STUDIO NEWSLETTER NOTES
June 2011

PRACTICE TIP OF THE MONTH:
Can you practice without a piano? Sure you can! One way is to practice rhythm when you are walking or doing other things. A step is a quarter note. Then try doing 2 8th notes with every step. You can count out rhythm when listening to music too. You can also help your weaker hand to get stronger by doing things with the weak hand rather than with the strong hand - things like brushing your teeth or eating or doing other things. Over, say, a month's time of doing this consistently, don't you think your weaker hand will be stronger. Then it will also be stronger for the piano and more coordinated. There are a number of other ideas we'll talk about later.

NOTES
I was so pleased with everyone's performances at the Debussy Festival. I hope you learned some new things about Debussy and also the modern period and about its music. It is always a fun period to study. Be sure to listen to your CD's. You'll gain an appreciation of Debussy and other modern music besides the standard popular stuff.

The Spring recital will be June 17th. All students will be participating. Encourage family and friends to attend too. The recital will be at the church where we have had it before. We appreciate them allowing us to use it at no cost. This year we will not have a dress rehearsal. If you want to try out the piano, be sure to come early to the recital to do that. The piano points store will open about an hour before the recital. The recital will begin at 7 pm and last for about 1 hour. I'll have a separate flyer with all the details - so watch for it. I'll also send out emails too.

There weren't enough responses for the summer camp so it will NOT be held this year. Sorry! Hopefully, next year we can have the event. When we held it before, everyone had a great time and learned a lot AND had fun.

Those who participated in the Guild Auditions did a wonderful job and got good ratings. It is a good opportunity to set goals and work towards them. Planning ahead is always a good idea no matter what we are doing.

The last week of lessons for this school year will be the week of the recital. Most students will have just 3 lessons in June, but Tuesday students will have just 2 (Tuesday people did have 5 in May so it evens out!). That week of lessons is important because I give out assignments for the summer. It is important to practice even though there aren't any lessons.

The Music Learning Community Website (musiclearningcommunity.com) is available now for $1.00 per family per month. Remember that there is 15 minutes on the computer at the end of each lesson now so be sure to plan on the extra time (45 minutes total now). Any questions, please let me know. There is no change in price.

Music School Website url is: http://snowmusicschool.com. Students may earn extra points when they play any of the games or visit the website to learn more about music.

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