Allegretto 2 Endings

A group class activity helps students recognize the differences in the endings in Allegretto 2 and is a good introduction to form.

Back to School, Graduations, and the Summer Contest!

August Updates! Reminder - No Lessons August 20 through September 3. Summer break! Lessons resume after Labor Day.  Sherwood Registration: Please register for 15 of the 16 fall term lessons. Lesson Time Details to follow. I do have openings at FaithSlaker Music in Noble Square and at the Music Institute of Chicago in Evanston. I like to give preference to current families and friends, so let me know if you have anyone in mind that is looking for lessons! No Lessons September 7 - 9. I am participating in a Suzuki training course those days. A preview of Whitney's Senior Graduation Recital! Here she is playing some Hindemith this Summer! As many of you know, I am working on becoming a Certified Suzuki Piano Teacher trainer for North, Central, and South America. This is an enormous undertaking, and I'm hoping to make a bulk of the progress on the application this term. I am getting really close to having the application portfolio together and really appreciate your help with this. I'd like to thank the following families for their patience as I worked through the lesson-video process of this project: Declan's Family, Kabir's Family, the Amy's Family, Orson's Family, and the students in my Book 1 Suzuki group class! I hope to submit the entire portfolio by the end of September! Graham's Final Performance as a pre-college member of our piano community! In a small family gathering - August 2018. SUMMER CONTEST! Hello all PianoKids! You've worked hard all year and I'm so proud of all of you! I'd like to propose a contest for the remainder of the summer: send me a video by 8pm on Labor Day (Monday, September 3) of you playing your instrument in a creative, unusual, or impressive way. You may learn something entirely new, show us a new way of playing something old, incorporate technology or other instruments or even other skills that you have! Judges will determine the winner based on everyone's current level. The winner gets one free lesson to work on WHATEVER they want at the piano, plus their choice of where they fall in the order of the next recital. Have fun with it! I look forward to seeing everyone's submissions! September 1: Tuition Due September 3: Summer Contest Videos Due! September 6: Whitney's Senior Graduation Recital, Sherwood Recital Hall, 7:00pm September 7: Lyric Opera at Millennium Park September 12: Baroque in the Park September 20: Popular Classical Music by the CSO November 22 - 25: No Lessons, Thanksgiving Break! December 1: Britten's Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra (I'm super excited about this one!) at Symphony Center

Summer Updates 2018! ET with a Live Orchestra!

Summer Updates! Reminder - No Lessons August 20 through September 3. Summer break! Lessons resume after Labor Day. Fall Registration and Scheduling: Please fill out a form (below) by August 1st to share what your fall plans are so I can put together the fall schedule. SHERWOOD: I will be cutting back in my teaching hours at Sherwood starting September 1st. I will only be available two days a week.  There will be a slight increase in tuition fees at FaithSlaker Music this year. See my website for further details. I will be adding a day of teaching in Evanston through the Music Institute of Chicago starting September 7th. Congratulations all performers at the June 2018 Recital! With 88 keys and hundreds of internal strings, a standard piano produces a slew of unique sounds and tones. And mastering that complex system doesn’t only result in beautiful music — a new study says it can also help kids build up their language skills. See article. As many of you know, I am working on becoming a Certified Suzuki Piano Teacher trainer for North, Central, and South America. This is an enormous undertaking, and I'm hoping to make a bulk of the progress on the application this term. I am getting really close to having the application portfolio together and really appreciate your help with this. I'm still needing a couple of lesson videos and performance videos and if, for any reason, you do NOT want your child on video (this is used for educational purposes only), please let me know! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask! July 23: Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue at Ravinia, CSO August 1: E.T., live with full orchestra at Ravinia August 2: Raiders of the Lost Arc with full orchestra at Ravinia September 7: Lyric Opera at Millennium Park FaithSlaker Music Fall Registration Form HERE Sherwood Fall Scheduling Request Form HERE