Congratulations to all those who performed for Piano Guild Auditions today! They have all earned a years membership in the National Fraternity of Student Musicians. For more details visit our website.
Please check out this week’s Free Press for photos and an article for your scrapbook.
Today, Robert M. Sides hosted their second Celebration Recital. Eight local music instructors participated. There was a mixture of instrumental as well as vocal performances, including duets and trios. Our studio had eight soloist and five ensemble performances, including a brother/sister duo, two sisters in a piano/violin solo, and even a piano trio, which ended the 3:00 p.m. show! Everyone did a fantastic job!
Click here for a list of our pieces and performers.
GOOD NEWS: There will be TWO performance opportunities at the mall this summer: June 21 and August 23. I will be asking around soon for those interested in either performance. Summer students: Mark your calendars now! 🙂
Please RSVP if you plan to attend any of the upcoming makeup classes. It helps with lesson planning and would be invaluable if there is a sudden change to a class day or time. Thanks!!
Reminders from our policy page:
It is our policy to close the studio four weeks during the year, with notice, and these closings are not paid for by the student and will not be rescheduled or made up. Make-up Classes may be scheduled occasionally due to inclement weather and/or upcoming events. Any student may attend. These group lessons will be one hour in length and will be spent working together on theory, rhythm skills, ensemble playing, as well as performance training. Other topics will be covered, depending on the needs of the group as a whole.
First Rehearsal for the big day at RMSides next Saturday.
What is the student supposed to be doing while the teacher is speaking?
The first student* to email, text, call, or otherwise contact Audrey with the correct answer to the current “Studio Blog Challenge” will receive a free book or sheet from a selection of our current studio stock. (Winner must explain the meaning. Bonus Sheet for the student who names three of the musical symbols in the student part.)
*must be currently enrolled in lessons the month of the challenge
Elise was our sole participant in the Piano Showcase Competition, hosted by Robert M Sides at the Arnot Mall. She played Ecossaise in G for her required piece and Sailing by Moonlight for her chosen piece. Elly earned a medal for an excellent performance!
What is the name of the device shown in the bottom left?
The first student* to email, text, call, or otherwise contact Audrey with the correct answer to the current “Studio Blog Challenge” will receive a free book or sheet from a selection of our current studio stock. (Winner must provide the name of the device. Bonus Sheet for the student who describes what the device does and how it helps while practicing – be thorough with your description!)
*must be currently enrolled in lessons the month of the challenge
What are the names of the two keys the intruder is sitting on?
The first student* to email, text, call, or otherwise contact Audrey with the correct answer to the current “Studio Blog Challenge” will receive a free book or sheet from a selection of our current studio stock.
*must be currently enrolled in lessons the month of the challenge
Congratulations to Freddy! He has won the first three of our Six Studio Challenges! Please remember that the winner, as well as other additional information about the challenge is posted in the comment section of each individual challenge. Students are encouraged to post comments on our blog as well. Don’t be shy! 🙂
Yesterday’s challenge involves Key Signatures, so I wanted to give a quick lesson about how to identify them easily.
FUN FACTS:
For sharps – the Key is one letter up from the last sharp. In our example, the sharps are F, C, G (in that order) – since the last sharp is G – the key is one letter up – the Key of A
For flats – the Key is the second to last flat. So let’s say our Key Signature has three flats – B, E, A (in that order). The second to the last flat is E flat, so our Key Signature would be Eb (E-flat). The exception is the Key of F, which just one flat, B.
For minor keys – Once you know the Major Key, it’s easy to figure out the Minor Key. Simply go down three half-steps from the Major Key. In our example, A – down three half steps (G#, G, F#) – our Minor Key is F#Minor.
I would like to thank all the students for their participation. Hopefully more will join us in the coming three weeks. There will be three more challenges posted before the end of March – no more than one per week. Have fun!!
