SUMMER!
Tuesday, April 30, 2019 by Hannah Violette | Uncategorized
It's been a long year. Students have worked so hard, passed their Syllabus exams, and are still learning a ton of musicianship skills and pieces. Instead of an in-person recital, we will be video recording the kids and posting a virtual recital on YouTube. You can watch it in the privacy of your own home, wearing the comfiest of pajamas and eating ice cream straight from the carton! No dressing up or being sociable required...
...because face it: WE ARE ALL EXHAUSTED.
Summer can't get here fast enough.
Normally at this time, I would be soliciting from you your travel schedules so I could set up a summer-long teaching calendar. This year, however, I'm keeping it simple.
I will be teaching through the end of June. This will give us plenty of time to prepare and record student performances and get the video edited, uploaded, and distributed. My summer grad school classes in music theory and other blah-blah will come to a welcome end. On July 2, I will be packing up and leaving for six weeks. Six blissful weeks living in my camper with only my husband, pets, and a delightful lack of network connection. I hope to sleep late every day, read lots of books, find Bigfoot, and write a book about my adventures.
The studio will reopen with the new school year; hopefully, everyone will be well rested and ready to start. There will be no major changes to the studio policies or the tuition structure; you will be receiving the annual enrollment fee of $50 on your June invoice.
With all that said, please come out and be entertained at the high school Cabaret concert on Friday, May 24 at 7 pm or Saturday, May 25 at 3 pm; tickets will be $10 at the door. The middle school final concert (this one's a freebie) will be Tuesday, May 28 at 7 pm. Graduation festivities will then ensue and another year will have flown by.
I hope you've got some fantastic summer plans! See you in September.
March news
Sunday, March 3, 2019 by Hannah Violette | Uncategorized
Happy March, Harmonics students and families - spring cannot come any quicker!
I love the poetry of the ancient Persian, Hafiz. It transcends religion and culture, touching each of us at the deepest point of our emotions and experiences. Just as even the hint of a song I love fills me with joy, so does the thought of crocuses peeking their heads through the thrice-frozen ground (because we've had three rounds of winter this year!), the trill of those birds that live in the marshes along the north end of the Leo Adler riverwalk, and the feel of the spring sun on my face. It is almost spring!
SYLLABUS SCHEDULE
It is also almost Syllabus time, as well. If you haven't checked the calendar already, here is a schedule for Friday, March 8:
9:00 - Kegan Bott
9:25 - Gabe Bott
9:50 - Sydney Penning
10:20 - Cadence Penning
11:05 - Johnny Zhang
11:25 - Russell Anderson
Exams will be held at the BHS choir room. Please enter through the east door, directly into the music wing. Pass through the double doors into the carpeted hallway where there will be a waiting area set up. When it is your turn, you will enter through the double doors near the waiting area; following your exam, you will exit through the far door near the outside exit. It should work very smoothly.
HONORS RECITAL
All students participating in Syllabus are entitled to play a piece of their choice in the Syllabus Honors Recital, to be held in La Grande on Sunday, March 10, at 3:00 pm. This performance is worth points toward their OMTA trophy. Please notify me immediately if you would like your student to perform.
STUDIO CALENDAR
Please be advised of the following changes to the studio calendar for the month of March:
Due to a choir festival being held on Wednesday, March 6, those lessons will be held on Thursday, March 7. Although I haven't changed it yet, this may happen again on Wednesday, March 20; please be aware that those lessons may also be held on March 21 instead.
There will be no lessons scheduled during Spring Break.
Thank you so much for allowing me the privilege of teaching music! It is a joy to watch the wink of a song bring so many students joy!
Celebrating the LOVE OF MUSIC! February news...
Tuesday, January 29, 2019 by Hannah Violette | Uncategorized
I found this quote in the Baker High School band room today and immediately had to turn it into art. It's so very true, isn't it? As we come into February we think about celebrating love - for our sweethearts, our children, our friends, and I certainly hope the music we make!
Please make sure you check the February calendar carefully. With Syllabus looming, I don't want any students missing a lesson, but my own schedule is a bit wonky. There is a high school incoming-freshmen event, the Oregon Music Educators' Association conference, and a new concert in the high school band/choir concert series, all of which have wreaked just a bit of havoc on the studio schedule. Some lessons have been moved to Thursdays as a result. Contact me directly if you have any questions.
Your February invoice includes the Syllabus fee, so it is a little bit higher. I have to pay for the registration by February 4th, so please pay this particular invoice as promptly as you possibly can. You're all so dependable, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with such a great group of families and students!
Since love is the theme of this particular month, I've attached a video of one of my favorite vocal ensembles (Salt Lake Vocal Artists) singing "If Music Be the Food of Love" by David Dickau. Please take a few minutes to enjoy it!
And with that, if music be the food of love...play on!
