2024 - 2025 Events & Vacation Dates

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Sharing music with others is a skill that is built with experience, so we make sure students have at least one opportunity to strengthen that skill at our Spring Studio Recital.  This is our annual celebration of music, which ends with punch and cookies.  As you can imagine, giant steps of progress occur from one year to the next.  Each student performs one piece which they previously selected as their own.  Their ears enjoyed it when it was played for them, and their fingers having accepted the challenge to learn the piece to be able to share it with others.

For the last several years we have added something quite special to these celebrations - our Concert of Compliments.  Audience members have the opportunity to write comments to the performers during the recital.  Following the event, I gather those comments, and present each student with their list of compliments at our next lesson.  This tangible encouragement is a powerful tool for confidence building, and affirms in a different way the hard work they've invested in preparing, the courage it took to perform, and the many successes they've achieved as part of that whole process.

For those interested, there are many additional ways to stretch and build skills throughout the year.

• Competitive - Logo design contest, Piano performance contest, Composition contest
• Independent - Listening Journal, Arts Appreciation Award, Field Trips, free Concerts to attend
• Exams - Leveled materials prepared at your own pace and then demonstrated - Theory exams, Memorized Performance pieces from different eras in music history, Keyboard skills and scales, Sightplaying elements
• Non-Competitive - Composition Festival, and many Recital performances for solo or ensemble, with feedback and awards.
  

There's even an "arts-based science fair" type of project that includes music and creative art forms around your chosen theme. How's that for variety?  Each student is unique, with interests, personality, and abilities that make them who they are.  We get to grow in ways that suit them.  Helping them each enjoy the journey of growing as musicians is indeed a privilege!