Christmas Songs

Please practice the Christmas songs we are doing for the River Ridge Stake Christmas Fireside on November 29th. The songs are: Angels We Have Heard On High, The Infant King, Away in a Manger. Practice with big, round, beautiful flowing tone so we fill the whole church with our music. Remember: The way we practice is the way we play.

Rehearsal: Wednesday, November 26, Group Lesson
Saturday, November 28, 9:30 a.m. at the church
Performance: Sunday, November 29th 5:00; Please be there by 4:40 to tune

Practice Perfect!

As long as we spending the time to practice, let's not spend our time practicing mistakes. Always practice the way you want your finished song to sound, using the correct position to make the best tone. We call this Perfect Practice.
A reminder: Some of you have not yet completed a 10-Minute Practice Card. Others have completed several. You need to practice at least 10 minutes at a time and should practice at least three 10-minute sessions in a day.

CONGRATULATIONS TO HAYDEN!!!

Hayden has completed his Suzuki Book One and performed all the songs in Book One at a recital for his family. He did an excellent job and will be starting Book Two next week.

Congratulations Hayden for a job well done!

New Stuff!

Group Lesson this month will be on Wednesday, October 28th at 4 p.m. As is our tradition, we will be working on "Spooky Stuff" such as spider crawls, ghost tones, the pendulam swing, left hand spider walk, tic tocs, and more! These things all relate to GOOD POSITION! Good position helps us sound better and play better. It has been said that it takes 21 days to change a habit. Therefore, constant effort is required to change some of our poor position habits.
Be sure to keep the thumb bent at all times doing the spider crawl on the bow and take small steps!

A reminder: We will play a Christmas Medley at the River Ridge Stake Christmas Fireside on Sunday, November 29th at 5 p.m. There will be a rehearsal on Saturday, the day before at 9 a.m. So far our medley will consist of Angels We Have Heard On High, The Infant King, and Away in a Manger.

Please remember to mark your 10 minute practice cards. We can accomplish anything if we do it in small increments!

We had a fun evening of fiddling...

Thanks to all of you who worked so hard to get the fiddle numbers learned! It was a fun evening. We had nearly 50 people in attendance. We are going to keep going on our fiddling numbers all year long and will be learning more tunes each month. Fiddle music is fun, rhythmical, and very entertaining. We also learn a lot of good violin playing skills from fiddling, such as string crossing, finger dexterity, and bow control. Keep on fiddling....

PERCEPTION

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later: the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk..

6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.1 hour:He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.... How many other things are we missing?

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Angelica and Ashlie who each completed her first practice card. They each got to choose a prize from the prize box. Good Work Girls!!!

It should only take 3 weeks to complete the card. Otherwise, something is very wrong.....(:
Either you are not practicing enough or you are not marking your card.

Fun Concerts to Attend

There are two upcoming Concerts in the Park I think you might enjoy going to. They are free of charge and very fun to attend. They are at the Brigham Young Historical Park, located on the southeast corner of State Street and Second Avenue. The first one is on Friday, August 21st and is a group called Shilaylee. This is a blend of Celtic, Bluegrass, Early American and EnglishTunes. The next one is on Friday, August 28th and is a wonderful group called Fire on the Mountain. They play folk, bluegrass and do comedy. Start time is 7:30 p.m for both. There are some chairs, but you might want to bring a blanket to sit on the lawn.

Fantastic Fiddlers Annual Fiddle Program

Our annual fiddle program is still scheduled for Monday, August 31st at 6:30 PM. Many of our students have been gone over the summer, so we will need to work very hard to brush up on our fiddle numbers. We will have 13 numbers on our program. Now is the time in invite anyone you would like, especially Grandparents so that they keep this evening open. We will be celebrating the songs that make up America!

A beautiful poem

This poem was in my sister's funeral program:

"An old friend, my violin, Still lies within it's case,
And at times I take it out To play and reminisce.
The joy of life it brought to me As I picked up that precious bow,
And o'er the strings did play the songs, That were the best to know.
My problems seemed to dwindle, My thoughts went high above,
When the music flowed so gently, In tender tonelike love.
There's nothing else can take it's place, The music of this world,
To bring that special joy of life, To unloose and to unfurl.

Thank you!

Our performance last Sunday of America the Beautiful was suberb! Teacher had many compliments on this unique rendition. Several people have asked about our Fiddle Program we do at the end of summer. We are scheduled for August 31st, a Monday evening at 6:30. Many students have been out of town this summer and missed lessons, so we need to keep working hard on our fiddle numbers, especially the new ones. We will put our program together at our July Group Lesson the last Wednesday of the month. Happy practicing. Don't forget to mark your 10-Minute Practice Cards.

10 Minute Practice Cards

Teacher has some cards made up for 10 minute practice sessions. For every 10 minutes you practice you mark off a 10 minute square. When your card is all filled up, you get a prize! The card must be signed by a parent when it is filled up. (There are 48 squares on the card so that totals 480 minutes of practice.) For example, if you practice 30 minutes a day, six days in a week, that is a total of 180 minutes for the week. By the end of the month you should have WELL over the 480 minutes. You may only mark the card if you practiced a minimum of 10 minutes at a time, not 5 here and 5 there. If you practice for 20 minutes at a time, mark off two squares. Good luck, and happy practicing! The more you practice, the faster you learn your songs.

10 Minute Practice Sessions

We are trying a new way to practice this summer. So many of you are busy, going on vacations, etc. so this is what we will do. I would like you to practice one song, such as a fiddle song (Devil's Dream is a good one!) for 10 minutes in a row. Then take a break and do whatever you need to do. Then do another 10 minute practice session working on a different song. Do this three or four times during the day until you have all your songs worked on. I think we will see some great results!! Repitition is the key to success!

We have our previously learned fiddle music to review and some new ones to learn. The more you practice, the faster you learn your pieces. Our fiddle music is very very fun to play and teaches us some good violin playing skills at the same time. August 31st is the day for our Fiddle Fest. Invite your friends, neighbors, and relatives.

June Group Lesson

This month's Group Lesson is on Wednesday, June 24th at 4 p.m. We will be going over our violin arrangement of "America the Beautiful" to perform on June 28th and July 12th. Also we will also work on our new fiddle song, the Irish Washerwoman Medley. Summer is the time to review all the fiddle tunes we know.

Summer Fun

We will be preparing this summer for our Fiddle Program scheduled for August 31st. Any student who would like to practice hard can learn extra songs and play a solo or duet. We are sure our audience will be happily entertained.

We have two performances scheduled for America the Beautiful. The first is June 28 at 10 a.m. for the Legacy Sacrament Meeting. The second is July 12 at 10:50 for the Parkway 8th Ward (2700 W 9850 So). What better way to celebrate America than in music!

Congratulations on a great Spring Recital!

Our Spring Recital was superb! Enjoyed by all who attended. (That would be your parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, and an aunt and uncle and maybe some cousins.) We play quite a bit as a group so it was a very good opportunity to hear each student play a solo. We will now be working on our fiddling for our end of summer program and America the Beautiful which we will play in July.

Yea! Memorial Day is over!

It is time for our Spring Recital on Monday, June 1st. Please invite friends, family grandma/pa, parents, siblings, cousins. Well, anyone you can think of who would like to be entertained by our fantastic students. Please remember to use your Book 2+ skills on your Book 1 review songs.

I encourage all of our students to participate in their school talent shows. Be prepared to play for your family reunions and church functions this summer. Ty, Brak and Tia invited their cousins Ashlie and Katelyn to participate in their school talent show. (hint: you might get a sneak preview at the recital.)

Group lesson is this Wednesday, May 27th at 4:00 p.m. Be prepared to perform your recital songs with/for the group. We will also review America the Beautiful, which we will play in Angelica's ward on July 12th.

In the summer we prepare for our fidding program we do in the fall. We would be happy to perform for any other functions during the summer that may come up. Just call teacher. Our fall fiddling program for the fantastic fiddlers is scheduled for Monday, August 31st.

Spring Recital

Our Spring recital will be held on Monday, July 1st at the Sandy Library at 6:30 p.m in the Large Meeting Room. The Sandy Library is located at 10100 South Petunia Way. Directions: Go East on 10600 South to 1300 East. Turn North (left) and go to Buttercup Drive (10075 S.) Turn right on Buttercup and you will see the library on the right.

Our recital will consist of a few group numbers and a solo number presented by each student. It will not be a very long recital, so please invite your family, friends, Grandmas and Grandpas, and anyone else who would love to hear you perform. Thank you to all of you who kept practicing while teacher was sick! Because of that we will have a great recital!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Ty. He earned his First Degree Black Belt in Karate this past Saturday. His mom, Laura, earned her Second Degree Black Belt. It was a lot of work. Congratulations to them.

Thank you for everyone's understanding when teacher was sick. We have missed some lessons so need to practice even harder to be ready for our Spring Recital. Remember to work on May Song, Perpetual Motion, Minuet 2 (all from Book 1) and Witches Dance for Group Numbers. Each person will also have a solo to play.

Fiddle Contest

This would be fun to watch!

The Utah Old Time Fiddlers and Country Music Association holds its annual May Day Festival Fiddle Contest & Variety Show. Families can attend the Fiddle Jam Friday evening, the fiddle contest during the day on Saturday, and the Fiddler Variety Show Saturday evening. Players of all ages are welcome to enter the fiddle contest; a small entry fee is charged and cash prizes are awarded to the top three winners in each age division. Contest registration begins at 8am Saturday morning.801.968.3974http://www.wheelerfarm.comOngoing Daily 5/8/09 - 5/9/09; check with location for exceptions.Ages: All AgesTime: Fri 5pm-12pm; Sat Contest 9am-3pm, Variety Show 7 pmCost: Jam & Contest free; Variety Show Adults $4, Seniors $3, Children $2
Wheeler Historic Farm6351 S 900 E Salt Lake City, UT 84121

Here's what we have scheduled....

Here are a few dates to look forward to if you want to hear our "fiddlers" perform. Monday, June 1st will be our Solo and Ensemble Recital at the Sandy Library. (We have an alternate date of Friday, May 29th at the River Ridge Stake Center if the June 1st date doesn't work out.) After our recital, we will begin working on our fiddle music with our "Fiddle Fest" scheduled for Monday, August 31st. Sunday, July 12 we will play our arrangement of "America the Beautiful" in Angelica's Sacrament Meeting. We will have to do a little "tweaking" to perform it without the children's choir. In the fall, we will begin working on our Christmas Program and will do performances at Care Centers. We love to play for people and enjoy seeing their happy responses to our music. Everyone is invited to all our performances!

Do you have insurance on your violin?

there is a company called Music Agency, Inc. our of Arlington, TX that will insure your violin for as little as $25 a year, depending on the value of your instrument. "Policyholder claims are processed daily for instruments that have been knocked off their stands, stepped on, sat on, stolen from bus stops, cars, and band rooms, even chewed up by the family dog!" If you are interested in this insurance, go to Info@musicagencyinc.com Phone 800-557-0135

Upcoming Events

This is what we have planned in the near future:
*We are having a solo/ensemble recital either Monday, June 1st or Friday, May 29th, depending on when I can arrange a room. Each student will play a solo and we will do a few group pieces.
*Ty, Brack and Tia are trying out for their school talent show the first part of May and invite the Fantastic Fiddlers to join them in performing a fiddle number. If accepted, they will play in the talent show the end of May.... exact dates to be announced later.
*The 2nd Sunday in July, we have been invited to play our arrangement of "America the Beautiful" at Angelica's sacrament meeting. We will need to make a few changes to perform it w/o the singers.
*We will have our annual "Fiddle Fest" either the last week of August of first week of September (before it gets too cold) in the back yard. Invite all your friends, relatives, etc. We are learning new fiddle numbers as well as new arrangements of the songs we already know. It is always good to be prepared. You never know when a performing opportunity will come up!

March Group Lesson

This month we focused on some of the new rhythms we are finding in our songs. We used these new rhythms to make up some new variations to "Twinkle". We found that "counting is as easy as pie". Each rhythm was a different kind of pie that will help us play the rhythm correctly. We also learned a new time signature that The Irish Washerwoman is in - 6/8. We played a Bingo game (that we call MUSIC) to help us learn the new values of the notes when the eighth note gets one beat.

Bringing Music to Life #5

Making music is good for the social life.
Does this one really need an explanation? No matter what your age there are a variety of musical activities to help you get started. Join a group in your age category. If you are not a musician already, you may feel a little embarrassed to get started. But the next time you're at a party and people start picking up instruments, you'll feel embarrassed not to. And remember, there are many things around the house that can become musical instruments (the people in the olden days did just that), not to mention clapping your own hands or using your singing voice. Just find someone to make music with, even i f it is your own family!

Bringing Music to Life #4

Making music is good for the soul.
Everyone knows that music is beautiful. And beauty helps your peace of mind. But did you know tht benefits of music on well-being have been scientifically measured? For example, older people who make music show reduced levels of anxiety, depression and loneliness. Among younger people, those who make music together are less likely to use drugs or get in other kinds of trouble.

Bringing music to life #3

Making music is good for your body.
Did you know that making music is a proven stress reducer? And stress on the body has been linked to the performance of the immune system. Studies show that people who make music have had higher levels of melatonin, a revitalized natural production of Human Growth Hormone-even an increase in the immune system's natural "cancer-killer" cells.

Bringing Music to Life #2

Making music is good for the brain.
Over the last decade, a series of new scientific studies has demonstrated a link between active music making - not just passive listening, but actually taking part -and increased brainpower. Young kids who make music show improved spatial-temporal reasining, which is the foundation of later success in math and science. And they actually get better grades than kids who don't take music.

Bringing music to life...discovering what it has to offer

Why is making music important? Each day you can read a reason. Today is: Making music is fun!
"There's nothing new about this assertion; people have known it since before recorded history. Making music brings people together, breaks down barriers and almost always leads to a good time. Playing really well can make you feel like you're on top of the world. And even if you're not brimming with talent, doing your best and even messing up occasionally is a lot more engaging than staring at the TV."

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I hope you all got "The Irish Washerwoman" learned for St. Patrick's day. How quickly you learn a song depends on how much you practice it. This is a really fun one to play and we will play it together at our next group lesson.

Braxten finally got his cast on his broken left leg. He is getting pretty good at getting around on his crutches. He has even been able to get back to school. It is pretty slow going though. We wish him continued improvement.

Happiness

Many people hurry to get to the top of a mountain and miss all of the lovely sights and smells along the way. So it is with our music. Sometimes we frantically learn new pieces and forget to sit back and enjoy all of the beautiful pieces we already know. Reviewing old pieces is important to our "making music" process. We better add the feeling that goes with the music to a piece we already know. Remember, happiness is a journey, not a destination! Let's enjoy the journey!

Listen! Listen! Listen!

If you would like to progress faster in your Suzuki books, listen, listen, listen to your CD's of the music in the book you are working on. You should listen twice as much as you practice. You should be practicing from 30 to 60 minutes a day. The more you practice, the faster you progress.
Listening is the magic ingredient that helps us improve our tone, our bowing, our rhythm, our notes, our intonation. It gives us confidence about what we are playing. It gives us a solid foundation. "In music, our confidence comes from listening to music, repeatedly, to the point of internalization. Listening until we can remember is not enough. We must listen until we can't forget!"
We must listen to a good example, our CD's. Another important aspect of listening is listening to our parents and teachers. Last but not least, listen to yourself.
Let's try listening this month and see how much we can accomplish!

March is here!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day this month, we are learning "The Irish Washerwoman". Along with the Irish Washerwoman, we will learn "Gary Owen" and "Pop! Goes the Weasel". There are many versions of how "Pop! Goes the Weasel" came about, but I like this one. I recently stopped by Cove Fort on my way to St. George and they actually had a weasel. No, not the animal, but a tool that was used for winding the yarn they made into skeins. After the yarn went around 30 times, that was a skein and the weasel "popped" up, indicating it was done.
We will learn a new fiddle song every month so we will be ready for our Fiddle Program at the end of summer. We are also working toward a solo recital in late spring. Remember: Suzuki said "only practice on the days you eat!"

Uh-Oh!

One of our group members, Braxten, had a mishap last Saturday. He was sledding and broke both bones in his left leg just above the ankle. He had to have surgery this morning to get the bones straighnened so they can heal correctly as they shifted quite badly during the accident. Next week he will get a cast on. We all wish Braxten a very speedy recovery. Unfortunately, it was a pretty bad break. Get well soon, Braxten!

Monthly Group Lesson

Today we had our monthly group lesson. We enjoyed playing together some of the songs from our Suzuki Violin Books 1 and 2, working to make the songs more musical and expressive. We also learned some new "trick fiddling" that we will use in our next fiddling performance. We figured out how to tell what key we are playing in. Remember: FAT CATS GO DOWN ALLEYS EATING BUGS (Take the last sharp, go up 1/2 step)

Heros Among Us

On Tuesday, February 10, 2009 we participated in the South Jordan pageant, "Heros Among Us", marking the 150 year anniversary for South Jordan, Utah. All 7 South Jordan elementary schools participated in the program, which told of the history of South Jordan and its early settlers. We were asked to play our violins with the Elk Meadows School's 6th grade choir under the direction of Mrs. Laura Packard. Our assigned song was "America the Beautiful". We didn't have a good arrangement to play, so our teacher made one up. It turned out very well and if the audience's applause was any indication, we think they liked our performance with the choir. One lady stopped teacher on the way out of the auditorium and said, "Those kids are fabulous".

Why We Play

Music isn't just learning notes and playing them. It is learning notes to play the music of your soul. ....Katie Greenwood