I hope you all enjoyed your break and are raring to go for the new year.
A quick thank you to the parents who helped with the Christmas Concert:
Laura Aldridge, Anna Farago and Tiffany Kwok. I hope everyone enjoyed the concert.
Upcoming OSA events:
February 11th - Senior Recital (for students mid Bk. 4 and up)
February 19th - Family Day event at QEP
February 25th - Junior Recital (for students graduating Twinkles through Bk. 3)
Yes, February is packed. An exciting peek into Spring: Rob Richardson is confirmed to lead the violin workshop this year. April 13th and master classes on April 14th. Some of you will remember him from the past. He is so fun!
Tips for success:
Practice
Daily practice is the thing that all good players have in common. It creates a feedback loop of success. The better we play, the easier it is and the more we want to do it. Yes, the opposite is also created when practicing is not done at least 5-6 days per week. No surprise there.
Group
Another thing that successful students have in common is they remain involved in group and playing with peers. It is the thing that most parents don’t notice because the decline in motivation happens gradually over the course of a few years. But for teachers, it is absolutely predictable. When students only do private lessons and nothing else for 2+ years, they will start to lose interest.
Performing
Nothing motivates us to practice and to become better players more than having a performance coming up. Music is a performing art! So regular performances are necessary. There are lots of opportunities for getting in more performances. Ask if you need ideas. One of these is music festivals.
Here is this year’s list for festivals in our area:
Music Festivals 2024
Peel Music Festival
Registration for the 2024 season will open on Friday December 8.
The 2024 Festival will run from March 18, 2024 to April 21, 2024
Hamilton Music Festival
April 8 - 27, 2024
Registration opened : October 1st, 2023
Brant Music Festival
Festival - Apr 29 - May 4, 2024
Registration opens January 1, 2024
Entry deadline - Mar 31, 2024
IMFC (International Music Festival and Competition)
Registration deadline: Sunday, March 3, 2024, 11:59 p.m. (EST)
May 1 - 19, 2024 | Markham (Ontario) either in-person or via video recording
We heard a lot of Leroy Anderson tunes during the holidays (Sleigh Ride, Bugler’s Holiday, et al) played on the radio and in stores. Here’s one not holiday-related but very funny!
The Typewriter Concerto:
I look forward to seeing you all this coming week,
Bethany
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