 |
| Thank you Santa for joining us again this year! |
Happy Holidays ... See you in January!
Friday, November 25, 2016
Thank You All!
Thank you for a wonderful Sunday Holiday Recital and Tuesday Fiddle Show & Ceilidh Night. I wasn't sure if I would be making it this far into November, but I am so glad I did and am so grateful for all of you! Thank you to those especially who helped me out at the Tuesday Ceilidh setting up and taking down equipment for the Fiddle Show. I have never been very good at accepting help from others as I like to do things on my own. I am often a perfectionist and just want things done a certain way. I feel so privileged to be working with families that I have known now for years who just seem to understand how I like things done. You have all made the past few weeks a breeze to get through and I love getting to work with all of you on a weekly basis. I know even once the baby comes I will miss all of you and playing with you once a week, but the Holidays will be upon us soon. Time will fly and the end of January will be here before we know it. So keep playing your violins, experiment with new pieces, keep listening and listening to other works besides the Suzuki CD's. Call or e-mail me with questions and let me know of any tuning emergencies.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
What To Do Over the Break (approx.) Nov. 27th - Jan. 23rd
So we have an 8 week break from lessons coming up as I take some time for maternity leave. Just because lessons are on hold, doesn't mean that the playing should stop.
Take advantage of this time of year and have fun playing holiday tunes at home and at family gatherings. Ask me for sheet music, look online, use your ears to play any piece you like or head over to your local music store and look for some sheet music!
Parents - try turning your kids advent calendars into practice motivation! They don't get their candy or prize until they play that day!
Get creative with review! Pick from pieces out of a bowl or hat, mark them off a list or follow the review chart available in lesson. This is the perfect time to check up on those older pieces and making sure a strong foundation is established before continuing on with lessons in January.
Advanced players should have a piece in mind that they are preparing for the next solo recital on Sunday March 5th. Take this time to become comfortable with your piece and master the notes and bowings so we can just polish things up once lessons resume.
Get online and find some interesting shows nearby to attend. Public Libraries, Western University, Aeolian Hall and the London Music Club are all great venues for a wide range of artists.
Listen, listen and listen some more. If you are going away for the holidays and the violins are not making the trip, make sure the recording does and listen daily to keep your ears trained.
As always, I will try to be available over the break to answer any e-mails or phone calls as well as any tuning emergencies! Thank you for your patience and understanding in the changes made to this years schedule.
Stay tuned for a birth announcement and I look forward to seeing everyone back at the end of January!
Take advantage of this time of year and have fun playing holiday tunes at home and at family gatherings. Ask me for sheet music, look online, use your ears to play any piece you like or head over to your local music store and look for some sheet music!
Parents - try turning your kids advent calendars into practice motivation! They don't get their candy or prize until they play that day!
Get creative with review! Pick from pieces out of a bowl or hat, mark them off a list or follow the review chart available in lesson. This is the perfect time to check up on those older pieces and making sure a strong foundation is established before continuing on with lessons in January.
Advanced players should have a piece in mind that they are preparing for the next solo recital on Sunday March 5th. Take this time to become comfortable with your piece and master the notes and bowings so we can just polish things up once lessons resume.
Get online and find some interesting shows nearby to attend. Public Libraries, Western University, Aeolian Hall and the London Music Club are all great venues for a wide range of artists.
Listen, listen and listen some more. If you are going away for the holidays and the violins are not making the trip, make sure the recording does and listen daily to keep your ears trained.
As always, I will try to be available over the break to answer any e-mails or phone calls as well as any tuning emergencies! Thank you for your patience and understanding in the changes made to this years schedule.
Stay tuned for a birth announcement and I look forward to seeing everyone back at the end of January!
Monday, November 14, 2016
What I Listen To
I've been recommending more and more music over the past few months as there has been a growing interest in fiddle music. So I thought I'd take a moment and tell you all about what I listen to and how I listen.
I get a lot of inspiration and new things to listen to by attending concerts and festivals throughout the summer. You don't need to go more than an hour or two outside of London to see some incredible musicians perform. Youtube is also an invaluable resource to see groups that you might not otherwise be able to see and to get links to other groups that are similar.
Although this list does not include anything classically specific, that is not to say that I don't listen to classical music. I enjoy solo violin, piano and cello music, but I've never come across one classical musician that I love. It's more about the repertoire and the heart of the performer/performance that makes a recording great and mean something to me.
So here is a list of musicians, mostly folk and celtic, to listen to or purchase some new recordings. These are either groups that I have been listening to for years and are always a comfort or some that are fairly new but are just too amazing not to tell you about!
Get inspired by some new music and artists! Click on the links to view a recommended recording or website!
Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy have just a released a Christmas Album! Find it HERE!
Consider some CD's this year to give as Christmas Presents!
Also, if you haven't already purchased Celtic Shift's CD One On Beautiful Day, (the group I play in), you can find CD's in lesson for $20 or you can find a link to the right to purchase on itunes!
I get a lot of inspiration and new things to listen to by attending concerts and festivals throughout the summer. You don't need to go more than an hour or two outside of London to see some incredible musicians perform. Youtube is also an invaluable resource to see groups that you might not otherwise be able to see and to get links to other groups that are similar.
Although this list does not include anything classically specific, that is not to say that I don't listen to classical music. I enjoy solo violin, piano and cello music, but I've never come across one classical musician that I love. It's more about the repertoire and the heart of the performer/performance that makes a recording great and mean something to me.
So here is a list of musicians, mostly folk and celtic, to listen to or purchase some new recordings. These are either groups that I have been listening to for years and are always a comfort or some that are fairly new but are just too amazing not to tell you about!
Get inspired by some new music and artists! Click on the links to view a recommended recording or website!
Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy have just a released a Christmas Album! Find it HERE!
Consider some CD's this year to give as Christmas Presents!
Also, if you haven't already purchased Celtic Shift's CD One On Beautiful Day, (the group I play in), you can find CD's in lesson for $20 or you can find a link to the right to purchase on itunes!
Tuesday, November 08, 2016
Upcoming Events
Here is a reminder for all upcoming events!
Also, please make sure to check your phones messages and e-mails regularly for any possible changes to lessons due to baby's arrival! I will do my best to give you all notice if things need to be cancelled over the last few weeks of lessons. I have discussed with my family that we will do everything possible to make sure that the dates and events listed above DO happen no matter what!
Regular lessons, as of now, are scheduled until November 26th.
Tuesday November 15th at 5:00 - MANDATORY Rehearsal
Sunday November 20th at 2:00 (1:45 arrival) - Holiday Recital
Tuesday November 22nd at 5:00 - Fall Fiddle Class Show & Ceilidh!
Also, please make sure to check your phones messages and e-mails regularly for any possible changes to lessons due to baby's arrival! I will do my best to give you all notice if things need to be cancelled over the last few weeks of lessons. I have discussed with my family that we will do everything possible to make sure that the dates and events listed above DO happen no matter what!
Regular lessons, as of now, are scheduled until November 26th.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)