Winter Quarter, 2020/2021

 

"The true beauty of music is that it connects people."  – Roy Ayers November 23, 2020 Dear Students and Parents of Students, Can you believe it is Thanksgiving week?!  It is definitely going to be a different season this year, but there is so much that we can still accomplish and so much music that we can still enjoy! If you are interested in contributing, I am offering scholarship aid for dedicated students who are having difficulty continuing in lessons due to the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. Contact me for more information if you're able to donate! - Aubrey   Winter Lesson Procedures: Since the Coronavirus developments in Chicago are constantly changing, I'm going to be closely monitoring what the Mayor and Governor advise and following their guidelines.  For now, all lessons are ONLINE. I use Skype, Facetime or Zoom for lessons. Each family has a different preference and let's use what works best! Please make sure you're near your router, there is no other streaming happening at the same time, and if possible, that you're plugged into the ethernet! (This is not possible with Facetime.) Please make sure you have all necessary materials ready, that your ipad or computer is placed far enough away from the piano that there is no feedback, that your surrounding environment is as quiet as possible, and that I can see both the student and the parent (if applicable) on screen! Group Classes will continue on Marco Polo weekly, with an online check-in once a month. Don't miss those--they're fun! If you plan on leaving Chicago during this time with a keyboard, please remember your accessories so that lessons can continue easily! RECENT PICTURES Congratulations to Amy and Viviene on graduating from Suzuki Piano Book 1! Also, Halloween was a blast this year--here are some amazing characters playing the piano! (Click through for performances from Amy, Viviene, and Anthony!) IMPORTANT ITEMS OF NOTE Our Annual Winter Studio Recital is December 11th at 6:30pm. Videos are due by the 1st of December. Details about streaming or our Zoom meeting are forthcoming. Please make this a special occasion by having a tasty snack of some sort while watching! I think my tasty treat is going to be a margarita. ;) I will be subscribing to the acapella app through the winter quarter, so if you're interested in doing some distance-ensemble work, let me know so we can make it happen! We're planning a movie-music recital for early March. Music from the movies should be a fun winter project! You will get a separate email with the group class schedule for the winter quarter. The Twinklers have been working on beat, rhythm and melody! The Book 1 kids are learning how to read music! And the Book 2 kids are mastering the Baroque period! Stay tuned for a couple of Book 1 recitals coming up! And lastly, do you have any items to donate? Adjustable benches, Suzuki Piano CDs, parenting/pedagogical books, etc? Let me know and I'll get them passed on to someone who needs them!   Upcoming Dates (see website for regularly updated information) Nov 24        Lessons By Appointment Only Nov 25        Thanksgiving Break (Lessons Resume December 1) Dec 1          Recital Videos Due Dec 11        Winter Studio Recital, 6:30pm, Online! Dec 15        Sonata/Sonatina Fest Registration Dec 21/22    Lessons by Appointment Only Dec 23        Winter Break (Lessons Resume January 5) Jan 15/16    No Lessons. I’m teaching a Workshop that weekend. Feb 9          Royal Conservatory Registration Deadline Feb 14        Gold Medal Recital for Sonatina Festival Feb 16-20    No Lessons! FaithSlaker Music, since 2008 FaithSlakerMusic@gmail.com 847/800-3502 Hours: M-Sat 9am - 9pm

Back to School, 2020!

 COVID update: Lessons are in-person on alternating weeks!

Fall Procedures.

The Summer Studio Recital can still be seen on Facebook!

LATEST VIDEOS

Eli, Dayton, Anthony and Orson play Allegro together!

Can you guess what this piece is???

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LATEST PICTURES

Amy, playing for her Royal Conservatory Assessment

Sep 11, 2020

Felix, learning Happy Birthday for his grandmother!

Sep 11, 2020

Orson, working on transposing pentascales!

Sep 11, 2020

Annie, trying to keep track of her ready position!

Sep 11, 2020

Fall Lessons Begin Online! 2020

 

"If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude." –Colin Powell August 7, 2020 Dear Students and Parents of Students, I'm so glad to have you as a part of my studio and I'm proud of you for the work you've done during these odd and difficult times! I'm seeing some wonderful progress and I hope you're feeling and enjoying that progress at home! In this newsletter is information on fall scheduling, COVID procedures and important upcoming dates. Please note: Fall Schedule requests and deposits are due August 15! For details, see below. Also, I am working on opening up scholarship aid for dedicated students who are having difficulty continuing in lessons due to the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. Contact me for more information if you're able to donate! - Aubrey   Congratulations Everyone!!!! Fall Schedule Information: Since the Coronavirus developments in Chicago are constantly changing, I'm going to be closely monitoring what the Mayor and Governor advise and following their guidelines. See below for policies and procedures. I am currently offering Fall Lessons Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday to start. I do not know what my college teaching load will look like yet, but once I do I might be adding Fridays as well. Please register here: Fall Registration and Scheduling Form (MIC students indicate your scheduling preferences here instead.) We will all need to have a bit of flexibility going forward with lessons. I think it is going to be some time before we're ALL back in person. Depending on the schedule and interest, we may do in-person lessons alternating weeks, so that families are not coming into close contact with each other in my home. For now, there are no lessons at the Fine Arts Building. All lessons are in my home studio. Lesson/holiday/event dates are all updated on my website! I appreciate how we've all been working together to make sure to reduce any possibilities of exposure as we navigate through this pandemic. Let's please continue to be upfront about the contact we have for the safety of everyone in the studio! REVIEW OF STUDIO PROCEDURES DURING PANDEMIC ITEMS OF NOTE Zoom Mini Recitals will continue! Dates to follow on the website. Please follow FaithSlaker Music on Facebook, or join our private studio page here to see performances. Graduation Recitals will continue at PianoForte with a limited audience and online streaming. Group Classes will begin in September (see website) and will be held via Marco Polo. These classes will cover all reading/theory/history/musicianship aspects of music study. Has everyone received their magnetic staff board? Anybody in Suzuki Book 1A, 1B or 2 Group classes should purchase one (the red one) so we can do some great note reading activities with them! Let me know if you have any questions! Stay tuned for Viviene's Book 1 Graduation Recital!   Upcoming Dates (see website for more) Sept 8.      Fall Lessons Begin! Oct 13.      Royal Conservatory Assessment Registration Deadline Nov 25.      Thanksgiving Holiday (Lessons Resume Dec 1) Nov/Dec.   Royal Conservatory Assessments Dec 15.     Sonatina Fest Registration Deadline Dec ??       Studio Recital TBD Feb 7.        Sonatina Festival - Video recorded performances

Reopening Procedures!

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My piano is lonely and misses everyone playing beautiful music on it! Dear Pianists, While I'm continually monitoring the virus situation in Chicago, I think it should be safe, based on best practices being recommended by scientific experts, to consider coming back to in-person lessons in a limited way. I'm announcing a tentative opening of Tuesday, May 26th to those who are interested. Please read the following policy announcement carefully regarding keeping safe distances, enhanced sanitizing protocols, lesson procedures, and online options! Let's stay in touch, respect everyone's concern for safety, and work together to keep music nourishing us! Please respond to me with how you'd like to proceed for next week! - Aubrey

ENSURING SAFE DISTANCES One student will be permitted in the studio at a time.  At this time, I will refrain from hands-on adjustments and will rely on verbal instruction to address technique and coordination. Plan to arrive on time and wait outside. I will accompany each student in so there is no needless touching of lockboxes, doorknobs, etc. Lessons will end five minutes early to allow for thorough cleaning between students as well as social distancing in the hallway. Masks must be worn in the hallway and upon entering the studio. If we are able to keep proper distancing during lessons, masks may be removed. ENHANCED SANITIZING PROTOCOLS High-touch surfaces of studio, bathroom, and hallway will be thoroughly disinfected between each student. Hand sanitizing stations will be available outside the studio and near the piano. Masks will be worn while students enter and leave the studio. Masks will be worn or on hand during lessons. An air purifier will be running and windows will be open during lessons. Students will wash hands before each lesson, using paper towels (not cloth towels). LESSON PROCEDURES Please arrive on time and wait outside. I will come get your child at his/her lesson time. The front door will be locked, and the lockbox will not be available for use. This is to protect everyone taking lessons and maintain safe distances. Parents, siblings, and other observers will not be permitted during lessons. Older students will take their own notes, and I will e-mail you the notes for younger students. If you're available, we can set up FaceTime or Skype during the lesson so you may observe. Students will bring their materials, notebook, and a pencil and eraser. We will not be sharing objects. All families will need to sign a new waiver. I will send a separate email with the new waiver, which you must return before lesson. ONLINE LEARNING CONTINUES! I understand and respect that not everyone feels comfortable coming to lessons yet. Additionally, I appreciate those that haven't been able to maintain quarantine, have traveled outside the state, or have been exposed staying home to keep the rest of us safe. The good news is that I will continue offering distance learning to those who prefer to continue that way for the time being. This is flexible and we will go with everyone's comfort level for lessons. Group classes will continue to operate over Marco Polo through June.  FaithSlaker Music, Chicago, Illinois www.faithslakermusic.com Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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Winter-Going-On-Summer Updates! 2020

"Overnight successes are generally years in the making. And most progress is made in isolation, far from the public eye." –Andrew Yang

Dear Students and Parents of Students, I'm so proud of you for the work you've done in the past seven weeks of online lessons! I'm seeing some wonderful progress and I can't wait for you to all show it off in person! In this newsletter, I want to talk to you a bit about how we'll reintroduce in-person lessons and when that may happen. I also want to discuss options that make online learning a bit easier, some mental health ideas, and announce some exciting events! Please note that I'm currently considering opening my studio up for in-person lessons on May 26th (see below) as long as everyone feels safe. I will be teaching eleven weeks during the summer session (10 weeks for MIC students), which begins June 1st. Please let me know if you have any travel planned (assuming the world reopens sometime soon!). I hope everyone is doing well this week. Summer MUST be right around the corner! Right??? - Aubrey

Studio Opening Policies: Since live-school is canceled for the rest of the year, I'm going to be closely monitoring what the Mayor and Governor advise. However, I'm proposing going back to in-person lessons starting May 26th with the following conditions: Lessons will be drop-off only for all students that are capable of taking a lesson without a parent.  Only one child and one parent will be admitted at a time. Lessons will end a few minutes early to provide time for cleaning of: piano keys, doorknobs, faucets and handles, stair banisters, piano bench and observer chair. I might have to do my Saturday lessons at home until the Fine Arts Building is open again to the general public. I will provide hand sanitizer at the door and at the piano. I will provide paper towels instead of cloth towels in the bathroom. Masks must be worn and/or available for use for everyone's comfort. In order for everyone to feel comfortable, since many of us have high-risk family members we are trying to protect, this is only an option if the following conditions are met: Families have been observing the "stay at home" order. There has been no travel outside the state. Nobody is sick in the household. Nobody in the household has been in contact with the general public. Virtual lessons will remain an option for those that want them. And if anyone is showing any signs of sickness, please take advantage of this option! We have to work together to keep everyone safe and I welcome your input to the above ideas as we move forward to being able to work together in person again!

Quarantine Piano Highlights

Click the image to be taken to Facebook to see Declan's Suzuki Book 4 Graduation recital! We streamed it live on Monday, May 4th at 7pm!

Vincent had a challenge for school that he shares with us here! Way to go!

Here's a fun video of me and Dayton playing Minuet 2 together. He's just learned the theme, and the sound quality isn't great, but it was momentous and we captured it, so I thought I'd share!

Annie did the Spring Break Quarantine Challenge beautifully! She is playing Honeybee along with my recorded duet. Excellent job!

ITEMS OF NOTE All Zoom Mini-Recitals and Full-Length graduation recitals will be streamed live on Facebook. Please follow FaithSlaker Music on Facebook, or join our private studio page here. Has anyone received their magnetic staff board yet? Anybody in Suzuki Book 1A, 1B or 2 Group classes should purchase one (the red one) so we can do some great note reading activities with them! Let me know if you have any questions! Anyone participating in the Royal Conservatory Assessments might want to try out their ear-training online! It is $5 for a month, which is really all you need as we approach the exams. I strongly recommend this! Stay tuned for Anthony's Book 1 Graduation Recital and Diego's Book 3 Graduation Recital! Next Mini-Recitals will be the week of May 18th. Let's choose recital pieces next week!

Musical Challenge Links:   For anyone who wants to participate in the quarantine challenge, the following are links to play along with. If you can listen on one device and play with me, you can record on another and send me the video! (That's why it's called a challenge!)   Black Note Improv: https://youtu.be/mFNFj2vdC2I White Note Improv:  https://youtu.be/a0l3trkHkGQ Honeybee Duet:  https://youtu.be/gg3clkkekdQ Go Tell Aunt Rhody Duet:  https://youtu.be/izzWses7zRs Little Playmates Duet: https://youtu.be/jtBIk5oyUgo Goodbye to Winter Duet:  https://youtu.be/a4z2oZRUbiU Clementi Op. 36, No. 1, Movement 3 Duet: https://youtu.be/EahbyDbjjRc