Christmas Arrangements by Debra Wanless

I was playing through the book Twelve Songs of Christmas the other day and thought the arrangements were so lovely I had to share them. This book features twelve intermediate to advancing jazz solos, compiled and arranged by Debra Wanless. I only had time to record seven of them since I am so busy getting ready for the holidays! But I think you get a good feel for the modern and appealing arrangements in this fun book. It would make a great addition to any Christmas music book collection. Hope you enjoy my videos!

~ Jen

p.s. I did not get paid to write this review....I just think it's a great book! :o)

Click here to hear more Debra Wanless music!

Canada Music Week 2014

Our Canada Music Week recital on Friday November 21st was a complete success! We had about twenty students performing works by Canadian composers (including local composer Debra Wanless) and a fabulous audience turnout. After the performance we had a draw for two paintings that were generously donated by composer Rémi Bouchard. The reception was a hit as always, due to the enormous celebratory cake and take-home Canadian souvenirs. We got to hear a great variety of Canadian music, and I think everyone in attendance enjoyed themselves and learned something new.

A New Festival Playlist and other things on the go...

I present to you a new playlist from my YouTube channel, featuring set piano pieces for this year's local music festival. This list covers all the classes for 5-16 years and under. I hope to post the next set of pieces (9-14 years and over) in the next week or so. I hope this will help teachers and students choose their 2015 festival pieces, and also give them a glimpse of some great Canadian music from Northern Lights.

Summer Sizzle: The Trip Home

Day 5 marked the beginning of our long trip home. We packed up and left our hotel by 7 AM and started our drive back to Winnipeg. The scenery was beautiful. We had to make one more stop in Minnedosa at our new favourite spot, the Chipperfield Coffee Company.  We made it to Winnipeg in good time, although the traffic there slowed us down a bit!

Our flight was only slightly delayed and we left Winnipeg just after 5 PM. Getting into Pearson International Airport was a bit tricky, and we had to circle back around before landing due to stormy weather. We landed in Toronto just before 9 PM local time, and I think everyone was glad to be back on the ground. Some of us went our separate ways and the airport while the rest of us carpooled back up north towards Owen Sound. During the drive we recounted our experiences over the past five days; it was definitely a trip to remember.

~Jen

Summer Sizzle trip: Day 3

Today was Day One of Summer Sizzle! It started bright and early with registration, then went straight into some great workshops. We also had new music blitzes, time to shop at the trade show, and some great meals, music and dancing. Spending time with all the composers, teachers, parents and Keyboard Kampers was tons of fun. Here are a few pictures from our day:

Tomorrow is packed full of more pedagogy workshops, demonstrations, and recitals. Tomorrow evening the symposium will come to a close with a gala celebration and CNCM convocation. Stay tuned!

~Jen

Summer Sizzle trip: Day 2

Today we had a pretty relaxed start to the day, then moved on to one of the venues to start setting up for The Sizzle. We had lots of music to bring!

The afternoon was spent reviewing each room, making sure it had enough chairs, keyboards and other supplies needed for the upcoming workshops. We had some very organized people helping! The trade show tables were set up downstairs, displaying silent auction items and a multitude of books and exciting new Canadian music.

We also got the "goodie" bags ready for tomorrow morning...they have everything required for Summer Sizzle and more. So handy!

Lastly, almost everyone went to bed early tonight as it's a pretty early start tomorrow. Monday marks the official start of Summer Sizzle 2014. So many great people have come together and worked so hard to make these two days happen, and I'm sure all their hard work will pay off!

~Jen

Summer Sizzle trip: Day 1

Here is a summary of our trip so far!

Our group departed from Pearson International Airport at 12:30 on Saturday afternoon and landed in Winnipeg around 2 PM local time. We had to travel downtown to pick up our rental van...and on the way we passed a famous landmark, the Golden Boy statue! The Golden Boy is a statue facing north on the dome of the Manitoba Legislative Building, and is one of Manitoba's best known symbols. It is 5.25 metres (17.2 feet) tall from the toe to the top of the torch and 4.27 metres (14 feet) from head to toe. Here is a picture I took from the car:

Next we picked up our rental and piled into the van for a drive over to Neepawa (about 2 hours away).

Irene took the first driving shift. Yay...Neepawa!

After supper we met some friends at a local church, including Canadian composer Rémi Bouchard and   musician Cameron Streicher. Cameron was giving a concert that evening in Neepawa, so we were able to stay for the first half of the show before hitting the road again.

On our way to Saskatchewan we stopped at a great little place called the Chipperfield Coffee Company in Minnedosa. They had 24 flavours of soft serve ice cream, gourmet coffees and teas and lots more!

I took the second shift of driving, and after another three hours on the road we finally rolled into Yorkton, SK. And that is our trip so far; we're having fun getting to know each other and setting up for the symposium. More updates to follow!

~Jen

A Bluesy Duet and Other News

I started this duet when the "spring" weather was still very bleak and cold and everyone was complaining about the long winter. I was in the mood for writing a bluesy duet, and out came the Long Winter Blues. This piece has a walking bass line, swinging eighth notes and some long lines and long notes to emphasize the "looong" winter. 

New Books for Everyone!

Many students started in new music books after March Break. One student made a leap from primary books to graded books in the Royal Conservatory of Music curriculum. Other students received new books from the Northern Lights series (Canadian National Conservatory of Music). It is such an exciting thing to receive fresh new music, and it gives a nice little boost at this time of year when the spring weather is taking so long to appear.

Kiwanis Festival, Set Pieces for Piano, ages 5 to 10 years & under

Hi! I just decided to make videos of all the set piano pieces for the Grey County Kiwanis Festival of Music. These great pieces come from the Canadian series of books called Northern Lights, by the Canadian National Conservatory of Music. The comprehensive festival classes range from 5 years & under to 14 years & over with many classes in between. This post will cover right up to 10 years & under (only because I ran out of time to record yesterday!)

Canada Music Week Recital 2013 (ORMTA Owen Sound Branch)

Our recital was one week ago today, and I think it went really well! Altogether we had 22 students play a wide variety of Canadian works.  A couple of fun duets were showcased, and even some brave adults played to the very appreciate audience.  Everyone played so well and confidently, and it was a great way to share all the hard work we'd done this fall.

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!

End of Term Recital

This being the first post on my new blog, it seems fitting to share with you the exciting start of summer.  On June 13 the studio-- along with the students of my friend and colleague Irene Enns-- presented a Junior/Intermediate Piano Recital to finish off the term.  This recital reflected all the hard work and commitment each student demonstrated this year, and besides my living room being a tad crowded I think everyone enjoyed themselves!

Everyone signed their name.