October 2021 Studio Newsletter
- aelzinga
- Oct 6, 2021
- 3 min read
Pumpkin spice and everything nice…
Happy October everyone! I hope you are enjoying the warm-ish weather we have been having, taking time to take a walk in those crunchy leaves!
MY GOAL is to grow a love for music in each of my students, to meet them at their interest/ability levels and to empower each student with problem solving skills and perseverance that will increase confidence to do anything in life! Thank you for trusting me to spend this time with you/your child(ren) every week!
GARAGE STUDIO UPDATE: Our outdoor lessons have been going great! The birds are singing to our tunes and the squirrels chatter to our drumming. Id like to keep my garage studio a-rollin’ for the next little bit, as long as temps will allow. Covid numbers are still not favourable (not sure what’s going to happen in the announcement today), and I’d like to remain “outside” if we can. I have added a propane heater that will keep us toasty toasty toasty! That said, please remember to dress to be outside with sweaters, warm footwear etc. I can’t WAIT until we can all come in to my studio but if we can hold off a tiny bit longer I think we will all benefit!
If anyone would like to switch to online lessons at any time, I totally understand and will accommodate. Also, if you have any questions or concerns ever, please don’t hesitate to ask!
I also want to thank you so much for being diligent with screening of your student(s) in the hours before they come to piano lessons. Thankfully it’s an easy switch to a virtual lesson or to reschedule for another time. And thank you for masking!
Fall blessings to you all!
Coming up this month:
**Pumpkin Practice Challenge
Fun Fall Music Theory worksheets in class
GAMES!
Aural Skills Practice
Fall/Halloween pieces!
(PENTA)SCALE KARATE with the Circle of Fifths
September Review
Intro lessons/review fun!
Games: Wunderkeys, pumpkin and leaves keyboard race
Fun Fall Music Theory
Review Scales/Triads
Lead Sheets
(PENTA)SCALE KARATE with the Circle of Fifths
“PUMPKIN PRACTICE CHALLENGE!”: Colour in 3 squares for every day of practice this month! Set a goal for yourself to pass. Prizes will be awarded to students who have shown diligence to practice this month! Due at the end of October.
Practicing: It’s time to set the stage for amazing practice habits now!!
WHAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PIANO PRACTICE
1. Your children will need help – Up until about age 11, children need hands-on help with home practice. And even though you yourself may not read music or play the piano, your assistance is still very much needed! Parental help can take the form of reading lesson notes, organizing practice time wisely, providing encouragement through difficult sections or situations, and seeking out answers for “I’m stuck on this” problems. By simply sitting with your child(ren) for the first 5 minutes of a practice session and using the Piano Parent Cheat Sheet (see other attachment), even “not-so-musical” piano parents can have a huge impact on their children’s musical success. Asking a young child to be in charge of something as important as piano practice is often asking too much. Your help at home will make a substantial difference in your children’s progress.
2. Your children need you to establish a routine – Piano practice that happens every single day is by far the most effective practice structure. 30 minutes 3x a week is just 90 minutes. 20 minutes 7 days a week is 140 minutes. The total difference is 43 hours of missed practice per year if your children are only at the piano three times a week!
Short, focused and regular visits to the piano help your children retain and understand what they are learning while making the most of generally short attention spans. If practice is enjoyable, rather than arduous, your children will naturally (and unknowingly!) increase the time they spend on the bench... eventually reaching that 30 minute mark.
Setting a regular time of day when piano practice happens “no matter what” will ensure a daily practice routine is easy for your children to maintain.
Joke of the Month: Q: What part of the turkey is musical? A: The drumstick!
Comments