September 2019 Newsletter

The first week of school is behind us!! Are your kids exhausted or hyped? Hopefully the jitters are gone, friends have been made and reconnected with and things have settled down for you. These days are looking more like summer these days than fall and for that, I'm grateful! The big kids might be in school but I’ve been able to enjoy quite a few park mornings with my two littles and Avery has mastered the monkey bars! #proudmama!

Back to piano lessons!! I promised…..

……..NEW GAMES!!!

I’m so excited! This summer, I purchased a set of new games that will be great for students of all ages! They will help students review and practice the following concepts: Tempo, Dynamics, Music Symbols and Note Names. I’ll use them both in lesson and also have them available at times for students to play while they wait for their lesson to begin.

This PLUS…I can’t stop PINTERESTING piano games and resources…my printer is running out of toner!!

……..NEW MUSIC!!!

In June I signed up to be a member of a “piano book of the month” club. So far I’ve gotten three books: “Guardians of Castlemore” (‘celticy’ pop music for intermediate levels), “Penny Pettigrew and the Magical Motives” (I’ll be using this with students in the fall to get my students composing right off the bat!), and “Lap Tap Clap Ignition” (a resource that is fun and collaborative and is great for a variety of levels! Pieces will allow for a good brush up on notes and rhythmic accuracy) (teachpianotoday.com)

…….and NEW STUDIO EVENTS

This year I’ll be teaming up with a friend of mine and we will be planning various performance/sharing opportunities for our students. Keep an eye out for something coming closer to Christmas!

This month in the studio:

-Intro lessons and review fun!

-“Busted” review game

-Pirate Themed classes on the 24th/25th (in honour of “International Talk Like a Pirate Day” on Sept 21st)

-Fun Fall Music Theory worksheets in class

-NEW GAMES!

-Weekly Ear Training Exercises!!

More to come this term!

-Composing with “Penny Pettigrew and the Magical Motives!

-”Pop and Rock repertoire

-Landmark notes!!

-Practice initiatives!

Frequently Asked Questions:

When do lessons start?

This week! (Sept 10/11)

What should I bring to my lesson? a lined notebook in which we can write lesson notes and assigned "homework".One ~1" binder with 4 dividers (to be labelled at the first lesson)music books (if you have them)a pencil (if you choose)If you will be waiting for a sibling, please bring a quiet activity to do on the couch while you wait.

How can I prepare for my first lesson? Summer is full of family fun and this might mean that your child(ren) may not have been practicing as much as they do during the school year. This is understandable 🙂 I can promise, however, that your children will be even more excited about returning to lessons if they feel prepared and ready to learn. Setting up a practice schedule for the weeks leading up to the return of lessons is a great idea. An idea would be to plan for at least 15 minutes of practice a day during the last few weeks before lessons and, if possible, schedule it in the morning before the day’s activities begin. …..and don’t forget to clip those nails!

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Please link to my website and scroll down to the Frequently Asked Questions for more information or contact me if you have any questions!

I can’t wait to reconnect with you soon and I look forward to hearing all about your summer fun!

Andrea Elzinga