New Christmas Books

Posted on by Heather Brunner

As a piano teacher, I spend a lot of time playing music that isn’t mine.  It’s rare that I get to play the piano for pure enjoyment of the music and it not be a project of some variety.  Well, it’s that time of year again.  It’s time for Christmas music!  I love piano Christmas music.  If you saw my music library you would probably think I’m a little crazy.  So when I was at Music and Arts 2 weeks ago and saw new Christmas piano books, that was it.  I had to have some new books.

First up is Simply Christmas by Jerry Ray. Now you have to understand.  Christmas with Style by Jerry Ray is just about my favorite Christmas book to play from.  The arrangements are great and not overly difficult.  So when I was Simply Christmas it was meant to be. I was not disappointed.  This is a great book.

The second book I picked up was O Come, Let Us Adore Him by the publisher Lillenas.  Lillenas published my favorite hymn arrange book so I thought this was a pretty sure bet.  This book was obviously made for church pianists.  It includes transitions between every song.  The arrangements are pretty and very playable.

So there you go, I am already playing and teaching Christmas piano music.  The recital is only a month away. I should go practice.

Fall Recital

Posted on by Heather Brunner

Brunner Studios is happy to announce that our fall concert has been scheduled.  We will be playing at Miller Piano on Independence Blvd on November 17 at 3:00.

Recitals provide an excellent opportunity for students to practice their performance skills and to show off what they have been working on.  Students will be able to perform up to 3 pieces.  Right now the studio is having a competition to help us memorize those recital pieces. 

I would love to see community members and other teachers in the audience.  The more the merrier!

UNCSA Piano Weekend- Part !

Posted on by Heather Brunner

I just wanted to say good luck to the students from Charlotte who are participating in the UNCSA piano weekend/competition on Saturday.  From the roster it looks like Brunner Studios and Pamela Mullins are sending students to represent the Charlotte area. 

 

Good luck and I hope you all learn a great deal about music, performing, and yourselves.

What A Problem To Have

Posted on by Heather Brunner

I am teaching a wonderful group of students piano lessons right now.  In fact, they are so great they aren’t giving me much material to write about on how to run a studio.  What a problem to have!  We are learning Halloween music and Christmas music started leaving the studio this week. 

I am so proud of my younger students.  I have 3 students who just started lessons last year and are about to move from 30 minute to 45 minute lessons.  These kids are really practicing and excelling in their art. 

More students are participating in the National Achievement Program and one will be playing in a Piano Sonata competition later this month. 

This group of students is working hard!

Piano Weekend at UNC School of the Arts

Posted on by Heather Brunner

A very exciting opportunity landed in my inbox last week.  The UNC School of the Arts is hosting a Piano Weekend for young musicians.  The event date is October 20, 2012.  The students are being invited to participate in Master Classes, a Sonata Competition, and a Recital. 

 

I love events like this.  It is a chance for students and parents to go and hear other young musicians.  The motivation boost and the experience of playing in a competition are extremely important.

 

If you are interested in participating in this event please let me know.  The registration deadline is Oct. 1.

Calling Pianists, Vocalists, and Oboists To Guest Blog

Posted on by Heather Brunner

In trying to make things more interesting this year, I want to have some guest bloggers on the website.  If you think you have a topic that is important, funny, or relevant, send me an email.  Include your proposal and little bit about yourself.  All proposals will be considered and the best will be asked to write a full blog post.

 

If you are a local piano, voice or oboe teacher in Charlotte, NC I would love to hear about your experiences in our city.

Voices of Liberty

Posted on by Heather Brunner

Here is the next update of my Disney Music blog series.  This is a video of the Voice of Liberty in the American Pavilion at Epcot.  These might be my very favorite entertainers in all of WDW.  I spoke with the group leader and he indicated that not all of the singers have professional training but many of them do. 

 

I will be posting more vidoes throughout the week.  The woman in the light blue dress is my favorite performer.  She is a fantastic soprano with excellent technique. 

Music at Disney-Part I

Posted on by Heather Brunner

I just got home from a few days out of town.  Disney World is great this time of year, but it wasn’t just for relaxing.  I want to show you some of the ways music is integrated into the Disney experience.  First up was the hotel.  Since this was a last minute trip we stayed at the All Star Music Resort.  This is a value resort.  The rooms are quite small but are still themed really well.  These pictures are not mine since I forgot to take photos in the room, and it was pouring rain 3 of 4 days.

It is a little hard to tell from these pictures but the border around the room is music themed and the print on the wall is Mickey Mouse conducting an orchestra. 

The resort itself is totally decked out in music décor. 

 

I will be updating this blog series throughout the week.  I am very excited for fall lessons to get started back here at Brunner Studios in Charlotte, NC.  Brunner Studios offers piano, voice and oboe lessons.  At Disney World, I saw piano and vocal performances and heard many selections of oboe music.  It’s funny how much you notice different instruments in scores when you are listening for them. 

After Looking for a Music Teacher, Then What?

Posted on by Heather Brunner

The blog has covered how to find a music teacher, but what do you do if you find one and then decide that isn’t the teacher for you?  I’ve run into this scenario several times in the past few months.  This is how it goes:

Potential student calls or emails and asks for information about lessons.  We correspond through phone or email.  We get all the way to discussing potential times and they fall off the face of the earth.  No returned phone calls or emails.

I have to say this is really rude.  If you decide that I am not the teacher for you, then that is fine.  If the location is too far, that isn’t a problem.  However, don’t just leave me hanging.  Send an email or leave a message and just say thank you for your time but we have decided to go a different direction.  There is no need to go into detail, but since you initiated the conversation have the courtesy to end it on a professional note.

Another situation of the same vein is going as far as to schedule lessons and then not showing up or cancelling when the teacher calls to confirm the lesson time.  Usually late spring, I get lots of calls about students who want to start lessons when school gets out.  We discuss cost and times and schedule the first lesson.  I always email or call to confirm the time.  If I have to leave a message, I ask that they call or email to let me know they received it.  Several times, this has been the last contact with a potential student.  If you changed your mind just let me know.  Otherwise, that time slot if blocked off until I determine that aliens abducted you or you bailed on me. 

If you teach an instrument that requires special equipment this is doubly frustrating.  I have a few oboe students.  When I schedule a new student, I order lesson books and custom made reeds.  If the student is a beginner there is no way around this.  Since oboe students can be few and far between, I don’t always keep intro level reeds and materials on hand.  This spring a parent contacted me and scheduled lessons.  We booked for the whole summer.  2 weeks prior to the start date, I ordered materials so they would arrive in time for the first lesson.  The week of the lesson, I called to confirm the time and directions. The parent told me that the child had changed their mind about learning the oboe.  It was obvious from the phone call that this wasn’t a new development.  A simple phone call or email on their part would have saved me around $50.

Be considerate.  For most music teachers, this is our livelyhood.  Having to sit on materials or not scheduling new students in a blocked off time slot can hurt our bottom line.  If you expect your teacher to be a professional, then treat them as one and be considerate of their time and effort.