Dear Note-worthy Experiences Family,

Thank you for your patience in these very uncertain times.  

As a small business owner and a musician, I have been overwhelmed with your support. Thank you.

Our mission today is the same as when we started and that mission is to provide our students with meaningful musical learning opportunities. However, these opportunities are now occurring with social distancing.  

Below are some thoughts on how we can improve our students' musical experiences during the COVID-19 crisis.

Our instructor, Leonardo, suggests calling the practice sessions "rehearsals".

We are discovering that if a lot of people are using the home wifi the more issues we have. I am asking my family to limit their wifi use when I am teaching in hopes to help our lessons go more smoothly (and to encourage them to take a screen break).

If you are using a free version of Zoom, the time limit is 40 minutes. For our students who have lessons longer than 40 minutes, we are able to work around this by having two separate sessions with a 5 minute snack and water break in between.

For younger and beginner students, it is useful if a helper is nearby to help spot incorrect notes, hand position, etc. 

We are trying hard to keep our families up to date through our mass email distribution list (Constant Contact) and social media. Please refer to these sources for updates.

If your family has an Apple product - encourage your child(ren) to try GarageBand.

Please encourage your kids to go back and play their favorite songs.

Encourage your child(ren) to put together family recitals and family sing alongs. Make movies of your children playing to send to those who you are socially distant from.  

Encourage your child(ren) to write music. They can start with a topic, lyrics or just their favorite note combinations and rhythms. Here is a link to free printable staff paper  https://www.printablepaper.net/category/music

If your child(ren) are bored with their same music and would like some fresh fun music to try, check out supplemental library at the bottom of their home page. Many of these books can be ordered on Amazon too. https://pianoadventures.com/  

Did you know that there is an app for your children's Piano Adventures Books?  https://pianoadventures.com/resources/piano-adventures-player-app/ 

This is my favorite link for printing free piano and guitar music at each level.
https://gmajormusictheory.org/Freebies/freebies.html  

This game is highly recommended by several students and our instructor, Kailey
 https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Experiments.  

Our instructor, Maria, suggests http://www.themusicinteractive.com/. It’s GREAT for practicing note reading, and fun too! It has all 4 clefs. Makes “drilling” music notation fun. Only available for Apple devices.

Sheet Music Direct is offering a free for one month promotion (however I hear that you need to pay to be able to print music and it is not free after one month.)
https://www.sheetmusicdirect.com/en-US/  

Stay tuned to our group emails and social media as we have added enrichment classes for our students. We are offering Advanced Theory with Daniel, Songwriting with Kailey (both are good for students in level 1 or up, and fun for kids to do in online groups). We are also offering Practice Hotline Tips with Jay and Audition Prep with Nina.

If your family would like extra lessons with your current instructor, or another instructor, just let us know. All of our instructors have additional scheduling flexibility currently. Unfortunately, all of our instructors' rehearsals and performances have been cancelled. Some events have been cancelled through September.

The vendor that I use for the Practice Club Trophies is currently closed due to COVID-19. When they reopen, I am optimistic that I will be placing a large order of customized trophies for our 100 Consecutive Days of Practice Club Winners. I also will order trophies for our students who complete 200, 300, etc. consecutive days of practice. These students will also be invited to a VIP Ice Cream Party at my home (when we are allowed to socialize again). To make tracking our students' practice easier, you can use this tracking sheet: Download PDF.

We have a FREE music trivia family fun night scheduled for next Thursday! Think Disney name that tune!

Please stay tuned for more information about a FREE Faculty Recital or maybe even Recitals to raise money for a local relief fund.

The April Youth Open Mic Night at Serendipity has been cancelled.

Our Final/Round 2 of the Scholarship Competition will occur with modifications.  

Our Honors & Senior Recital is cancelled.

I have a message out to Piano Guild Headquarters on their status of our 2020 Auditions. I also have a message out to our Judge. Auditions will occur with modifications.

Thank you for your support during these uncertain times!

--

What people are saying about online lessons with Note-worthy:

"I'm surprised how well the technology worked--not just from a logistical point of view, but for delivering a very constructive lesson. I didn't have doubts about the ability to teach, but I thought perhaps on our end it wouldn't feel 'real.' But it certainly did!"

-Jeanette from Natick

At Note-worthy Experiences, the health and safety of our students, families, and teachers is our utmost priority. We are aware of the current global health concerns around the coronavirus (COVID-19) and are carefully monitoring the situation. Please see the following video from Renee about studio changes during this time:

https://www.facebook.com/renee.bordner/videos/10158411868459668/UzpfSTEyODc0Nzk1Mzg4MzA5NDoyODM0NjI4MjQzMjk1MDM4/

Online lessons
In order to maintain the regularity of lessons for our students while prioritizing their health and safety, we are offering online lessons (via Skype, Zoom, or FaceTime) for students and families who do not wish to have in-person lessons. Tuition rates remain the same for online and in-person lessons. 

We have successfully offered online lessons for many years for students due to inclement weather, transportation issues, etc.

• These lessons can occur at alternative times from your regularly scheduled lesson time at a mutually agreeable time with your instructor.
• These lessons can be shorter in duration which we highly encourage for our younger students.
• Students can opt to have additional enrichment lessons to focus on topics such as song writing, advanced theory, music history or another topic.
• Use this opportunity to work with another teacher from out team.
• We encourage you to connect with your instructor about online apps, music games, links to videos, and or worksheets as curriculum supplements.
• Our teachers have been working on a communal Google Doc  to share in real time their online lesson best practices, tips, photos and success stories for students as young as 4.

Modified events
Piano Guild auditions will be held as scheduled with modifications. More updates to come closer to the events. The following event will be held with modifications:

• Scholarship Competition Live Round 2
• Senior and Honors Recital

Rescheduled events
The following events will be rescheduled with dates TBD:

• Annual Musical Instrument Petting Zoo
• Anklung Ensemble Class


The following events will be held or canceled by the discretion of the venues:

• April 3, May 1 and June 5 Serendipity Open Mic Night
• May 31 Assisted Living Recital

Sanitizing Musical Instruments
Did you know that the best way to sanitize piano keys is with over-the-counter hydrogen peroxide and cotton balls/pads?

Here are some additional resources for cleaning and disinfecting your instrument: 

Guitars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plU27QJBKn8
Strings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygVNw6ouhPo
Brass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=681ENFKO5ek
Woodwinds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZQs9UFLSQ4
Drums: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FQb-ufcvmg

Visit our blog for more information on musical instrument hygiene.

This time is an excellent chance to focus on practicing. While everyone is off, don't forget to log every day that you practice to become a member of our 100 Consecutive Days of Practice Club!

We will continue to keep you updated through email communications and social media. Please check back for more information in the upcoming days.

If you have any questions or concerns at any time, please contact Renee at rborder@note-worthyexperiences.com or 978-443-0480.

Photo taken from M. Steinert Sons: https://www.facebook.com/SteinertPianos/photos/a.220099661337179/4112946055385834/?type=3&theater

Writing for the Alfred Music Blog, David Pope discusses the challenges presented to students, especially middle and high school students, in the age of instant gratification. He presents tips and strategies for engaging and keeping students motivated to persevere.

​Read the entire blog here. 

Spanish teacher, wife, mother, and traveler, Kristin McGrail reflects on the universality of the language of music and on how she has used music to help herself and her students to learn foreign languages. Music is universal but also culturally specific and can therefore help in learning about cultures not only through its lyrics and rhythm, but also through its cultural relevance. McGrail discusses the many ways in which music can aid in the classroom as well as in our individual lives as continual learners. 
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Click here to read Kristin's entire blog. 

Berklee School of Music and Grammy Award winning music producer Paul Hoyle details his journey in understanding the key to a producing a Grammy Award willing album: a great song. He says, "In my opinion, the artist should check the songs to be recorded in front of an audience first, to get a real reaction of the people that eventually will buy the music. Sometimes a slight chance of pace in the music makes a big difference." Follow the link below to learn more about Paul's music industry experience and tips: 

https://paulhoylemusic.wixsite.com/paul-hoyle-web-site3/post/basics-for-a-successful-music-album-part1.?fbclid=IwAR1b_KzmK0iZOTgbPV6UJjAE0pUuccMf11S3LdO252PlyIswGaL4fQ4wodk

The retailers have been telling us for weeks that it going to be back to school season soon!  Usually, families receive a checklist from the teacher of items needed for the student to be successful throughout the year. These lists are often checked multiple times and the supplies are carefully labeled with each child’s name (in hopes that the child can hang onto the items for the entire year).  In our family this ritual of purchasing these supplies and labeling them was a symbol of a fresh start for a new year. One of hope, promise and excitement to start a new adventure. 

For most people, they think of crayons, glue, scissors and paper as back to school supplies.  At Note-worthy Experiences Music Studio, our back to school supplies also include staff paper, music stands, metronomes, tuners, rosin, cork grease, instrument repairs and even new instruments!  We want our musicians to have that same sense of hope, promise and excitement as they dive into new music and or audition for a new role in their band, orchestra or chorus! We want our music student to begin the year with confidence that they can accomplish lofty goals and chase big dreams.  Sometimes it might be a new piece of music or a fresh assignment notebook that can spark this energy. However, it can be very challenging for student to keep this excitement going if they are working on a broken, untuned instrument or one that they have outgrown. Please be sure to check in with your child AND your instructor to make sure that they are using the proper instrument for the child to take their music to the next level.   Piano students should be working on weighted action digital piano with a pedal or an acoustic piano. Viola, viola and cello students should be working on an instrument that coordinates with their height. Drum students should work with full sets and guitarists should work with a youth or full-sized guitar. In some situations, it is more cost effective to rent an instrument until the child reaches the full-sized instrument size and level.  Our instructors can assist in answering many of your questions about which instruments and other supplies to consider adding for your musician.

Incidentally, while I was writing this post, I received this from Steinert’s piano.  Please feel free to use this certificate for a deal on the purchase or rental of a piano.  https://msteinert.com/note-worthy/.

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Choosing repertoire for competitions can be tricky, and requires a different criterion than choosing repertoire for auditions and juries/examinations. It is important to first understand the difference the requirements for competitions versus the requirements for auditions and juries. Where juries and auditions are geared towards evaluating the skills and technique or the student, competitions also look for the virtuosity and performance quality of the musician or student. The below article from the Music Lesson Resources website covers everything you need to know about choosing repertoire for competitions.  Follow the link below:

http://musiclessonsresource.com/for-students-choosing-repertoire-for-competitions