Students of the Month—Gracie & Kate Mills
Congratulations to Gracie and Kate Mills for being our first students of the month. Gracie and Kate have been taking group piano lessons since March of 2009. They never miss a lesson and they always come prepared with their song assignments practiced and perfected. The girls never complain and listen carefully during lessons. They enjoy flashcard wars and are challenging themselves with two songs from the musical “Annie” for our “Movie Music Magic” Recital. Keep up the good work girls!
Piano Corner—Firm Fingertips
By now, all students should be familiar with the phrase “firm fingertips”. Firm fingertips refers to the first knuckle of the fingers (the one closest to the fingernail). When playing piano, students should always have firm fingertips, meaning the first knuckle should be slightly curved in the natural direction. It is very easy, especially when beginning piano studies, to let the first knuckle collapse. This is detrimental on several accounts: 1)It is harmful to the fingers and 2)it significantly decreases the control students have over the keys. It is also easy for students to over-correct by curving the fingers too much. This is also incorrect. It takes lots of practice to get it right. But it is extremely important that students do learn to play with firm fingertips. For more great technique tips, visit http://www.mtnaejournal.org/.
Vocal Corner—A Nice Big Sigh
Voice students have heard it time and time again. When you sing, it should feel the same as a nice big sigh. When you sigh, your larynx (throat) is relaxed and open, the breath comes naturally from the diaphragm, and the sound is free and clear and focused. This is exactly the feeling and sound desired when you sing. Singing is quite simply, sighing on pitch! So, as you practice your vocal warm-ups and your songs, never forget the big sigh and you will find singing will be easier and sound nicer.
Policy Highlights—New Payment Method
“Payment for lessons is due by the 7th day of each month. Payment reserves your time slot for the month. A late charge of $5 will be added for payment not received by the 7th. The payment remains the same whether there are three, four or five lessons in a month. “ Taken directly from the piano policies as found on our website: www.murdockmusicstudio.blogspot.com.
I have not ever charged a late fee to students in the past, but I will be enforcing the late payment policy beginning now with the new year. I am so appreciative to all my students, who are so great to remember their payments on time.
To help make payments easier, I am introducing a new payment method—automatic monthly payment through PayPal. In the busyness of life, it is easy to forget little things that only occur occasionally, such as piano lesson payments. Now, payment can be as easy as waking up. Parents now have the option to have their lesson payment automatically deducted from their debit or credit card each month, eliminating the need to write checks or gather cash.
How it works: Simply go to our website at www.murdockmusicostudio.blogspot.com and select the correct “Subscribe” button in the right-hand column. Your secure payment will be automatically withdrawn on the first day of each month. You can sign up at any time and you can discontinue at any time.
New Year, New Goals, New Success
Every New Year seems to bring out the goal-setting spirit in us all. Goals are a wonderful tool for reaching our dreams. As you think about your dreams in relation to your music studies, you should ask yourself, “What do I want to accomplish?”
Are you hoping to be the next opera star or concert pianist? Are you focused on learning to read music? Are you wanting a bigger sound? In order to set a goal, you need to know what it is you are striving for. And be specific. A goal such as “I want to be a better piano player” is very difficult to accomplish. How do you know when you’ve reached your goal? A better goal would be, “I want to reach Level 2 by May 2010.” In pursuing this goal, you know exactly how close you are to reaching your goal and you can easily set smaller milestones to reach along the way.
Small milestones are another important aspect of goal setting. A large goal can seem overwhelming, but if you break it down into small milestones, it will suddenly become very attainable. Using the same example, “I want to reach Level 2 by May 2010.” You could set smaller milestone goals such as:
Master Level 1 songs up to page 10 by February 1
Master Level 1 songs up to page 20 by March 1
Master Level 1 songs up to page 30 by April 1
Master remaining Level 1 songs by May 1.
Whatever your goal is, be specific, set smaller milestone goals, and don’t give up! It is a new year, so set some new goals, so you can have new successes!!
No comments:
Post a Comment