Have you ever transferred a house plant to a bigger pot? At first, nothing seems to happen; it doesn't get bigger or even seem to add new leaves. Then the plant suddenly shoots up and out almost overnight. What happens is that the roots grow into their new home first and afterwards the plant proceeds to grow in proportion. This reminds me of humans. Though we are always growing, there are times when our growth is visible to others, and times when it's happening out of view. Though I've been quiet on the newsletter front, I can tell you that I have not been music-educationally inactive this last month! Sometimes, the roots just need to dig down for a while. :-)
That being said, this is your March/April Newsletter. It contains the following:
Progress Reports/Vacation
Recital News
Master Classes
PROGRESS REPORTS/VACATION
This week, April 7-11, marks the end of the "third quarter" at Katherine's School of Music! Only nine weeks of lessons until summer (not counting this week). Each student (except for my two new students!) will be receiving a progress report in lessons this week using the same form as last November. Parents, I want to take this opportunity to say thank you for all of your support at home. I can see it in every student who comes into the studio--I hope you're proud of your child's skills as I am!
Next week, April 14-18, is Albion's vacation week--that means vacation from lessons at Katherine's School as well!! Enjoy your time off :-)
RECITAL NEWS
I am hoping to have our end-of-year recital in late May/early June at Gotta Dance! Some families have already mentioned days that will not work (thank you!!), and I would also like to hear feedback concerning Saturday and Sunday afternoons in late May and early June: are any of these days possible for a recital? I will try to have the recital date solidified within two weeks from now so any comments or requests for dates/times should be communicated as soon as possible. I'm really looking forward to it!
MASTER CLASSES
At our last Master Class, we had performances by almost everyone in attendance and practiced sharing specific, positive feedback with each other. Afterwards, we had a listening/music history activity in which we learned how to tell approximately when a piece of music was probably composed by listening for various key aspects. Here's a copy of the "Time Table" we used to sort our music.
That being said, this is your March/April Newsletter. It contains the following:
Progress Reports/Vacation
Recital News
Master Classes
PROGRESS REPORTS/VACATION
This week, April 7-11, marks the end of the "third quarter" at Katherine's School of Music! Only nine weeks of lessons until summer (not counting this week). Each student (except for my two new students!) will be receiving a progress report in lessons this week using the same form as last November. Parents, I want to take this opportunity to say thank you for all of your support at home. I can see it in every student who comes into the studio--I hope you're proud of your child's skills as I am!
Next week, April 14-18, is Albion's vacation week--that means vacation from lessons at Katherine's School as well!! Enjoy your time off :-)
RECITAL NEWS
I am hoping to have our end-of-year recital in late May/early June at Gotta Dance! Some families have already mentioned days that will not work (thank you!!), and I would also like to hear feedback concerning Saturday and Sunday afternoons in late May and early June: are any of these days possible for a recital? I will try to have the recital date solidified within two weeks from now so any comments or requests for dates/times should be communicated as soon as possible. I'm really looking forward to it!
MASTER CLASSES
At our last Master Class, we had performances by almost everyone in attendance and practiced sharing specific, positive feedback with each other. Afterwards, we had a listening/music history activity in which we learned how to tell approximately when a piece of music was probably composed by listening for various key aspects. Here's a copy of the "Time Table" we used to sort our music.
Finally, we divided into teams and played a game in which we had to listen to a musical excerpt, discuss it with our team and try to accurately guess when it was written. I was extremely impressed with both teams! Even though the girls won, the boys did some pretty impressive sleuthing! If you weren't able to make it to the master class, you can try this on your own by turning to a classical radio station. Make your guess, listen for the composer to be announced, and if he or she is not listed on this chart, do a quick internet search. See how close you can get!
April is Jazz Appreciation Month--my favorite "themed" month of the year! This month's master class (on April 26th from 10am to noon) will be focused on Jazz. Some ideas I have for the class include: activities around Jazz form and improvising, a quick overview of Jazz history (with a focus on piano and flute) and of course Jazz listening or a Jazz video. It's going to be a lot of fun and very informative for all ages. :-)
April is Jazz Appreciation Month--my favorite "themed" month of the year! This month's master class (on April 26th from 10am to noon) will be focused on Jazz. Some ideas I have for the class include: activities around Jazz form and improvising, a quick overview of Jazz history (with a focus on piano and flute) and of course Jazz listening or a Jazz video. It's going to be a lot of fun and very informative for all ages. :-)