If we are talking basketball, it seems there will be a tournament of sorts, but sadly no matches here in Durham NC; it appears the Indiana will get the honor.

If we are talking March weather and everything else, I am hoping for sunshine, warmth, no rain, and lots of vaccines being available.  Lucky for me, I had my second pfizer vaccine Sunday 2/21.  

Zoom DMTA Recital:

On Saturday 2/27/21 at 3 pm the Durham Music Teachers Association is holding a virtual Zoom recital and 5 of my students are playing:

Khaleel Jackson:  Sonatina in A minor by Jiri Benda

Kavisha Saram:  Gavotte in G major by Handel; Sonatina in C major by Clementi

Lucas Bartosik:  Gavotte by Telemann, Minuet by Bach

Annabel Haynes: own composition “Some Day”

Louise Downs: City of Stars

The DMTA will send out a link later this week to these students and families, but if any other students would like to watch the concert I can forward the link if you let me know.  I will attach the full program so you will see that several teachers have students playing in the recital   It is great to see colleagues and hear what they are playing.

Zoom ukulele and guitar recital:

On Saturday 7/3/21, at 3 pm, I am holding a virtual Zoom recital of my 5 ukulele and guitar students, who have all selected one song to play and sing.  Next week I will send a program and a link for anyone other than the students and families who would like to watch and listen.  Let me know!

Piano students:

There will be another DMTA virtual Zoom recital on Saturday 3/27/21 at 3 pm.  Would love some more students to participate, so let me know in lessons.  I will also try to have a Zoom piano recital myself before the spring break April 1-11, 2021.

I am very happy that all students are continuing in the Spring semester.  I know that in June I will lose 3 high schoolers who are so excited to be off to college, but more of future plans in subsequent emails. Can’t make predictions about in person music lessons yet.

March Fees: will be due next week.  Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday students will have 5 lessons in March ($162.50) and Thursday and Friday students will have 4 March lessons ($130). 

Everyone stay well and keep practicing!

Happy Ground Hog Day everyone!

It seems we are supposed to get 6 more weeks of winter according to the original  Punxsutawney Phil – if so, can we have some more snow?  So pretty!

Fees:

Today is the beginning of a new month which means fees are due again.  Most people will have 4 weeks of fees due ($130 for 4 lessons) and I know January was a partial month and some people left it very late to pay their fees but I would appreciate it if February fees could be paid at the beginning of the month.  Thanks so much to the people who are on it and have already paid!   Your fees amount will be under schedule in the emails I send after lessons.  Zelle and Venmo are great and also check in the letter box. The postal service I hope is getting back to its old reliability – maybe!

Practicing:

What a great opportunity to do more music practice with many students still working online and with cold weather on the way!  Everyone should be fitting in some piano practice, even me, at least 5 times a week.  Under 10 years at least 15 minutes good practice not counting fooling around on the piano which is good fun but not focused practice.  Over 10 years should be getting up to 1/2 hour at each session.

Note Reading:

I am currently teaching piano with my 6 year old grandson in the UK and I was out to shame by how well he knows his notes in the staff.  He reads the actual notes not the finger numbers!  So I am having a blitz on piano players learning your notes. Flash cards are great for engaging your parent or sibling to see if you know the notes.  I can send the sheets to make your own flash cards and a sheet with the notes and the rhymes that can help.  Let me know if you want me to send these to you.

Compositions:

I love that some students are writing music of their own.  I know Annabel is composing some great music  and also Venia and Louise and I hope more.  This past month an unknown composition by Mozart was revealed at the Mozarteum Foundation Salzburg in honor of Mozart’s 265th birthday.  Of course it was hand written; there were no computers with notation software 265 years ago!  I thought students might want to see what Mozart’s hands written score looked like (see at the end of this post).  He apparently wrote this piece, Allegro in D, for his sister Nannerl, and it got “lost” in someone’s papers.  Mozart was 17 when he wrote it. You can hand write a composition or make a recording either on voice memo or on video – would love to see and hear more compositions!

Durham Music Teachers Association (DMTA):

The DMTA is holding several Spring semester Zoom recitals in 2021.  The first one is Saturday February 27, at 3 pm, and I have asked 4-5 students if they would like to play and I will be registering them this week with Matt Sampson, the President of the DMTA.  These recitals are mostly for piano and other orchestral instruments.

Other recitals will be March 27 3 pm; April 24 at 3 pm; and May 29 at 3 pm.

There will also be a live playathon on Saturday April 17 from 1-5 pm and and a pre-videoed playathon on Sunday April 18.  Playathons raise money for scholarships.

Guitar and Ukulele recital:

Am organizing this for my own students and more information will be forthcoming, but fyi, memorization will be required!

Thanks everyone and have a great ground hog day!

Facsimile of Mozart’s Allegro in D, DK 626B/16

I will be glad to “see” all my students starting tomorrow even if it still has to be online.  I cannot see in person lessons happening until at least summer.  I can now get the vaccine (being 75) if I can get an appointment!  But my partner cannot probably for months yet.