PLAY-A-THON RESULTS, SPRING PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES, AND MORE!
Do you wish you had a chance to perform right now? We do too! And, that’s why we createdLive From Your Living Room: a weekly performance series to showcase students. Hosted remotely by Academy Director Matt Camp, students will have an opportunity to share their musical talents, talk about their other hobbies, and of course, express their feelings about being stuck at home.
Spots are limited to 10 students each week, so sign up now!
Friday, May 8th at 6:00pm
CLICK HEREto sign up
Friday, May 15th at 6:00pm
CLICK HEREto sign up
Friday, May 22nd at 6:00pm
CLICK HEREto sign up
Friday, May 29th at 6:00pm
CLICK HEREto sign up
THANK YOU!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Academy’s first ever PLAY-A-THON to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation! As a student, parent, or donor, your combined efforts helped us raise close to $1000! We are very pleased with this result and hope you’ll join us again next year.
Congratulations to all of this year’s participants. Your dedication to practice with a purpose is going to make a huge difference. Thank you!
4 PRACTICE TIPS… FOR PARENTS
By Mrs. Anna (Academy Violin Teacher)
Below are my tips and advice to parents for setting up the best practice routine for young children. With these tips, I believe that you can avoid student practice burnout, minimize parent to child frustrations, and set up the best teacher-student-parent support system!
Be Consistent!
Set up a practice plan. (e.g. 15 minutes a day/5 days a week.)
Pick the best time of day. (e.g. Always practice before noon.)
Stick with it! Set a timer if necessary. Start small and build up from there. (e.g. For beginners, starting with 5 minutes of required daily practice often helps them build up stamina while reinforcing routine!)
Be Present!
Stay close by your child and be available to help during their practice.
Be encouraging and gently reinforce the items that need to be practiced. Clap for them at the end!
Take notes during online lessons and check in with the teacher within the last 5 minutes of the lesson.
Be Focused!
Have your child follow the lesson notes first when choosing how to spend their practice time.
Offer exploratory playing after lesson items are practiced. (Play review songs, write their own song, practice flashcards, etc.)
Limit distractions in the room and try to maintain a quiet practice environment.
Be Flexible!
“Loop” your practice: On busy days, instead of skipping practice, instead, practice part of the lesson plan, then circle back to it the next day and start where you left off.
Rotate the order of your practice. Avoid leaving the most challenging piece for last when you have the least amount of energy left.
TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK!
May 3-9
Share the love!
FACE OF THE ACADEMY
PHOTO CONTEST
Remote Learning Photos
Do YOU want to be the star of our new marketing campaign for ONLINE LESSONS?
Enter our FACE OF THE ACADEMY REMOTE LEARNING PHOTO CONTEST!
Here’s how to enter.
1) Send us a photo of your student taking an online lessons.
2) Include a statement about why you love the the lessons, how fun they are, or any other positive feedback about the Academy!
We’ll pick winners for each of the lessons we offer – piano, guitar, bass guitar, singing, drums, violin, cello, and ukulele.
All participants will receive a thank-you treat in the mail. Winners will be featured in our new remote learning marketing campaign and receive a $25 gift card.
Submit your entry now and YOU could be the next face of the Academy!
CALENDAR
MEMORIAL DAY
No Lessons
May 25
Live From Your Living Room!
May 8, 15, 22, & 29 6-7pm
JULY BREAK
No Lessons
July 2-5
MUSICAL LADDER CELEBRATIONS
Keep practicing and learning and achieving!
Check with your teacher about your next test date.
For students who pass their test, wristbands will be mailed!
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Our student of the month is Caleb K!
Caleb has been taking lessons at the Academy for three and a half years! His favorite thing he’s learned as a violin student is how to shift positions. Caleb’s favorite musicians are The Piano Guys and Rend Collective. Outside of music, Caleb enjoys camping, rock climbing and hiking. His advice to other music students is to practice every day and have fun!
SPRING REFERRAL CONTEST
Flexpass to the Grand Rapids Symphony Picnic Pops July Concerts!
Flexpass includes 6-ticket vouchers ($114 value) good for any night, in any combination. Use all 6 for one show or see all 4 series concerts.
PLUS $60 in spending cash! Total value of $174!
Drawing will be held on July 1st.
Congratulations to the Bouwman family for wining our winter referral contest!
By referring a new student to the Academy the Bouwman family won a $300 voucher to Tree Runner Adventure Park in Grand Rapids!
May 2020 Newsletter