Greetings from the Office (November 2009)

Dear New Mozart Families,

The month of November brings the start of recital season for New Mozart! Read on to find out more about what’s around the corner!

New Mozart Faculty Recital on Sunday 11/15 at Foothill College Appreciation Hall is the first recital this year. This event is a fabulous chance for you to see our teachers shine. We promise that it will be an afternoon filled with awesome music making. Check out the Faculty page on our website to hear samples from past faculty recitals!

In December, we’re hosting Six Winter Student Recitals! As our guitar studios have grown immensely, we’ll have a separate Winter Guitar Recital for ALL GUITAR STUDENTS on Sunday 12/12 at 3:30pm at the N. California campus. Five more recitals are planned on Sunday, 12/13. Please note that all other instrumental and vocal students will be performing on this main recital day.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars too...New Mozart will be closed in observance of the Veterans Day holiday on Wednesday 11/11 & for Thanksgiving Break from Thursday 11/26 through Saturday 11/28. No private lessons or group classes will be held on these dates.

If you have any questions, please always feel free to contact the office, as we are more than happy to assist you.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving & enjoy your pre-holiday preparation!

P.S. Check out the flyer included in this mailing for FREE TRIAL LESSON Promotion happening this month only. Spread the word so that your friends too can experience the excetional music lessons we offer.

Musically Yours,

Kim & Irish
The New Mozart Office Team
650 324 2373
Info@NewMozartSchool.com
www.NewMozartSchool.com

Winter 2009 NMSM Student Recitals Are Coming Up!

WINTER NMSM GUITAR RECITAL (Guitar Students Only)
When: 3:30 p.m. Sat. 12/12
Where: North California Campus, Fellowship Hall

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WINTER NMSM STUDENT RECITAL (All Other Instrumental & Vocal Students)
When: All Day (Session I—V) Sun. 12/13
Where: Foothill College, Appreciation Hall

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To meet our increased enrollments, we’ve added an extra recital day to meet the demand! All GUITAR STUDENTS will be perform in the *NEW* WINTER GUITAR RECITAL on Saturday 12/12 at the N. California campus for added convenience, so if you are a guitar student, this is your recital date!

For ALL OTHER STUDENTS, the Winter Recital will be held on Sunday 12/13! at Foothill College. We’re busy scheduling, so be on the lookout for your child’s assigned session for the recital!

Don’t forget to attend class(es) during the Performance Week (12/8-12/12). You’ll learn helpful performance techniques to prepare you for the big day.

Keep an eye out in your e-mail inboxes for Performance Week class times, as they are currently being finalized! Be sure to mark your calendars too, as Performance Week is from Monday 12/8 through Saturday 12/12!

Dates to Remember (November 2009)

11/11: Veterans Day Holiday! No private lessons or group classes will be held.

11/14: Suzuki Group Violin Class, 3:00-4:00pm (N. California campus, Sibelius Room)

11/15: Faculty Recital, 3:00pm (Foothill College, Appreciation Hall)

11/26-11/29: Thanksgiving Break! No private lessons or group class will be held.

School Year 2009-2010 Events Calendar

Mark Your Calendar for These Important Events Coming Up This School Year!

12/12 - Winter Guitar Recital, 3:30pm (N. Cal Campus)
12/13 - Winter Student Recital, 10am-8:30pm (Foothill College)
3/28 - Honors Recital, 3:00pm (Foothill College)
6/12 - Year End Guitar Recital, 4:00pm, (N. Cal campus)
6/13 - Year End Student Recital, 10am-8:30pm (Foothill College)
6/20 - Harmony Road Recital, 3:00pm (Foothill College)

Featured Article: Introduction to the Suzuki Method of Violin Instruction Part III

This is the last installment of a three part series that began in our September newsletter.
Go here to read Part I of the series.

Go here to read Part II of the series.










By Christine Shin

6. Positive focus. Suzuki instruction focuses on positive reinforcement, encouragement & praise, taking every opportunity to recognize & comment on achievement while limiting comments on needed improvements to one or two focus areas per lesson. Suzuki instructors are cautioned to avoid all competitive references & timetables. Students are submitted to each level of graduation within the program when they are ready—not when they reach a predetermined date & time.

7. Continual review of learned music. Students are not permitted to abandon pieces once they are learned. An important part of the Suzuki philosophy is the constant revisiting & improvement of pieces from past lessons.

8. Memorization. The early approach of learning music by ear continues in later study as all music is learned by ear. “Getting away from the road map” of music notation allows students to develop the expressive & emotional side of music more profoundly than is typical when students are tied to the page.

9. Frequent public performance. Frequent performance further underlines the social & cooperative nature of music & puts the students at ease in front of an audience. This encourages self-confidence in other aspects of a child’s life.

Most important to understanding Suzuki’s unique method is understanding its original & ongoing intention: to nurture loving & noble individuals. “Teaching music is not my main purpose,” he said. “I want to make good citizens. If children hear fine music from the day of their birth & learn to play it, they develop sensitivity, discipline & endurance. They get a beautiful heart.”

© 2009 Christine E. Shin. All Rights Reserved. Music Educator Christine E. Shin is the chair of the Palo Alto branch of the National Guild of Piano Teachers & the director of the New Mozart School of Music in Palo Alto, California. Want to use the article in your e-zine or website? You can. Just send us an e-mail at info@newmozartschool.com & consult with the office.

Featured Composer: Clara Schumann

Dates: Born September 13, 1819 in Leipzig, Germany
Died May 20, 1896 in Frankfurt, Germany

Nationality: German

Style/Period: Romantic Period (1820-1910)

Famous Works: Four Polonaises for Piano, Piano Concertino in f minor, Piano Trio in G Major

Clara Wieck-Schumann is known for being the wife of composer Robert Schumann, but she is also a famous musician in her own right! Her parents were Friedrich Wieck, a music teacher & Marianne Tromliz Wieck, a pianist & soprano. Clara was a musician from an early age, making her first musical appearance at the age of 9 & performing her first piano recital at age 11. She didn’t just play the piano, however. She studied voice, violin, score reading & composition, among other musical things.

Robert Schumann, another composer & musician, came to study music with Clara’s father in 1830 & soon after, Clara & Robert fell in love. Robert asked Clara to marry him in 1837, but Clara’s parents objected to the marriage since Clara was 18 years old & Robert was 9 years older than her. Robert & Clara married three years later in 1840. They had eight children together & were great friends with Johannes Brahms, another composer. Robert & Clara kept journals & wrote in them frequently about what they were feeling & thinking about music & life. Their journals provide people today with an abundance of information about their times, relationship & music.

Throughout her life, Clara was well known as a piano soloist, gaining fame for her technical proficiencies, sensitive interpretations of musical works & her ability to express the composer’s intent in the music. During her lifetime, she premiered pieces by Frederic Chopin, Brahms & her husband. A composer herself, Clara wrote 66 pieces, including works for piano & orchestra, solo piano & even cadenzas for piano concertos already written by Beethoven & Mozart! Widely respected for her musical opinions, both Robert & Brahms sought her advice & guidance in writing music.

Excerpt from http://www.dsokids.com/listen/ComposerDetail.aspx?composerID=31

Free Trial Lesson Promotion in November!

Sign Up Here
to take advantage of the Free Trial Lesson Promotion in November.

This is a rare opportunity for you to find out if New Mozart is right for you.

We've talked to our teachers & many of our teachers have agreed to participate!

Spread the news to so that your friends too can experience the New Mozart difference

WHAT: F*R*E*E Trial Promotion
WHEN: 11/1-11/30
How do I sign Up? - Check our website & blog on Wednesday 10/28. We'll have the Reg. Form available.

* Based on teacher availability. Other restrictions apply.

For more information, call or email us anytime!
Kim & Irish

http://www.NewMozartSchool.com
The New Mozart Office Team
650 324 2373
Info@NewMozartSchool.com