch as many times as you need. Happy playing this week — see you all soon!

 

TREBLE CLEF: Don't mind the accent. :) The memory trick I like to use is: Every Good Boy Does Fine (on the lines, up high in treble clef because he is tall). In the spaces we find our FACE. If the tricks in these videos here work, let's go with it!

 

BASS CLEF: The memory trick I like to use is: Great Big Dogs Fight Animals (on the fence lines, on the ground where they live in bass clef). And, All Cows Eat Grass (in wide open spaces, on the ground).

COVID ERA LESSONS UPDATE

This certainly has been a strange year for us all! As I start up my music teaching season, I want you to know that I am committed to making this year as educational, rewarding, and fun for each of my students regardless of the different circumstance of learning remotely.
I was so proud of each of my students' spring recital performances that I knew we could make distance learning work more long-term which I will be continuing for the foreseeable future. I thank you all for your patience during the spring as we all figured out the ins and outs of technology, camera angles, and different teaching/learning techniques! 
Please visit my expectations + tuition page to review before beginning lessons after Labor Day. I have lesson openings M-F 3:00-5:00 this year. Please let me know which days you are available — I will be working up my schedule this week. I look forward to seeing you onscreen!