February 2020 Studio Newsletter

Without Music, Life would Bb! 😂😍

BRRRRRRRR! What a month January was! From -50 to -2 in a week….so confusing! Well, cheers to all you parents who braved the cold to bring your kids to school, appointments, and piano lessons! YOU are a ROCK STAR!

Save the Date!!! My annual Piano Party will be held on Saturday, May 23, 2020, from 10:30-12:00pm. More information to follow but this will be a student only event!

Practice Kits SO excited to roll these out! I’ve been following Nicola Cantan for years now (“Colourful Keys” blog) and her kit provided me with many resources for mine! I plan to use the month to introduce the various activities and games in the kit (some of which I already use in studio), so my students are familiar with them. I encourage you to let your child(ren) “teach” you about the parts of the kit as you, in turn, encourage them to use the activities during the week! Sometimes practicing can be come dull and monotonous so hopefully this will add some “spice” to those dreary days!

This past month in the studio:

“Christmas Colouring Challenge” prizes to be awarded!

Goal Setting

Review from Dec.

Interval Training

“Half Pipe” Improv

Games:“Just Chillin’”, “Treble Trouble”, “Dynamic Dash”

Winter themed theory practice.

More to come in February….

Practice Kits! SO excited to roll these out!

Valentines day themed theory activities and music games.

Composing and Improv opportunities

Aural Skills - 4ths and 5ths

SIDE NOTE 🎶

Music brings us together!

It warmed my heart so much to have this moment of sibling bonding….I was treated to a demo of how this big sister helped her brother learn a tricky part in his new Star Wars piece. I LOVE how both ability and confidence have been growing lately for these two!

APP Highlight: “Simply Piano” by JoyTunes (Apple only 😣) For beginner to advanced. Works with any piano or keyboard. Chosen as one of the best iPhone apps! With the option of multiple profiles, each family member can learn at their own pace, discover the songs they love and set individual learning goals. My students were very excited to try this for the last few minutes of their lesson over the past two weeks - they didn’t even want to leave!

Practice Tip of the Month: Be Consistent With Fingering!

As soon as you start learning a new piece, find the best fingering that works for you stick with it. One of the most unproductive ways to practice is to practice something differently each time! When you ignore the proper fingering and you spend valuable time practicing your music incorrectly, you’ll just have to spend more time going back and learning it the correct way! It may take more patience from the start, but take it slow and be wary of the fingering from the start! ;) (adapted from: https://www.musicnotes.com/now/tips/10-piano-practice-tips/)

My studio is growing by leaps and bounds! Thank you to all of you for your continued support and references!

- Andrea Elzinga