Two videos for fall!

We have just returned from a family trip to China and are jumping into fall scheduling head first. Ms. Doty was very helpful with keeping all the emails answered and calls returned while we were gone. It was truly a "family trip" because we came home with a new 19 month old daughter! In another four years or so, we hope she'll be joining our students in the recitals.

There are a few open spots remaining on violin, cello, piano, guitar and voice. As always, email or call if you are interested in a trial lesson.

Here are two fun videos to inspire your young students this fall!

Who can forget the Grasshopper and the Ant?!



And how fun would it be to get one of our free group classes to put on a show like these ladies?! There are a couple of particularly dramatic young boys (my own 6 and 8 year olds!) who I know would love to play at being competitive like this!

Play Music: Your brain will thank you!

As we enroll new students for the school year, I can't help but get excited. As these students establish and maintain a regular practice routine, they will be given skills that help them learn. I'm not just talking about passive neurological improvement like all the studies keep showing (see the articles below for more on that good news). What I love is that they learn how to teach themselves; how to refine the very way they learn.

I can say from my own experience that this is one of the greatest benefits of studying music, perhaps even beyond the in-the-moment expression which I so deeply enjoy. Learning how to improve in one hard thing helps a person prepare to tackle all the many other hard things in life. Knowing yourself better is a profoundly useful thing.

Refining motor skills and mental focus,
learning the violin is a worthy challenge.

So, stick with your lessons, give us a call if you need an accomplished & caring teacher or go to the great teacher down the street- Portland is blessed with many! Support classes in schools, pick up that instrument you played until 5th grade. Your brain will thank you for it.

A pair of supporting articles:
How Playing Music Changes the Learning Brain

Listening to and Playing Music Excites Lobes and Cortices Throughout the Brain

And if you'd like to know more about enrolling with us:
A link to our Fall 2014 registration form. 

Viola for Sale

One of our faculty members is selling an excellent William Harris Lee viola.

Used most recently to complete both a Masters and part of a Doctorate in performance, this is a beautiful instrument with a rich clear timbre. It's a hair over 16" but has a much bigger sound. The neck was shaved approximately 10 years ago, making this viola relatively easy to play.

The price for this viola with a custom Gewa case is $5000 firm.

Please email rosecitymusicacademy@gmail.com for more information.

Summer Camp Registration 2014 is Live!!

This year we'll offer THREE weeks of summer camp on the beautiful campus of the Catlin Gabel School.

Please click here for the registration form. 

Below are some answers to common questions about our camp:

How much experience do students need? None! We have beginner group classes in addition to groups for more advanced students. Class sizes are kept very small, so that each student has the experience of working in a group while receiving the individual attention necessary to achieve new things within the week.

What if we don't have an instrument? No problem! We have instruments to rent and will even provide some free of charge.

What is a typical day like at RCMA’s summer camp?
We have 6 class periods and a lunch hour spread from 9am to 4pm. When a student chooses a focus area, they will join a small group of students for their “lesson time” with the teacher. They’ll have 45 minutes of class time to explore their instrument with a few other students and will perform together in the recital on Friday for parents and friends.

Each student’s day will include their focus period, choir, and outdoor play. The remaining periods are filled with art and music classes covering rhythm, music history, composition, music theory, and more. With several opportunities for students of all levels to work and play freely together, both friendships and musical skills flourish.

What is the Intensive Chamber Camp like? 
Chamber campers enjoy working in a small group together, playing compositions in different groupings with multiple instructors throughout the day. Our campers often play classical, pop, fiddle and jazz styles with the guidance of professional musicians versed in those styles. The limited size of this camp fosters bonding among the campers and maximizes their musical development over the course of the week. More advanced students are encouraged to help their colleagues and are given music that is tailored to specifically challenge them. An assisted practice session is set aside each day, when the students are given specific input on how to work on the assigned pieces individually and in smaller groups.

Attention is given to technical development, reading skills, and the ability to play in ensembles. The Chamber Campers perform throughout the week for the summer camp students at lunchtime and they also play several pieces in the recital on Friday for parents and friends. We are impressed each year with how these students improve and what they accomplish in just one intensive week!

October 2013 Newsletter!

Here's a link to our pdf newsletter. All our students should have received one in the mail; just let us know if you didn't and we'll update your address.

Thanks, and happy practicing!
-Miriam

Practice articles: Early October 2013 edition

The internet and print media are abuzz lately with great thoughts on how to learn. Parents, please note that these thoughts do NOT only apply to a tiger mother shoving her children into a career as a soloist. Rather, they condense some of the best current thinking on how we learn and contain tips for us all. We are nothing if not students, from beginning to end!

Here are just a few articles I've liked:

James Clear's article, "Lessons on Success and Deliberate Practice from Mozart, Picasso, and Kobe Bryant"

Noa Kageyama's blog, books, and counsel serve as a secret weapon for many professional musicians and I love this article about practice, "How Many Hours a Day Should You Practice". The ideas here could apply to anything that requires time to learn. My kids are only 5 and 7 years old, but we are already talking about some of the things he mentions here both in our school day and our instrument practice time.

Sarah Welsh has a good quick read for parents helping children practice. It's a bit annoying to scroll through to read, but there are some clever tricks offered. In our house we do stickers rather than candy, and the stickers add up to choices from a prize bucket of dollar store trinkets (works for the arcades!), but to each his own. See also our parent handbook page about creative practice helpers. "The Secret to Getting Kids to Practice- Without Tears"

... and just for fun, current Nobel Prize winner Thomas Sudhof says this about what lessons with an excellent teacher did for him:
(Who was your most influential teacher, and why?)
My bassoon teacher, Herbert Tauscher, who taught me that the only way to do something right is to practice and listen and practice and listen, hours, and hours, and hours.

Announcing our Fall 2013 Groups & Classes!

ROSE CITY MUSIC ACADEMY

Groups and Studio Classes Fall 2013

Students in our private lessons can join one, free of charge, starting next week!

Group classes, ensembles and studio classes run 10 weeks, beginning the last week of September. These groups are not only fun, they inspire improvement and promote diligent practice. Kids playing in groups develop musical skills they cannot gain in lessons and solo practice.

All students enrolled in private lessons with Rose City Music Academy are invited and strongly encouraged to participate in a group. There is no additional charge for RCMA students joining one of our group offerings. Our faculty members enjoy teaching group classes, students improve more, and this makes it a win-win for everyone in our musical community!

ALL GROUPS MUST HAVE THREE STUDENTS ENROLLED TO RUN.

Please let us know which group you would like to join. You can try any group without notice to us, but please do commit to the ones you like so we can be sure to maintain 3+ students attending.

Non-RCMA students can join for just $135 per 10-week course.

Violin

5:30-6:00pm Mondays ALL LEVELS VIOLIN STUDIO CLASS at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center 6651 SW Capitol Hwy with Elizabeth Doty

For all violinists of all levels. Students will work together on musicianship, Suzuki repertoire, performance skills, and build community through fun group tunes.

4:00-4:30pm Thursdays BEGINNER VIOLIN STUDIO CLASS at Portland First Church of the Nazarene 6100 SW Raab Rd, Portland with Olivia Baker

For Violinists learning beginning Pre-Twinkles through the Minuets of Book 1

This group is for total beginner violins and students learning up through the Minuets of Suzuki Book 1. Students will work together on musicianship, Suzuki repertoire, performance skills, games, and build community through fun group tunes.

4:30-5:00pm Thursdays INTERMEDIATE VIOLIN STUDIO CLASS at Portland First Church of the Nazarene 6100 SW Raab Rd, Portland with Olivia Baker

For violinists learning songs from the end of Book 1 through Book 2 & beyond

This group is for students who have mastered the Minuets of Book 1 through and beyond book 2. Students will work together on musicianship, Suzuki repertoire, performance skills, and build community through fun group tunes.

4:00-4:30pm Thursdays ALL LEVELS VIOLIN CLASS at Portland Adventist Elementary School 3990 NW 1st St Gresham with Lucia Conrad
For all violinists of all levels. Students will work together on musicianship, Suzuki repertoire, performance skills, and build community through fun group tunes.

Cello

4:30-5:00pm Wednesdays ALL LEVELS CELLO STUDIO CLASS at Catlin Gabel School 8825 SW Barnes Rd. with Adrienne Welsh

For all cellists of all levels. Students will work together on musicianship, Suzuki repertoire, performance skills, and build community through fun group tunes.

Violin, Viola, Cello, Piano

5:15-5:45pm Wednesdays CHAMBER GROUP at Catlin Gabel School 8825 SW Barnes Rd. with Lisbeth Dreier *** This class may move to another time/day. ***

This limited enrollment group is for string players in Book 3 or higher, and pianists who can play the repertoire at a similar level (pianists generally have to be a bit more advanced than their string colleagues). Students will learn pieces of chamber music (music where there is usually just one musician on each part and a max of about 8 players per group), working on ensemble, musicianship, reading, and performance of classical repertoire.

Piano

5:15-5:45pm Thursdays ALL LEVELS PIANO STUDIO CLASS at Portland First Church of the Nazarene 6100 SW Raab Rd, Portland with Mahroo Hamedani.

For pianists of all levels. The class may perform for one another, play music games, work on technical skill, discuss music theory and build community by working together on repertoire.

Guitar

4:30-5:00pm Wednesdays ALL LEVELS GUITAR STUDIO CLASS at Catlin Gabel School 8825 SW Barnes Rd. with Kyle Williams

For guitarists of all levels. The class may perform for one another, work on technical skill, discuss music theory and build community by working together on songs.

4:30-5:00pm Thursdays GUITAR PERFORMANCE ENSEMBLE at Catlin Gabel School 8825 SW Barnes Rd. with Andrew Becker

By audition, limited enrollment intended for students with strong reading skills. The goal of the Guitar Performance Ensemble will be to perform at least once a term as a group, build community, and learn group skills. Email us for audition information.

Composition, Theory and Games (OPEN TO ALL INSTRUMENTS)

4:30-5:00pm Thursdays YOUNG COMPOSERS at Mittleman Jewish Community Center, 6651 SW Capitol Hwy with Cole Robinson

Ages 8+, any instrument welcome. Learn the basics of music theory, notation and composition. Students will have their musical ideas put to paper and performed at one of our recitals. This class is always one of the favorites at our summer camp, and now we’re looking forward to hearing what comes from our students during the school year.