Halloween Pops Concert - October 18th

Just letting you know of a great opportunity to enjoy some quality music in Lafayette. On October 18th at 2:30 p.m., the Purdue Philharmonic Orchestra is performing a Halloween Pops Concert at the Long Center. This event is sure to be fun, and it is FREE!!

Fall Recital - input needed!!!

I'm in the midst of planning our fall recital, and we're going to do something a little bit different this year. I'd love for the students to learn the importance of using their talents for others, and I can't think of a better way to do that then for them to perform for the elderly at a nursing home. George Davis Manor in West Lafayette would LOVE to hear the students play and have given me three dates to work with. Here's where YOU come in! Let me know which of the three dates would absolutely NOT work for you. We need everyone to be there and participate!

Thurdsay night, December 3rd

Sunday afternoon, December 13th

Saturday morning/afternoon December 19th

I'm really looking forward to this opportunity! This will be a laid back recital in which students can play one or two pieces each: something they've been working on throughout the semester, as well as a holiday tune. Students can also choose to play from memory or with their music! It should be a great time and hopefully an encouragement to the folks in the nursing home.

AIM Registration

By now, you all should've received the AIM Registration form at your lessons. Don't forget, I need to have those mailed to the committee by October 24th, so you need to get them to me no later than October 15th!

Like I said earlier, AIM is one of my very favorite events of the year because it is so well-rounded. We all excel in certain areas of music, and possibly struggle in others, so this is a great event for anyone to succeed in. Each student plays 2 pieces, one of them from memory. They'll also need to prepare a technique study and technique skills (scales, arpeggios....it varies according to level), and be ready for a short theory and sightreading test. Sign up as soon as possible so we can have everything ready in plenty of time!

AIM Festival - Achievement in Music

Ready for our first performance of the year?!! The annual AIM festival is coming soon on November 21st, so check your binders for registration information next week! This event is put on by the Indiana Music Teachers Association, and more specifically, our local group, Tippecanoe Music Teachers Association. This is probably my favorite event of the whole year! Any student can participate and the experience is very rewarding. You'll come out with some great evaluations, certificates, and even a medal (if you practice, of course)! Here's a description straight from the manual:

The AIM Festival presents a unique opportunity for the students. It is a non-competitive event that allows almost any child to participate. Compared to other piano events, participating students received a much greater quantity of feedback from several different evaluators. Along with theory, students received written comments in the areas of repertoire, technique, sight-playing and keyboard skills. The evaluation scale (excellent, good, satisfactory, or needs work) places focus both on positive support and precise constructive criticism. This event provides reinforcement to the students for the essential study of comprehensive musicianship.

There are twelve levels in the AIM program and students can be entered at the level in which they currently are working. All students should be prepared in all areas of the AIM program, which include aural and written theroy, repertoire, technique/keyboard skills, and sight-playing.

The students participating should plan to be there for approximately one or two hours that day. The exact time will be determined after registrations are turned in and scheduled. The student' schedule will include assignment to different rooms.

I look forward to the next couple of months as we prepare for this great performance opportunity. Questions? Leave one in the comment section at the end of this post!

Welcome!

Welcome to the new studio blog! I hope this will be a great tool for my students and their parents to keep up to date on the happenings in piano lessons. The site is still under construction, but keep your eyes out for some new pages that will be added including: events, calendar, and tuition information.