Micek Music

-- My teaching schedule for February will be uninterrupted. -- Here are the  Theta Music Trainer  exercises I'd like students to work on in January: Melody  -- Flash Intervals Harmony  -- Chord Spells Harmony -- Key   Puzzles Sound  -- Band Match The top Theta Music achievers for the month of January were: Emma, Allyn, & Waldon --  As a reminder for students enrolled in CM, here are the CM dates for next month: * Performance  evaluations will be held on the weekends of  March 3 & 4 and March 10 & 11 .  ** Theory  testing will be conducted on the weekend of  March 3 & 4 . Have a happy day, Jesse

-- My teaching schedule for January will be uninterrupted. -- Here are the  Theta Music Trainer  exercises I'd like students to work on in January: Melody  --  Parrot Phrases Harmony  --  Tone Trees Rhythm  --  Rhythm Puzzles Sound  --  Dango Brothers The top Theta Music achievers for the month of November were: Carissa, Emma, Katie, Alex, and Kaitlyn T. --  As a reminder for students enrolled in CM, here are the CM dates for this spring: * Performance  evaluations will be held on the weekends of  March 3 & 4 and March 10 & 11 .  ** Theory  testing will be conducted on the weekend of  March 3 & 4 . Happy 2012, Jesse

-- I will not be teaching during the latter half of December. Here's a rundown of my schedule for the month: Monday students: I will see you twice, 12/5 and 12/12 Tuesday students: I will see you twice, 12/6 and 12/13 Thursday students: I will see you thrice, 12/1, 12/8 and 12/15 Sunday students: I will see you twice, 12/4 and 12/11 There are a number of students I will be scheduling make-up lessons for due to various conflicts of mine. I will contact you directly. If you do not hear from me, then follow the schedule above. -- There is a recital fee of $15 for every student participating in the recital. For families who have 2 siblings enrolled with me, the fee is $25 . Please include this amount with your payment for December lessons. -- The next student recital will be held on  Saturday, December 10  between noon - 4pm at CSUEB. Click here for all important info about the event . And here is a list of performers and which group they will be in . Have happy days, Jes...

-- My teaching schedule for November will be mostly uninterrupted. I am not be teaching on Thanksgiving Day holiday, of course. I need to shuffle some Thursday and Sunday students to different times this month due to my ongoing performances in Berkeley. I will communicate schedule changes to everyone on an individual basis. During the first two weeks of November I'm continuing my work with actress  Rita Moreno's one-woman play "Life w/o Makeup" at the Berkeley Rep Theatre . If anyone is still interested in seeing the show, you need to get moving: Sunday, 11/13 is the final performance. -- Fees for Certificate of Merit students are due with November lesson payments. As a reminder, here are the CM dates for this spring: * Performance  evaluations will be held on the weekends of  March 3-4 and March 10-11 .  ** Theory  testing will be conducted on the weekend of  March 3-4 . -- The next student recital will be held on  S...

From an article by Corinna Da Fonseca-Wollheim, published in the Wall Street Journal 9/29/11: Performance psychologists are invited into music departments nation-wide, as educators recognize the need to prepare musicians for the competitive, high-stakes world of classical music. In the past, performance anxiety was rarely discussed; if anything, it was seen as a Darwinian way of separating those fit for a solo career from those doomed to teach. Today, performance psychologists advertise their services as coaches, not shrinks, providing musicians the same concrete tools and drills offered athletes and CEOs. ----- Fear is not the problem: If you want to do well, you will probably experience fear. [The newer approach] is to build up the mental skills needed in a performance, like courage, trust and a focus on higher-order qualities: artistry and expression for musicians, strategy for athletes. Much of this involves [mental training] ... In addition, [performance psychologists coax] tea...

-- My teaching schedule during the month of October will be complicated. I have been hired to take over the pianist chair for actress Rita Moreno's one-woman play "Life w/o Makeup" at the Berkeley Rep Theatre . My first performance will be the evening of Tuesday, October 11. The play runs through the entire month of October and then through the first week in November. There are shows Tuesday through Sunday every week. I will be calling and emailing parents and students in the next few days to discuss lessons that will need to be re-scheduled. -- I have scheduled the next student recital. It will be held on  Saturday, December 10  between noon - 4pm at CSUEB. More details are forthcoming. -- The 2011-12 Certificate of Merit cycle has begun. Fees for participating students will be collected with November lesson payments. Here are the CM dates for this spring:   * Performance  evaluations will be held on the weekends of  March 3 & 4 and March 10 & 11 ....

From an article on FYI Living, published 6/15/11: "Engaging in musical activity for most of one’s lifetime significantly helps remember names, and enhances nonverbal memory, the ability to work based on what one sees, and mental agility during old age. The habit of physical exercise, in addition to musical involvement, further adds to mental lucidity in old age. Starting musical training early and continuing it for several years have a favorable effect on metal abilities during old age. Musical training also seems to enhance verbal prowess and the general IQ of a person." Read the full article here .