Calgary & Area Musical Events and Deadlnes

At yesterday's ARMTA Calgary Honours' Recital, my colleagues and I were commenting on how January really started with a bang. I think we're looking at the busy months ahead with equal parts excitement and trepidation.

But for you, the audience, you have so many wonderful events coming up to enjoy:

• Mon., Jan. 14 - Sat., Jan. 26: Royal Conservatory of Music Practical Examinations , various locations, all day
• Fri., Feb. 1: Calgary Concerto Competition Application Deadline
• Sat., Feb. 9: Peter Jancewicz (piano) In Recital, MRC Leacock Theatre, 7:30 PM
• Mon., Feb. 11 - Fri., Feb. 29: Conservatory Canada Practical Examinations, various locations, all day
• Fri., Feb. 15: High River & District Lions Music Festival Registration Deadline
• Sat. Feb. 16 & Sun. Feb. 17: Calgary Concerto Competition, all day
• Sun., Feb. 17: Vienna Boys Choir Concert, Grace Presbyterian Church, 7:30 PM
• Mon., Feb. 25 - Sat., Mar. 15: Calgary Kiwanis Music Festival, Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Classes run from 9:00 AM - 9:30 PM.
• Tue., Mar. 4: Royal Conservatory of Music Spring Exam Registration Deadline
• Thu., Mar. 6: Conservatory Canada Spring Exam Registration Deadline
• Mon., Apr. 14 - Sat., Apr. 26: High River & District Lions Music Festival, various locations, classes run from 9:00 AM - 9:30 PM. Open to the public.
• Sat., Apr. 26 - Sat., May 10: Calgary APTA Festival, Renfrew Baptist Church, 9:00 AM - 9:30 PM.
• Sun., May 4: ARMTA Calgary Presents Christopher Norton, Renfrew Baptist Church, Masterclasses in the afternoon followed by a Students & Teachers' Dinner with Christopher Norton and concert at 7:30 pm.
• Fri., May 9 & Sat., May 10: Royal Conservatory of Music Theory Examinations
• Sat., May 10: Conservatory Canada Theory Examinations
• Sun., May 25: ARMTA Calgary Presents Outstanding Students Recital, Knox Presbyterian Church, 5:00 PM
• Sun., June 1 - Mon., June 30: Conservatory Canada Practical Examinations
• Mon., June 9 - Sat., June 28: Royal Conservatory of Music Practical Examinations

I'll update the list once I find out about the ARMTA Student Recitals and CASSA Student Masterclasses.

** Volunteers are needed to help out at Calgary Kiwanis Music Festival, High River & District Lions Music Festival and the Calgary APTA Festival, especially in the evenings. If you like music and can spare 2 - 3 hours to help as a greeter, secretary or host, please visit the festival websites to contact the organizers. **

All festivals ad concerts are open to the public. Hope you can make some of them.

(c) 2008, Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

Cal Band Video Game Show - Half Time Intermission

Thanks to my brother for this one. Last year, the Cal Band performed a video game music medley, complete with impressive choreography - and a Pokémon battle in the middle.

Head here to enjoy the show.

Musings on One Fun Gig

Today I had the pleasure of performing background music at a 90th birthday party. The "birthday boy" is looking very hearty and hale. Both he and his wife could easily be mistaken for being 20 years younger.

When I first spoke to the couple, they requested that I play a wide range of music as the youngest family member is 3 months old, while the "birthday boy" represents the top end. I really enjoyed putting this program together, which had everything from All of Me and Fly Me to the Moon to Avril Lavigne's Breakaway and Super Mario Brothers; with some improvising thrown in.

The great grandchildren came to chat with me about music, Guitar Hero II and karate while I played the Inspector Gadget Theme and Willy Wonka's Welcome Song. One six-year old asked if he could play with me so we jammed on a boogie pattern while his cousins bopped to the music and "comped" when the inspiration struck.

They said my hands moved pretty fast. Meanwhile, I was thinking, "I need to practice my scales even more!"

I stayed to chat afterwards with one of the grandchidlren, a former coworker of mine whom I haven't seen in years. It was a pleasant surprise to see her there.

The gig wasn't without its glitches. My break was used up over a dropped key. When the party moved to the venue's dining room, I found the piano locked. I went to get the key when it fell into the piano. Three gentlemen (four if you count my six-year old assistant) tried to pull it out because it fell in the most inconvenient spot.

I also think perhaps the Heritage Park ghosts decided to play a practical joke on me as my pages kept flipping on their own during my Beatles songs and Breakaway. Perhaps it was their way of saying that they wanted more ragtime and boogie? Who knows?

With a bit of tweaking and revising, I think I can reuse the program at future gigs.

(c) 2008 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

Music Practice Articles

After Christmas break, not everyone is willing to get back into the swing of things as far as practicing piano goes. I've spoken to a handful of my "piano parents" whose children aren't practicing regularly.

This week, I've assigned some of my students online music games at www.sfskids.org and www.nyphilkids.org and I have been cajoling all of them to try shorter, more frequent practices. Improvising and composing on my new toy (stage piano) is another exciting activity for them.

Here are a few articles with tips, tricks, ideas and suggestions:

The Extreme Piano Guide, or 30+1 Ideas to Improve your Practice Time
A Guide to Great Home Music Practice
Children's Music Workshop
Practice
Top Tips for Practice
Mr. Morgan's Class - Practice Tips
Lessonmatch.com: Practice Tips

(c) 2008 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

January 2008 Music Celebrity of the Month

This is something I started on my studio microsite but decided that this would be a better place for it. Each month, I'll highlight on music celebrity who was born in that particular month.

This month's music celebrity is the Russian composer Alexander Scriabin, who was born on January 6, 1872. This late-Romantic composer wrote for piano and orchestra.

(c) 2008 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.