SPREADING THE GOOD NEWS OF MATT

April 6, 2016

We're ON RECORD, for posterity!

Music at the Towers is honoured to have been included in the TD Musi Counts Promo Video, released April 3rd.   MATT was one of the 16 sponsorship recipients across Canada in 2015, from the over 100 applicants. This enabled us to purchase many good quality instruments for our students. Thank you TD MusiCounts for this further endorsement of our program, which offers an affordable opportunity of orchestral playing to our local children.

All students were able to view the PROMO VIDEO in class yesterday, and Marilyn will forward the youtube link this week via email to all of our families.

FEATURING our "VIDEO-FAMOUS' BEGINNERS CLASS!

  GETTING STARTED

PERFECT POSTURES:

CHECK OUT THIS SITTING POSITION

 IMPECCABLE REST POSITION!                                       

                                                                               

A BUDDING VIOLIST with excellent posture!

VIDEO FRONT PAGE GIRL, with a SMILE!       WELL DONE- practice does work!

     SUCH FINE  PROGRESS  SINCE  OCTOBER!!

Sound Bytes from Administration

Parents:  Please remember to reserve the dates for the tentative and confirmed concerts - see previous blog for more info.  June 1 and June 14  

WE MUST HAVE PARENT VOLUNTEERS TO MAKE THIS END-OF-YEAR EVENT A SUCCESS!!  

So, I will have a sign-up sheet at my desk this week Tuesday AND Wednesday looking for people to fill the following positions:

• Concert management leader; stage hands (2 groups - 1 to set up and 1 to tear down); refreshment coordinator; refreshment assistants; MATT info table and of course parents to provide the refreshments!

The APRIL calendar was delayed (scheduling confirmations and corrections!).  It will be emailed to you this Sunday the 10th.  Please watch your inbox and advise me if you don't receive it - my list will need to be corrected to make sure that everyone is on the email list!!

Please sign up THIS WEEK for your Rose Orchestra performance tickets!!  The concert is Saturday, April 30 at 8pm.  This is the last concert of the season.  Please come out and enjoy the music - AND support your teachers :)

SESSION FEES ARE NOW DUE!!!

Parents, please bring your cash or cheques for the final session fees for this "year".

TD MUSICOUNTS VIDEO

This is a WONDERFUL YouTube video featuring our program and our fabulous leader!!  Make sure that you and your student(s) take 5 minutes and watch it!!

http://www.tdmusic.com/features/635

REMINDER:

If you are going to be absent from class, please advise Administration!!

Also, if you have to miss or reschedule a private lesson due to extreme circumstances, please advise your teacher asap.  We want to do our best to respect our teachers time, dedication and support of our program!!

ALSO -  A reminder about THEORY!! All intermediate and advanced students are required to attend a 30 min. theory class every other week.  Class is in the theory room - beside the party room where we hold class.  Theory is ONLY available at the following times:

• Tuesday (group 1 lesson weeks ONLY) 4-630
• Saturday (group 1 lesson weeks ONLY) 1030-1130

Please speak with me if you have any questions or concerns.

ON a personal level, please remember that can be reached most easily via text.  I check email frequently, but, I have notifications turned off for less distractions.  As always, if it is a timely message or needs a quick reply, call me.

HOMEWORK

ADVANCED

Ensembles, NEXT TUESDAY -choose/rehearse one piece to play in class April 19

FOR VIDEO TAPING  #1: La Paloma- still work to be done on SOLI/ MELODY parts and dynamics throughout. 

Continue to find your challenging parts of each piece, and work on those few bars daily till progress is seen. Take the hardest one to private lesson for help this week! 
DON'T FORGET:  bowings, notes, tuning, rhythms and dynamics in each piece.

NOW ADDING JESU JOY OF MAN'S DESIRING violin 2: important SOLI parts

                                           -----------------------------------------

INTERMEDIATES

 1 . BAROQUE FANFARE - play all correct slurs and bowings

 SECOND VIOLINS: learn all SOLI PARTS WELL- you have the TUNE !!!

 2 . BOWS on the BUS 

Check for perfect bowings, slurs, and perfect tuning

 3 . PIZZICATO MAGIC
 GOOD WORK : USE CORRECT PIZZ HAND POSITION

                                                    ----------------------------------------

BEGINNER

1. Continue practicing new bowing "I stop & you stop" : play with D SCALE notes

2.  Lightly ROW- on handout sheet- review the first two lines

TWO TIPS for good bowing:

(a)WATCH that the short notes are HALF BOWS and long notes are FULL BOWS

(b) stay at the tip if the note ends at the tip (no circle backs to the frog)

IF you are really good at Lines 1 and 2, try Line 3 at home

3. ALL FOR STRINGS: Review page  #18 C and E strings

                                - continue through to the end of page 17 #25

                               - Learn well all new exercises using FOUR STRINGS

                               - Play them all every day! 
                                    next:  WE READ 1ST FINGER NOTES!

4. ALL TWINKLES  : one of each bowing each day: 

                        long bows, mississippi hot dog, and mississippi mississippi

5. Long Long Ago- play with correct half and whole bows- no circle backs.

“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music.

 I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.”

- Albert Einstein, 19th century physicist: 

discovered the Theory of Relativity, and played the violin !