Songbird Piano Lessons

At first, I struggled mentally to find a topic to post about. It would have been easy not to write at all, but it is Friday and New Year's Eve, and I felt that I probably should. But, as it stands, the inner ideals of the artist and the harsh realities of life stand in sharp conflict with each other. As such, I found it difficult to find something positive and encouraging to write about.     Then I remembered a conversation I had earlier this year, with one of my dad's friends from church, a man who has become sort of an "honorary uncle" to us young folks. It went something like this:    I mentioned that I had been very blessed -- my former teacher is one of the best-known figures in the Greater Edmonton music community. I think my words were, "Nearly everyone in the music community in our Edmonton knows the name of [my former teacher]."     "Oh," he replied, "just like someday the name Sarah Wiens will be known?"    I laughed and said, ...

 Sforzando Suddenly loud

    "O come let us adore Him,     Christ, the Lord!"   --  "O Come, All Ye Faithful," Attr. John F. Wade My good friend, Bethany Fehr, did this arrangement of "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus," and features as the lead singer and whistle-player here. In case you missed it, Bethany helped me  put one of the songs I'd written on YouTube  this last summer.  Merry Christmas! 

 I have three bits of news to share with you today. I think they're all pretty exciting.  1. I got my diploma!    Yes! Here I am, holding my Associate Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music, for completing the requirements of the ARCT in Piano Performance. And while you can't really tell from this photo, I was super excited when this arrived!     Now I just need to find a frame and hang it on the wall. :) 2. First in-person recital since 2019!    Last Saturday, we had the first in-person recital in two years... and the very first recital for which I needed to rent a church.    This, however, had to do with restrictions, rather than number of students. Under normal circumstances, everyone would still have fit in our basement. But for one thing, that's not legal currently, and for another, it probably wouldn't be that smart either. Our basement is open-concept, but that doesn't mean there's room for everyone to social distance....

 OK, students, it's your turn! Here is your handy, one-stop guide with everything you need to know about our upcoming recital. Parents, please ensure that your budding musicians read this... all the way to the end. Or better yet, go over it with them. ;) On Friday, flag your books! Put a sticky note on the page with the song you are playing, so you can flip to it easily and quickly at the recital! If you have loose sheet music, make sure you have it with you (preferably in a binder and flagged). If you're playing from a book, and you have a page turn and haven't memorized the second page, get your mom or dad to photocopy pages so you don't have to do a page turn.  Does it make you nervous to play in front of people? If so, that's OK -- most people feel this way! So, leading up to the recital, perform a lot for your family and friends. This will help you not to be so nervous. Don't forget to get them to sign your music or notebook in pencil!  Recitals are special...

  I think I've got to go back to writing down what I need to blog about in my planner.     This post should have been out two weeks ago.     Sorry!     Anyways, parents, please read this in preparation for our Saturday recital. (It's our first in-person recital since the pandemic started! Yay!)      Make sure you and your family arrive at the church on time (a few minutes before 2:00 P.M.). Check the address ahead of time, so you know where you're going! Onoway may be a small town, but that doesn't mean you can't waste time driving in circles looking for your destination in it.;)      Please be respectful of church property while we are there, and remind your children not to run in the sanctuary, play with things in the church, etc.      Also please sanitize your hands upon entering.       Help your child feel relaxed before the recital. Many children get very nervous befor...

 Announcing, the big news you've all been waiting to hear.... 🎺    The winning team from Composer Month is....    ...the Handel team!     As you can see, someone (my teen student) got a little competitive. So the Handel team has the top score at 84 points, and also the highest personal score: the competitive person brought in 66 points. :) Congratulations, Handel team!     In second place is the Bach team at 34 points.    And in third place is the Purcell Team at 26 points. :) How did Composer Month work for online students?    Online students dictated their facts to me. I copied them onto an index card, then taped them to the poster. :)  Good work, everyone! 

 Fortepiano Loud, then suddenly soft. 23 days till Christmas!