This fall I have been challenged in setting a new piano schedule.  I appreciate all who have been patient and flexible in scheduling.  I hope to have the schedule set by the September 7th.  If you have not reserved a space yet, please refer to the schedule link on this site.  I will try to update it each time a change is made. 

FYI students who took lessons in July and August:  the invoices for summer lessons will be going out this weekend.

The June 21st recital was a great success.  Twenty-three students played, and those who were there enjoyed the evening’s entertainment.  Thank you all for coming.  When Chaundre Broomfield played his tune, he neglected to say that it was his arrangement, so here it is.  Click on the above link to hear it.  I recorded this at his lesson about an hour before the recital. 

Twenty three students earned the MTNA Music Achievement Award this year.  I hope all of you had a chance to browse through the reports the students made on composers.  Congratulations to all who worked hard and did a great job on your goals. 

The Student of the 2009-2010 Year is Jordan Thompson.  Jordan shows great self-motivation and drive–always looking for another piano project.  She doesn’t let a difficulty defeat her, as all of you saw when she played Beethoven with a cast on her right arm.  Luckily she had memorized it and prepared it weeks ahead of the recital.  Congratulations, Jordan!  It is a pleasure to work with you.

One component of music lessons that isn’t often addressed is the involvement of the parents.  Students whose parents are active participants in their practice sessions and lessons do much, much better than those whose parents simply send or bring their kids to lessons.  Often when parental participation is absent, the student’s progression ceases. Summer is a good time to evaluate your own contribution to student success.  We can prepare the recipe for success at the studio, but the baking is done at home. 

Schedule note:  Lessons will resume Tuesday, July 20th.  Happy vacation! 

Well, practicing and a good ear.  This is a sample of Chaundre Broomfield playing a jazz piece by ear at this afternoon’s lesson.  And an advertisement for the recital on June 21st.  Be there or be square.  Thanks, Chaundre, for letting me share this.

The Student of the Year award will be awarded that evening, and the students will receive their MTNA Music Achievement pins. 

If you haven’t finished your goals yet, please wrap those up this week if possible.  I’ve received some nice biographies which I will display at the recital.  Most of you should be well into memorizing your recital pieces by now. 

Some of you have expressed an interest in building a classical music library of recordings.  Here are a few suggestions for starting your collection:

J. S. Bach Well Tempered Clavier, Brandenburg Concerti (1-6), Goldberg Variations.  Two and Three Part Inventions.  Any Bach recorded by Glenn Gould.

G.F. Handel:  Messiah, Water Music.

Mozart:  Requiem, Jupiter Symphony #41, Piano Sonatas, Any wind concerto.

Beethoven: Symphonies 3,5,6,7,9.  String Quartet #59

Berlioz:  Symphony Fantastique

Schumann:  4th Piano Concerto

Schubert: 9th, Trout Quintet, Piano Sonanta #959

Chopin:  Anything he wrote for piano

Wagner:  Overtures and Preludes, Lonhengrin, Tannhauser

Mahler:  1st, 5th, 8th Symphonies

Debussy:  LaMer, Prelude to Afternoon of a Fawn

Ravel:  Piano Concerto (3rd) Ravel orchestration to Moussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition

Moussorgsky:  Pictures at an Exhibition, Night on Bald Mountain. 

More to come…

Thank you for your patience and understanding last month when lessons had to be cancelled on short notice because of a family emergency.  Please remember to give me your updated contact information when it changes. 

The Student of the Month for April is Olivia O’Hara.  What an incredible little girl she is.  Olivia is my youngest student, and is a very quick study.  She is the daughter of Chris and Lisa O’Hara of Washingtonville.

How are you coming along with your goals for the Music Teachers National Association Music Achievement Program?  The deadline is extended to June 10th.  The two most important goals to me are memorization and scales.  Please bring your goal sheets to lessons during the first week in May and we’ll assess where we are and where we need to be.

Welcome new students Wendy Scollan and Makayla Davies.  I look forward to working with both of you and hope you enjoy your lessons.   

Lessons are available to students who wish to take them during Spring Break week.

Please change my contact email to jdraichart@gmail.com.  I am having trouble accessing my dolcemolto.com address on my phone and computer. 

The Student of the Month for March is Cheyenne Broomfield.   Great job, Cheyenne!  Keep up the good work. 

I appreciate the support the students’ families showed at the recital.  All 24 students who were scheduled to play did so, which is terrific, especially for a midweek recital. The next recital is slated for the spring, probably in June, and it may be a Virtual Recital.  Stay tuned for more information as the time draws closer to performance time.

The MTNA Music Achievement Program is moving right along on schedule.  All students can now check off the goal of performing and attending a recital.  Please don’t hesitate to discuss any of the goals if you have questions.  Keep playing those scales!  Next week we will set memorization goals for everyone in March.

Thank you all for allowing me to share in your musical education. 

February 22, 2010

7 p.m.

 As usual, the recital will be held at the LDS (Mormon) church on Mt. Airy Road in New Windsor.  I will hand out directions to the venue at lessons during the week of February 15th.  The recital will begin at 7 pm. sharp and will end at or before 8 p.m.  (It is, afterall, a school night.)  For this reason, all students are limited to one piece.  All pieces are to be memorized.  Girls should wear dresses or skirts and blouses, and boys should wear docker-type or dressier pants and collared shirts.  Ties are allowed and encouraged.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call or email me. 

I generally check my email account joanne@dolcemolto.com each evening. If you need to contact me during the day, I can most easily be contacted by phone 496-4247, or 845-649-8516, or by email at dolcemolto@hotmail.com.

Progress Report on Technique:  I am pleased with the progress the students are making on their scale studies.  Please remind them to practice the scale assignments each day.  This is an essential technical skill that ALL must master.

I am pleased to announce that the Student of the Month for February is Elizabeth Allegro.  Congratulations!

The MTNA Music Achievement Award program is in full swing.  If you have lost your copy of the goals, please ask for another one right away.  The most important goals to achieve are the scale assignments and the monthly memorized pieces.  The deadline for completion is May 15.

Thank you for supporting your child’s musical education.  It is a great honor for me to be a part of that.

 MTNA Achievement Program:  I assume that everyone will participate this year, and this week we will talk about those goals again and see where we are. 

Theory and Technique:  The beginning of each lesson will be devoted to a short theory lesson, followed by technical work.  Thank you for being prompt for lessons so we have time for all that I have planned for each student.

Recital, recital, recital:  The first recital of this year will be held on Feb. 22nd, a Monday.  What?  A Monday, you say?  Yes.  We’ll start at 7 and be out by 8, I promise.  Same place as usual, the LDS Chapel on Mt. Airy Road in New Windsor.  Directions to come later.

Happy Music Making!