Reading to a child on a regular basis benefits him in several key ways.  Reading increases his knowledge of the world, his vocabulary, his familiarity with the written language, and his interest in becoming literate.  In fact, the larger the variety of fluent readers a child hears, the better.

Ideas for parents:  Even if other special adults in your child’s life do not live nearby, it’s still possible for your child to hear them reading aloud.  Hallmark has recordable books.  Skype offers free video calls.  And MailVU makes it possible to record and send a video email.  The possibilities are endless!

The Piano Central Studios program can only be as good as its instructors. Happily for all of the students at PCS, they and their parents are able to enjoy the benefits of a phenomenal arts program because there are a number of extremely talented teachers ready and excited to teach music! I am happy to introduce you to another of Piano Central Studio’s excellent staff members—Ms. Julie Zimmer!

Please Meet: Ms. Julie Zimmer

About Me

• Growing up: Rachel was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois.

• Interesting facts to share: One of Julie’s favorite hobbies is traveling—she loves visiting and exploring all kinds of new places. She’s even been to Zambia, Africa! Not only has she been to Zambia, Africa, but she has also bungee jumped 330 feet from a bridge there! Talk about an exciting adventure! Another special interest of Julie’s is musical theatre…definitely someone with diversified interests!

• A few favorite things: Julie has a long list of favorite things! Things she mentioned include ethnic foods, laughing, friends, music, sports, health and fitness, teaching (good for her students!), parties and parenting.

• Education: Julie attended Bob Jones University and graduated with a B.A. in Piano Pedagogy and later with a M.A. in Piano Performance.

All Things Musical

• Choosing a musical path: Julie plays and teaches piano. As far as why she chose piano in particular, she says her parents just steered her in that direction.

• About teaching: 10 years ago marked the beginning of Julie’s teaching career—and she’s still loving it! Her favorite thing about teaching is “When a student takes ownership of a piece (really takes initiative at home, works hard and then enjoys the reward of finishing it).” A student’s satisfaction from a job well done is something that never ceases to give her joy!

• Favorite composer: Julie’s favorite composers are the French impressionists, Ravel and Debussy.

A Piece of Advice from Julie Zimmer

“Music is not just notes. It is not just rhythm. It is the way you express what is on the printed page and communicate a story to or paint a picture for your listener.”

As always, you can look forward to a fun class experience packed full of a variety of activities customized just for YOUR class.  Activities will include theory review, performance opportunities, music appreciation, studies of classical composers and their music, ear training activities, ensemble experience, and musical games. Each student will also receive the May issue of Piano Explorer at your class.  Skillmasters Performance Classes last one hour, and take the place of private lessons and semi-private lessons for that week.

1)    Enroll in music lessons: The first and most important step you can take is to enroll your child in summer lessons. If you just can’t seem to fit lessons in every week or you want your child to have a bit of a break, at least consider signing up for lessons every other week. The accountability is vital not only to keeping previously learned skills but also to continue making progress as well! Click here to enroll today!

2)    Sign up for music camp: Interaction with peers can be a great motivator for any child! Seeing other children involved and working to develop their skills can not only encourage your child to practice but also can help your child fight the end-of-year slump, re-kindling his/her love for music! Enroll today by clicking here

3)    Play music with others: Playing with other family members and friends can be a LOT of fun, but very beneficial as well! Consider purchasing a few duet books that your child and some other friends or family can enjoy playing out of together!

4)    Practice playing by ear: Playing by ear is great for developing ear training skills! Encourage your child to try playing songs he/she has heard before or pieces he/she enjoys! Try picking melody lines out together and make it a fun activity for you and your child! If melody lines become too easy, try adding some harmony and accompaniment to it!

5)    Sight read a LOT: Help your child get ready for next year’s Music Skillmasters by having him/her sight reading a wide variety of music. Not only will it be fun, but it will also broadens your child’s awareness of different kinds of music and help develop his/her sight reading skills!

6)    Play fun music: Purchase some new books of music that your child enjoys—jazz, blues, classical, hymn, country, etc. When your child is able to connect with music on a personal level, he/she will grow increasingly interested in music.

7)    Attend live concerts: Nothing can be more exciting or motivating than attending a live concert and watching performers share their passion and love for music with the entire audience. For those with younger children, the informal setting of the free summer “Music by the Lake” concerts at Furman can be a great option. Take a picnic and a few lawn chairs and enjoy a concert together as a family!

8)    Composition exploration: Encourage your child to come up with his/her own songs. Helping your child develop a sense of musical creativity opens an entirely new level of music to him/her.

9)     Play for others: As always, playing for other people at social gatherings is great experience—and summer usually abounds in opportunities! Take advantage of these summer chances and encourage your child to have a couple pieces performance ready so he/she can play for anyone anytime!

The semicircular canals are three tiny, fluid-filled tubes in our inner ear that help us keep our balance.  When we move our heads around, the fluid triggers the hairs that line each canal.  These hairs translate the movement of the fluid into nerve messages that are sent to the brain.  This is how the body knows to stay balanced (“Semicircular Canals.” 1995-2006).  Interesting, huh?!

Tips for parents:  Rocking, moving from side to side, and running are all physical activities that move our heads and result in helping our bodies stay balanced.  This is why rocking and other healthy activity is so important to your child’s coordination and well-being.  So take some time today to rock.  Rocking can be calming or energizing, depending on the need of the moment!

Remind your child that he/she is not alone!

Often, when a child becomes nervous he/she feels alone and isolated from everyone else, almost ashamed to be afraid. Talk with your child and assure them that many other children will be nervous too—to not be nervous is unusual! You could even use a personal experience of your own to back it up! Confirming for your child that his/her fears are not abnormal will help with relaxation and reducing the stress level.

Watch for negative speech…

Don’t let your child become discouraged—comments such as “I’m not good enough,” “Everyone else is more talented” or “I’ll never be able to play well” are very detrimental to a child’s sense of self-confidence. Help your child see the value of his or her ability and assure your child that you are absolutely positive that he/she is going to do a fabulous job!

No one is ever perfect!

One of the biggest stumbling blocks for any student is the setting the absolutely impossible goal of being perfect. Performance anxiety coach Helen Speilman writes in her article Conquering performance anxiety from the inside out that “To expect perfection of ourselves is to set ourselves up for failure. In fact, in the attempt to attain perfection, we create tension which is the very opposite of what we need to produce beauty in our art. Striving for excellence rather than perfection, or for an optimal performance rather than a perfect one, give us an achievable goal that is compassionate and flexible rather than demoralizing.” Help your child see that trying to play the best that he/she can is an ideal performance!

Relax, relax, and relax some more…

Tension and anxiety often results in muscle tightness. This tightness is not only physically harmful, but it makes performing even more difficult! Progressive muscle relaxation is an excellent technique for dealing with muscle tightness and performance anxiety. Again, quoting Ms. Speilman, “Progressive muscle relaxation is done by consciously softening and releasing the tension from one part of the body at a time. Typically, you might start at the toes, progress to the feet, the ankles, the lower legs, and on until you reach the neck and head. At that point, the entire body is deeply relaxed. In deep relaxation, brain waves are in a different mode which induces more receptivity to creative imagery.” Have fun with this relaxation technique and do it with your child! Not only will your child be relaxed, but you will too!

As always, music is about having FUN! Focusing on the music and enjoying playing and sharing it with the audience is the most important aspect of any recital—so much more important that playing note perfect!

For the student

• While formal dress is not required for PCS recitals, students should dress nicely for his/her recital. Students being professionally dressed (or following the recital theme) shows respect for the audience, the teacher and themselves!

• Students should walk up to the piano, not run. Especially with younger students that are nervous, this can seem like an impossible feat!

• Before playing and after finishing, students must take a bow. Taking a bow is a way for students to tell their audience “Thank You.” To take a proper bow, a student stands in front of the piano, keeps both hands at his/her side and bows at the waist—making sure to keep the head down. A good rule of thumb is to focus on looking at the floor for a couple seconds!

• After bowing, students should sit down, make sure that the bench is adjusted properly for them and then take a few deep breaths before starting their piece.

• Should the student make a mistake while performing, he or she should try to continue playing without starting over or repeating. This makes sufficient practice before the recital very Very VERY important!

For the audience

• The audience should clap as a students walk up and after they finish their pieces.

• All electronic devices should be turned off out of respect for the performers. Any electronic noises can prove to be extremely distracting to performers, especially younger ones.

• All parents want to have pictures of their children playing, but it is impolite to other audience members and potentially distracting for the child as well! While video can be taken (provided it is not blocking the view of others) during the performance, all flash photography should be taken after the recital has finished.

• Audience members should show respect to all performers by being as quiet as possible while they are playing, listening attentively and clapping both before and after!

Final Advice:

To the performers: Remember that the audience is there for your support! They are all there cheering you on and wishing you the best. So, take a deep breath, relax and enjoy playing the piece you have worked so hard on to learn!

To the audience: Please be the best support group possible for these students! They greatly appreciate your enthusiastic clapping and attentive listening. Show them that you care and that you are proud of their work!

The final collaboration between Rodgers & Hammerstein was destined to become the world’s most beloved musical. When a Maria proves too high-spirited for the religious life, she is dispatched to serve as governess for the seven children of a widowed naval Captain. Her growing rapport with the youngsters, coupled with her generosity of spirit, gradually captures the heart of the stern Captain, and they marry. Upon returning from their honeymoon they discover that Austria has been invaded by the Nazis, who demand the Captain’s immediate service in their navy. The family’s narrow escape over the mountains to Switzerland on the eve of World War II provides one of the most thrilling and inspirational finales ever presented in the theatre. The motion picture version remains the most popular movie musical of all time.

With wonderful songs like The Lonely Goatherd, Do Re Me, The Sound of Music, Edelweiss, So Long Farewell, and Climb Every Mountain, it is a show for all ages. In fact, the cast is of all ages – from 7 to 74.

Miss Jenni Soehn, one of our very own PCS teachers is the pianist for this production!

May 3-5 7:30 pm

910 Hudson Road Greenville, SC 29615

For more information call (864) 268-7280

Please Meet: Mrs. Rachel Siglin

About Me

• Growing up: Rachel was born and raised in South Carolina’s neighboring state of Hickory, NC.

• Interesting facts to share: Exploring and discovering new places is one of Rachel’s favorite activities. In all her travels, Rachel has fallen in love with Florence, Italy. According to her, it is her “favorite spot on earth.” Other activities she enjoys include trying out new indie coffee shops and bakeries.

• A few favorite things: Rachel has a number of favorite things! Top on her list is spending time with her husband Dave. Next on the list is her cat Simpkin followed by her dog Hank, physical fitness, Jane Austen books and movies, spy and crime shows, reading and Classical composer biographies!

• Education: Rachel attended Bob Jones University and graduated with a B. Mus. Piano Pedagogy and a M. Mus. Piano Pedagogy. .

All Things Musical

• Choosing a musical path: Rachel plays piano and loves it! Earlier in her life, during her years of middle school, she struggled with wanting to continue with piano. However, once out of middle school, she knew that not only did she love piano and want to continue lessons, but she wanted to teach it too!

• About teaching: This year marks the eighth year that Rachel has been teaching. She loves the interaction she has with her students—the challenge of making music personal to each of her students.

• Favorite composer: Rachel’s favorite classical composer is Frederic Chopin. 

A Piece of Advice from Rachel Siglin

“Practice in the smallest sections possible so that you isolate problems and accomplish the most in the least amount of time!.”

Friday, May 18th at BJU
6:00 pm –Carol Baskins  / Becky Wheeler
7:30 pm – Gloriane Vasso (piano/voice)