November 2021 Studio Newsletter

November winds are blowin….

…and the Christmas season is in the air! With the trick or treaters set to get their treats tomorrow, it will soon be time to start those Christmas songs (yes, already!), because…..

Our CHRISTMAS RECITAL will be online (ZOOM) on Saturday, December 11th at 10am-11am! Please add this to your calendars! Invites will be emailed out with a zoom link to the meeting - please invite friends and family to share in our holiday celebration online! I considered doing an in-person event but took my cues from many EIPS schools who have chosen to do videoed concerts again this season.

RECITALS are AWESOME! Whether this is a first recital or yet another stamp in your “recital passport”, performance nerves are real! See below for 12 REASONS WHY RECITALS ROCK despite the challenges of preparation.

There are NO lessons Nov. 9/10 due to November Break. Please consider this when sending payment if you pay monthly. Thank you!

Garage Studio - the weather is getting colder. I’ll try lessons this coming week in the garage and if we are too cold we will move to my in-home studio the week following. Thank you for dressing for the temperature. Please contact me if you have any questions or queries about lesson location.

Setting aside a regular practice time every day is essential to progress. October’s “PUMPKIN PRACTICE CHALLENGE!” will be due the first week of November. Piano students are asked to bring in their sheets this coming week and prizes will be awarded. Great job everyone!

This coming month in the studio:

• Composing (all levels)

• Chording using techniques from Tim Topham

• HOLIDAY SONGS!

• Aural Skill development!

• more Games!

OCTOBER Review

• **Pumpkin Practice Challenge!

• Fun Fall Music Theory worksheets in class

• GAMES!

• Aural Skill Practices

• Fall/Halloween pieces!

• (PENTA)SCALE KARATE with the Circle of Fifths
  

Thank you for supporting me and my studio and for supporting your students at home! Please take care this weekend and, as always, let me know if you have any questions. - Yours, Andrea Elzinga

12 REASONS WHY RECITALS ROCK!

1. Recitals provide a tangible goal to work towards. In having a set date and a pre-planned performance selection, your child learns how to manage their practice time and what it feels like to polish and perfect a piece.

2. Recitals provide an opportunity to feel successful. Learning the piano requires many, many hours of solo practice. Performing gives your child the recognition they deserve for their hard work.

3. Recitals provide an opportunity for you to show your child that you value their involvement in music. Setting aside time in your busy life to attend a recital supports your children and their peers and shows your child that your family values music.

4. Recitals provide a chance for your children (and you!) to reflect upon where they’ve “come from” when watching beginning students. Progress at the piano can sometimes feel slow, but watching younger students perform reminds your children of the gains they have made and motivates them to continue to progress.

5. Recitals provide a chance for your children (and you!) to see “where they’ll go” when watching more advanced students. There are few things more motivating to a piano student than watching their peers perform. They get to hear pieces that they will enjoy playing in the future, see more advanced techniques first-hand and experience the pride that comes from becoming proficient at the piano.

6. Recitals provide a chance for your extended family to be involved in your child’s piano education. Athletes get all the glory… everyone comes to watch soccer games but no one really heads over to watch a piano practice session! Involving grandparents and aunties and uncles in the recital audience gives your child an opportunity to share their hard work with the ones they love.

7. Recitals provide a chance for your child to experience nervousness… and to realize that those feelings are okay. We like to protect our children from feeling uncomfortable, but in “real life” these feelings are part-and-parcel of being human. Early experiences with successfully conquering nerves gives children confidence.

8. Recitals give you the opportunity to provide genuine and heartfelt praise. Bring on the photos and videos and big hugs and flushed-face smiles. Clap enthusiastically. Let your child know just how much you recognize their efforts and watch their commitment to piano lessons soar.

9. Recitals provide a chance for your child to practice public speaking and to gain confidence in front of a group; two skills that will serve your child well in many other areas of his or her life. Speaking and performing in a safe environment means that your child gains important experience in front of a crowd. The earlier these experiences happen, the easier it becomes for your child as they enter adolescence and adulthood.

10. Recitals provide an opportunity for your child to get to know his or her peers who are also taking lessons. Making these connections helps to build community within a studio and helps your child to feel as though he or she belongs which results in increased interest in lessons.

11. Recitals give your children the chance to hear live music. Young children rarely attend a lot of live concerts… and piano recitals are a wonderful place for your child to hear a wide variety of music. Nothing can replace the “live music experience” and when your child is an active participant in the event it’s even more rewarding!

12. Recitals provide an opportunity for you to sit back and marvel at the pride-inducing sight of your own child making beautiful music! Piano practice is often done amongst a busy household with siblings, pets, vacuums, dishwashers, and doorbells. It’s rare that you have the opportunity to focus only on your child and the music they are making. These moments matter.