April News

Happy Spring!

It is great to be back teaching after attending the MTNA conference in Las Vegas.  I caught up with some old friends, attended many concerts and the duet competitions, guarded a composer's salad (Catherine Rollin), and learned about some great new music!  

Spring Recital:

Our spring recital is a month away!  Most students have chosen their recital piece whether it is a new piece or a favorite festival piece.  The recital dates are set for: 

Saturday May 9 at 3:00pm in the Chapel at Dow Rummel

Sunday May 10 (Mother's Day) at 3:30pm in the Chapel at Dow Rummel.

If you have a preference for the recital date please email me soon.  I will plan the recital rosters towards the end of April.

Summer Lessons:

Summer is a time for piano lessons to shine!

Sign up for Summer Lessons is now available!  The summer "semester" begins Monday May 11th and runs through August 28th.  The summer lessons calendar has been extended due to the new Sioux Falls school start date.  Lessons will be offered on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings as well as Saturday afternoons.  If there is enough demand I will make more times available.  Parents may sign students up for lessons on a week to week basis.  Some students continue to study every week while others may sign up for a lesson once every 2 weeks or work around their vacation and camp schedules.  

I encourage students to study a minimum of 6 weeks in the summer in order to retain and build upon the information and skills they have learned the previous year. Summer lessons can be used to focus on a particular set of skills such as sight-reading, technique, or composing.  Some students choose to study popular music over the summer while others prepare for the South Dakota Music Teacher Association State competitions.  This year's competition will be held in Spearfish, SD in early November and is open to students age 10 and older performing piano solos, piano duets, or composing.

Students who do not enroll in summer lessons may reserve their place in my studio for the 2015-2016 school year by paying a non-refundable $50 reservation fee (per student) due June 1st.  Students who continue to take lessons throughout the summer will retain their place in my studio without having to pay the reservation fee.  Fall lesson times will be scheduled towards the end of the summer.  Please let me know soon if you are considering a move from 30 minute lessons to 45 minute lessons for your child in the 2015-2016 school year.