Summer Sizzle 2015

A great time was had by all at this year's Summer Sizzle. Keyboard Kamp was a great success! I was the host composer for Group A:

Some great memories were made...

And some great music too! Our group's composition was called Peaceful Twilight.

My friend and colleague Beth had a great time with Group B:

and everyone really enjoyed the masterclasses.

I got to showcase my new publications!

And how could I forget my convocation? I received my Licentiate diploma in Piano Performance from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music. I'm so happy to have been a part of this year's Summer Sizzle. Look for more pictures to be posted in the studio soon!

~ Jen

Year End Recital Pics and other news!

We had a great end of year recital. Thanks everyone for coming out and doing your best; you all sounded great. Don't forget, you can watch the videos on our playlists, just click the link to visit my YouTube Channel! 

I had the honour of hosting the Owen Sound CNCM examinations at my studio recently. They went very well and all the students were so well prepared. They were especially excited to meet the examiner!

Finally, my new book of elementary piano pieces-- Ocean Tails-- will be available very soon! I have one little person who is excited to try all the pieces out, and she's doing such a great job!

Stay tuned for news of the upcoming Summer Sizzle piano pedagogy symposium...

~ Jen

End of Year Preparations!

The rest of our term is filled with exciting preparations. First, there is the final recital of the year. Students are busy memorizing their pieces, practising duets, and putting the final touches on their own compositions (this year's composition theme is "Places I've Been"). We will try everything out at an informal performance class before the big day arrives.

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 4

It was our final day today, and what a busy and exciting one! In addition to the wonderful workshops offered today (including yoga in the piano studio), I got all my shopping done and am thrilled with all my new music! Can't wait to play everything out when I get home :)

There was also a new music showcase presented by Debra Wanless Music, and Irene and I played my Simple Gifts duet...very fun!

In the afternoon we heard some great student group compositions. The Keyboard Kampers had worked on these impressive compositions with a visiting composer for only two days!

This evening there was a semi-formal dinner, followed by a gala and convocation. Besides honouring the CNCM silver medal award winners and graduates, the gala featured new and existing music from visiting composers, played by both students and composers. Irene and I played the premiere of my Sneaky Snakes duet!

These past four days in Yorkton have been wonderful...it was so nice making the trip out west to experience Summer Sizzle in a new setting. I have come away with so many new ideas and loads of inspiration....enough to last me until next year, I hope!

~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

It's the beginning of Summer Sizzle 2014

Well we are off tomorrow...leaving for the annual piano pedagogy symposium presented through CNCM. This year's event takes place in Yorkton, SK-- so get ready to follow our adventures through the prairies! My friend/colleague Irene and I will be joining a group of other teachers and composers to embark on this adventure together.

Trying my hand at Two Pianos

Just a quick post to let you in on some of my recent work. I've expanded my ensemble writing to include not just duets but duos too! The following are my first 2 piano 4 hands arrangements for piano. The process was definitely different from writing for 1 piano 4 hands, but I really really enjoyed it. I can't wait to try some more two piano works and may even try a double duo soon!

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. 

Blue Snowball Mic Trial #1

So for some reason the GarageBand app on my iPad mini isn't supporting my new usb mic (and I even bought a special adapter cable for it!) so I had to move my computer in order to use the mic today.  I had the piano tuned less than a week ago and the microphone seems pretty foolproof, so I hope it sounds good!  I could definitely use a crash course in GarageBand but that is another story...

Summer Sizzle 2013

From July 21st to 23rd I attended a fantastic piano pedagogy symposium called Summer Sizzle.  This is an annual event held in Mount Forest, Ontario that brings together music educators, musicians, composers and students alike.

The workshops covered topics such as Memorization, Interpreting Modern Scores, Teaching Tricks, and Teaching the Highly Tactile Learner.  The practitioners were both engaging and inspiring, and I came away with a wealth of information and ideas. I can't wait to get going in the studio this fall!

Alyssa at Drum Fit class!