Fifth Honens International Piano Competition Begins in October
This is a special year for pianists and piano music lovers. It marks the Fifth Honens International Piano Competition. Held every three years, young pianists from around the world audition to qualify to compete. What sets Honens apart from other competitions is the professional development assistance provided to the Honens Laureates.
Honens presents over 50 concert, education and outreach events in Calgary and across Canada annually. This year's competition and musical celebration runs from October 19 - November 3. To find out more about the competition, the celebration concerts and student master classes, please visit the Honens website.
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
A New Study on the Benefits of Music Education
My next student is due any minute, so this is a short but sweet link. A friend sent me this article on the benefits of music study. It's stuff any music teacher will tell you - that it improves brain development and memory (among other things).
Read on.
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
Encyclopedia of Music in Canada
Things have been rather hectic these past few days - reorganizing everything from the studio to the house and from my budget to ARMTA portfolios.
This week's useful link is the Encyclopedia of Music in Canada. You can find out about Canadian classical, pop, jazz, rock music and more.
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
Making the Most of Music Practicing
"My head's exploding!" said one of my students as she walked into her lesson today. September is so exciting and hectic for students and their families. Back to school and back to their extracurricular activities. Homework and limited playtime.
With any activity, establishing a regular routine is critical to ensure steady progress, growth and a sense of accomplishment. Set up a regular practice time in your child (or your own) schedule. Goal oriented practicing works well for many students, more than punching the clock, although general guidelines for practice times do exist. Do remember to warm-up, cool down and reflect upon what worked well in your session, what still needs work, what you enjoyed (or didn't) and what you need to ask the teacher at the next lesson.
Here are two pretty good articles on how to set up a good practice routine at home:
(c) 2006 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.
