By: Joel Roston
Guitar Instructor

We recently received feedback from one of our instructors, Joel R. Here's what he had to say:
"Hello!

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while, but haven’t had a ton of time because: Apart from being a composer for media, I also teach music privately to people of all ages and abilities.

Many of my students I meet through the normal word-of-mouth ways that exactly map to your conception of how private music teachers meet music students, but SOME of my students come through an agency called Note-worthy Experiences Music Studio—and that’s what I’d like to tell you about.

Note-Worthy Experiences is run by a person called Renee Bordner, whose leadership abilities, in my opinion, should be studied, formalized, taught, and recreated in all of the businesses everywhere.

I’ve been receiving group and personal emails from Renee at least weekly, usually daily, and sometimes multiple times per day for years now and—just taking a few minutes to look back at a random sampling—I don’t think I have EVER, ONE TIME, received a conversation-starting email that didn’t end with her thanking me for my contribution(s) to Note-Worthy Experiences or very genuinely letting me know that she appreciates the skills that I bring to what I do.

Even when we’ve been in the middle of the VERY few [what I would call] “light conflicts” or misunderstandings, the content of those misunderstandings happened INSIDE of a spirit of collaboration and appreciativeness, which—as I’m sure you’re aware—just isn’t an overall setup one finds in the world too much.

ON TOP of running Note-worthy, Renee is constantly posting to social media about her volunteer work and ways that she attempts to give back to society by offering her expertise and experience to other founders.

I’ll confess that, when I allow my brain to wander a bit, I have thoughts like, “Ohhhhhhhhhhhh. Maybe there are actually THREE Renees and that’s how she gets so much done and seems to maintain such an incredibly collaborative disposition—one Renee gets overwhelmed, taps out, and a different, energized Renee steps in.”

All of this said, I’m not enTIREly certain what I’m trying to do with this post; I just feel like (1) the world needs to know about Renee Bordner and (2) a, like, LinkedIn recommendation didn’t seem on-the-level enough for what I wanted to say.

In closing, I’d like to give a public thank-you to Renee for all of your incredibly hard work and say: I know I owe you a couple of invoices—they’re ON THE WAY."
​

Parents often ask if their student musician is ready to perform at our events.  Yes, is always the answer!  

I highly encourage our brand new beginner students through our professional students to perform as often as possible.  We offer many assisted living informal recitals to give all of our students a chance to play for others.  While adjudications and competitions are more appropriate for our students with more performance experiences.  For some of our students, starting with a casual recital for their parents and extended family can be thrilling.  We find that some students are very motivated to create their own recital for their teddy bears complete with construction paper homemade tickets and programs.  Some students, including my own son, can be very motivated by playing "Name That Tune" over the telephone with a family member.  For our students who are more technologically inclined, they can be motivated to create a video to share with friends and family who will share it on their social media.  All of these traditional and non-traditional performance opportunities can help a student develop more confidence in their playing.  These skills can also be transferred to other life events in which students need to "perform" such as job interviews, presentations at their school or work.  Whatever event your musician is preparing for, please connect with your instructor and work together to create a solid plan for preparing for success.  Happy practicing and performing!

Musically yours,
Renee ​

For many years we have heard that studying music can assist children to become smarter.  We have all heard that studying music can increase children's math scores.  But now, we have a new study from MIT. 

​https://bit.ly/3tqgRzA

For parents who want their children to become IT experts, register them for coding classes and music lessons.  For more information about music lessons or to chat further about the article in this link, contact Renee at rbordner@note-worthyexperiences.com
​

By: Jessica Petrus
NWE Voice and Piano Teacher

​As we get swept up into the giving season, you may be asking yourself if it's time to consider an instrument upgrade (and if so, what that looks like.)  With a wide array of options on the market, it's no wonder the task can feel overwhelming! 


My aim here isn't to sway you one way or another on any particular instrument (though I'm happy to make some recommendations, and can also point you in the direction of other opinions as well), but rather to share some insights I've gained for when a student is ready for that more premium instrument. 

I teach a lot of Beginning Piano, and the most common instrument I see is the five octave non-weighted-keys keyboard.  Their portability and affordability helps parents make a cautious investment to see if the hobby will stick. If this is yours at home, we likely talked about how it will work in the beginning while they learn very basic music literacy and technique. But eventually, I highly encourage an upgrade as your student is limited on this instrument. Developing musicianship (the expressive and artistic elements of music) will be a necessary and a very satisfying part of making music. So, how do you know if you're ready to make the leap into a finer instrument? 

I look for these clues: 

1. When a student takes their own initiative to practice and explore music on their own. This means that while parents may help initially set a practice routine, the majority of the time it is the student who follows through with it.**

**It's worth noting, however, that for some, the opposite is true! The self-motivation to practice may take an unexplainable nosedive. They may still love the piano and love the idea of playing, but get easily frustrated and bored when they play on their instrument. They are now looking for more than just merely playing notes on a page!

2. When their practice starts to include more composing and improvising. The student wants to be expressive, but since dynamics are limited, they turn to other expressive qualities available on their keyboards (this is usually the many 'voices' which change the sound of the instrument).

3. When they play, their bodies are very wiggly. This is often because they are starting to develop the 'feeling' of musicality, but are not yet able to channel that energy into the piano due to their current instrument's limited expressivity. 

4. They ask me lots of questions about my instrument in the studio, in particular what the pedals do (a standard piano has three pedals). 

5. They simply ask for an upgrade! When it comes to making music, I'm a firm believer in intrinsic motivation and self-awareness. If your student can communicate solid reasons to you for why they want a better instrument, I say strike while the iron is hot! 

Keep in mind there are numerous ways to acquire a better instrument. While buying a brand-new acoustic baby grand piano at Steinert's is certainly an option, so too are electric pianos and uprights. And don't underestimate a good used instrument!  Facebook Marketplace, NextDoor, Buy Nothing groups, etc. are all great places to keep your eyes peeled for that next instrument. If you want a second opinion, you can send me the link and I'll take a look at it for you. If you already have an acoustic instrument but it needs a little tuning-love, I'm happy to help connect you with local piano technicians. 

If you do feel you're ready to take the plunge, what should you do with that smaller keyboard? I say keep it on hand if you have room! A spare keyboard can come in handy on a vacation or mix up a mundane practice routine by playing it in another room in your home (or outside). 

As always, I'm here if you have questions and I look forward to continuing guiding your student along their unique musical journey! 


Warmly,
Jess