Micek Music

-- 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

-- For the month of December, I will be teaching my normal weekly schedule through Saturday, 12/21. For most students this means we will meet for three lessons in December.  December lesson payments should be made out for the number of lessons  plus the $15 per student recital fee . There will be a two week winter break running from 12/22 to 1/3. Normal service resumes on Saturday, January 4th. -- The next student recital will be held  Sunday, December 8th  from 2 to 6pm in the recital hall at CSUEB. All the pertinent details (i.e. directions, start times) can be found on this blog. -- There is no  Theta Music Trainer  assignment for the month of December. -- There will be no song of the month for December. We'll work on Christmas tunes instead. Have a happy day, Jesse

-- My teaching schedule for November will be uninterrupted, save Saturday, 11/30. I will not be teaching that day in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. -- The  Theta Music Trainer  assignment for the month of November is these 3 exercises: Scales  --  Tone Drops Intervals  --  Flash Intervals (Melodic) Melody  --  Three Tones (Major) -- The next student recital will be held  Sunday, December 8th  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. -- The song of the month for November is "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison. Have a happy day, Jesse

From an article written by Sandy Lundberg, originally posted on the Music Teacher's Helper blog on 10/26/13 : The Many Benefits of Music Music is beneficial on many levels. It is the universal language of our hearts. Just like our spoken language, where we learn to read, write and communicate, and appreciate the communications of others, we can learn to communicate in the language of music. Music grows new connections in the brain. Because of the way our two hands are used, playing the piano develops these connections better than any other instrument. Piano study improves math skills, coordination, and multi-level thinking. Students slowly develop independence of the hands, and the ability for each hand to perform a completely different action in coordinated unison. Studying music develops character. It has been said that it takes 10 years at 20 hours per week to truly master a subject. That’s a lot of commitment and patience, a lot of showing up and doing the w...