Summer Recital - June 12, 2009

Click here for the complete set of pictures from the last recital!

For the video of Jimena, Natalie, Max, Olivia, Whitney, Will, Bradley and Erica, click here.
For the video of Gabriella, Athena, Graham, and Anne-Marie, click here.
For the video of Hong, Sophia, Eddie, Diego, Ayla, Sean and Kayleigh, click here.
For the video of Katie, Sylvia, Antonio, Fiona, Declan, Anna and Ryan, click here.
For the video of Elliot, Fiamma, Criss and Jeremy, click here.
For the video of Mary, Amber, Mason and Ms. Aubrey, click here.

Have a great summer - I’ll see you all after Labor Day!

Suzuki Summer Institute

One of the best educational tools the Suzuki community provides is the summer institute. This is an opportunity for your child to have fun in a musical environment that celebrates family, shared learning and music!

I love it when my students attend institutes because the circumstances provide an environment where much can be gotten out of the student to advance his musical education, commitment and enjoyment.

I have always gone to the Chicago Suzuki Institute in Deerfield, but there are several others around the country. Many families choose to make the week into a vacation to explore a new area. The institutes all provide housing, food and activities.

For a list of all institutes, click here. So far this year, I have students attending the Blue Lake Institute, the Chicago Institute, the Stevens Point Institute and the Colorado Institute.

If you wish to talk to other parents who have participated in an institute, let me know! I strongly encourage it this summer!

Sherwood Recital, November 2008

In case any of you were waiting, here are links to the recital in November.

For Sophia, Michael, Anna, Natalie, Whitney, Diego, Gabriella, Erica, and Max, click here.

For Declan, Jimena, Hong, Will, Fiona, Jeremy, and Olivia, click here.

For Sylvia, Mason, Fiamma, and Mary, click here.

For Elliot and Ms. Aubrey, click here.

Enjoy! I’m sorry it took so long! Enjoy! If you would like, I can e-mail your child’s performance to you as well. Let me know!

Parent Lesson Week!

Parents! Now is your time to shine! Or at least to get a good handle on what your child is learning. The week of March 23rd is going to be Parent Lesson Week. I will be working with YOU on helping your child practice at home, music reading, and proper technique. If there is something else that you wish to work on or a piece you would like to prepare for me, let me know!

I look forward to hearing everyone play!

PianoFest 2009

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and that all my students had an opportunity or two to show off a bit and entertain their family at the piano over break.

On Sunday, March 22nd, Sherwood Conservatory will be hosting an event for pianists that is a great opportunity for performance and for receiving positive and very helpful feedback from a panel of experienced judges.

Students perform a short program before a panel of two judges, and receive written evaluations of their performances, without the stress ad pressure of a competition.

To enroll your child to participate, please discuss with ME over the next two weeks repertoire selection and have a check for $25, written to Sherwood to me by January 17th.

I look forward to everyone having something exciting to work towards during these winter months!

Suzuki Piano Volume 2

For those of you trying to track down the New International Edition of Suzuki Piano Volume 2, you can get them here.

I recommend getting the book and the CD together. This new edition has a clearer format, editing more true to what is played, and includes romantic and 20th century music as well as the baroque and classical we are used to hearing in the Suzuki repertoire.

I’m very excited about teaching from the new books!

Getting Recital Ready....

When a student has a recital approaching, it is always an exciting time. We want our children to be successful and we want them to work hard. This is the perfect opportunity to practice both of those things.

We will choose a recital piece six weeks in advance of the recital date. This piece is one that will be READY at that time. That way, there are only minor things to tweak and your child can get more and more comfortable playing this piece - in his head, in front of family and friends, and weekly in lesson.

If your child is in a group class with me, we will practice the entire recital routine - including being a good audience, having poise on stage, and performance techniques that will make the recital a success.

At home, a week before the recital, you should have your child “perform” his recital repertoire every day for you. This includes walking nicely, taking a bow, putting his hands in his lap, hearing the first line of the music in his head, playing, again putting his hands in his lap, and taking that very nice bow at the end.

Recitals should be seen as a fun and exciting celebration of everything that your child has been working on at home and in lesson. If your child (typically the older child) experiences nervousness, let me know - it is something we can work on!