AMBASSADOR
March
2013
March
2013
Upcoming Events From the Director’s Desk Sunday, March 3, 2013 Wade Dittburner Senior Recital Michelsen Hall, 3:00 pm By Pat D’Ercole Our March Ambassador is for parents. It has a great article by Tom Yang about practicing, plus two reflections on the Positive Practice Workshop by Paula Stewart. Special thanks to Cathy Schroeckenthaler and Sarah Beversdorf for writing these for us. They are both excellent summaries just in case you had to miss it. If you did attend, they may remind you of an idea you heard that will make your prac‐
tice more enjoyable and productive. Also, if you’ve regis‐
tered, remember to view the Parents as Partners Online videos. They can be viewed by computer, app or audio through June 30. In last month’s Director’s Column, it was announced that the American Suzuki Institute (ASI) brochures are now available. I hope you’ve had a chance to take a look at them and see what’s offered. Since then announcements have been made at the marathon and recitals and a promo‐
tional video has been showing in the waiting room. You can also see the video at www.uwsp.edu/suzuki/asi. So I hope that you’ve realized that we, as faculty, think that attending ASI is an important musical and fun experience for your child and you. During those two weeks we get to teach children from all over the world and we’d like our guest faculty to have the opportunity to teach more of our ASC students. We, as faculty, are also well aware that for many ASC fami‐
lies, attending the ASI can be a matter of having adequate financial resources. Choices need to be made between ASI and other family needs, other types of camps (sports camps, language camps, church camps etc.), or summer lessons. But maybe the lack of financial resources doesn’t need to be a deciding factor. Perhaps you can come to ASI and not strain your budget. Here’s how: Purchase an Earn Your Way to ASI Toolkit. Because of the recession in 2010 and 2011, requests for ASI scholarships were skyrocketing. There was no way that ASI Saturday, March 16, 2013 Marathon, 9 am – noon Sunday, March 17, 2013 Solo Recitals Michelsen Hall, 2:00 and 3:30 pm Saturday, April 13, 2013 Piano (only) Marathon, 9 am – noon Sunday, April 14, 2013 Solo Recitals Michelsen Hall, 2:00 and 3:30 pm Sunday, April 14, 2013 Sarah Bauer, Senior Recital Trinity Lutheran Church, Waupaca, 6:30 pm Saturday, April 27, 2013 Marathon (except piano), 9 am ‐ noon Sunday, April 28, 2013 String & Voice Festival Concert Ben Franklin Junior High Auditorium, 2:00 pm Sunday, May 5, 2013 Piano Festival Concerts NFAC 221, 2:00 and 3:30 pm Saturday, May 11, 2013 Solo Recitals Michelsen Hall, 2:00 and 3:30 pm Saturday, May 11, 2013 Central State Chamber Orchestra Concert Michelsen Hall, 7:30 pm 1
could meet everyone’s scholarship needs and meet the cost of running the institute. One local business person who supports children and the arts gave us an idea, and that seed grew into the Toolkit. The Earn Your Way to ASI Toolkit costs $15 and contains 5 kits. The kit is designed to assist you in soliciting funds from service clubs, local merchants, family, friends, etc. with whom you have had a relationship for some years, i.e. your dentist, doctor, snow removal service, banker, just to name a few. Each of the five kits includes instructions, a leave‐
behind promotional DVD, sample letters, and forms for the donors to complete. In 2012, one family alone raised $2,000 using our Toolkit! Last year the number of ASI participants who used the toolkit doubled and a total of $5,480 was raised for their tuition from donors in their own hometowns. So we asked our most successful Toolkit families to participate in a panel discussion during the Institute to share their best practices. Here’s what they said:  Start early. They defined “early” as between March and May.  Use the Suzuki philosophy by involving your child, planning small steps, practicing proper decorum for meeting donors, etc. For ex. parents helped their child write a script to use when phone calls were made to set up an appointment with the do‐
nor. They practiced role‐playing before they actu‐
ally made the call.  Arrange an appointment or opportunity to play for your donors before and after the institute.  In your introductory letter or the one your child writes, describe how your child uses music to en‐
hance the quality of life in the community. Also, use sentences or words like, “I’m earning my way to camp.” Or, “I’m creating my own scholarship.”  Say/send thank you notes to prospective donors for meeting with you, another after the donation has been made, and another after you’ve complet‐
ed your week at camp. Include a picture. Panelists also described the non‐musical benefits to their child by having this experience. The students really appre‐
ciated being able to attend ASI, knowing that their efforts helped make it possible. They learned important social skills such as how to shake hands, making eye‐contact and the importance of showing appreciation. They began to see their music‐making as not something that they do for them‐
selves, but as a gift given to others. Granted, for ASC families, the week at ASI is a different ex‐
perience than for those who come from out of town. Stay‐
ing in the residence halls adds a whole other level of focus and enrichment to the environment‐ you’re in the atmos‐
phere for 24 hours a day instead of 10. While dormitory life provides its own challenges (many of them fun and providing friends, memories and stories that get retold through the years!), staying away from home just makes it a lot easier not to be distracted by household chores, meet‐
ings and other commitments so that you can socialize more and take in the evening events. Besides, everyone else is doing it! So if you can stay in the residence hall that’s great; however, staying at home makes the experience much more affordable, about half the cost that out‐of‐towners pay. This means that you wouldn’t necessarily have to work as hard with the Toolkit either. And if you need more cost‐
cutting tips, ask Lynn Karbowski in the office. As a single mom, she brought 6 children to the institute each year for 5 years. And, by the way, as she will tell you, it is possible to very closely replicate that 24‐hour residence hall environ‐
ment while sleeping at home. I hope you will consider enrolling in one of the weeks of the American Suzuki Institute, either July 28‐ Aug. 3 or Aug. 4‐ 10, or if you are advanced, please consider coming for the two‐week Chamber Music Program July 28‐Aug. 10. The Institute is for all students of all levels. ASI is not just for the motivated and talented, but the place to become motivated and talented. Waiting for Megan By Tom Yang There are certain advantages to being both the piano teacher and the practice parent to my two girls. For one thing I always seem to understand exactly what my girls’ piano teacher wants. So if one of my girls were ever say to me, “Mr. Yang wants it fingered with finger 1 not 2.” I can always tell them, “Let’s ask Mr. Yang.” The dialogue might run like this: “Hi Mr. Yang, this is Mr. Yang, Megan wants to finger this passage with finger 1, I think that it should be fin‐
ger 2. Who is right?” “Mr. Yang, you are right – tell Megan that you are al‐
ways right and that she should always do whatever you ask of her. Tell her that I think that you are the greatest parent‐coach in the history of Suzuki.” “Thank you, Mr. Yang – you are a great piano teacher.” Excepting this advantage, I find, like everyone else, that it is very challenging to be a practice parent. For one it’s an everyday challenge – it’s not a thing that you can check off your “bucket list.” You have a great practice session and you feel like you should be able to bask in the glow for the next week right? Wrong! Tomorrow, you get to start all over again. I have begun to think that behind the question “When will my child want to do music on his own?” is really the question “How long do I have to do the heavy lifting of 2
better to concede defeat, let her do her victory dance and then have her quiet down on her own. My natural tendency when practicing with Meg is to at‐
tempt to anticipate and head off problems before they oc‐
cur – that is, I tend to micromanage Megan’s practice ses‐
sions. The problem is that when the whole goal of a prac‐
tice session is heading off problems, the parent is going to get very tense when problems occur. You know the feeling, you’re silently pleading “Please play it accurately this time – I want this practice to be OVER!” Further my directions became more like nagging (see if you recognize any of these) – “Meg, set your feet.” “Meg, keep your wrist level.” “Meg, sit tall”. Frequently I would get tired and irritated while Meg would get bored or mad. She would occasionally re‐
spond to my directives by sitting with an exaggerated “tall posture”, or by moving either ridiculously close or far away from the piano. The problem was that I was giving her in‐
formation that she already knew, but I wasn’t really giving her time to work with the information that she received before repeating it to her. So I set out to find out what she could figure out on her own. I started out by assuming that she knows that we practice every day and that she could figure out that it is more fun to get something done rather than sit and be bored. After Meg would get to the piano, I began with statements such as “We can begin when you are ready – take your time and let me know when you want to begin.” If Meg was particularly fidgety, I might get up and say, “while you are getting ready, I’ll be in the kitchen, let me know when you want to start.” It should be said that while waiting seems long, it probably does not take as much time as we think it takes. Further, it is time that is well worth spending. By waiting for our child to tell us that they are ready to practice, we are getting an acknowledgement from them that if they want their practice to get going, they will need to do something. We are teaching our child that coming to practice time is a joint responsibility – not a pa‐
rental one. When you think about it, the amount of verbal communica‐
tion needed to pass on to a child playing an instrument is really quite small. Most music students know in their heads what to do but haven’t trained their hands and arms to easily do what they know is right. Hence, “reminding” (a.k.a. nagging) a child to sit tall or set their hands in a beau‐
tiful position is not adding to their fund of information. What we have to do is to get our student to take the initia‐
tive for practicing what they already know. We do so, by waiting and giving them a chance to attempt to master skills on their own. It also reminds them that for the practice to proceed, they will need to do something. Giving Hints with Questions. It was said earlier, that the “shrinking parent” replaces di‐
rectives with hints. Asking questions are good ways to pass hints that help our children learn on their own. By replacing providing the enthusiasm, the energy and the initiative for my child’s practice sessions?” I believe that while helping our children learn is a long journey, it can be an easier one for both the child and the parent if the child is given more and more responsibility for how the practice session goes. One way that has helped me with my own children, is to allow for what I call “waiting time.” Some examples: Wait‐
ing time is used to allow my daughter to quiet down on her own. Waiting time is used when she is setting her posture, hand position and mental readiness without interference. Waiting time is used to allow her to figure out what needs correction or improvement. Waiting times are short inter‐
vals of independent learning within the context of a super‐
vised practice. Putting it another way, waiting time is when I shut up so that Megan can think. It is tempting for a parent to take over the practice session by providing solutions as soon as it appears that the child is off course, unfocused or about to make a mistake. We do this, because we think that it saves time. In fact, by doing this, we are removing an opportunity for our children to develop their skills as independent learners. Further, it makes practicing more tiring to us and more unpleasant for them. If we want our children to take ownership of their music making, we need to build in intervals where they can figure things out on their own. We need to encourage them to actively take part in the learning. Building waiting time in your practice sessions is a way to do this. When we allow our students the time to work through, process or resolve problems on their own, they will gain experience in applying what they know in their heads to solve problems on their own. As our student progresses, we will need to allow increasing amounts of time for him to process, be‐
cause our goal is to gradually let him eventually take over practicing and fly solo. It is highly risky to bring our stu‐
dents to independent learning without having loosened the reins beforehand. It is important for us to prepare our chil‐
dren for independence by getting them to actively partici‐
pate in the practice sessions while we are still working with them. It stands to reason, that if our children’s part in practice sessions are growing, our part must be shrinking. As “shrinking parents,” we give fewer directives and spend more time watching and waiting. We stop giving explana‐
tions and speak more in terms of hints. We look less for the response of “O.K.” and more for the reaction of “I get it!” My daughter Megan is a talker with a strong personality who loves to fiddle with anything that catches her attention. Getting her to reach the stillness necessary to play the pi‐
ano using outside prompting (i.e. giving her “the look”, bombarding her with too many instructions, duct tape) is probably going to be a lost cause. It’s taken a while but I’ve finally realized that I will never win in a talking contest with Megan. When you try to “teach” a talker with talking, the talker seems to take that as a challenge to outtalk you – 3
our directives with questions, we do more listening and less talking while our children do more talking and more think‐
ing. My work with Megan provides an example of how this might work. Before she plays, I give her ready directive. If she doesn’t look ready, I’ll ask questions such as “Do your feet look ok? What do you think?” “Do your hands look beautiful?” “Are you comfortable?” “Would you remind me what we are going to do?” These questions imply that she is the checker of her sitting position, hand position and mental readiness. If she is ready, I try to wait two or 3 sec‐
onds before giving her the instruction to play. (I want to give her a chance to experience what “ready” feels like, and also to train her to be quiet before playing). If Meg starts the piece by playing the wrong note, I tell her to go to “rest” position. After a pause, I ask her to set herself up again. I don’t need to tell her what the problem was, she usually knows what’s wrong, she just needs a chance to fix it on her own and she usually does. Note that the wait gives both the student and the parent space to think. Let’s face it; mistakes are setbacks that can raise tension. Quiet time soothes tension and allows the child to figure out what went wrong and allows the parent to do some silent diagnostics, so that when the parent does need to say something, it will be more effective. After the playing, train your student to evaluate the repeti‐
tion by asking him how it went. “How did it go?” “Were you happy with that?” “What did it feel like?” “Did you intend to play louder?” “Is that what you want?” At first, your student may not want to say anything about a repetition – after all he‘s been accustomed to you doing all the evalua‐
tions for him. If your student needs help in evaluating what he has done, ask about specific aspects of the perfor‐
mance. “Did you keep a steady pulse?” If your student still doesn’t know whether he was successful, you can say “Let’s find out! Why don’t you play that phrase again and see if you hold a steady pulse.” If you want your student to de‐
velop independence, he will need to know what the goal of his practice is and whether he is getting closer or further to the goal. Without developing this independent sense of whether she is “getting there,” her repetitions will be meaningless. Your child needs to know what she is trying to do and after trying to do it; she needs to know whether she succeeded in doing it. It is very tempting when a child plays something in a partic‐
ularly beautiful manner to tell him how wonderfully he has done. (I’m sure that every teacher thinks it’s more fun to give out A’s rather than C’s.) It strikes me that this puts an external pressure on the child (“That sure made Dad happy – I’d better quit while I’m ahead!)” You want your child to think “I did it!” but you want him to come to that conclu‐
sion on his own. You can lead him by saying “Did you like the way that went?” “Was the sound beautiful to you?” Leading statements like these will remind them their goals; help them to reflect on what they did and help them to re‐
alize that they were successful. When this happens you can confirm their thinking by saying “I agree.” Check yourself before intervening: I recently introduced my older daughter, Olivia, to a proce‐
dure for setting herself up to read a piece of music. I asked her to try to apply this to a short piece. For me, it seemed like Olivia was taking a long time to set up her hands. One of my weaknesses as a teacher is that when a student takes time, I frequently jump to the conclusion that she is stuck. Fortunately for Olivia (and me) Olivia sometimes processes things out loud and I checked myself from intervening. She managed to set herself up on her own and her successive attempts to use the score to play became more confident. The worst thing that I could have done would have been to step in and “help” her. She was handling the reading on her own and gaining confidence in the procedure that she was learning to use. I just had to hold still while she worked it out. The ideas discussed in this article: waiting on our children to give them time learn, giving hints through questions rather than directives, allowing children the time to do their own evaluating and learning to check ourselves come from an understanding that teaching is more about guiding than directing. I have found that by allowing waiting time, the feeling of having total responsibility for the success of a practice session has dissipated somewhat. Megan, for her part has enjoyed being more in charge of her lessons and seems to relish reminding me that we forgot to cover cer‐
tain pieces. (It is also a source of satisfaction that I will oc‐
casionally have to chase her away from the piano so that I can do my own practicing in peace). In general, I find it that our practice sessions are more satisfying and less stressful. Do I occasionally revert to directing mode? Of course! But if I’m patient and learn to wait on myself, per‐
haps even I might improve as a musical guide for my daugh‐
ters. As you may have noticed, much of what has been shared is rooted in ideas found in the Love and Logic series by Jim Fay, David Funk and Foster Cline. I enthusiastically recommend this series to you for further reading. Sources Fay, Jim and Cline, Foster. The Pearls of Love and Logic for Parents and Teachers. Golden, CO: Love and Logic Press, 2000. Fay, Jim and Funk, David. Teaching with Love and Logic: Taking Control of the Classroom. Golden, CO: Love and Log‐
ic Press, 1995. 4
Calling all Students: Enter the 2013 Suzuki Student Writing Contest ASC Student, Mikaela Schneider, Performs in her First Professional Opera Role This message is from the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA): Polish up your best poetry and nonfiction essays and send them our way. We want to see your many talents! Winning pieces will be published on the SAA website, in the Mini‐
journal, or in other publications. (Send a copy to the ASC Suzuki Office too. We’ll put them in the next Ambassador.) To get started, choose one of the following topics, or come up with your own!  What does Dr. Suzuki’s phrase “beautiful tone, beautiful heart” mean to you?  What is your favorite Suzuki repertoire piece to play, and why?  Write about a memorable Suzuki experience. Tips for Writing  Be clear.  Be imaginative.  Tell a story that only you can tell, in a way that only you can tell it.  Proof‐read! Use a dictionary to check the spelling of words you’re unsure of.  Ask a friend, sibling, or parent to read your story and provide feedback. Criteria and Guidelines  Students who wish to enter their writing must study with an SAA teacher member.  Students must be between 6 and 18 years of age. Entries will be judged in the following age catego‐
ries: 6‐8, 9‐11, 12‐14, 15+.  Material submitted must be the original work of the student. You may submit original artwork to accompany your story. Please do not send com‐
puter‐generated artwork.  Please submit prose pieces of 250‐750 words.  Submissions are due April 1, 2013. All entrants will receive a personalized reply. To enter, go to the SAA’s website: http://suzukiassociation.org/news/2013‐suzuki‐student‐
writing‐contest/ Mikaela Schneider, a voice student of Mary Hofer, will sing her first professional opera role with the Florentine Opera Company in Mil‐
waukee on March 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, and 17, 2013. She will perform the role of “Emmie” in Florentine’s pro‐
duction of Albert Herring, by Ben‐
jamin Britten. In January, Mikaela also participated in the Civic Music Association of Milwaukee’s High School Competition, where she was one of the selected winners to perform in recital, and was additionally awarded the Young Artist Scholarship top prize. Parents Share Their Reactions to the Positive Practice Workshop Ed. note: Thanks to Cathy Schroeckenthaler and Sarah Bev‐
ersdorf for writing these articles for the Ambassador. Positive Practice By Cathy Schroeckenthaler I was very fortunate this past weekend to attend Paula Stewart’s session called “Positive Practice”. What a great opportunity to gain some pointers which will help me be a better practice partner for my child. The biggest thing I took away from the presentation was the knowledge that what I do and say when my daughter is practicing can have a profound positive affect on how much she learns and how she feels about herself as a musician. I would like to try to summarize some of the points I found most helpful in Paula’s workshop. First, she shared that because practice is hard and inconvenient, it is important that it be a positive and frequent experience for long‐term success. If the child receives immediate and positive rein‐
forcement the practice itself will come to be self‐reinforcing and enjoyable over time. Some of the best positive rein‐
forcement is our love and attention, specific and sincere praise, the child having a sense of control over things like the order of events during a practice session, and feeling good about a job well done. Other positives can be any‐
thing your child likes such as stickers, candy, time to play video games, watch TV, read or play with friends to name a few. Different things motivate different children at differ‐
ent times, so Paula recommended finding what motivates your child and linking it to successful practice. The reward should be concurrent with or immediately following suc‐
cessful practice. Delayed rewards are much less effective. 5
If positive things happen when the child does what is de‐
sired, then he will be more likely to do them again. If noth‐
ing or negative things happen, she will be less likely to do them. Video games can teach us a lot about positive prac‐
tice. The lure of video games is they start easy, reward im‐
mediately and frequently and they gradually move to hard‐
er levels. If your child is frustrated practicing, break it into smaller steps so he can be successful and you can positive reinforce his efforts. Positive practice simply stated has two steps. Step 1: Set clear, achievable goals. Step 2: Give clear, positive rein‐
forcement and feedback. Repeat step 1 and 2 until the final goal is reached. Paula explained how to give very specific reinforcement and feedback for the goal that was set while ignoring other problems or mistakes. Focus on rewarding the desired behavior one step at a time. End practice ses‐
sions on a positive note. Don’t keep demanding more until both you and the student are exhausted. Have your child play a lot of review because they will be successful with what they know well and will strengthen those brain con‐
nections. Paula recommends doing the harder tasks first and then easy tasks. Keep it fun by doing things like playing games. “Positive Practice!” was a great session. It was great to see how many people were able to attend. I feel so lucky to be part of the Aber Suzuki Center and all that it offers to me and my student. We are truly blessed to have such an ex‐
emplary faculty and program right here in Stevens Point. I really appreciate all the opportunities we have to learn, grow and make the world a beautiful place. Thank you, teachers, parents, and Suzuki students. ===== Positive Practice Workshop By Sarah Beversdorf “I don’t want to practice!” “I hate practicing.” “This is too hard!” There are rumors that these statements have spontaneous‐
ly spewed from Suzuki students’ mouths. As with most things in life, if we name the challenge (“Practicing is diffi‐
cult but important work”) we have a better chance of over‐
coming the challenge. The Positive Practice workshop held on February 16 did more than name the challenge – it also provided specific suggestions for successful practicing. Paula Stewart, an expert in behavioral psychology and a Suzuki instructor in Rochester, MN, inspired parents to re‐
frame practices to make them positive and productive. Her entire philosophy centers on positive reinforcement. This approach makes a lot of sense when we think about what motivates adults – who doesn’t get a small glow when someone tells us we have done a good job? (And who doesn’t feel a bit disheartened when someone shares what we didn’t do so well?) Paula’s message had a few main points:  Positive practice is essential to long‐term success. In order to achieve that success, practice must be fre‐
quent and must reinforce itself (that is, it must encour‐
age additional practice).  Using positive reinforcement can create practice suc‐
cess. Positive reinforcement is anything that your child likes that can be used to increase the likelihood of them practicing and improving. Top motivators: your positive attention and your sincere, specific praise for each goal met.  Use positive reinforcement immediately and enthusias‐
tically.  There are three steps to holding a positive practice session: (1) identify clear, achievable goals; (2) apply specific, positive reinforcement and feedback, and; (3) repeat steps 1 and 2 until the final goal is reached.  Break difficult tasks into easier steps, focusing on one specific skill at a time. Even if all the other parts of playing well fall apart (e.g., hand position, posture, tone, etc.), focus on the specific skill desired and rein‐
force that skill specifically and positively.  Instead of criticizing, focus on “next steps”. For exam‐
ple, say “now let’s work on your fingers staying round‐
ed while you play line 1” rather than “your fingers weren’t rounded”.  Be specific about what worked. “Good! You had your fingers rounded for the first half of the line, up to here….”  Two resources to consider are: The Talent Code (by Daniel Coyle) and Flow, the Psychology of Optimal Ex‐
perience (by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi). Ms. Stewart also had some some specific suggestions for having a “positive practice session without the sting”:  Build on success. Emphasize what was done well in one place in order to to encourage the same skill and mas‐
tery in another place. For example: “You play ‘Twinkle’ with such a beautiful, legato sound. Do you think we can make ‘Go Tell Aunt Rhody’ sound the same way?”  Use neutral verbiage. For example: use “I heard….” rather than “You did…”  Share control. For example: “What would you like to work on first?”  Communicate the value of change. For example: “How many times do you think we’ll need to play these measures to make that tricky fingering easy?” There were many other examples, stories and constructive pointers that were shared with parents during the session. Many thanks to Paula, and to the UWSP Aber Suzuki Center for their commitment to the positive practice path. Please note that all of the above bullet points are excerpted generally or verbatim from Paula Stewart’s materials and should be credited to her. 6
fact, it was Peter Tchaikovsky who was invited to conduct the first concert in Carnegie Hall. Tchaikovsky was musically active to the end. In 1893, he contracted cholera and died. He left us with a rich reper‐
toire that continues to be enjoyed by young and old the world over. Sources: Kendall, C. W. (1985). ”Stories of Composers for Young Mu‐
sicians”. Kendall. Randel, D. M. 1996. “The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music”. Cambridge and London: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Composer of the Month Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky By Ann Marie Novak Peter Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsk, Russia on May 7, 1840. His father was of Cossack lineage, and his mother was descended from French nobility. Peter was the third‐born in a family of 7 children. There was music in the house, and he showed early on that he was very, very interested in it. When he was 4 years old, he begged to be included in his older brother’s schooling (which included piano lessons). He was quite persistent, and he eventually convinced his par‐
ents to allow him to study both languages and music. He had a favorite governess, Fanny Durbach, with whom he formed strong emotional bonds. In 1848, the family moved to St. Petersburg, leaving the governess behind. This proved to be extremely upsetting to the young Peter. The family moved back a year later, but Peter was not to stay there for long, as, in 1850, he was sent off to a boarding school that trained well‐to‐do youth for civil service. Peter missed his mother and family dearly, and he was thrown into great despair 4 years later when a cholera epidemic claimed the life of his mother. It was at this point that he retreated emotionally and he turned to his music for solace. Peter graduated in 1859 and entered into civil service, but he continued to study music on the side. In 1861, he began theory and composition studies in the Russian Musical Soci‐
ety. A year later, when the Society became the St. Peters‐
burg Conservatory, Tchaikovsky joined Anton Rubinstein’s composition class. Music was becoming central in the young man’s life. In 1863, he made a life‐altering decision: he left civil service forever and devoted himself fully to his music. This meant that he would have no source of income other than his gains from being a free‐lance musician. At this time in Russia, most composers were self‐taught, so choosing to study at the conservatory was a good move for him…it set him apart from the average musician. In fact, it set him apart enough to land him a job upon his graduation in 1866. That job was a teaching position at the Moscow Conserva‐
tory. Tchaikovsky’s early works included a symphony and the well‐known fantasy‐overture “Romeo and Juliet”. It was during this time that he became noticed by Balakirev, who was part of the group of composers known as the “Five”. Balakirev gave Tchaikovsky good reviews and much support, propelling his career forward. The ensuing years were filled with compositions, including more operas, symphonies, concerti, and something new, ballets, the first of which was the ever‐popular, “Swan Lake”. The shy young man began gaining popularity and at the same time, confidence. With this new‐found sense of confidence, he decided it was time to try his hand at con‐
ducting. He got rave reviews as a conductor, and he spent many years touring Europe and the U.S. in this capacity. In Festival Concert Review Lists Viola Tango, Joanne Martin Concerto in G Major, 4th Mvt., Telemann Bourree, Handel Allegro, Suzuki Bohemian Folk Song Lightly Row (in D), Folk Song Twinkle Variation E, Suzuki Twinkle Variations (in D) Violins Twinkles, O’Connor Perpetual Motion, Bohm Gavotte in g minor, Bach The Two Grenadiers, Schumann Andantino, Suzuki Song of the Wind, Folk Song Lightly Row (in D), Folk Song Twinkle Variations (in D) Cello The Swan, Saint‐Saens Scherzo, von Webster May Song, Folk Song Lightly Row (in D), Folk Song Twinkle Variations (in D) Guitar, harp and voice students, please ask your teacher for the Festival Concert review pieces for your instrument. 7
Student News Faculty News The following pianists performed at the Boys and Girls Club Annual Art Show on January 8: Marco Kurzynski, Lauren Carlson, Kobe Carlson and Trenton Niles. Cristian McDonald participated in a master class sponsored by the Stevens Point Area Music Teachers Association on January 19. The clinician was Dr. Molly Roseman. Marco Kurzynski and Yuling Sun participated in the “Very Young Composer” program phase 1, and both students were selected to continue onto phase 2. Craig Felt, Antony Van Tiem and Lara Prebble auditioned for the WSMA All State High School Honors Orchestra. Lucas Chan was chosen as an alternate for the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America. Lucas submitted an audition video, and was selected as an alter‐
nate from a national pool of candidates. William Hahn and Anna Hahn performed all of Book 1 at a Home Concert at their home on February 2. Jacquie Wille performed with the Wausau Symphony on February 9 and with the CWSO on February 22, 23 and 24. Maggie Medo and Jason Smith played a joint senior recital on February 10. Thomas Meronek performed in the pit orchestra for the Sound of Music at SPASH. Sarah Bauer will present a senior recital on Sunday, April 14, 6:30 pm at Trinity Lutheran Church (206 E. Badger Street, Waupaca). The program will include the first movement of the Lalo Concerto, Julie‐O by Mark Summer, as well as chamber music and vocal selections. Erik Sands played a senior recital on February 16. Mary McDonald was chosen to participate in the Milwau‐
kee Ballet youth summer program. Lucas Chan performed with the CWSO on February 22, 23 and 24. David Becker, Jenny Burton and Rosalie Gilbert performed with the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra on Febru‐
ary 22, 23 and 24. Pat D'Ercole attended the Academic Chairperson Confer‐
ence in San Antonio, TX, on February 5‐8. Oscar Soler taught at the ACSTE workshop in Minneapolis, MN on Saturday Feb 23rd and Sunday Feb 24th. ROS/CAR Duo (Rosalie Gilbert, harp and Oscar Soler, violin) performed a recital on Sunday Feb 10th at Gallery Q ROS/CAR Duo (Rosalie Gilbert, harp and Oscar Soler, violin) performed a recital on Wednesday Feb 20th at the New Vi‐
sions Art Gallery in the Marshfield Clinic. The recital was presented as a mid‐day mini concert series. See link below: http://www.marshfieldnewsherald.com/article/20130219/
MNH04/302190056/‐ROS‐CAR‐duo‐perform‐New‐Visions‐
Gallery February 2013 Graduations Sophia Bluma, Violin Twinkles Kristoph Van Tiem, Violin Twinkles Fiona Gimenez‐Collins, Violin Twinkles Jack Kaiser, Cello Twinkles Aileen Winn, Cello Twinkles William Hahn, Violin Book 1 Anna Hahn, Violin Book 1 Jeffrey Leek, Piano Book 1 Katya Leek, Piano Book 1 Faith Kluck, Violin Book 3 8