October 2022 Studio Newsletter

Happy October and happy Thanksgiving! This past weekend we spent two nights camping at my sister and brother in law’s dairy farm. A new calf was born on Sunday and my children were allowed to name it! Julia (after her mom, Jewel). Things have settled a bit in the Elzinga household from the September craziness but I’m still keeping busy with piano lessons and my fall photography sessions!

MY GOAL as a piano teacher 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!

I also want to thank you so much for staying home if you feel unwell! Thankfully it’s an easy switch to a virtual lesson or to reschedule for another time.

Coming up this month:

• Weekly Bookmark Practice Challenge

• Fall Music Theory & Games

• Aural Skills Practice

• Fall/Halloween pieces!

• (PENTA)SCALE KARATE with the Circle of Fift

September Review

• Intro Lessons

• New Students!

• Pumpkin and Leaves keyboard race

• Review Scales/Triads

• Lead Sheets

• Scale Karate (circle of 5ths theory)

• (PENTA)SCALE KARATE with the Circle of Fifths

WELCOME NEW STUDENTS!!!

Starting new this year is Levi, Holly, Chloe, Sofia, Penny, Iris, Lewis and Jillian! What an AMAZING bunch!!! I’m so blessed to be able to grow my studio and grow with you all as we have fun making music together!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Gibson you rocked your Gr. 5 RCM Technique Exam!

PRACTICE BOOKMARKS

By now you have surely seen these come home! This is an optional activity but it’s intended to raise awareness of practice habit patterns and to in turn, develop good habits for the rest of the year! Fill in a circle for every day of practice (going through and playing all of the assigned work for the week). AIM FOR 4+ ! Participants will receive 1 small candy for 4 days, 2 candies for 5 days, 3 for 6 days, and a treasure chest item for 7 days. PARENTS PLEASE SIGN….to keep us all honest ;P October 30 is the final week for this initiative.

Fall blessings to you all!

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, pointing along as they play, 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.

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.

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.

https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2016/01/19/what-your-piano-parents-need-to-know-about-practice/

BITS AND PIECES

Payment:

• requested at or before the first lesson of each month for that month’s worth of lessons. Thank you!

• cash, cheque or e-transfer to elzingaja@gmail.com. A late charge of $5 will incur for each week the payment is late.

Cancellations:

• If you can’t make your lesson for any reason please call or text me! We can try to find a time to reschedule.

• I require at least 72 hours notice for a cancellation (barring illness or family emergency), otherwise I will charge the lesson fee.

• If I personally have to cancel a lesson, I will notify you as soon as I can and we can find a suitable time to reschedule.

Joke of the Month: Q: What part of the turkey is musical? A: The drumstick!