Micek Music

-- I will only be teaching the first two weeks of December. For most students this means only two lessons this month. My last regular teaching day will be Thursday, 12/11. Lesson payments for December need to include a  $15 per student recital fee . -- The next student recital will be held  Saturday, December 13th  from 2 to 6pm in the recital hall at CSUEB. Details about this event are posted on this website. -- For students participating in  Certificate of Merit  this spring, here are the CM dates for 2015: The performance evaluation date will be one of these: 2/14, 2/15, 2/21, or 2/22 The theory testing is either  3/7 or 3/8  (your choice) -- There will be no song of the month for December. -- The regular lesson schedule will resume in the new year on Sunday, January 4th. Have a happy holiday season, Jesse

In a recent interview for the Nerdist podcast , actress Hilary Swank spoke about "the power of a pause". Her comments reminded me of how powerful a pause can be in a musical performance. Here's what she had to say: The power of a pause draws people in and allows them to have a feeling. If you're so busy emoting all the time it's almost hard for people to have a feeling. You see that with people who give great speeches. The power of a pause draws the audience in and prompts the question, "What will they say next?"

-- At the end of November I will not be teaching from Wednesday, 11/26 through Sunday 11/30 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. -- The next student recital will be held  Saturday, December 13th  from 2 to 6pm in the recital hall at CSUEB. Please save the date! -- Students participating in  Certificate of Merit  this spring are now officially enrolled. I will be collecting CM fees along with the November lesson payment. -- Here are the CM dates for 2015: The performance evaluation date will be one of these: 2/14, 2/15, 2/21, or 2/22 The theory testing is either 3/7 or 3/8 (your choice) -- The song of the month for November is "1234" by Feist. Have a happy day, Jesse

-- My teaching schedule for October will be uninterrupted. -- The next student recital will be held  Saturday, December 13th  from 2 to 6pm in the recital hall at CSUEB. Please save the date! -- The song of the month for October is "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" by The Four Tops. Have a happy day, Jesse

-- Lessons during the month of September will be uninterrupted except for Monday, 9/1 (Labor Day). I will not be teaching on 9/1. -- The Song of the Month for September is "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears. Have a happy day, Jesse

1) 0:00 - 0:15  Opening credits 2) 0:16 - 0:40  Peaceful farm at night 3) 0:41 - 1:05  A blue beam of light 4) 1:06 - 2:01  Alien in training 5) 2:02 - 2:14  The student has a meltdown 6) 2:15 - 2:51  Let's try this one more time  7) 2:52 - 3:21  Success? 8) 3:22 - 3:54  The Master steps in 9) 3:55 - 4:44  Flying home 10) 4:45 - 5:04  End Credits

-- Lessons during the month of July will be uninterrupted. -- At the end of August, there is one week I will not be teaching. Here are the dates when there will be no lessons:  August 20th through August 25th -- This summer I will be undertaking a cartoon film scoring project with select students. Each student will compose music to accompany the Pixar short "Lifted".  You can watch the video and find a cue list here . -- The Song of the Month for July & August is "Good Day Sunshine" by The Beatles. Have a happy day, Jesse

Something I've been meaning to post here for a while. A breakdown of the cost of organizing a recital at CSUEB: 4-hour room reservation (w/ piano): $285 Event insurance: $83 Room monitor: approx. $50 (often this person doesn't show up) 100 Recital programs: $69.92 (this cost is exorbitant) Stamps for correspondence: $1 Additional outlays: - 6 hours of unpaid group rehearsal time - Gas & vehicle mileage - 3-4 hours spent formatting the program

Monkey Spoon Egghunt Lifted

-- My teaching schedule for June will be uninterrupted. Lesson payments for June should be made out for the full month  plus the $15 per student recital fee . -- The next student recital is scheduled for the afternoon of  Saturday, June 21st  in the music building recital hall at CSUEB.  Group 1 will begin at 2:30pm and Group 2 will begin at 4:00pm. Click here  for a listing of which student will perform in each group.  Click here for all the recital details you will need . -- During the summer, there is one week I will not be teaching. Here are the dates when there will be no lessons: August 20 - August 26 I teach year-round, including the summer months of July & August. I know that many of you will be traveling for vacation during those months. The policy that I have adopted for summer teaching is this:  each student needs to pay for a minimum of 4 lessons for the months of July & August in order to reserve a lesson time for the fall . If I do not r

-- My teaching schedule for the month of May will be uninterrupted. I will be teaching on Memorial Day (5/26) and will likely teach an abbreviated schedule that day based upon how many students are going to be absent. -- The next student recital will be held  Saturday, June 21st  from 2 to 6pm in the recital hall at CSUEB. Please save the date! Have a happy day, Jesse

-- In observance of the CVUSD spring break, I will not be teaching during the week of 4/14 through 4/20. -- The next student recital will be held  Saturday, June 21st  from 2 to 6pm in the recital hall at CSUEB. Please save the date! -- The Song of the Month for April is "Happy" by Pharrell Williams. Have a jovial day, Jesse

-- I will not be teaching on these two Saturdays in March: 3/15 and 3/22.  -- As a reminder to CM students, here are the CM dates this month: * Performance  evaluations will be held on the weekends of  March 1-2 and March 15-16 .   ** Theory  testing will be conducted on the weekend of  March 8-9 . -- For CM students, here are two blog posts that should helpful to your Ear Training preparations:  CM Ear Training Evaluation mp3's  and  Theta Games for CM Students -- The next student recital will be held  Saturday, June 21st  from 2 to 6pm in the recital hall at CSUEB. Please save the date! -- The Song of the Month for March is "Buddy Holly" by Weezer. Have a happy day, Jesse

-- The month of February will be uninterrupted. (I am aware that Monday, Feb. 17 is President's Day... I will be teaching that day.) -- As a reminder to CM students, here are the CM dates for spring 2014: * Performance  evaluations will be held on the weekends of  March 1-2 and March 15-16 .   ** Theory  testing will be conducted on the weekend of  March 8-9 . Please keep all three of these weekends free. In mid-February I will receive the schedule and location details for each student's performance. For the theory testing weekend at Chabot College, you can drop in anytime between 8am-4pm on either Saturday or Sunday. -- For CM students, here are two blog posts that should helpful to your Ear Training preparations: CM Ear Training Evaluation mp3's and Theta Games for CM Students -- The Song of the Month for January and February is "Royals" by Lorde. Have a happy day, Jesse

This book is an excellent and inexpensive resource for helping students get the most out of their time between music lessons.  Spending a mere $2.99 could go a long way toward improving the practice mindset for parents. Specific chapters discuss how to create the right home environment, attitude, and tips on making practice fun. Written by Tracy Selle, a veteran piano teacher.

-- My regular teaching schedule resumes on January 4th. The month of January will be uninterrupted. (I am aware that Monday, Jan. 20 is the M.L.K. Jr. holiday... I will be teaching that day.) -- As a reminder to CM students, here are the CM dates for spring 2014: * Performance  evaluations will be held on the weekends of  March 1-2 and March 15-16 .   ** Theory  testing will be conducted on the weekend of  March 8-9 . Please keep all three of these weekends free. In mid-February I will receive the schedule and location details for each student's performance. For the theory testing weekend at Chabot College, you can drop in anytime between 8am-4pm on either Saturday or Sunday. -- The Song of the Month for January and February is "Royals" by Lorde. Have a happy day, Jesse