Congratulations
June and August Session RCM Examinations
Bravo to the following students who were successful in the June and August Session RCM Examinations!
Kai Baba, Grade 3 Piano, 85
Ethan Cairns, Grade 1 Piano, 86
Bethany Hoang, Grade 1 Piano, 84
Upcoming Events
The registration Deadline for the Winter Session RCM examination is November 3, 2015.
This month's feature: The Teaching Year Begins
The beginning of the teaching year is often a time to reflect, re-evaluate, and make a fresh start both for teachers and students. The idea is to set the stage for musical growth and the realization of musical aspirations. So during the month of September, my students and I will be engaging in a very important activity: goal setting. This activity will help students understand where they are at currently and where they want to go. Regardless of whether a student is pursuing music casually or formally, goal setting focuses attention, ensures alignment of direction between teacher and student, and helps to maintain and enhance motivation.
"A goal is a dream with a deadline." Napoleon Hill
This year my students and I will be writing down goals. Some will be short-term while others will be long-term. A short-term goal might be to learn to read ledger line notes or to play and perform a duet at the first recital of the year. A long-term goal might be to study music in University. Some of the goals will be subjective whereas others will be objective. A subjective goal might be to do a better job at managing nervousness when performing while an objective goal might be to enroll and take a RCM examination. And yes, even my very young students will have goals. This could be something like I will learn learn to play crisp staccato like popping corn or I will learn to identify the notes between G and middle C on the bass staff.
Setting goals is only the beginning. As most people who have set new years resolutions know, reaching goals can be tough. So we will focus on only one or two goals and review and re-assess these at regular intervals as we embark on our musical journey this year.
How can you help the student in your household reach their musical goals? One of the best ways is to keep the goals visible. Post them on the refrigerator or somewhere else where they will be easily seen. Finally, encourage your student to be diligent about practising because:
"Dreams don't work unless you do." John C. Maxwell