KIDS THAT LOVE PIANO LESSONS!

Summer 2016

Thursday, May 5, 2016 by Catherine Williams | Uncategorized

It’s hard to believe all that we have done in the past year as part of my piano studio. It’s been years since I put out an official newsletter instead of an email, but we’ve been so busy in the last year that I wanted to make sure you knew about all the things the students and I were doing behind the scenes to make this the best year in piano yet!

So, I hope you’ll take a minute and read about all that we’ve accomplished in the last year and even a few things that you might see in the year ahead.

I look forward to another great year of music learning and music making!

It's been an amazing year! Here is a summary of what we did:

  • Achievement Day
  • Halloween Recital, where everyone dressed up in their costume!
  • Holiday Recital, which included an arrangement of Carol of the Bells, for THREE people.
  • Composition Festival
  • Disney Recital
  • Performance at Parker Adventist Hospital
  • Four Forms Festival, where students learn and perform an entire Sonatina
  • Premier Performances
  • Performance at Lincoln Meadows Senior Living Center
  • Federation-local level 
  • Federation-State level, with one top performer and one honorable mention!
  • Performance at Chick fil-A
  • 4 students were awarded Gold Cups from Federation.
  • Performance Awards
  • National Guild Auditions
  • Kits testing, High scores made the National Theory Honor Roll
  • Demta Festival, with 10 winners, and 5 Honorable Mentions
  • Addition of lessons via Facetime to keep missed lessons to a minimum
  • Pot lucks, for adult students.
  • Students received the CLEF award, for participating in the DEMTA Festival for 3 years and maintaining a Superior rating.
  • Addition of new, FUN technology such as Piano Maestro to help with sight reading

I know that it's helpful for you to know what I've been doing as a teacher that is continuing my own learning, enhancing the teaching of your children, contributing to the community, and adding more value to your investment. So, I wanted to list what new activities have been going on in the last year that have directly contributed to your child’s musical education:

  • I am a member of 5+ Music Teacher Associations locally, and Nationally. Monthly meetings include enrichment programs for the teachers.
  • I attended multiple seminars that taught me how to make lessons more exciting and enjoyable for students.
  • Attended consultations about incorporating new learning techniques that students will thrive on.
  • Completed my second Piano Performance Degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver
  • I participate actively in online teaching support groups and get ideas from these generous and creative teachers every day.
  • Listened to podcasts from piano teachers all over the world.
  • I continue to accompany many musical groups, from choirs, to church congregations, to solo singers, and much more.