Happy Spring (almost here!) 
First news is that this Saturday 5 students are going to participate in one of the Durham Music Teachers Association (DMTA) virtual recitals. It will be at 3 pm Saturday afternoon 3/27. These students will be performing:
Anna Long – Dance by DG Turk
Oscar McCormick – Falling Leaves (his own composition)
Mai Dunn – Colors of the Wind from Pochahontas
Ava Pieraccini – C’etait Anne de Bretagne (a traditional Breton folk song)
Venia Lekovich – Lightly Row (Faber)
Please let me know if you would like to be part of the audience and I can forward the Zoom link later this week. Separate email later this week to performers.
There will be another DMTA Virtual recital on Saturday April 24 and I already have Pascale, Iris, Quinn and Lydia signed up for that one. There will be a final spring recital on May 29 so anyone who would like to play then please let me know. In the absence of live performances these virtual recitals have been just great! I will not venture a Spring Soiree but really hope to have a Holiday Soiree in December.
The Playathon: I think everyone knows that the DMTA raises funds for music scholarships through our public playathons. The DMTA coffers are almost empty because we have not been able to have our playathons since March 2020. Now things are hopefully improving with vaccinations, we are going to have an outdoor playathon in the carpark of Greystone Church on Hillsborough Road. The church has been holding outdoor services so they have a stage and piano setup we are able to use. Playathons are very informal. We imagine people might drive in and listen for a while (and give us a donation). I would love some of my Durham students to offer to play. I will have a 1/2 hour slot sometime in the afternoon of Saturday April 24. Let me know!
Studio news: I will be taking my Spring break from April 1 to April 9 so no classes during that time (I am going to the beach for 3 days!) Schools have breaks at various times not always coinciding with me and I think most people have let me know what they are doing (going away, staying, still having late march lessons or not …). Thank you everyone for paying fees – it is my only source of income so I am grateful! (New fees of $35 per half hour do not start till 9/7/21).
I am now fully vaccinated (pfizer vaccine) and Carol is having her first shot on 3/31 next week (moderna). Her second will be at the end of April and we will both be fully safe after mid May. I am considering some in person lessons after that point, all things being equal. However, there are going to be inevitable shifts in scheduling if school resumes in full. I see a lot of schools still taking Wednesdays as free time but that may change. I don’t want to do teaching sessions switching from virtual to in-person so i am contemplating what to do about this. It is confusing enough to switch platforms while teaching virtually! So the remaining months of Spring might be a work in progress. The Spring semester will end Friday June 11, and the Fall semester will begin after labour day in September.
Summer lessons: I will be teaching lessons in parts of the summer, by special arrangement ie not perhaps at your usual time. I will be away in June from 6/12 – 6/18 and also in August from 8/22 – 8/29 and I am probably going to take off the following week before Fall semester starts. I will make this all much clearer soon but if you are interested in summer lessons or at least for part of the summer let me know. Kids! I am so happy many of you are going to camp! Last summer was so awful for you.
Hope everyone is hanging in there and being healthy and getting vaccinated!
