Summer is finally here and the Spring semester is about the end on June 7.
The Soiree was wonderful as always, and I think it was probably number 23 as I have been holding student recitals at Croasdaile twice a year for over 10 years. I did miss one Christmas and that was a bit sad so not doing that again. I love going to Croasdaile and I am so grateful I am able to use their lovely facilities and share our music with the residents. Many teachers find it hard to find a good place for recitals and often have to pay fees and ask students to pay fees for concerts. We are lucky!
There were too many great performances to single out any one person – I have been congratulating students and parents individually. I hope all the students enjoyed seeing what others are working on.
Adult students have their work-in-progress night tomorrow, Friday 6/7/19, where six of my 13 adult students will be performing.
Some students are continuing over summer and I think I have sorted out who that is and when they are coming but I will send out reminders. Later today or tomorrow I will have the Fall Schedule up on my blog. Please check on it to make sure whether you are continuing and at what time. The schedule is very tight. I am still waiting on confirmation for some people so if it looks like there is a space that may not be the case. I am so sorry for the many people I simply cannot fit in. I do not teach on weekends or after 7 at night.
A few people still owe fees from the Spring Semester and if they could post a check to me that would be wonderful. I just want to remind people that fees are paid a month in advance at the beginning of the month. Over summer you could pay June and July together or June and then July. Remember I am not teaching August 6 to end of August and Fall semester starts 9/3/19.
(Address: Lorna Collingridge, 2119 Sprunt Ave, Durham NC 27705)
Last friday I went to a performance at the Pinhook in Durham downtown. I rarely go to concerts but this I had to see – Alley Seventeen, a band of 4 high school girls playing electric guitars, electric bass and drums. They were performing songs members of the band had written, so all original music. The two guitar players (Sophie Lowry and Sophie Feierman) once took guitar lessons with me, and Sophie Feierman wrote her first song when taking lessons with me; she performed it at one of the early Soirees.
Sophie Lowry and Kaitlyn Pedde are both rising 12th graders at the DSA and the drummer, Casey Cheetham, went to Immaculata Catholic School but now is a rising 11th grader at Cardinal Gibbons. Sophie Feierman is going to college in Fall. The girls have been studying with Russell Lacey Music and the band was formed there initially during his Friday afternoon “form a band” sessions, and he and his teachers have nurtured the song writing. I thought the girls were amazing and I bought the CD of their songs.
Congratulations to Russell and the girls who have all worked very hard over a number of years to get to this standard. Forming and performing in a band is never easy but the girls have proved they can work together both playing and song writing. Russell says “for a long time Sophie F wrote most of the songs for the band but now she is composing with Kaitlyn — usually SF comes with the melody and lyrics and then Kaitlyn comes with the chords, forms and back ground melodies/vocals etc…. They write a lot of music!” Well done all of you!
Have a wonderful, fun, safe summer everyone!
