March 20-April 3, 2008
Tim Stoiber, a piano student of Sandy Ryan,
has been accepted as a member of the People to
People Ambassador Program to Italy and Greece.
While participating in the program this summer,
Tim will meet with government officials, take part
in educational activities, and interact with other
students to promote international understanding
and to develop leadership skills. During his
twenty days abroad, Tim will stay with host
families in their homes.
Tuition for this program will be paid by Tim,
private donors, and corporate sponsors.
Although Tim has been working to pay for his own
tuition, he needs sponsors to make up the rest.
Tim promises to keep a journal and take photos
to share with his sponsors upon his return.
The Adventure of a Lifetime
Each year, thousands of young achievers explore the world as People to People
Student Ambassadors, fulfilling the vision of our nation's 34th Presidents,
Dwight D. Eisenhower. He founded People to People in 1956 because he believed
that young people and one-to-one cooperation were the keys to global
understanding.
Living the Adventure
Climbing the Eiffel Tower for a dramatic view of Paris, feeding dolphins at a
research center in the South Pacific, or catching a breeze while cruising past the
Sydney Opera House -- these are just a few of the experiences Student
Ambassadors share.
Seeing the world from a different angle
Student Ambassadors spend two to three weeks exploring such fascinating places
as Australia, Europe and Asia, all from a cultural, educational, and social
viewpoint.
The Global Classroom
Student Ambassadors have more fun learning about our world than they ever
dreamed possible. They can even earn high school or college credit for their efforts.
www.studentambassadors.org
All students sing scales and exercises for the first 5-10 minutes of the lesson to improve their tone and increase
their range. Students have the option of bringing along a regular-sized cassette tape to have these exercises
recorded for study during the week. Most beginners are surprised to learn how much they can improve the tone
of their voice while singing exercises. The remaining time is spent working on music the student enjoys while
trying to maintain the improved tone accomplished during the exercises.
The benefits of studying with a trained teaching professional are difficult to measure. First, our teachers are
experienced and expert musicians. Most of our teachers make teaching and performing music their career.
They have been educated in music at the college level and have received instruction in the method of teaching
as well. Our instructors belong to professional organizations that discuss current trends and share new
ideas. Our studio is well maintained and has state-of-the-art digital pianos and pleasant waiting areas for
parents.
Our spacious studio offers the unique opportunity for small groups to learn and perform together. Students
perform not just solos, but duets, trios, quartets, sometimes even larger ensembles and our piano students
also accompany our instrumental soloists. Because we offer recitals, group lessons and the opportunity to
participate in various competitions, our students are experienced performers and not just accomplished
musicians. We encourage you to attend one of our recitals to experience the difference for yourself!
Start early. Active participation in music is recommended by age 6 or 7--which means the sooner your child
learns to play or sing, the better the experience will be for them. Many experts advise starting musical study at
this age because children can grasp basic concepts of music by this age and because it is a good fit for the
pace at which beginning musicians can learn. If you ever studied a foreign language, you may understand that
it can be tedious to learn many details at such a slow pace. Learning how to say the simplest things can take a
long time. An early start can help a child learn to read and understand music at an easy pace and a pace that
can maintain their interest.
No, not especially. Practically anyone can learn to play several easy pieces during the first weeks of study. It is
important to remember that it takes time to progress to different stages of musical study. You may not be able
to play your favorite piece within the first year of study (depending on what it is), but you can play an instrument.
Keep in mind that many books of popular music are available for all levels of players and you and your teacher
should be able to select music that you will enjoy studying that will also help you progress in your studies.
A long time ago, a teacher would tell you what to do and your job was to do it. Fortunately, better teaching
techniques have been developed, and music teachers often have different ways of meeting a student's needs. A
major factor in the decision should be the rapport you, (if you will be taking lessons) or your child, has with the
teacher. A good teacher genuinely cares about their students' musical development and endeavors to continue
the student's enjoyment of music. That being said, there are some different styles of teaching. Some teachers
focus on a particular student's goals, interests, and challenges and tailor lessons to meet these needs. Other
teachers focus on a method of teaching that is designed to assist the student in learning different skills at the
appropriate time and provides a structure of learning that helps them know where they are going. It may be
helpful to ask questions about the length of lessons, how the teacher assigns pieces for study, and how they
adjust their teaching to meet the needs of their students.
Most good professional teachers have studied music at a college or conservatory and may belong to
professional societies such as the National Music Teacher's Association, the Horn Guild, etc. Do keep in mind,
however, that being an excellent performer does not equal being a good teacher. Although it depends on your
interests, it may be better to find a teacher who is a good performer and loves to teach rather than study with an
established performer who takes on a few students to earn some extra money. If you are serious about music,
you may opt for a more talented performer who can share more advanced techniques and interpretations.
It goes without saying that all students are expected to practice, but how much is enough? First, consider your
level of ability. A beginner will need more one-on-one help from the teacher than someone who can read music
and has the ability to understand the notes, rhythms, and other directions given in the music. Once a student is
proficient at reading music, it can be simply a matter of repeating the music to learn "how it goes" and to build a
memory in the muscles for "how it feels".
Set a Goal
- Set a goal each week. Your teacher will write it down on your assignment sheet each week. Each practice
session should be goal oriented rather than time oriented. Keep track of how much you practice every day.
- When you plan your day, include time for music! Create a habit by creating a consistent time for practicing.
Feel free to take breaks to refocus your concentration and rest your body. Now, here's the secret...return
to your instrument a little later to reinforce what you accomplished earlier that day. Why? You will retain
your new skills much faster the sooner you are able to repeat them and you will remember the skill longer.
- This is a time to center yourself. Think about your previous lesson. What were some recent goals? Check
your posture, relaxation, and breathing. Play scales and exercises as music to be enjoyed. Keep in mind
the things your teacher has suggested about technique. Most of all, make this time about you. Give
yourself the satisfaction of feeling how fun and musical scales and exercises can be. Let your relaxation
and good technique allow you to feel ready for a fun and productive practice session.
- Retain the skills you have recently learned and remind yourself of your recent goals. Give yourself a check-
up. Have you remembered your goals and have you mastered them?
- A lot of good discovery comes from looking for clues in the music. Study your music away from the
instrument. Look for places where you can write reminders to yourself about what you need to play
differently, such as writing a flat or a sharp on the sheet music where you often play a wrong note.
Discover other clues in the music about the tempo, articulations, the dynamics, and other clues the
composer wrote in the music. When you return to the instrument, keep a pencil handy to write in
reminders to avoid repeating mistakes. - Study the music away from the instrument again. Why? This time think through how you want to play the
music and what it should sound like. Hear the music, study the notes and rhythms and think through any
sections that are challenging. Why is it challenging? Is the music "yours" yet? If you answered yes, then it
is time to return to your instrument and play.
- Avoid learning the notes first and then later adding dynamics and so forth. Look at the music and try to
take in as many of the articulations, dynamics, and other markings in the music as you can. Apply these
markings to your playing right away.
- Playing a piece from beginning to end is not practicing! Experiment with slow practice, working on
sections, different dynamics, or get some ideas from your teacher to help you with the difficult sections.
Good practice habits develop solid performances.
- If you are expected to memorize a piece, begin memorizing it as soon as you begin practicing it. As soon
as you have learned it, you begin practicing the piece and memorizing it. This builds concentration and
keeps your music expressive rather than just repetitious.
- Focus on what you are doing and take breaks if you notice that your mind is wandering. Practice is a
personal time for you and your instrument. Think about what you are doing and don't let yourself be
distracted by people, the TV or noises.
- Have you discovered something new during this practice session? If the answer was no, then you were
not practicing! Listen, listen, and listen some more and pose questions to your self. "Did I really play loud
where it said to play forte? Did I really play smoothly where the music was marked legato?" If you are
really listening, you will know the answers to these questions, and you will be on the path to
discovery!
Here are some more tips to practice "smarter" rather than "harder". First, try to make a large job into a smaller
one. Look at the music and identify the smaller "chunks". Look for different sections of the music and just
practice one section. Many times there is a phrase or just a few notes that present a challenge. Find the
challenging section or notes and practice them over and over again. Sometimes just taking the four problem
notes and playing them ten times slowly and getting used to the feeling of them can make such a difference, and
you have already cut your practicing time drastically. Rather than repeat the piece from beginning to end many
times, repeat the challenging areas and notice how the wrong notes float away...and the boredom too!
