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By: Renee Bordner NWE Music Studio Director If you are reading this blog you more than likely already have a connection of some sort to Note-worthy Experiences Music Studio. You probably enjoy live music and more than likely know a musician who has been negatively impacted by the coronavirus. If any of these resonate with you, please keep reading. If not, please visit another one of our blog articles.
I have been playing music for over 40 years. I LOVE music and the artists who create the music. I have a passion for teaching music and I have a passion for helping musicians. I believe that the world truly needs music more now than ever. I know that music has helped humans through countless difficult times since the first music was ever composed. This past March as restaurants, bars, churches and large performance venues closed, so did performance opportunities for musicians. As weddings and other religious ceremonies were postponed, so were gigs for musicians. This summer and early fall as restaurants, bars and worship spaces slowly reopened, many performing opportunities for musicians did not resume. As people started having small weddings (and other religious ceremonies) many musicians were not rehired to perform. (While it is frustrating, I certainly understand that if I were getting married and only allowed 10 people present at the wedding, I would have selected my spouse, the officiant, our parents and siblings to attend.) Unfortunately, some of the restaurants, bars and even a local church are no longer open. For the places that have reopened they are not able to open at their full capacity. Most do not have the same budgets for live musicians. As a result, many musicians are looking for alternative venues and income sources in the interim since it can take years of work for a musician and or group of musicians to develop a fan base at a venue. I know that this pandemic has affected absolutely everyone in very different ways. I want to be sensitive to all those who have and are suffering. These challenges that musicians and small business owners are facing have been weighing heavily on my heart since early March. I sprung into action this spring with many creative ways to encourage people to support small businesses and musicians. As we settle into the fall routines and prepare for winter knowing that COVID 19 is still present and will be for a little while longer, I am attempting to find additional creative ways to support these people who are so very important to us. The very people who bring the music we love into our lives. In searching for creative ways to support musicians, I found many articles on the internet that stated to purchase their merchandise and songs. I am biased but I also believe that registering for lessons is a fantastic way to support a musician. But I was searching for something with a little more to share with all of you. I discovered this blog post by Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers that I thought was helpful as his suggestions are all FREE! I know that not all of his ideas apply to helping our music instructors at our studio, but there are some great tips here. Take a moment to read his blog and then take a few more moments to do a few! Your favorite musicians will appreciate you. https://www.jeffreypepperrodgers.com/blog/15-ways-to-support-musicians-without-spending-money Thank you for your continued support of our Note-worthy Experiences Family.
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By: Renee BordnerDear 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.
Modified events The following event will be held with modifications:
Rescheduled events The following events will be rescheduled with dates TBD:
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. 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. In order to maintain the regularity of lessons for our students while prioritizing their health and safety, we are offering online lessons for students and families who do not wish to have in-person lessons. More information will be posted about this shortly. Please also watch for updates on our blog and social media regarding rescheduling/modifications for upcoming studio events.
During this time we are surrounded by literature about the best ways to wash hands and to sanitize our devices, however, resources on how to sanitize our musical instruments is less available. Did you know that the best way to sanitize piano keys is with over-the-counter hydrogen peroxide and cotton balls/pads? Thank you to M. Steinert & Sons for sharing this valuable information and the below graphic! 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 Please contact Renee at rbordner@note-worthyexperiences.com or 978.443.0480 with any additional questions or concerns. |
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About UsNote-worthy Experiences Music Studio LLC, located at 75 Witherell Drive Sudbury, Massachusetts 01776, provides private in-home and online/virtual lessons in the Boston MetroWest. We also provide private lessons at Nashoba Brooks School. Contact Renee Bordner at 978.443.0480 or rbordner@note-worthyexperiences.com.
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