Piano Notes – Studio Newsletter February 2012
TVMTA Spring Music Festival
Date: May 5
Venue: TBA
Cost: $20
Registration deadline: Feb 29 – fill out the entry form (link below) and I must receive your signed form and registration fee
Note: This festival is adjudicated. Gold medal winners will be invited to perform at Honors Recital. This is not a competition, and everyone has the potential to earn a gold medal, as students are not judged in comparison to others, but on their own performance, so if you do a good job, you can get a gold! Only one memorized piece is required this year. Click here for festival information and entry form.
If you are doing the National Piano Guild auditions, I highly recommend that you also do this one as a “warm up”!
MTAC Student Recital
Date: May 12
Venue: Temecula Public Library
Cost: $10 per student
Registration deadline: March 15 – email me to let me know and I must receive your recital fee
Note: If you are participating in the National Piano Guild Auditions and/or other festivals/competitions, it is highly recommended that you play in as many recitals as you can before your auditions, to “run-through’ some of your program. If you are not participating in an audition, it is even more important that you play in as many recitals as you can, to gain performance experience, so that soon you will be ready to play in an audition! Students can also learn a lot from watching and listening to other students.
Carnegie Hall Royal Conservatory The Achievement Program
There is an exciting new music exam system called the Carnegie Hall Royal Conservatory The Achievement Program. This program is a collaboration between The Royal Conservatory from Canada and Carnegie Hall from New York, and has just recently been launched in the United States. The Royal Conservatory exams are the longest running and most reputable music exam system in Canada, and are comparable to the Associated Board of The Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) exams from England. I will be attending a teacher information session on Feb 9 to find out more about the program. I do know that the registration deadline is Feb 21 for our nearest exam center (Riverside – the exam is in June), so if anyone is interested, I need to know by Feb 14 so I can be sure to send your registration in time. I would recommend this exam for students that are highly motivated. The exam fees are much higher than the Guild Auditions (from $69-$450, depending on level), but I do believe the higher fees are justified by the more extensive nature of the exam, and students who complete the highest level (ARCT Diploma) receive an internationally recognized credential.
Teacher Activities
I will be accompanying some students for the Inland Valley Symphony Youth Concerto Competition on Feb 11. This competition is open to students 18 years or under, of any instrument. To prepare a concerto requires a tremendous amount of hard work, dedication, technical and musical maturity. Most of our students are too young to participate, but certainly this is something to keep in mind for those that are serious about their piano study.
I will be attending the Music Teachers National Association Conference in New York city from March 23-29. I have attended many state conferences, but this is my first time attending a national conference, so I am very excited! I am also super excited about going back to NY to visit (this will be my first visit since I moved to CA). The conference is packed with teacher development courses, and I know I will have many ideas and inspirations to bring back to my studio teaching from all the workshops and masterclasses. There are five Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays in March, so those students will still receive their 4 private lessons. Other students will receive make-ups (you will be notified).
