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Monday, September 16, 2013

Ensembles are fun!

On August 28th my friend and colleague Irene and I attended a fun workshop at Debra Wanless Music Studio called Ensemble Fun.  Irene and I have been playing together for a couple years; we try and make an effort to get together regularly, and are always working on something new and challenging.

I have loved playing duets, trios, duos, and double duos since I was a kid.  I have only great memories of ensembles: playing ridiculously fun music together and laughing a whole lot.  The bonus is that ensemble playing is good for musicians!

At Debra's workshop we learned about the history of piano ensemble, choosing ensemble partners, rehearsal tips and of course repertoire.  We read our way through tons of new Canadian ensemble music, then got to go shopping at the end.  What a fun morning!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

The Start of Fall Term

Today was the day.  Some teachers will wait for students to "settle in" at school before starting back with piano lessons.  But not me! I like to start back with the first week of school.  In fact the sooner the better!  I have so many new ideas and goals rolling around in my head that I really can't wait to start sharing and working on them.

I've had some time over the summer to get lots of new music games and worksheets ready, plus I'm trying out this fabulous set of books called Northern Lights by the Canadian National Conservatory of Music.   My friend and colleague Irene and I decided to purchase the entire series this summer while at the music symposium Summer Sizzle.