Holiday Recital

Here are the pieces for Saturday's recital (not program order):

Sonatina in C major, op. 36 no. 1	Anna
The I Like Song	Elijah
Joy to the World	Elizabeth
O Christmas Tree	Emily
In the Hall of the Mountain King; Jingle Bells Duet	Eric
Cinderella's Waltz; Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer	Fiona
Deck the Halls	Fraser
Jingle Bells	Jelani
Let it Snow	Jenny
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear	Jenny
Away in a Manger	Karissa
Away in a Manger	MacKenzie
O Come, All Ye Faithful; Spanish Caballero	Megan
Good King Wenceslas; Night of the Tarantella	Michael
God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen; Guitars of Seville	Rebekah
Up on the Housetop	Sarah, Carolina, and Kathleen
Showboat; We Wish You a Merry Christmas	Sophia
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas	Tad
Carol of the Bells	Zariya

December Recital

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving break!

The next Showcase Recital is scheduled for Sunday, 12/9. If you'd like to play, please contact me by this Friday, 11/30. As always there are three recital times: 12:30, 2:00, and 3:30.

2012 Piano Festival at MANC

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Fall Piano Festival here at MANC!

We had many students receive comments and positive ratings for your solo playing and technical exercises.  I know several of you enjoyed the demonstrations with Evelyn Smith "Inside the Piano" and with Chris Rachal in the recording studio.  Finally, congrats to Alice Lim who participated in the afternoon ensemble recital with Tian Van Dyke, student of Aaron Mood.

This kind of event is so important to anyone studying piano, and I hope you enjoyed your experience with it.  Please let me know if you have any feedback you'd like to share with me and the rest of the piano department.  We already have a list of areas we'd like to organized differently in the future, but we appreciate your thoughts as well.

A quick reminder that there will be no lessons this Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (Nov. 21-23).  I hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween Recital!

Friday, October 26th
Check below for program information.  We will have a reception after each recital, and any food/drink contributions would be appreciated if possible.  Dress is either Halloween costume or recital attire.  We will have chairs for seating but will also encourage the majority of the audience to sit on the floor.

4:30 program will include performances by: (alphabetical, not performance order)


Adrita Fuad- Classical March and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Alena Cobia- TBA
Carter Gibb- Scary Story
Charlee Foster- Halloween is Almost Here
Dylan Naessig- Song of the Scarecrow
Elizabeth Bono- Vivace
Emily Nicholson- Chimes
Emmaline Cobia- The Juggler
Eric Franco- Pumpkins Everywhere
Erin Humphreys- Monster Rock
Finn Foster- Spooky Spiders
Gavin Bono- Snake Charmer
Isabella Thongteum- Scary London Bridge
Jenny Nguyen- Mr. Spider
Kefey Kebede- October Wind
Kennedy Gibb- Halloween is Almost Here
Megan Yoder- TBA
Samantha Cabbell- In the Graveyard



6:00 pm program will include performances by: (alphabetical, not performance order)


Alice Lim- Diamond Sonatina
Annika Preheim- TBA
Camille Everett- TBA
Carolina Williams- Eek, Bump, Yikes, Jump
Christopher Hochrein- Waltz Macabre
Claire Jacoby- The Pumpkin Eater
Claire & Sam McDowell- What Should I Be for Halloween?
Fiona Welsford- Witches, Bats, and Howling Cats
Fraser Welsford- Big City Blues
Grace Hochrein- Mysterious
Henry Hochrein- Crawling Spider
Jessica Lim- Bells of Great Britain
Karissa Sitepu- Something That's Sweet
Katelyn Thomas- Ridin' the Texas Trail
Kathleen Whitener- Hopscotch on Halloween
Kaylee Kern- The Spider Web Waltz
Krish Soni- TBA
Lexa Hedgecock- Little Mouse
Lillian Coladonato- Hot Cross Buns
MacKenzie Moore- Midnight Monster March
Natalie Johnson- Yo Ho! the Sailor's Song
Olivia Hochrein- Pumpkin Boogie
Sarah Grapey- Mary had a Little Black Cat
Sophia Parker- Zoom! Zoom! Witches broom!
Wyatt Slaughter- The Old Witch

Upcoming Events!

Mark your calendars for these two upcoming events with the piano department at the Music Academy:

Halloween Recital: Friday, October 26 at 4:30 pm and 6 pm

• Costumes, Halloween and Autumn-themed music performed by the piano students of MANC
• We'll have chairs, but would also encourage you to bring a blanket to sit on the floor
• We'd appreciate any snacks or drinks to share for the reception
• Bring your family and friends! Everyone is invited (but not required) to wear a costume

Piano Festival: Saturday, November 17th - performing events/workshops for students, families, and teachers throughout the day

Some highlights: 

• Solo and technique playing for comments

• Recording Studio Open House by Chris Rachal, Recording Engineer

• Tour "Inside the Instrument" by Evelyn Smith, Piano Technician 

• "Teaching Student Concertos" Workshop by Samee Griffith and Aaron Mood, MANC faculty

• Ensemble Division: ensemble coaching with MANC piano faculty for...

• Final Recital: Ensemble performances and two student concertos

It must be birthday season!

Happy birthday Carolina...

...and Kathleen!

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday Ava!

Happy birthday MacKenzie!

Here's the birthday girl at her lesson.  Birthday crown looks great on the glitter cowboy hat!!

Faculty Recital

The Fall Faculty and Friends Showcase recital will be held this Sunday at 7pm.  Tickets are $10, but all ticket sales go towards student scholarships.  Quite a few of us are performing (although the concert should not last much beyond an hour) and we'd love to see you all there.  Please invite your family and friends - there will be some great music that night!  

Tickets may be purchased at the door, but you may want to get them in advance.  Click here to purchase tickets online.

Thanks to all of you who came to Zoosical last weekend!  We had a great time and hope you did too.

Zoosical

I'll be performing in the Music Academy's presentation of Zoosical! A Children's Concert this weekend.  It's a family-friendly concert aimed at young children, so this would be a particularly good event for those of you with very young children.  Dress as your favorite animal and bring a blanket to sit on - tickets are $5 each.

Friday Students:  Since the first performance is this Friday, Sept 21st, I have had to reschedule many of your lessons.  I have contacted everyone affected by this, but if you'd like a reminder or confirmation of your lesson time just send me an email.

Lesson Swap Schedule

Parents and students:

I have not yet published the Lesson Swap schedule for Fall 2012, but I plan to this week.  If you would like to include your information and see others' contact information in the event that you could benefit from trading lesson times please let me know as soon as possible.  If you have questions about the swap schedule please let me know, but if I don't hear from you I will assume you'd rather not participate.  Hope you all are having a great weekend!

Susannah

The updated fall calendar has been posted! Check under 'calendar' tab.

Music Mythbusters

To all aspiring adult music students:

So you are currently taking lessons or interested in studying music, but there are too many things getting in your way?  Here's some music mythbusting for you.


I wish I could take lessons/music class, but...

....I'm just not musical (I had lessons when I was a kid and couldn't do it)

Everyone is musical: humans are just made that way.  If you think you aren’t musical, it’s much more likely that you had a less-than-positive experience with it as a child.  Music is personal and tends to bring out our (often carefully tucked away) expressive, emotional side.  That makes us feel particularly vulnerable and, in the wrong hands, easy to permanently discourage.  Even in the best setting music study is not all sunshine and rainbows – more often than not it is hard work - but telling anyone (child or adult) that they are incapable of musicality is simply inexcusable.

...I don't have the time

Effective, daily practice of 20 minutes is far more effective than several hours of unstructured practice once a week.

Did you hear that? 20 minutes.  That’s about the same amount of time that you spend watching commercials during an hour of television.

Now, I’m sure you already have many important commitments throughout the day that demand your attention, leaving little time to anything else. If this is the case, you will already know the importance of time management and if you are truly dedicated to learning an instrument, you will already be thinking of how to maximize your schedule in order to make the necessary progress. You will also appreciate how every moment spent learning your instrument is an important investment that will pay you back over many years to come.

....I don't know if I want private lessons, but I hear you'll make slower progress in a group

It is often wrongly assumed that private lessons are the "best" way to learn an instrument and that group lessons are somehow a "watered down" version of this. This is not the case for a number of reasons.

It should be understood that one on one lessons are indeed a very good method of learning but this does not mean they are better.  Group lessons have many benefits that private lessons just cannot replicate. Private lessons can be very useful in terms of individual attention and having personalized educational experience.  However, group lessons are an extremely powerful tool because music is very much like a language in that it is also a method of communication between human beings. If you are learning a language, a great way to learn is by total immersion in that language and culture. By visiting that country and speaking to as many different people as possible you will learn on a deeper level and far more quickly. Similarly, if you are learning an instrument, it is within your best interest to play with as many different musicians, whether at your own or differing levels. If you are lucky enough to begin your musical journey in a group, you will never feel daunted by playing with others. Your appreciation of rhythm will be learnt on a deeper level. You are also likely to learn a lot from your peers who will ask questions that you might not have considered and you will also feel empowered by a community of likeminded people. You will also learn how players of differing levels can communicate musically and that this is a very useful skill to master.

(Have I convinced you yet? Let me know if you are interested in starting an adult beginners class with your friends. Or maybe you should just keep reading.)

...It's too late for me; you need to start when you're a young child

It’s just not true.  There is no "right age" for when you should start. (In fact, the only prerequisite is that the desire is present.) Sure, if you wanted to become a world class, virtuoso classical musician, it would be very difficult if you hadn't started early. Of course, one of the most satisfying facets of learning an instrument is the potential for continual growth and you will be amazed by the results that you will be able to achieve with continued, dedicated study. There is an abundance of music to enjoy, the only limitations being your imagination and dedication. Which brings us on to....

...I'm tone deaf

I bet you aren’t.  No, really.  

Can you tell the difference between a bird call and a car horn?  Congratulations! You aren't tone deaf.

How about this: Can you express yourself by the way you say something vs. the words you use?  Can you hear emotion in someone else’s voice?  With slight changes in inflection we can alter simple statements to mean many different things.  (Imagine a parent talking to their teenager: “You’re wearing THAT to school?”  Technically it’s not a question, but the meaning is clear.)  Part of our human musicality is the ability to express ourselves through tonal variation.

In other words, you aren’t tone deaf.

...I've got no rhythm

A few questions: can you walk, breathe evenly, and does your heart beat on a regular basis?  If you answered yes to any one of these then you’ve got potential.  Remember when I said all humans are musical? This is part of that.  Rhythm can be taught, practiced, and improved.

I am extremely keen for my students to have good rhythm (it is after all one of the most important things in music) and have developed many useful exercises that are hugely successful in nurturing rhythmic ability.

...will it really make me (my child) smarter (i.e. The Mozart Effect)?

Okay. Mozart was an amazing composer, and listening to his music is fantastic and enriching.  But listening to Mozart will make you good at listening to Mozart (or potentially tuning him out).  In the same way, studying music will make you (your child) improve at music.  Stay in school! Piano lessons alone are unlikely to raise anyone’s AP test scores.

Here’s the good news: studying music does develop lots of skills we use in other areas.  The physical aspect of playing an instrument or singing requires coordination and spatial awareness.  Performing music with and in front of others helps with emotional development and social skills.  Music requires attention over time and focus on detail and precision.  Learning the language of aural and written music parallels the kind of skills children use when learning to read.  Presumably you study music because you find some satisfaction in it, and happy people are more receptive to learning new things.  The list goes on- you get the idea.  Many activities (sports, hobbies) have side benefits, but few (none? I can’t think of any) cover as many areas as music.  (But for some reason nobody ever brings one of those huge foam fingers to our concerts…)

Bottom line: Music won’t make you smarter, but it will help you to develop skills in many, many areas.  Also you might just have fun.

Practice Olympics Results are in!!

Practice Olympics Results: 

Winning Team:

Purple Team wins Gold, with 6,207 minutes this summer.  That's more than 103 hours, or 4.3 solid days of practice! Great job!

Individual Awards for Overall Best Practicers:

Gold: 

Arwen H.- 2,240 min. (student of Christy Wisuthseriwong)

Silver: 

Eric W.- 1,635 min. (student of Christy Wisuthseriwong)

Bronze: 

Rachel C.- 1,390 min. (student of Janice Wells & Susannah Steele)

Individual Awards by Team:

Red: Krish S.- 985 min. (student of Samee Griffith)

Blue: Natalie J.- 1,126 min. (student of Samee Griffith)

Green: Tate O.- 1,305 min. (student of Ben Blozan)

Yellow: Eric W.- 1,635 min. (student of Christy Wisuthseriwong)

Purple: Arwen H.- 2,240 min. (student of Christy Wisuthseriwong)

Congratulations to all our Practice Olympians!  Together you recorded 30,573 minutes this summer!!

(Click on 'Practice Olympics' tab for top Olympians by studio)

Practice Olympics: Updated Aug 18, 2012

Purple is in the lead once again, with 5,124 minutes. Only one more week until closing ceremonies  - - keep practicing!

Practice Olympics: Updated August 8

Yellow has pulled ahead!

2012 Practice Olympics: August 5

Check out the latest results of the 2012 Piano Practice Olympics!  Purple team is leading the pack, but yellow and green are not far behind. Keep practicing!

fall letter to families

August 5, 2012

Hello MANC Families,

I hope you all have had a great summer!  Can you believe it’s almost time for fall? Please carefully read the following e-mail and attachment for important information about the upcoming term at MANC.

Schedule:

It is time to set up the schedule for lessons, and I have included a copy of the fall schedule as it stands now.  Please respond with the following information by Monday, August 13:

For summer students:

Will you be continuing in the fall?  If so, would you like to keep your current lesson time?  If you would like to change your lesson day or time please list at least 3 times slots you have available in order of your preference.  

For returning spring/fall students:

Please list at least 3 time slots you have available for lesson times in order of your preference.  I will do my best to accommodate your requests.  Summer students will have priority in keeping their current lesson time.

For all students:

Please let me know if you’d like to adjust the regular length of lessons.  I recommend 45 minute or hour lessons for all advancing intermediate students.

Are there any special considerations you would like me to take into account in determining the fall schedule?  

I’d like to include a copy of the lesson schedule (with first names only) on the studio website (slspiano@blogspot.com).  If for any reason you do NOT want you/your child’s name to be listed on the site, please let me know by August 13th.

	Fall 2012
	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
3:00					***
3:30			***
4:00			***
4:30	***		***
5:00	***	***	***	*Gate City
5:30		***	***	Early
6:00	***	***		Childhood
6:30		***		Classes*
7:00	*MusicTheory			***
7:30	MANC class*
8:00

*Yellow areas represent times currently available for lessons.  If the student is interested in lessons at other times (i.e. morning, early afternoon) please let me know and I’ll do my best to accommodate your request.  

Registration:

In the next few weeks you will be receiving registration information by mail and email.  Please complete and return your registration as soon as possible so that we can get off to a great start this fall.

Syllabus:

Please read the updated studio syllabus, which can be found at

www.slspiano.blogspot.com/p/practicing.html

New this year:

As many of you know, I have created a website devoted to our piano studio which includes important dates, information, news, etc.  I’d also like to recognize the many achievements of my students throughout the year, even those non-music related.  In addition to being musicians, I’m happy that so many students also excel in school, athletics, theatre, and other areas, and I’d like to include their accomplishments on this site as well.  

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns via email or phone.  I've had a great summer with many of you, and I'm looking forward to continuing into a successful year of music-making!

Susannah 

Important Dates for Fall 2012:

August 26                        1^st day of fall term

September 3                        Labor Day (no lessons: studios and offices closed)

October 26                        Fall Studio Recital*

November 17                        4th Annual Fall Piano Festival**

November 21-25            Thanksgiving Break (no lessons)

December 23-Jan 1            Winter Break (no lessons)

January 2                        Lessons resume

January 20                        First day of Spring Term

*All of my students will have the opportunity to perform on the Fall Studio Recital in October.  (Halloween costumes are encouraged!)

** All students are automatically enrolled for the comments-only portion of the festival.  More information will be provided as the festival approaches.

Student Showcase Recitals:

Students will be invited to perform at the discretion of the instructor, and are encouraged to perform on at least one Showcase recital per term.

September 16                                    Student Showcase Recital

October 14                                    Student Showcase Recital

October 30                                    Adult Student Recital and Reception

November 18                                    Student Showcase Recital

December 9                                    Student Showcase Recital

You are all invited to attend the Faculty Showcase recital on Friday, September 30.  Many of the instructors at the Academy and I will be performing that evening to help raise funds for student scholarships.

Practice Olympics Update: July 24

# minutes of practice/team

Practice Olympics: July 11

Here are the Practice Olympics results as of July 11th.  Looks like we are off to a good start!