We are back at it again this week with a very exciting 5 weeks to go until Christmas is here (4 more weeks until our recital)!! Here are just a few quick updates for you and a look at the exciting things coming in the next couple of weeks:
FALL BREAK FUN
I hope my students enjoyed this fall break and are feeling refreshed. Did you find time to work on those recital pieces? 😉 I had a very productive week here going through recital programs of yesteryear and choosing some new ensemble pieces. I put a little something new on the practice tree, planned and prepared a couple of new little practice incentives AND I had a wonderful & refreshing time on Wednesday with local composer, Joyce Pinckney (many of you have played her pieces!), and some amazing and inspiring teachers. As I prepared for our recital, I also had a little giggle over the blog I wrote about the “Recital Disaster of 2010” (which I actually won an award for last year! 😉 ).
LUCKY #13 CHRISTMAS RECITAL!
Our 13th annual Christmas Recital will be on December 13, 2013 at 6:30pm at First Church of the Nazarene, 14320 94 street! Let the recital countdown begin: 26 more days left to practice!
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ELF ON THE SHELF MEETS PIANO PRACTICE?
EXCITING NEWS!!! I’ve just heard from Santa and our studio has been chosen to have some of his most experienced practice elves visit our students until December 25th. These elves will be reporting back to Santa each night as to who has been practicing…and who has not!!
Stay tuned for more details coming later this week! (This will be much like the “Elf on the Shelf” idea that has become so popular and the elves will be ready to go home with the students beginning next week! It is an optional activity but I hope you will have some fun with it)
PRACTICING FOR PENNIES
World Kindness Day was this past week, November 13th, and I just saw the cutest short film that a dear friend of mine, Jason Vance, put together for it. In watching it, I was reminded that kindness and generosity is something that can be practiced each and every day. And so, I’d like to introduce “Practicing for Pennies” this Christmas season. I’d like to challenge each of my piano students to record their practice minutes each day and ask parents, grandparents or other family members to sponsor them at the rate of 1 penny/minute over the next 4 weeks. With the money raised we will choose together a gift from the Food for the Hungary Christmas catalogue. Students will need to log and keep track of their practice minutes in their homework books.