Fall Semester

I hope you all are having a relaxing and funfilled summer. I know the time has flown by way too fast and before we know it school will be starting again. I can hardly believe the Fall Piano Semester will begin in less than a month on Tuesday September 4 after Labor Day. I currently have a limited number of piano lesson times available for new students.

The Fall Semester runs 13 weeks and concludes December 15 and 16 with holiday recitals at Dow Rummel. This semester we will also be having piano parties October 29 and 30 at Schoppert's piano gallery. We will have a performance class where students perform a piece for their peers, followed by fun music activities and games. Because this event is close to Halloween, students are encouraged to wear a costume! Another fun and exciting event planned for December is the Sioux Falls Area Music Teacher Association (SFAMTA) duet recital Sunday December 2 at First Presbyterian Church.

Along with traditional 30 and 45 minute lessons, I will also begin offering partner lessons this semester. A partner lesson runs one hour and the cost is equivalent to a 45 minute lesson. Two students of similar age and skill levels meet for their weekly lesson together. They will work on repertoire, technique, keyboard theory, and games. This option should encourage students to practice more because they are meeting with a friend on a weekly basis.

Finally, I have updated my studio policy effective September 1, 2018. I plan to run my studio at full capacity this year and the biggest change to the policy is that I am unable to give make up lessons. Please read the new studio policy carefully. I am offering some reasonable alternatives to make up lessons such as a swap list, Facetime or Skype lessons, or piano parties. This is a transition many professional piano teachers have made the past few years and I feel that this change is for the best.

Welcome Back

Our first day back to lessons will be Saturday January 6.  Please contact me if you need to confirm your child's lesson day and time.  The attached calendar is a comprehensive listing of important dates for this semester including Music Olympics set for February 15 and our recitals will be held at Dow Rummel May 12 and 13.  I currently have openings for students Wednesdays after 7:30, Thursday at 5pm, and Saturday afternoons.

All Boy Recital: The Sioux Falls Area Music Teachers Association will be holding their annual All Boy Recital Sunday February 25 at St. Therese Catholic Church.  This would be a great opportunity for boys to perform their festival pieces for an audience and showcase their musicality.  The cost is $5, please let me know by January 26 if you would like your son to participate.

Piano Festival:  As a member of the Sioux Falls Area Music Teachers Association, my students have the opportunity to participate in the annual piano festival.  Students perform 2 pieces from memory and receive a certificate and comment sheet.  Students receive trophies for 3, 5, 7, 9, and 10 years of participation in the piano festival.  This year's piano festival will be held at Augustana University March 17, 2018.  Please reply to this email and let me know if you would like for your child to participate in piano festival and I will have some repertoire choices ready the first week.  Also remember to include the $15 registration fee (non-refundable) along with the first tuition payment.

Spring Recitals and Summer Lessons

Our Spring Recital will be held at Dow Rummel Village in the chapel at 3:30pm on Saturday May 13 and Sunday May 14  The chapel at Dow Rummel has a beautiful, well maintained, Steinway grand piano.  I feel that this is one of the best pianos in Sioux Falls!   Dow Rummel is located in the northern part of Sioux Falls near Russell and West.  

If you would like to bring recital treats to share, please drop me an email and let me know how many (dozen) you plan to bring.

Whether your child has played in several piano recitals or if this will be their first piano recital please take a moment to review the following:

1.  Please arrive 15-20 minutes early.  If you are not sure where Dow Rummel is located please ask, and also leave early so that you will not be rushed.

2.  Please bring your music!  While many students will have their music memorized, some students may feel more comfortable with the music on the stand.  I ask that everyone bring their music to the recital.

3.  As a matter of respect, please plan on attending the entire recital.  The recital should last about 30 to 45 minutes.  All students have worked diligently this semester and this is their time to shine. Students may sit with their families during the recital.  If you have a younger child who starts crying or likes to run around please take them to the hallway outside of the chapel.  Also, remember to silence your cell phones and other electronic devices.

4.  When it is your child's turn to play at the recital they will make their way towards the piano as the previous student has taken a bow and is leaving the piano.  Each student should adjust the piano bench so that they are not too close or too far away from the piano.  After they sit down they should take a moment to think about tempo and dynamics and the first few measures of their piece.  After their performance they will take a bow and return to their seat.  We will go through this sequence and bowing at an upcoming piano lesson.

5.  After the recital there will be an opportunity to take pictures by the piano and we will have cookies and punch in the foyer.

6.  Along with the families and friends of my piano students, the residents of Dow Rummel are also invited to attend our recital.

The last day of our Spring Semester is Saturday May 13. If your child’s lesson is normally after 2pm on Saturday afternoon please contact me for a make-up lesson time.  Due to my full schedule, we may need to meet the week following the recital.  The week following the recital is also reserved for make up lessons from the week when I was sick.  This would include Monday students whose lesson was after 7pm, Tuesday and Wednesday students, as well as Thursday students whose lesson was after 7pm.  

The Summer semester will begin Monday May 22 and go through August 12 . Please contact me to set up a summer lesson schedule. It is helpful to know if you would prefer weekly lessons or lessons every other week and what days/times work best.  I will begin the process of finalizing summer schedules this week.  Please understand that if your child does not participate in summer lessons they will not be guaranteed a time slot when the Fall Semester resumes in November. 

Holiday Recitals

Our Holiday Recitals will be held at Dow Rummel Village in the chapel at 3:30pm on Saturday December 10 and Sunday  December 11.  The chapel at Dow Rummel has a beautiful, well maintained, Steinway grand piano.  I feel that this is one of the best pianos in Sioux Falls!   Dow Rummel is located in the northern part of Sioux Falls near Russell and West.  

If you would like to bring recital treats to share, please drop me an email.

Whether your child has played in several piano recitals or if this will be their first piano recital please take a moment to review the following:

1.  Please arrive 15-20 minutes early.  If you are not sure where Dow Rummel is located please ask, and also leave early so that you will not be rushed.

2.  Please bring your music!  While many students will have their music memorized, some students may feel more comfortable with the music on the stand.  I ask that everyone bring their music to the recital.

3.  As a matter of respect, please plan on attending the entire recital.  The recital should last about 30 to 45 minutes.  All students have worked diligently this semester and this is their time to shine. Students may sit with their families during the recital.  If you have a younger child who starts crying or likes to run around please take them to the hallway outside of the chapel.  Also, remember to silence your cell phones and other electronic devices.

4.  When it is your child's turn to play at the recital they will make their way towards the piano as the previous student has taken a bow and is leaving the piano.  Each student should adjust the piano bench so that they are not too close or too far away from the piano.  After they sit down they should take a moment to think about tempo and dynamics and the first few measures of their piece.  After their performance they will take a bow and return to their seat.  We will go through this sequence and bowing at an upcoming piano lesson.

5.  After the recital there will be an opportunity to take pictures by the piano and we will have cookies and punch in the foyer.

6.  Along with the families and friends of my piano students, the residents of Dow Rummel are also invited to attend our recital.

The last day of our Fall Semester is Saturday December 10th. If your child’s lesson is normally after 2pm on Saturday afternoon please contact me for a make-up lesson time.  Due to my full schedule, we may need to meet the week following the recital.  The Spring semester will begin Monday January 9, and the lesson schedule will remain the same as Fall.  If your family has a time conflict due to other activities please let me know and I will do my best to resolve any scheduling issues. 

Duet Recital: The Sioux Falls Area Music Teachers Association will be holding their annual duet recital Sunday January 22nd at Augustana University.  A few students have been practicing duet pieces this semester and this would be a great opportunity for them showcase their teamwork skills and musicality.

Piano Festival:  As a member of the Sioux Falls Area Music Teachers Association, my students have the opportunity to participate in the annual piano festival.  Students perform 2 pieces from memory and receive a certificate and comment sheet.  Students receive trophies for 3, 5, 7, 9, and 10 years of participation in the piano festival.  This year's piano festival will be held at Augustana University March 18, 2017.  Please let me know if you would like your child to participate in the piano festival.  These last few weeks of the semester are a great time to choose festival music. 

Fall Update

Fall Greetings!  Our Fall Semester is half over and here are a few updates and reminders.

1.        Halloween is Monday October 31, and I am planning on teaching lessons that evening.  If your children would like to participate in the Halloween festivities please let me know so we can make arrangements.

2.       The South Dakota Music Teachers Association (SDMTA) fall competitions will be held in Aberdeen, SD on Friday November 4 and Saturday November 5.  I will be travelling to Aberdeen to help with this event as a result there will be no lessons on those days.

3.       Thanksgiving break is scheduled for Tuesday November 22 through Saturday November 26.

4.       The Fall/Christmas Recitals are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday December 10 and 11.  We are in the process of choosing music.  If you have not done so already, please have your children bring any recent Christmas books that would be at their playing level.

5.       Poppler’s Music will be holding a music sale Friday October 28 and Saturday October 29.  Please send me a quick email if you would like some book recommendations for the sale.

6.       It is refreshing to see a renewed interest in the Piano Maestro iPad app.  Through weekly reports I see that my students have practiced over 50 hours with the app since the beginning of the semester.  This is a great way to practice 5 finger patterns, scales, and chords.  The kids enjoy the popular and holiday songs as well.  Great achievements are always cause for a celebration.  Congratulations to Briana and Abbie who have reached Level 100 in the app!  

Recital Week!

Our Spring "Pop" will be held at Dow Rummel Village in the chapel at 3:30pm on May 14 and 3:30pm Sunday  May 15.  The chapel at Dow Rummel has a beautiful, well maintained, Steinway grand piano.  I feel that this is one of the best pianos in Sioux Falls!   Dow Rummel is located in the northern part of Sioux Falls near Russell and West.  

If you would like to bring recital treats to share, please drop me an email.

Whether your child has played in several piano recitals or if this will be their first piano recital please take a moment to review the following:

1.  Please arrive 15-20 minutes early.  If you are not sure where Dow Rummel is located please ask, and also leave early so that you will not be rushed.

2.  Please bring your music!  While many students will have their music memorized, some students may feel more comfortable with the music on the stand.  I ask that everyone bring their music to the recital.

3.  As a matter of respect, please plan on attending the entire recital.  The recital should last about 30 to 45 minutes.  All students have worked diligently this semester and this is their time to shine. Students may sit with their families during the recital.  If you have a younger child who starts crying or likes to run around please take them to the hallway outside of the chapel.  Also, remember to silence your cell phones and other electronic devices.

4.  When it is your child's turn to play at the recital they will make their way towards the piano as the previous student has taken a bow and is leaving the piano.  Each student should adjust the piano bench so that they are not too close or too far away from the piano.  After they sit down they should take a moment to think about tempo and dynamics and the first few measures of their piece.  After their performance they will take a bow and return to their seat.  We will go through this sequence and bowing at an upcoming piano lesson.

5.  After the recital there will be an opportunity to take pictures by the piano and we will have cookies and punch in the foyer.

6.  Along with the families and friends of my piano students, the residents of Dow Rummel are also invited to attend our recital.

The last day of our Spring Semester is Saturday May 14th. If your child’s lesson is normally after 2pm on Saturday afternoon please contact me for a make-up lesson time.  Due to my full schedule, we may need to meet the week following the recital.  We are still in the process of scheduling summer lessons.  I recommend that students take at least 6 summer lessons in order to retain the skills and knowledge they have acquired this year.  If you have not yet enrolled in summer lessons, please do so soon so that we can find the best time for your child/children.  

April News

 Only 6 weeks remain in our spring semester and at this time most students have chosen their pieces for our May recital.  The theme of the May recital will be "Pop Music."  This theme encompasses a broad range of songs, from movie themes, to oldies, Christian Hits, modern day pop songs on the radio, and classical pop songs.  I believe the students will have a fun time learning music they have heard before.  Some students will be analyzing chord symbols in the songs and many students will have a lot to learn from counting the syncopated rhythms.  

Last month, about 20 students from my studio participated in the Sioux Falls Area Piano Festival.  Students who participated received a comment sheet and certificate and several students earned trophies for 3, 5, and 7 years of participation in the festival.  

As the spring semester draws to a close, keep in mind that summer is right around the corner.  I normally begin the summer semester after our spring recital.  Sign up for summer lessons is on a week to week basis and I highly recommend that students enroll in 6 to 8 weeks of summer lessons in order to retain the skills and musicianship they have developed throughout the school year.  

The owners of K & M Music recently announced that they are retiring and have sold their business to Popplers Music of Grand Forks, ND.  This transition occurred on April 1st and the store will reopen on Monday April 4.  K & M Music has served the Sioux Falls music community for 40 years.  

Just over four years ago I opened up my studio at Donegal Centre and time has definitely flown by!  I only had a digital piano when I started but within a couple of weeks I purchased a Kawai upright piano and a couple of years ago I followed my dream and added a Kawai grand piano to the studio.  When I first moved to Donegal, I had 15-20 students and today the studio has now doubled in size!