Sara Rasmussen's Piano Studio

Tuesday, May 1, 2018 by Sara Rasmussen | Uncategorized

Parents and Students: MARK ON YOUR CALENDARS!

Tweet

Tuesday, May 1, 2018 by Sara Rasmussen | Uncategorized

Happy May Day Parents and Students!

We are quickly approaching the end of the school year as well as the end of our piano season. It has been so fun to teach your awesome kids! They have made some great progress this season, and I hope they will continue to play the piano through the summer months. As for the remainder of the season, here’s the low-down:

Piano Recital: We are in full “recital prep” mode. Which means that we do not continue in our method books, so that we can give all our focus and effort to our recital pieces. Each student has been assigned 2 recital songs to prepare, memorize and perform. Parents- PLEASE give extra assistance and encouragement to your students during this time. It can prove to be quite stressful and difficult for each student. If you need help at home, please let me know- I have tips and tricks!!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Invite friends and family! Our Spring Performance Recital will be held on Thursday, May 24 @ 7 p.m. at the LDS Church (Primary Room) on 3548 MacGregor Lane, Saratoga Springs. All performers are to wear their Sunday best! Light refreshments will be served afterwards. 

During our recital prep, I like to give all my studio a challenge to keep things fun and also help motivate them to rehearse their pieces more fully. This challenge is based on steps to preparing their recital pieces. Each week they accomplish those goals, they will receive a sticker. The first student who prepares and memorizes their songs will receive a grand prize of a gift basket at the recital. All students will receive a gift from me at the recital- they deserve it! So, please parents, encourage your students to get practicing!!

LAST WEEK OF LESSONS: The week of our recital, May 22-24, will be our last week of lessons. Each student will come prepared to finish up any last minute recital prep. PARENTS: please make sure that all tuition is up to date and personal information (email addresses) are correct this week. I will use these emails for correspondence in July for scheduling for the next season of piano lessons. 

SUMMER TIME: I have found that it is not productive for me to teach during the summer months, due to family vacations and other changes in schedules- so I am planning on taking the summer months (June, July and 1/2 of August) off. I will be handing out some theory packets and practice games for each student to use during the summer months to keep up with their progress. I will be contacting all my existing students in July via email to schedule the fall lessons. ALL EXISTING STUDENTS GET FIRST DIBS ON DATES AND TIMES! After that, I will fill my time slots with new students. Please make sure you schedule your lessons within the time frame given. 

Tweet

Tuesday, January 2, 2018 by Sara Rasmussen | Uncategorized

Happy New Year!!

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas break, spending it with lots of family time, food, and maybe even some awesome Christmas music!? I always enjoy this break, but I am looking forward to getting back into a routine, not only with my family, but in our piano studio!

When thinking about New Years, we usually tie that with making resolutions and setting goals. What are your goals for this year when it comes to your musical progress? Maybe you want to set a goal to practice every weekday for a specific amount of time? Maybe you want to pass your current level of book? Maybe you want to learn a specific song? Whatever it is, this week during our lessons, we will be making goals and working on ways to achieve them.

I also have goals for my studio, which I will discuss with each student this week. A few of them will be:

1) I'd like to see each student pass off at least 2 songs per week.

2) I'd like to have more studio challenges with rewards!

3) I'd like to improve student's progress communications with parents .

Those are just a few that I am going to be focusing on with this new year in my studio. I hope with these changes, we will see great strides being made.

In connection with these goals, all students that started in September, will be receiving a piano progress report by the end of January. These reports will let parents know how their student is doing as far as concepts, performance, studio respect, etc. If there is room for improvement, I would ask that each parent and student to take those concerns seriously and work to make changes.

Thank you all for putting your student's musical journey in my hands. I hope they are enjoying their experiences. Thank you all for your support! I have such great students! I just love my job!!?

Tweet