So on vacation, I ran across a type of group that I had never thought of before. A saxophone quartet. The group was serenading the park visitors outside of Snow White Scary Adventures. This ride might have a different name but has terrified me since I was 5. I’ll stick with the original name.
Of course they were playing Disney tunes. My personal favorite was Be Prepared from The Lion King.
I spent the last 10 days at Disney World. Over the next few days, I’ll put a a few pictures from the trip. Disney has an excellent array of music to experience. From Elliot Dyson at Port Orleans French Quarter to the saxophone quartet at the Magic Kingdom.
These pictures were taken at the Grand Floridian Hotel. That is a Steinway and Sons piano. The piano is in ok condition but the sound is a little bright.
Notice the nice wrap that I am wearing? I finished knitting it while on the trip. Made for a great excuse to sit in the bar and listen to Elliot Dyson play some great tunes.
I would like to congratulate my students and say thank you to them. Everyone had a super lesson time week. AND THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!! Every single student had perfect practice. That is a big deal. Way to go guys!
Tomorrow, Ruggero Piano Store in Raleigh will be hosting the 2011 NCMTA Piano Repertoire Workshop. The schedule for the day looks like this:
Workshop schedule:
8:30 Registration
9:00 Junior A repertoire
10:20 BREAK (time approximate)
10:30 Junior B repertoire (presentation of Junior B music might begin earlier, allowing a longer lunch break)
12:00 LUNCH
1:00 Senior A repertoire
2:50 BREAK (time approximate)
3:00 Senior B repertoire
5:00 End of workshop
The cost is $30 for teachers and $5 for students. Please either bring a lunch or visit a local dining establishment.
The same workshop will be presented in Charlotte, NC on Sept. 17 at Queens University in the E. H. Little Fine Arts Center.
This is an excellent opportunity to familiarize yourself with the repertoire for the NCMTA Festival in the spring of 2012.
First, I would like to thank Lib Hughston for recommending Piedmont Music Center for a possible recital location.
As I was scouting location for a winter recital location, I had to decide what was the best time for the event. Do I go pre-Thanksgiving or post-Thanksgiving? Almost everyone has winter/Christmas recitals. Usually these recitals are jammed into the first or second weekend of December. Now let’s hear the collective groan from the parents. Another event in December? Can we cry now? So rather an causing collective hyperventilation, I decided to go with an early November date.
I’ll admit that I will miss the Christmas carols at the recital. What I won’t miss are the half a dozen students who can’t attend because of other events. Teachers, I encourage you to schedule those big annual recitals at non-traditional times. Your students will thank you. 2 months is plenty of time for even beginners to learn a piece for a recital. New student participation is important. Older students can either present a new piece or pull one out of the rotation of performance ready pieces in their repertoire list.
Good luck to everyone with the recital preparation!