Hello Everyone and Happy October!
The year is off to a great start and it’s been so wonderful to welcome everyone back and meet some new faces! October is here and seems to herald a whirlwind of holiday activity. Thanksgiving is just around the corner with Halloween on its heels, then Remembrance Day and Fall Break and before we know it…Christmas! Now that we have started settling back into our new routines, let the fun begin! Here is what’s coming up this month with a hint of what’s yet to come:
THE 100 CHALLENGE is back!
We will begin this month by kicking off our 50-100 practice challenges. Students can start tracking their practice days and collecting buttons for each level of achievement. The first level will be when they reach 50 practices which should be achieved by Christmas if they practice 4-5 days per week. The next level is collecting the 100 button and then the 150 button…and if they are really going for it, they may even reach the 200 button level by June. I am attaching a sheet with a tracking chart on it to this email that can be printed and kept on the piano. They will also be available for pickup in studio this week. MYC students can also opt to use the last page in their homework books and collect 5 check marks in each square. We will also have some additional fun practice challenges as well throughout the year with the chance to win some treats and prizes.
OCTOBER MASTER CLASSES
Thanksgiving is coming up right away! There will be no regularly scheduled lessons next week on the Holiday Monday or during that week following (October 12-16) INSTEAD we will have our first holiday master classes! These master classes are in lieu of regular lessons that week and for ALL students. You can choose from any of the scheduled times and siblings can attend together, sharig their home piano, or choose to attend separately at different times. Due to COVID-19, all master classes will be offered via Zoom at this time. For this first master class, we will have a bit of a SUPER HERO theme and students can even opt to dress as their favorite super hero if they like. Some of the activities we will engage in will be: games, rhythm fun, discussing some of the super powers that can take our piano playing from ordinary to AWESOME (dynamics, articulation, etc), a mini-recital of sharing what we have been working on so far, improvising our own super hero themes, a super hero shield design and more. I’ve attached a PDF of a shield that can be coloured and/or created while listening to our Zoom performances. You may print it off from here or pick up a copy in studio this week. There are two options: colour the one already designed OR a blank shield to design from scratch. See the sign up genius link to choose the time that works best for you!
WHAT’S AHEAD?
This year marks the 20th year of my teaching studio and, though many of my grand plans for this year have required some COVID adjustments, I am still excited at the possibilities this year holds. I have a favorite quote that I have been reminded of often since March: Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. I was inspired to create a little poster in keeping with our current super hero theme have and attached it if students would life a copy for their piano practice space. Currently I am looking ahead at our Christmas recital with a couple of possibilities brewing and will keep you posted. Quite likely we will have an “I’ll be Home for Christmas” themed YouTube recital but there is a possibility of a chance to provide to some live music at a Christmas market for those that might be interested. Stay tuned. 🙂