RECITAL UPDATE! Due to an unfortunately timed covid outbreak among the staff at the Salemhaven care center, I will be hosting our Christmas Giving Recital here at my home. All other plans will be the same — program, caroling, refreshments! — but in a familiar space which will I'm sure ease the nervous of a few students. So that I can make sure we have enough seating, please let me know ASAP how many will be coming from your family/friends to support your budding musicians.
Now on to the rest of the recital preparations. All students! Here is a checklist to help you as you get ready.
* Run through your set (pieces you've worked on) just once tonight, once before you come tomorrow. Keep it fresh — don't stress.
* Dress to impress — think festive — Christmas is only a few days away!
* 3:00 call time for students — time to arrive, get set up, tuned, pre-program huddle. * Families and friends are welcome to attend as well. Let me know ASAP how many will attend to support your young musician. * Remember to bring your instrument/music etc. * Yes! We will still have caroling at the end with all students and guests together. * Yes! There will be refreshments afterward for the after party.
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday last week! As we begin the wonderful stretch of holiday season ahead of us, I am happy to announce my first annual Christmas Giving Recital Saturday, December 23 @ 3:30 p.m. at the Salemhaven Nursing Home 23 Geremonty Drive, Salem, NH. They are so excited to have us come give our gift of music to the residents there!
DETAILS FOR STUDENTS
* For my remote students and those who can't participate this year locally, write up your own program and choose who you would like to perform to — it could be your family, friends, or find a care center in your own area. Most importantly, give the gift of music this Christmas!
* For all students, keep working hard on your pieces to get ready to perform. We will talking more about in-person performing during December lessons. Sharing music during the holiday season can make such a difference for you and those who listen.
* Let’s dress to impress. Think festively.
* 3:00 call time for students (time to arrive, get set up, tuned, and acclimated to the surroundings)
* Families and friends are welcome to attend as well. Let me know how many will attend to support your young musician.
* Remember to bring your instrument/music etc. I will be bringing a stand for voice and instrumental students.
* We may have a short sing-a-long at the end if the residents are game.
* Turn at the Salemhaven sign from Geremonty Drive and follow the road back to the brick building with drop-off entrance on the right. Parking the day of should be relatively clear, I'm told.
* Yes! There will be refreshments afterward.
DECEMBER & JANUARY TEACHING SCHEDULE
Since the recital will be Saturday, December 23, lessons will continue through Friday, December 22. I will be reaching out to a few students with reschedules due to my own kids' concerts etc. If you have any reschedules throughout musicians' busiest month, please let me know.
As for January, I am contracted to play in the pit orchestra of Frozen at Salem High School with two of my cello students. Due to the rehearsal schedule, I will be taking the month off and will resume teaching Monday, January 29 back on the usual routine.
LISTENING ASSIGNMENT #5
To get everyone excited for this upcoming recital – and to continue on with my love of all Vince Guaraldi’s jazz compositions this time of year – here is a fun assisted living performance by the Piano Guys of some familiar Charlie Brown hits. I can’t guarantee that we will have a dance party or conga line during our recital, but we will certainly have applause. Enjoy!
Happy November everyone — and for those who celebrate these first few days of November, Happy All Saints Day & Feliz Día de los Muertos! I hope you all have had a wonderfully fun Halloween this week and are ready to get to the business of Christmas music preparations. More details on a performance opportunity in the next few weeks. In the meantime:
We will not have lessons November 22-24 (Wednesday through Friday). As Christmas music commences for all my students, we will also as a music studio take some time to celebrate our gratitude with family and friends for Thanksgiving. Those of you with lessons on Wednesdays will have four lessons this month due to the fifth week. Those of you with lessons on Fridays, please contact me and let's find a time to reschedule for that day.
Below is another "how does this make you feel?" listening assignment with a more contemporary composer, Jon Schmidt. We'll be seeing a bit more from him in the next few weeks as well. Give it a listen and let me know in the comments below your answer. I think you'll like this one.
Hi everyone! For this week's listening assignment, and what I hope turns into a deep dive into the music that makes the essence of Charlie Brown, I give you The Great Pumpkin!
At our house, Fall starts only when we've pulled out the Charlie Brown Video collection. Every year I think how the music is what really makes these so quintessentially nostalgic and so perfectly Autumn. Which leads me to tell you about a most amazing jazz pianist and composer of all Peanuts' cartoon soundtracks — Vince Guaraldi a San Francisco-based pianist/jazz musician. Give it a listen!
Questions: What do you think about this kind of music? How does it make you feel? Which of the clips below is your favorite?
Quick update then on to the next listening assignment. Lessons will be canceled on Monday, in honor of Columbus/Indigenous People’s Day then resume Tuesday.
LISTENING #2: Music has the power to make us feel something and sometimes to tell a story. Many of you said that the listening assignment last week made you feel calm. It’s true, music allows us to feel what the composer or musician wants us to feel — just like magic! And at this Halloween season, here is one of my favorite examples of a piece of music that can tell a story — “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” by French Composer Paul Dukas.
I’d like you to listen to the video below once with your eyes closed. Imagine. What story does the music tell you? Share in the comments below. Then watch one more time with your eyes open to see what Disney animators interpreted the story of the music to be in the movie Fantasia. If you’d like more, find the entire movie on Disney Plus — full of creative animation to beautiful classical pieces. Enjoy!
For your first listening assignment this week, you'll find three videos below. Watch each (certainly doesn't have to be all at once) then answer these questions in the comments below: How you feel when you listen to the music? What do you imagine? What is one new thing you learned from the Bach video?
Thank you for your patience as I worked through everyone’s ranked choices! Just as a heads up — I will be cancelling lessons on a few days in October due to holidays and my daughter’s cross country meets. But because we are starting up the last week of September, that will count as the reschedule for the day. You’ll see a few notices about those cancelled days below. In November, I will be able to shift lessons earlier for those who are interested. A couple of reminders:
:: Tuition payments are due the first lesson of the month. Venmo works great. Last week of September + all of October counts as one month to start off.
:: First lesson back, for all students, will be a show & tell (teacher’s concert) in which each student will perform for me the things they’ve been playing all summer. Everyone was to review pieces from this past year as well as go further into their books. I can’t wait to hear from them all!
FALL SCHEDULE 2023
MONDAY - no lessons on Columbus/Indigenous Peoples’ Day
4:00 Howell & Elisabeth Melia (intro to music/piano)
You know that saying, “best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry?” Well, that seems to have been the motto of this school year thus far. Three days into the start of the school year and my cute little kindergartener brought home Covid. (Three years we have gone without it making way into our house!) Fortunately, it hit just my daughter and me. Unfortunately, I’ve been down for a bit and just getting back to life again. So I’m thinking it is high time we get my studio season started!
All lessons will begin the week of Monday, September 25.
PRIVATE STUDENTS: Before coming to the first lesson of the year, please do the following:
1. All students should come to their first lesson ready to give me a concert of pieces they’ve played over the summer. Please remind your child to review and prepare their program this week before we start back up.
2. All students should review changes to my studio tuition + expectations page with a parent.
3. Register! All parents should submit your ranked choice (1st, 2nd, & 3rd choice) of lesson time via text to me by Wednesday, September 20 by end of day. I have more students on my roster this year than ever before (a good problem to have, really) and even less flexibility so I appreciate your patience in advance.
This Intro to Music class is designed for 4 to 7 year-old students and will give your child a great foundational start as they begin their musical journey with me. They will learn elements of piano, voice, rhythm, and note-reading in a fun group setting.
2. Register! All parents, please select one of the following times that will work for you and submit to me via text by end of day Wednesday, September 20. I hope to be able to accommodate everyone!
Mondays @ 3:30Fridays @ 3:30
DEADLINES
Wednesday, September 20: Deadline to submit private lesson/intro class ranked choice via text
Friday, September 22: Lesson schedule to be posted with further information for the upcoming year
Hello all students and parents! You may have noticed a bit of radio silence on my end — thank you for your patience! We have had a whirlwind of a summer, as I’m sure you all have. After getting back from our westerly travels just last week, we are scrambling to get back in the swing of things for the start of school tomorrow.
Here’s my latest news: I won’t be starting up my studio teaching season until mid to late September this year after my kids’ extracurriculars, and I assume yours as well, shake into place. We are having a few growing pains around here as I have a sophomore in high school, a first-year middle-schooler, and a brand-new kindergartner who are all getting more involved in various sports, dance groups, instruments, etc. All of which, I can see already, will be changing my availability for this upcoming year. Until I figure this all out over the next week, I’m going to need to put my music studio on hold just a little longer. I will have my usual Fall News & Updates posted as soon as I can.
Thank you again in advance for your continued patience! Stay tuned and keep playing!
Hello everyone! We're in the final stretch before the end of another music season and school year. Time flies! I am so proud of all my students who have been very busy getting their big pieces ready for the spring recital coming up. Read on for all the Spring news!
DATES + DEADLINES
April 24 – 28 :: Spring Break Week [no lessons] Enjoy the week off and keep playing!
Saturday, May 6 @ 9:00 – 11:00 AM :: Spring Master ClassYes, Master Class is back! My Spring Master Class is a great opportunity for all students to perform for each other as well as have some music appreciation/history enrichment. [This event will take place of all paid lessons from our spring break.] I'll be hosting this class both in person and remotely. Please R.S.V.P. as soon as possible.
Monday, May 29:Performance Videos DueSee recording details below.
Friday, June 2 by end of day: Performance Videos Due See recording details below.
Sunday, June 4: Spring Recital @ 3:00 PMDetails to follow.
June 6:Summer Playlist Season starts (The Great Sight-reading Adventure)
SPRING RECITAL
I will host my studio Spring Recital & Watch party via zoom again this year on June 4th @ 3:00 p.m. Invite your family and friends to attend! For those who can't make it, I will be posting the video to my secure and private YouTube channel.
RECORDING DIRECTIONS
Complete and send your recital recordings to me by May 29.** EXTENTION: Please get all recordings to me by Friday, June 2 end of day.** Read below for full instructions and tips on recording. For those in New Hampshire, all recordings will be done during the last week of lessons here at my home, or you may record at your own piano.
PERFORMANCE VIDEO RECORDING TIPS
1. Dress for success! Wear something recital-worthy that you would wear performing in a concert hall.
2. The audience will be watching the recital through the virtual window of zoom. Set up the camera horizontally (like your television screen) so that we can see you and your instrument — not the tight vantage we use for remote 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 decent sound quality. Tripods (or propping it up against something) work nicely to keep the camera steady.
4. Record! Take a moment before you begin to relax, take a deep breath, and show your best of everything you have been working so hard for this year! Remember all the things we talk about in lesson: good posture, proper hand positions, steady tick-tock-even tempo, etc. Above all, have fun playing — you’ve worked hard for this!
5. When you finish playing your piece, pause, stand, then bow. Smile and wait 5 seconds (for applause, of course) then stop the recording. You did it!
6. Send to me by end of day Friday, June 2. I’ll be sending out an invitation with all zoom and recital etiquette info once I receive your video.
SUMMER PLAYLIST SEASON
Each year, I create a playlist with each of my students to continue on their own throughout the summer. If there are questions that come up as they go on their sight-reading adventure, I will always be available for questions via text and will send video help as I can. If you are interested in June lessons, please let me know. I will be out west through most of July and August.
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 amazing progress to family and friends!
