music so simple
  • Home
    • student/parent login
    • Blog
  • REGISTER
  • Staff
    • Stathia Orwig
    • Robin Coolidge
    • Logan Herod
    • Chiara La Ferla
    • James Landrum
    • David Large
    • Meredith Manley
    • Emily McMullin
    • Lynne Nevill
    • Teodora Pounds
    • Employment
  • Lessons & Classes
    • Babies & Toddlers & Preschoolers
    • Private Lessons
    • Group Piano
    • Studio Kids: Ensemble Piano
    • SUMMER 2023
    • Calendar

We've got a lot to talk about

it's time for some Honor Roll!

1/22/2021

0 Comments

 
-Stathia Orwig
Picture
Well, it's the spring and it's time to get ready for Honor Roll 2021! I'm so excited!

As many of our students know, Honor Roll is a BIG deal around here. Mostly because it's HARD and the end result is amazing. We've changed up a few things this year. 

First, I want to say that making it on the Honor Roll is not easy. It's for the student who is ready to practice harder than ever before. If everyone was able to do it, it wouldn't be so amazing would it? Just like Honor Roll at school, those who rise to the occasion, practice hard, and complete all of their work each week will be on the Honor Roll and receive one of two prizes. 

Here at this year's requirements:
  • PRACTICE: individualized based on student’s fall “record”; add a day or 30 min to total from fall. Additionally, their practice log (assignment sheet) must be filled out to show their teacher.  This will earn up to 2 points each week.
  • 40 PIECE/PAGE CHALLENGE: students receive 1 point for each new piece added to their list. 
  • THEORY/TECHNIQUE: students receive 1 point for completed assigned theory &/or technique work. 
  • MATERIALS/ATTITUDE: students receive 1 point for all books and materials present at the lesson and great attitude brought to lesson

This year, we are giving our students an opportunity to get extra points. ​ Students are limited to 12 total points for the entire duration of Honor Roll.
  • Theory Test (2),
  • Achievement Auditions (3),
  • Memorize a piece (1),
  • Learn a piece on your own (1),
  • Other opportunities at teacher’s discretion.  ​

The 2 prizes are the composer bust for 65 points and higher. Those that get 50-64 points will receive the metal bookmark. Awards will be announced at the Spring Recital. 

Good luck!! Work hard! Let your teacher know if you have any questions!
0 Comments

let's have a fun contest!

10/11/2020

0 Comments

 
-Logan Herod
Whenever I teach a student a new song, one of the first things we do is figure out what the starting notes are in each of our hands. I always point to the note and ask “What letter is this?” At first, I might get a blank stare, then I say, “Remember the silly thing I say to remember the lines and/or spaces or treble/bass clef?”. Those little funny mnemonic phrases really help my students to remember those letters!

How do I remember the spaces of treble clef? They spell FACE. That one most kids remember.
Picture
How do I remember the lines of treble clef? EGBDF, or Every Good Boy Does Fine. Now, sometimes my girl students don’t like this one, so we try to come up with something else. For a while, I used Every Good Boy Deserves Fortnight. I was cool with the kids then.

How do I remember the spaces of bass clef? ACEG, or All Cows Eat Grass. This one is not only silly, but also factual! I have also used All Cars Eat Gas, but that one isn’t as silly.

How do I remember the lines of bass clef? GBDFA, or George Bush Dances For America. I learned this one from my piano teacher growing up and it stuck with me, most likely because George W. Bush was president at the time. But now, kids have asked me “What is a george bush?” I felt OLD. So I came up with a new one, Good Burritos Don’t Fall Apart. Again, silly but true! This one has been a big hit with my students recently!
Picture
So, all of these mnemonic devices got me thinking, our students could probably come up with some amazing ways to remember the note names on the staff. So we should have a little contest! We are calling all students to submit their favorite way to remember the lines and spaces, or come up with a fun one themselves! Prizes will be awarded!
Treble Spaces: FACE
Treble Lines: EGBDF
Bass Spaces: ACEG
Bass Lines: GBDFA
ENTRY DEADLINE WAS OCTOBER 24, 2020
Here are our winners:

Bass Lines: GBDFA: Grannies Boogie Down Fifth Avenue! 
Bass Spaces: ACEG: All Crepes Equal Great
Treble Spaces: FACE: free armadillos cross expressways
Treble Lines: EGBDF: each gamer boy dies fiercly​
0 Comments

All about our May Awards

5/6/2020

0 Comments

 
-Meredith Manley

Our May Awards Recital is always something we all look forward to at the end of each school year! Due to the circumstances, our May recital this year looks a little different: instead of performing for a live audience, our students are submitting a recorded video of themselves performing at home. They have been working so hard on their recital pieces, and we wanted to give them a chance to still perform in the safest way we could. We will be putting together the videos to make virtual recitals and sending them out to all of our families!

At the end of the May recital, we call up students one by one and present them their bag of yearly awards. Most families head home with their awards, but don’t always understand what they are for or how their child earned them. So I thought this blog would be a great way to explain all the different types of awards students can earn!
The 40 piece challenge award is perfect for beginning students in their first or second year of study, or for students who love to learn pieces on their own between lessons. Students have between September to May to learn 40 pieces- that’s a lot of pieces!! The longer a student studies their instrument, the harder it is to complete the challenge because their pieces are more complicated, so for the past couple of years we have extended the deadline through the end of the summer.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Honor Roll is another big award, and is difficult to achieve. For 15 weeks in the spring semester, students track their individual progress every week, and earn points for 5 different categories; practice, 40 piece challenge, theory, materials/attitude, and extras. Students set a practice goal for themselves based on their practice habits from the fall, and if they meet their practice goal for the week, they receive one point. The extras column is for students who learn a piece on their own, memorize a piece, do extra theory work, or who participate in spring DMTA/TMTA events such as the State Theory Exam and/or Achievement Auditions. The hardest part about Honor Roll is staying consistent for that long of a period. Oftentimes I see students start out strong, but at the halfway point they fizzle out. Or a student may be great at practicing, but they never complete their theory assignments. It really takes focus and discipline, and we feel it’s important to recognize those students who go above and beyond. There are two different Honor Roll awards: the composer bust (55+ points) and the metal treble clef bookmark (45-54 points). Honor roll students do not compete against each other, but rather with themselves to meet their personal goals. The only time students compete with each other is during MusicBall in the fall, when we split everyone up into teams and we have weekly matches.
Many of our students participate in DMTA events, so there is potential to earn awards for those as well. Students may earn ribbons for certain scores at the Sonatina Festival in December and at Achievement Auditions in April. Students who score a 90 or higher on the TMTA state theory exam either earn a bronze, silver, or gold medal depending on their grade, so their medals are included in awards bags each year as well. 
Picture
Picture
Our last category of awards has to do with how long a student has been studying their instrument. Awards start at half a year of study all the way through their senior year.
  • Students who have been studying less than a year earn the First Year Award (treble clef plastic bookmark), and students who have studied over a year receive the Noteworthy Award (clef and eighth note pin).
  • 2+ years is the Novice Award (MSS pen),
  • 3+ years is the Piano Star Award (small engraved trophy),
  • 5+ years is the Musician Award (one of my favorites- teacher and student go out on a snack date!),
  • 7+ years is the Brilliance Award (teacher/student lunch date).
  • The last award is for seniors, who receive a framed picture with their teacher and a plaque. 

Our intention is never to hurt anyone’s feelings if they didn’t receive many awards. We know how challenging it is to earn some of these, and we feel that students who achieve them should be recognized and celebrated. Reflecting on the quality of a student’s work is a valuable lesson no matter the outcome because it shows them how far they’ve come in the last 9 months, and shows them what could be improved so that they earn a certain award next year. We think awards are the perfect way to end the school year, and we really are so proud of all of our students! 
Picture
0 Comments

    Archives

    January 2023
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016

    Categories

    All
    40 Piece Challenge
    About Our Teachers
    About Us
    Contests
    DMTA
    Ear Explorations
    Early Childhood
    Festivals
    For Our Parents
    For Our Students
    Goals
    Honor Roll
    Music Bucks
    Music Library
    Policies
    Practice
    Recital
    Research
    Student Of The Week
    Summer
    Theory
    Theory Test
    Voice Lessons
    What To Expect At A Recital
    Written Work

    RSS Feed

MUSIC SO SIMPLE
469.778.2121
​
info@musicSOsimple.com
​
1144 Plano Road, suite 142, richardson, texas 75081

Music So Simple, Music Schools, Richardson, TX
  • Home
    • student/parent login
    • Blog
  • REGISTER
  • Staff
    • Stathia Orwig
    • Robin Coolidge
    • Logan Herod
    • Chiara La Ferla
    • James Landrum
    • David Large
    • Meredith Manley
    • Emily McMullin
    • Lynne Nevill
    • Teodora Pounds
    • Employment
  • Lessons & Classes
    • Babies & Toddlers & Preschoolers
    • Private Lessons
    • Group Piano
    • Studio Kids: Ensemble Piano
    • SUMMER 2023
    • Calendar