CMC Notes – December 2023

CMC Notes Newsletters /

CMC Notes Newsletter – December 2023 In this issue 1. Important Upcoming Dates 2. Winter Recitals – Schedule 3. Teachers Upcoming Gigs & Releases! 4. Parkdale Community Foodbank Donations 5. Lost & Found 6. Featured Student 7. Featured Teacher 8. Give the Gift of Music! 9. Birthdays this Month Important Upcoming Dates Sunday, December 3rd: CMC winter recitals day 1 of 2   Sunday, December 10th: CMC winter recitals day 2 of 2   Saturday, December 16th: Last day of Musical Preludes before our winter break!   Saturday, December 23rd: Last day of lessons before our winter break!    December 24th to January 7th: Winter Break – Happy Holidays!!!!!   Monday, January 8th, 2024: First day of lessons after the winter break!   Click HERE for our private lesson 2023-2024 CMC School Year Calendar! Winter Recitals – Schedule CMC hosts 2 days of winter recitals for our private lesson students. We encourage all our students to perform, but participation is optional! We want this to be a positive experience for our students with a supportive, low-pressure atmosphere.   Our recital sign ups are now closed, but feel free to come and support your fellow students as they perform!   Here’s the schedule for our Winter Recitals:   SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3 ONLINE via Zoom 10am: all instruments & voice for any teacher   IN-PERSON at Array Space 1pm: piano recital (students of Alida & Josh) 2pm: piano recital (students of Cheng-Feng, Chris & Erik) 3pm: piano recital (students of Neal & Michele) 4pm: piano recital (students of Luan & Mark) 5pm: piano recital (students of Hiro, James & Iris) 6pm: piano recital (students of Louise)   SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10 IN-PERSON at Array Space 10am: cello recital (students of all cello teachers) 12pm: violin/viola recital (students of all violin & viola teachers) 1pm: violin/viola recital (students of all violin & viola teachers) 2pm: voice/winds recital (students of all voice & winds teachers) 3pm: adult recital (all instruments & voice for students 18+) 4pm: guitar/drum recital (students of all guitar & drum teachers) 5pm: guitar/ukulele/bass recital (students of all guitar & ukulele & bass teachers) Any questions? Please email Wanda at wanda@cmccanada.com Teachers Upcoming Gigs & Releases! Wanda Wanda (along with one of our CMC adult piano students, Hannah V!) will be performing with Singing Out, Toronto’s largest LGBTQQIA+ choir, at their winter concert on:   Saturday, December 2nd at 3:00pm and 7:30pm.   Both matinee and evening concerts take place at East End United Church, 310 Danforth Ave.   Click HERE for more information or to purchase tickets! Sonya Sonya has an upcoming concert with Oakville Choral. The event will take place at St. John’s United Church on SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3, at 3:00pm.   Details:   SOUND THE TRUMPET Oakville Choral celebrates the music of G. F. Handel! SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2023, 3:00pmSt. John’s United Church, 262 Randall St., Oakville   Click HERE for tickets and more information. Elizabeth Elizabeth has a couple of upcoming concerts at Koerner Hall!   The first one is Christmas Oratorio with Toronto Choral Society, Koerner Hall, December 1st.   Next is Handel’s Messiah with Tafelmusik, Koerner Hall, December 14, 15, 16, and a Messiah Sing-Along on December 17!     Alida Alida has 2 upcoming events!   Alida will be singing with Echo Women’s Choir for their concert on Sunday, Dec. 3rd at 7:30pm at the Church of the Holy Trinity for their concert “Love is the Greatest Gift.” Click HERE for more info!   Alida will also be performing with the Nathaniel Dett Chorale on Friday, Dec. 15th at 8:00pm at St. Andrew’s Church for the program “An Indigo Christmas.” Click HERE for more info!   Enjoy! Collecting for Parkdale Community Foodbank! During the month of December, CMC collects food and essential items to donate to the Parkdale Community Food Bank. PCFB feeds over 3000 clients monthly, with a mission to ensure barrier free food, with choice, dignity & respect for all. With the impact of COVID-19, help is needed even more.   Please consider bringing items to CMC to donate (for our in-person students) or, if you can, donate directly to the Parkdale Community Foodbank by visiting https://www.pcfb.ca/donate or by clicking below. DONATE NOW! Lost & Found If any of these items are yours, please email cmc@cmccanada.com! Featured Student! Edith (Piano) 1. How long have you been taking music lessons? About 12 years.   2. Why did you choose the instrument you currently play? For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to play piano. I played recorder as a child, even taking private lessons, but it didn’t cut it for me.   3. What are the benefits you feel you get from learning music as an adult? It forces my brain to work in different ways. It is also excellent to develop coordination between both hands. For those into mindfulness/meditation, playing a musical instrument is a good way to be in the moment.   4. Do you have a favourite piece to play? Hard to say. However, I really like to learn/play baroque pieces, especially Bach’s compositions, because both hands tend to be equally difficult.   5. If you could play any other instrument, what would it be? It depends. Harpsichord because of my love of baroque pieces, but I have to add cello among strings, clarinet/saxophone among winds, bass in a rock band.   6. What’s a fun fact about yourself that you’d like to share with us? I am a volunteer braille transcriber (i.e., I transcribe print documents in French or English braille) for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. I don’t know music braille yet, but would like to learn one day. 7. Who are some of your musical inspirations? I wish I could play Bach like Glenn Gould. I am also fascinated by musicians or bands who managed to evolve and remain relevant over a long period of time—the David Byrne/Talking Heads, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon, Daniel Bélanger, Serge Gainsbourg are the first that come to mind.   8. What do you like

CMC Notes – December 2023 Read More »

The Complete Guide on How to Practice Effectively

Blog Posts /

Parents & Students: How to Practice Effectively Considerations regarding some instruments: 1. Piano, as much as it’s an easy instrument to start with, it does have its challenges to master. Many students feel like they progress so much in the beginning then they plateau, this is normal, it does take a lot more work to get from the beginner’s level to go up to the intermediate level then the the advanced level. A lot more detailed work and careful practice will need to be included in daily practice. Many piano students excel more when they have specific goals like doing the RCM exams, as there is curriculum and timeline that can be followed.   2. The violin/cello is a challenging instrument, just like any string instrument. Our own kids took violin and cello lessons, and the one on cello started when he was just  So I sat with him daily for 10-15 min. A lot more listening is required to make the sound sound good.     For very young children: A. APPROACH: Back when our son was 3 I would call it “Let’s play the cello now” instead of “practicing” in the very beginning, so that it was seen as a fun thing, which it can be! And simply go through the things that the teacher has done at the lessons too.   B. BE ENCOURAGING: I always encourage by saying “that’s good, now let’s do that a couple more times”. Even if it’s not perfect, or even if it’s perfect, the repetition will build the skills. I find that kids really need encouraging words even for the little successes like the correct bow hold for a violin or cello student – those words go a long way.   C. CONSISTENCY: The more consistent practicing is, the easier it will actually get. It’s best to set the same time each day (ex: 10 minutes before school, or right after school…etc) – just like brushing our teeth twice a day we simply do it – habits form by doing the same thing consistently, and practicing will eventually become a habit too.   Bonus things:REWARD Chart: Some kids like having a practice chart and getting a star for each day of playing their instrument. The point is to build a good daily playing habit and encourage them.   You can also ask the teacher (and/or the sub) to go through how to actually practice, so things are easy and clear.   Again, this is very common and we are here to help.     For children aged 7-10 years old: *Things to consider: Are they playing and doing the instrument they LOVE? What kind of music do they listen to? Would they rather sing or play the guitar or try another instrument? Do they have a good instrument at home? If it’s the piano, is the piano located in a good area of the house? Centralized but not full of distractions, yet they have a bit of privacy for them to focus.     Building Blocks of Musical Training:Lessons, Daily practicing, Performance practicing, Performances:Success in Music and in Life! By Lusiana Lukman © 2008 L. Lukman(ABC) & Cheng-Feng Lin (DEFG) © 2008 C.F. Lin   I. Essential Elements in Home Music practicing Sessions: A: Attention & Approach: Awareness and Focus are key to getting results in daily practice. The student can’t be practicing on auto-pilot. One needs to be aware of what the goal is that needs to be achieved. Most teachers will be writing down in your child’s dictation book (notebooks are given free here at CMC, because we want to make sure all students have them for this very purpose) what the expectations are of what can be achieved in that week. I highly recommend reading the book and showing it to the student, if they can read. Your child can read it to you even, as this empowers them and teaches them independence, which is a skill that can be applied to everything else they do in life. Approaching the practicing time as a habit and as play is always a good way to make it less of a chore for kids of any age.   B: Be Encouraging: Every student works better when they are encouraged, and when they feel empowered and know that they are getting better. So this is again an element that MUST be present at every practice session. Just a simple, “That’s good dear!” and “That sounds better already!”, along with a smile does wonders, for both you and your child. Some kids even like doing a bit of a “competitive” thing either with themselves or with you. Perhaps if you can say something like, “I bet you can finish learning that bar, or those 2 bars, before I … (you can fill in the blank here)…” or it can be as simple as before the 5 minutes is up.   C:  Continuity & Consistency: Daily practice is very much a MUST. Here are the reasons: Not only will you get the benefit of the repetition, you need to see that musical instrument playing is an Art, Science and Sport. The student, especially very young ones, will not be able to comprehend this, but as you, the parent, start to help guide them daily to include practicing as much part of the daily routine as possible, it will become a habit that they will incorporate into their lives. Cheng-Feng will talk more about how to accomplish this without complaining and fighting.     II. Beyond A, B, Cs: D:  Delight: We propose mood regulation. Preparing oneself mentally, emotionally, and physically before coming to the instruments brings more pleasure for the musical tasks at hand. Observe the children, and prepare them at least about 15 min prior to practicing and restore them to a state of equilibrium (not under or overly stimulated.) Strategies would be different if a child came out of a nap, versus if a child just came back from a

The Complete Guide on How to Practice Effectively Read More »

CMC Notes – November 2023

CMC Notes Newsletters /

CMC Notes Newsletter – November 2023 In this issue 1. Important Upcoming Dates 2. Winter Recitals – Information 3. Winter Recitals – Schedule 4. Winter Recitals – FAQs 5. RCM Exams 6. Teachers Upcoming Gigs & Releases! 7. Featured Student 8. Featured Teacher 9. Give the Gift of Music! 10. Birthdays this Month Important Upcoming Dates Friday, November 3: Winter recital sign up forms will be emailed out!   Tuesday, November 7: Deadline for RCM exam registration for Dec/Jan session – see more details in the “RCM Exams” section!   Written Theory Examination Dates: December 8 & 9, 2023 In-Person Practical Examination Dates: January 15-27, 2024 See below for winter recital dates!   Click HERE for our private lesson 2023-2024 CMC School Year Calendar Winter Recitals – Information CMC hosts 2 days of winter recitals for our private lesson students. We encourage all our students to perform, but participation is optional! We want this to be a positive experience for our students with a supportive, low-pressure atmosphere.   Our recital sign up form will be emailed out on Friday, November 3rd.   WHY PARTICIPATE: It’s an opportunity to perform for an audience in a supportive environment Develop a musical goal to work toward and achieve! Show your friends and family what you have learned so far! PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT For our ONLINE recital strings, voice and wind students, if piano accompaniment is required, you will need to use a track.   For our IN-PERSON recital strings, voice and wind students, CMC pays for a piano accompanist to be at our recitals, but if you would like rehearsal time beforehand (which we highly recommend), you are responsible to pay for a minimum increment of 15 minutes of rehearsal time. Unsure if you or your child will need piano accompaniment? Speak with their teacher who will be happy to discuss with you!   Winter Recitals – Schedule SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3 ONLINE via Zoom 10am: all instruments & voice for any teacher   IN-PERSON at Array Space 1pm: piano recital (students of Alida & Josh) 2pm: piano recital (students of Cheng-Feng, Chris & Erik) 3pm: piano recital (students of Neal & Michele) 4pm: piano recital (students of Luan & Mark) 5pm: piano recital (students of Hiro, James & Iris) 6pm: piano recital (students of Louise)   SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10 IN-PERSON at Array Space 10am: cello recital (students of all cello teachers) 12pm: violin/viola recital (students of all violin & viola teachers) 1pm: violin/viola recital (students of all violin & viola teachers) 2pm: voice/winds recital (students of all voice & winds teachers) 3pm: adult recital (all instruments & voice for students 18+) 4pm: guitar/drum recital (students of all guitar & drum teachers) 5pm: guitar/ukulele/bass recital (students of all guitar & ukulele & bass teachers)   NOTE: Students taking more than one less, or siblings, can sign up for the same time slot. All non-piano instruments must be on December 10th (for example, if one sibling takes piano and one takes guitar, please sign them both up for a guitar recital, since there will only be a piano set up on Dec. 3rd, with no mics or amps… etc, and no guitar teacher to tune your instrument)!   Any questions? Please email Wanda at wanda@cmccanada.com   Winter Recitals – FAQs Q: When is the recital sign up? A: Our families will be emailed a recital sign up form on November 3rd to complete.   Q: Can my child sign up for one recital time slot even though they take 2 instruments? A: YES – we accommodate our students so that it’s convenient for you! Similarly, siblings can sign up for the same time slot. Please sign up for the non-piano time slot if applicable.   Q: My child’s pieces are short since they’re a beginner – can they perform 2 pieces? A: NO – sorry! We limit it to one piece per student regardless of the length of the piece, to make it fair across the board. We simply don’t have time for all of our students to perform 2 pieces, so we need to enforce the 1 piece per instrument, otherwise our recitals would be endless. Thank you for your understanding.   Q: My child takes / I take online lessons. Can they / I sign up to perform at the in-person recital? A: YES. For online piano students, please email wanda@cmccanada.com and she can let you know the available time slots.   Q: My child takes / I take in-person lessons. Can they / I sign up to perform at the online recital? A: YES.    Q: Will there be a recital programme? A: YES – to be more environmentally friendly, we will have a digital programme with a QR code to scan to see the programme on your mobile device. We will have a limited number of printed programmes for those who need one. The PDF of the programme will also be emailed the day prior to the recitals.   Q: How much does the recital cost? A: Our recitals are FREE!!!   RCM Exams The deadline for RCM exam registration for Dec/Jan session is Tuesday, November 7.   The written theory examinations will take place on December 8 & 9, 2023. The in-person practical examinations will take place January 15-27, 2024.   Click HERE for more info about RCM examinations! Teachers Upcoming Gigs & Releases! Chris CMC teacher Chris is featured on his wife Tara Kannangara’s new release, “Name Song” – click HERE to check it out! Click HERE for the music video!   Enjoy! Featured Students! Sinan (Piano) & Amaya (Piano) 1. How old were you when you first started music lessons? Amaya: 5yrs Sinan: 7yrs   2. Why did you choose your instrument? Amaya, Sinan: our parents chose piano.   3. Do you have a favourite piece to play? Amaya: Every piece is fun. I like Dream Journey because it’s sad and unpredictable. Sinan: Family Guy Theme Song.   4. What do you like most about your teacher? Amaya:

CMC Notes – November 2023 Read More »

RCM Exams – To Do or Not To Do?

Blog Posts /

RCM EXAMS: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW What is an RCM exam?   The Royal Conservatory Music (RCM) examinations are a Canadian national music exam standard for students, parents and teachers to track and measure progress and achievements.    RCM exams are great for some kids, especially those who thrive in doing tests and are encouraged by their positive results.    Having said that, they are not for everyone.    What are the benefits of doing an RCM exam?    LONG TERM GOAL BUILDING & DISCIPLINE: Preparing for and successfully completing an examination enables long term goal building and discipline for students. Unlike most children’s activities today, studying music is not an instantly gratifying activity. Learning an instrument is a marathon, and the process is actually what is most beneficial for the development of young brains.  A MORE STRUCTURED APPROACH TO MUSICAL STUDIES: Planning and preparing for an exam is a more structured approach to musical studies and it instills a good and systematic way of thinking.  TECHNICAL SKILLS: Students gain a lot of technical skills that would not usually be included in more casual fun lessons. Some RCM exam components involve testing students specifically on technical ability as well as ear training – skills that students must practice with their teachers and in their own preparation. BUILDING CONFIDENCE & A SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT: When achieving good exam results, students have a very satisfying sense of accomplishment and it builds their confidence. At CMC, our RCM exam preparation is very fine tuned, so if you follow every step, your result will be excellent. ACHIEVE HIGH SCHOOL CREDITS: Students can achieve up to 2 high school credits by doing RCM music exams!   MORE about getting up to 2 High School credits:   When you work towards and achieve a Level 7 practical instrumental or voice RCM exam AND a Level 7 theory RCM exam, you receive a Grade 11 OSSD high-school credit.   When you work towards and achieve a Level 8 practical instrumental or voice RCM exam AND a Level 8 theory RCM exam, you receive a Grade 12 OSSD high-school credit.   THINGS TO NOTE:    It takes years of doing other grades below level 7 too, since there are a lot of materials and skills you need to accumulate in order to successfully achieve these levels of exams. You don’t have to do every single Level of exams below Level 7 and 8, but it is highly recommended to do at least a few of the lower grade exams so that you know what the RCM exams are like and will have enough exam-taking practical skills and experience under your belt. For the theory requirements, music theory will need to be learned much earlier than Level 7, as it’s an accumulative subject with each Level building on the previous one. You need to learn the material, but don’t necessarily need to take the exams prior to Level 7. CMC Mock Exams   Here at CMC we also offer a very thorough MOCK Exam process; we highly recommend for students to take at least 2 mock exams before each of their actual RCM exams. Our data from the last 25 years of CMC shows that students who take at least 2 mock exams do significantly better than those who only do 1 or no mock exams prior to their RCM exams.   Do they have exams for guitar, bass and drums?   For those who like classical guitar and bass pieces, the RCM does have classical guitar exams. Some students only want to do pop, rock or jazz music on piano, guitar and drums, and there is no national exams board structured in those genres. So for them, the alternative to show their musical achievements beyond their private lessons would be to join or form their own rock band in addition to lessons to learn the skills of playing in a group, which is what these instruments are meant to do. Their successes are then shown through their solo performances at our recitals etc.    In what instruments and subjects are RCM exams offered?   At CMC, we can help you prepare RCM exams in the following instruments:   Piano Voice Violin Viola Cello Double Bass Classical Guitar Clarinet Flute Saxophone Trumpet Theory – all levels, including university levels Do I have to take RCM theory?   The exam in your instrument (piano, cello, violin..etc) is called a ‘practical’ exam, and the exam for theory is simply called a ‘theory’ exam.    In order to obtain an RCM Certificate of Achievement for your exam, theory is required from Levels 5 and up. Prior to that (RCM Levels Prep A to Level 4) only the practical exam is required.    Please see Appendix A (below) for Practical Exam Certificate Requirements.   What other benefits do these exams give students?   For students who like/need structured, goal oriented lessons and exams, working towards these concrete goals is extremely helpful for them. Plus, being able to get up to 2 high school credits in Ontario is a major incentive. The amount of discipline and commitment that the exams require truly teaches students how to work in a structured long-term and organized way. Unlike other tests or exams that students do at school or other activities, the practical and theory exams have very high level demands that will equip them for real world experience in the future. Also, for some kids who may want to consider music as a career in the future, these accreditations would help them work towards their university auditions and preparations. If these exams are aligned with your musical education goals, please ask Lusiana about them, as they do take long-term planning and structured lessons as well as daily practicing towards achieving them. Most RCM level exams take at least 1 school-year of preparation, so if you wish to do an exam by June or Aug of next year, September and October is the best time to decide

RCM Exams – To Do or Not To Do? Read More »

CMC Notes – October 2023

CMC Notes Newsletters /

CMC Notes Newsletter – October 2023 In this issue 1. Important Upcoming Dates 2. Musical Preludes 3. Teachers Upcoming Gigs & Releases! 4. Featured Students 5. Birthdays this Month Important Upcoming Dates Saturday, October 7: Private lessons are still on as scheduled but no Musical Preludes classes that day! Monday, October 9: No scheduled lessons today. CMC is closed for Thanksgiving! Tuesday, October 31: Happy Halloween!!! All lessons & classes are still on as scheduled – come to your lessons dressed up in your best costumes! Click HERE for our private lesson 2023-2024 CMC School Year Calendar Musical Preludes Our Musical Preludes classes are underway, but it’s still not too late to join!! ⠀ We added a new 9am MP Intro class for 3-4 year olds, and there is still space in our 11am MP Junior class for 4-6 year olds.  Fees are pro-rated for late starts, for the remaining classes.    Our wonderful teacher Sonya Harper Nyby is teaching the classes once again 🙂 ⠀ What is Musical Preludes? ⠀ Musical Preludes is a course designed to introduce your young child to the wonderful world of music, where they learn basic musical concepts and explore various instruments such as the violin, cello, clarinet, piano and more! ⠀ Musical Preludes classes are drop-off classes, with the teacher and students only. The course has a parent observation day where parents or caregivers come to class to observe what the children have been learning. We limit the number of students to a max of 8 children per class. ⠀ The ultimate goal is for our students to experience the joy of music. ⠀ CLASS SCHEDULE FOR 2023-2024:   Musical Preludes is a year-long course from September to June, with 30 classes total. ⠀ MP Intro (3-4 year olds): Saturdays 9:00-9:45am: still spots available! ⠀ MP Intro (3-4 year olds): Saturdays 10:00-10:45am: FULL ⠀ MP Junior (4-6 year olds): Saturdays 11:00-11:45am: still spots available! ⠀ COST: $750 for the year (option of 2 installments of $375). Pro-rated for late starts. ⠀ Click HERE for more info! Teachers Upcoming Gigs & Releases! Alex CMC teacher Alex has 2 upcoming events! ⠀ 1. October 3rd, from 8:00-10:00pm: Tak Arikushi Trio at Sellers & Newell ⠀ 2. October 22nd & 23rd, from 8:30-11:00pm: Dan Pitt Trio CD Release Tour at the Rex ⠀ Enjoy! Featured Students! Kathleen (Cello) & Desmond (Piano) 1. How old were you when you first started music lessons? Kathleen started at 9 years and Desmond formally at 10 years. ⠀ 2. Why did you choose your instrument? Kathleen: I was just a child when I heard the school orchestra play and I loved the warm tones of the instrument, and because I had long fingers and was tall, I was allowed to play a 3/4 sized cello!  ⠀ Desmond: Because the piano was always there in my childhood so I always played it without lessons, and I would write little songs, so it seemed like the right instrument to take lessons on.  ⠀ 3. Do you have a favourite piece to play? Kathleen: So far I am creaking along having not played since I was in my teens, so I don’t have a favourite piece yet – but Brenton is helping me find that as I find my footing.    Desmond: I like jazzy ones the best. ⠀ 4. What do you like most about your teacher? Kathleen: Brenton is passionate about the instrument and translates that well to me as his student.  ⠀ Desmond: Luan is very nice and he has a good balance between making things fun and quality learning, and he’s teaching me more and faster than I previously experienced with other teachers.   5. Who are some of your musical inspirations? Kathleen: My first cello teacher – Julia Bowkun, my husband and Stevie Wonder (among many, many others!).  ⠀ Desmond: Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel. ⠀ 6. If you could play any other instrument, what would it be? Kathleen: Banjo.  ⠀ Desmond: Guitar. ⠀ 7. What do you like most about CMC? Kathleen: the community – it feels like a warm and welcoming place for me to muster up the courage to return to formal music instruction after so many years.  ⠀ Desmond: the people are nice. ⠀ 8. What else do you do in your spare time? Kathleen: be in nature, eat food of all kinds and travel everywhere!  ⠀ Desmond: build with Lego and make slideshows about favourite video games and TV shows. ⠀ 9. Anything else you would like to add? Desmond and Mama are very happy to be going to CMC together! We hope to play music as a family in future with all that we are learning! If you are interested in being featured in our CMC Notes, please email us at cmc@cmccanada.com! Birthdays this Month! October 1: Ethan S. October 1: Sonny H. October 3: Henry W. October 4: Graham R. October 4: Jessica K. October 5: Niamh T.-B. October 5: Ramona G. October 6: Esmé P. October 8: Laura C.-L. October 9: Lily N. October 10: Jono B. October 12: Eames T. October 14: Sagey N.-M. October 18: Sandra H. October 20: Tuula B. October 20: Inaayat K.-J. October 20: Luke L. October 21: Emelia H.-St.C. October 22: Liam S. October 22: Marcus B. October 23: Svea K. October 31: Niamh D. Facebook Instagram ©2023 Music Lessons Toronto, In-Person at our school or online Lessons Toronto, Music School Toronto, ON, Canada | 314 Roncesvalles Ave., Toronto, ON M6R 2M7, CA All Posts CMC Notes Newsletters Uncategorized RCM Exams – To Do or Not To Do? 2023-10-15/No Comments RCM EXAMS: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW What is an RCM exam?   The Royal Conservatory Music (RCM) examinations are a… Read More CMC Notes – October 2023 2023-10-05/No Comments CMC Notes Newsletter – October 2023 In this issue 1. Important Upcoming Dates 2. Musical Preludes 3. Teachers Upcoming Gigs… Read More

CMC Notes – October 2023 Read More »

CMC Notes – September 2023

CMC Notes Newsletters /

CMC Notes Newsletter – September 2023 In this issue 1. Important Upcoming Dates 2. Musical Preludes 3. RCM 2015 Piano Rep & Etudes books – SALE! 4. Teachers Upcoming Gigs & Releases! 5. Lost & Found 6. Featured Student 7. Featured Teacher 8. Birthdays this Month Important Upcoming Dates WELCOME BACK! We are so excited to start the new school year with you all!   Monday, September 4: No lessons scheduled – Labour Day!   Tuesday, September 5: First day of fall lessons!   Saturday, September 16: Polish Festival on Roncesvalles from 11am to 11pm. Please note that Roncesvalles will be closed to traffic that day, so please allow more time for travelling to CMC for your lessons. Come visit our table outside CMC!   Tuesday, September 19: First day of Suzuki Cello Group class!   Saturday, September 23: First day of Musical Preludes classes (Intro for 3-4 year olds and Junior for 4-6 year olds)   Click HERE for our private lesson 2023-2024 CMC School Year Calendar Musical Preludes We are excited for our Musical Preludes classes to resume in September, for 3 to 6 years olds! Our wonderful teacher Sonya Harper Nyby will be teaching the classes once again.   What is Musical Preludes?   Musical Preludes is a course designed to introduce your young child to the wonderful world of music, where they learn basic musical concepts and explore various instruments such as the violin, cello, clarinet, piano and more!   Musical Preludes classes are drop-off classes, with the teacher and students only. The course has a parent observation day where parents or caregivers come to class to observe what the children have been learning. We limit the number of students to a max of 8 children per class.   The ultimate goal is for our students to experience the joy of music.   CLASS SCHEDULE FOR 2023-2024:   Musical Preludes is a year long course from September to June, with 30 classes total. Sept. 23, 2023 – June 8th, 2024   MP Intro (3-4 year olds): Saturdays 10:00-10:45am   MP Junior (4-6 year olds): Saturdays 11:00-11:45am   COST: $750 for the year (option of 2 installments of $375)   Click HERE for more info! RCM 2015 edition Piano Repertoire and Etudes book sale! RCM 2015 edition Piano Repertoire and Etudes book sale: 50% OFF! Please purchase in our office! Did you know we have a bookstore in our office? If we don’t have a book in stock you’re looking for, we can check with our supplier to see if we can order it for you! Teachers Upcoming Gigs & Releases! Brandon Brandon has an upcoming performance with his band “The Brokes”, a “The Strokes” cover band. The event will take place at the Horseshoe Tavern on Saturday September 30th.   This event will celebrate 20 years of The Strokes album,”Room on Fire”, where The Brokes will be playing the album front to back. They will then recreate the set The Strokes played when they played the Horseshoe in 2001. Tickets will be $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Should be a good one!   Click HERE for tickets and more information. Jacob Jacob has a few upcoming gigs in the GTA!   The first one is on September 7th, 8 to 9pm, featuring Jacob Chung Quintet at Toronto International Film Festival Opening Night StreetFest.   The second one is on September 8th, 8 to 11pm, where he will be playing with Andrew Scott Quartet at The Rex.   Lastly, he will be playing on September 10th, 5 to 6pm, with Carmen Spada Big Band at World of Jazz Brampton Jazz Festival.   Alex CMC teacher Alex has 2 upcoming events!   1. September 10th, from 9:30-11:30pm: Dan Pitt Trio CD Release – “Stages”. 2. September 29th, from 7:30-11pm: Triio CD Release – “Magnetic Dreaming”.   Enjoy! Lost & Found If any of these items are yours, please email cmc@cmccanada.com! Featured Student! Constantin (Piano) 1. How old were you when you first started music lessons? I was 5 years old when I first met my teacher, Ms. Louise for a trial lesson. Ever since then I have practiced piano every day.   2. Why did you choose your instrument? Initially the piano was too big and intimidating for me. I think I wanted to try guitar. But my parents encouraged me to give it a try. I remember that one of the first pieces that Ms. Louise made me play was a simplified, one voice version of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. I loved it. It somehow made sense that when you press the keys on the piano in a particular pattern, the music that comes out is beautiful. I love the piano today because it allows me to play a wide range of musical styles. My favourite style is jazz or fast, joyful pieces from any historical period or from any genre. But I also love that the piano allows me to play in school for my friends. Last year for the Spring concert in school I played the accompaniment for my class’s song, Cephaz’s On a Mange Le Soleil. Ms. Louise helped me learn it and play it in school. That was so much fun!   3. Do you have a favourite piece to play? I love something in almost every piece that I play on the piano. Last year, while preparing for the RCM level 3 exam, I learnt to play Christopher Norton’s swing piece In the Spirit. I think that this is one of my favourite pieces that I have played so far.     4. What do you like most about your teacher? My teacher is very kind and very patient with me. When something is too difficult and I am rebellious about learning it the proper way, she has a way of making me do the right thing. She takes time to laugh with me when I tell a funny story or be sad with me when I am sad. She makes

CMC Notes – September 2023 Read More »