Tag Archives: piano

July 2019 Newsletter | The Lake Shore Music Studio

Newsletter for Parents, Students, and Friends of The Lake Shore Music Studio, Piano Lessons for All Ages, Chicago.

  • View from outside the entrance to The Lake Shore Music Studio.

Summer is in full bloom at LSMS!
It is such a joy to look out on the beautiful plaza and step out between piano lessons for a bit of summer air or a casual chat with a Sandburg Village neighbor or an occasional surprise visit from an old friend.

Thanks Becky K. and other friends of LSMS for donations of music. Your contributions included some of our favorite collections including those Star Wars themes that keep surfacing!

 
SUMMER B TERM CONTINUES THIS WEEK

Summer C Term begins July 22.

Remember, we have piano lessons available through August 17, 2019.  Set up your own personal schedule around your vacation needs. This is a good time to pass the word to interested friends to schedule a visit to the studio to get included into the fall schedule.


TEACHER TRAINING

One of my favorite things about summer is teaching other piano teachers about the Robert Pace Piano Method. 

I am offering Music for Moppets/Kinder-Keyboard training July 16-18, 2019 and Level Two Pace Piano July 20-22.  Please pass the word to any piano teachers who might like to know about these.

Using the ducks to illustrate steps and skips in music notation and drawing melody patterns on the Moppets Book Back.

LAST CALL FOR MUSICALS CAMP

Please let me know if you are interested in our Exploring Musicals Camp (August 12-16, 2019). We will close registration soon.


GRANT PARK MUSIC FESTIVAL

There is a wonderful line-up of classical offerings by the Chicago Grant Park Symphony Wed. and Fri. 6:30 and Sat. 7:30 through August 17 at the Pritzker Pavillion in Millennium Park. 

You can choose to sit in the seats for an up-close music experience or pack a picnic and blanket and enjoy lawn seating. 

The expectation is that people will refrain from talking during the concert but if you are bothered by a little friendly chatter in the picnic section go for the seats up front.

Learn more at www.grantparkmusicfestival.com/the-music/2019-season

WIZARD OF OZ MANY WAYS

Do you love the Wizard of Oz as I do? Here are some great ways to experience it this summer.

Shakespeare Theatre’s “Wizard of Oz” children’s production runs through August 25, 2019.

Attending the play will be included as a field trip as part of our Musicals Camp. If you don’t attend camp make plans to see it anyway.

This Wed. July 10, at 8:00 pm in Pritzker Pavillion, see the original movie with the Grant Park Symphony performing the score live.

Notice: They check bags upon entry, so try to go a little early to make sure you get through the security and settle in.

I always enjoy when my route takes me by our city’s own tribute to the Wizard of Oz – the endearing statues of the Tin Man, Lion, Scarecrow, and Dorothy, in Oz Park at Lincoln and Webster.  

Did you know author L. Frank Baum lived in Chicago when he wrote the “Wizard of Oz” books?


Photos by Reno Lovison

Here is a video of a few of our adult piano students performing the Carol Matz arrangement of “If I Only Had a Brain” at our recent recital party.

Enjoy LSMS Director, Julie Lovison playing “Over the Rainbow” on one of the Pianos in the Park at Make Music Chicago Day in Washington Square Park.

Music Man is playing through August 11 at Goodman Theatre.

I hope you can make time to see this wonderful classic musical, that is one of my favorites, full of cute kids, beautiful singing, fun dialog, funny scenes, and great dancing.  

BEACH FUN and Brush Up on your Note Names

Draw a staff in the wet sand, put stones or shells on individual notes.  Then play a game like “Who can name the note the fastest?”

Draw the EGBDF lines and FACE spaces (or GBDFA and ACEG for Bass Clef). Practice making steps and skips on the staff with stones or shells.

Take a picture and send it to me.

Enjoy your summer.
Best Wishes,
Julie

Julie Lovison, Director, The Lake Shore Music Studio, 1460 N. Sandburg Terrace, Chicago, IL  60610 Phone: 312-335-8426

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Two Robert Pace Curriculum Piano Teacher Trainings | Summer 2019

Session 1  – Music for Moppets & Kinder-Keyboard
Tues-Thurs. July 16-18, 2019  9:30 a.m. -3:30 p.m.

Session 2 – Group Piano Level 2   
Sat. – Mon. July 20-22, 2019  9:30 a.m. -3:30 p.m.

Presenter: Julie Lovison

The Lake Shore Music Studio  1460 N. Sandburg Terrace  Chicago, IL  60610

For information call: 312-335-8426 or email:  LSMSPiano@aol.com

Tuition: $295 (per session)

DETAILS:

Music for Moppets

This course creates a relaxed, comfortable environment for children 4 and 5 years old to discover music concepts using the piano, singing, rhythm instruments, play acting, movement, and art, all natural elements of a child’s learning world.

Interacting with classmates and a nurturing teacher make it especially fun.

Short songs and activities help students discover high, low, loud and soft, fast and slow, orientation to the twin and triplet black keys and the ABCs of the keyboard, beginning finger orientation and development.

Exploring the patterns of songs students learn that melodies may go up down or repeat, by steps, skips or leaps, to create repeating patterns.

Rhythm patterns may have short and long sounds that combine into patterns; songs can be harmonized with a steady beat;  songs can be improvised upon  in questions and answers in  major, minor, whole tone and pentatonic scales, in 4/4 as well as 6/8 time and the piano can be used to create songs to illustrate stories.

Ear training, sight reading, playing, improvisation and theory combine to create young students who think musically and are eager for further piano study.

Includes ideas for parental reinforcement at home.

Kinder-Keyboard

Introduces the 5 -1/2, 6 and 7 year old to music through the piano.

Orientation to the twin and triplet black key groupings and the ABC’s, reading and recognizing melodic patterns (repetition, sequence and inversion) , reading intervals of 2nds, 3rds, 4ths and 5ths, recognizing rhythm patterns, 3/4, 4/4 and 6/8 time, upbeats and dotted quarters, question and answer, major and minor, pentatonic, dorian, phrygian, tone clusters, key signatures, grand staff, 5-finger patterns, transposition, improvisation, ensemble, and sight reading.

How to use games, movement,  manipulative materials and rhythm instruments appropriate to the likes and needs of this age group and how to promote peer teaching and cooperative music making.

Upon completion of the Kinder-Keyboard Program, students have a solid basis to feed easily into the Level I Pace books, or to continue into any method with a broader understanding and a readiness for rapid progress.

This special 3-day session provides a unique opportunity to survey both Moppets and Kinder-Keyboard levels in one course.

Level II

Includes application of the IV chord (expanding on the thorough use of the I and V chords in all keys presented in Level I), fingering concepts expanded beyond the pentachord range, neighboring and passing tones, waltz, broken chord, alberti, march-style basses, linear harmony with parallel 6ths and 10ths, short short long phrase construction, parallel and contrasting question and answer phrases, bitonal, bichordal, dorian, phrygian, 12-tone, roving triads, blues, canons, pentatonic, major, minor, diminished chords, intervals (2nds through octaves), major and minor scale fingering, Hanon exercises, portato touch, pedaling, and how to achieve musical playing in all styles.

Teachers who have taken Level I training will be familiar with the conceptual learning process and will discover how the concepts learned in Level I are expanded upon in an increasingly upward spiral development of understanding. However teachers may take this course without prior Level I familiarity, and will see how it adds a fuller dimension and robustness to the understanding of any late elementary, early intermediate repertoire in terms of the complete integration of theory analysis, transposition, keyboard harmony, sight reading, improvisation, ensemble, and technique and interpretation skills.

Materials needed (additional cost):

Music for Moppets Children’s Book, Music for Moppets Teachers Manual

Kinder-Keyboard Children’s Book

Kinder-Keyboard Teachers Manual

Robert Pace Music for Piano 2, Creative Music 2, Theory Papers 2 and Finger Builders 2

Teachers completing the course receive a certificate of completion from the International Piano Teaching Foundation (IPTF) and listing on LeeRobertsMusic .com

BONUS: Using The Lake Shore Music Studio as an example we will address good business guidelines for independent piano teachers, including how to market and expand your student clientele, establish studio policies, and the importance of maintaining personal professional growth.

DOWNLOAD PDF INFORMATION FLYER

Group Piano Teacher Training – Level 1- Chicago 2018

Robert Pace Curriculum Piano Teacher Training

Fri.-Mon.  Aug. 3-5, 2018

9:30 a.m. -3:30 p.m.

Group Piano Level 1

This course focuses on the concepts presented in the Robert Pace Level I books. Learn how to integrate theory right from the beginning, as well as how to develop all music skills simultaneously (ear training, sight reading, technique, improvisation, transposition, and theory) through the repertoire studies. Learn how to create a buoyant, creative atmosphere in each lesson. Learn how to facilitate good peer teaching and cooperative learning. Discover what it means to teach music concepts and how doing so will create an upward pattern of spiral learning, and develop independent learners who will become lifelong music participants. Level I curriculum concepts include: steps and skips, up, down, same, patterns, repetitions, sequences, parallel and contrasting question and answer phrases, 5 finger patterns, I and V7 chords, waltz style, alberti bass, broken chords, march, dorian, pentatonic, roving triads, passing tones, upper and lower neighbors, tetrachord scales, major and minor key signatures, parallel and contrary motion, down up phrasing, staccato vs. legato, and many more.

We will address good business guidelines including how to market and expand your student clientele, establish studio policies, and the importance of maintaining personal professional growth.

Presenter:  Julie Lovison

The Lake Shore Music Studio

1460 N. Sandburg Terrace

Chicago, IL  60610

312-335-8426

LSMSPiano@aol.com

Tuition: $295

Plus cost of materials:

Robert Pace Music For Piano, Creative Music, Theory Papers and Finger Builders

Teachers completing the course receive IPTF certificate and listing on LeeRobertsMusic website.

Registration Form

Piano Tuner Plays Important Role in “Five Guys Named Moe.”

It takes more than actors, musicians and dancers to put on a great theatrical musical performance. There are also a number of technicians handling audio, lights and more.

I was delighted to see, that when crediting all of those who contributed to the production of “Five Guys Named Moe” at the Court Theatre in Hyde Park, the producers included the production’s piano tuner Kent Busse in the program.

I am sure the appreciation extends to the outstanding six piece jazz band that accompanied the “Moes.” J.P Floyd (trombone), Sam Hankins (trumpet), Jarrard Harris (reeds), Ben Johnson (drums), Chuck Webb (bass), led by Abdul Hamid Royal (music director/pianist).

When you sit down to play it’s nice to have the confidence of knowing that your instrument is in tune. In a combo of this size the musicians usually tune-up to the piano, so it all starts there.

It is a similar experience for the singers. They have a certain pitch in mind that they expect to hear as the first note is sung.  Singing in tune starts with an in-tune piano. In this production the Five Moes sing five part harmony. Typically each singer’s harmonic interval is derived from the first note. If that note is “off” everyone is off.

The harmonies of this doo-wop quintet comprised of Big Moe (Lorenzo Rush, Jr.), Little Moe (Darrin Ford), Eat Moe (James Earl Jones II), Four Eyed-Moe (Kelvin Rosten, Jr.) and No Moe (Eric A. Lewis) are spot on.

I think I’ll make Kent Busse the sixth Moe, “Hear Moe,” because what he hears will determine what the audience will hear.

3 pianos at Lakes Shore Music Studio

Kent has been the “official” piano tuner for The Lake Shore Music Studio for several years and recently tuned our piano at home. That is why I was particularly pleased to see him get some of the recognition he deserves and also give him a bit of recognition here as well.

According to Julie, Kent does a great job of keeping the LSMS pianos in shape as well as in tune. As you can imagine they get quite a workout from 50+ students per week aged 4 through 74+.

You can enjoy the fruits of Mr. Busse’s work by playing one of the many LSMS acoustic pianos or coming in to hear your kids play during their lesson.

Additionally you might check out “Five Guys Named Moe” which is a tribute to band leader and saxophonist Louis Jordan, one of the fathers of rock & roll, who popularized several blues/jazz standards like Caldonia and Choo Choo Ch’boogie.

Listen for the boogie piano accompaniment in the beginning of this video.

To read my entire review of “Five Guys Named Moe”.

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Guest Blogger : Reno Lovison is Julie’s husband and reviewer for Chicago Theater and Arts.

Reflections on MTNA Music Conference 2017 Baltimore

by Julie Lovison
An action packed three day conference included two special concerts.
Igudesman and Joo  are two young musical friends who have chosen to make a career out of poking fun at classical music while delivering thoughtful, real musical performances interspersed with the humor.   Here is an example of their mashing up classical music with a “Russian accented version of I Will Survive”
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Master Class and Concert by Leon Fleischer

Leon Fleischer is 88 years old and going strong as performer, conductor, master class teacher, and collaborator.  In 1964, Leon developed focal dystonia, a curling in of fingers, which put an end to his concert piano career.  Instead of giving up music, he transitioned into conducting, and returned to performing left handed literature only.   After 40 years, through physical therapy and the use of Botox on his arm, he was able to regain much, but not all, of his right hand use.
His exquisite concert  included the beautiful solos performances of  Sleep May Safely Graze, Claire de Lune, Chopin Mazurka and Nocturne in D Flat, and duets with his wife, Katherine Jacobson-Fleischer.   Leon  also takes time to perform collaboratively with his son, a jazz singer in New York.
                .
These two examples show that there are many avenues to making music beyond the traditional concept of solo artist, indeed a creative and musically open mind can experience many new and fulfilling areas of music making.
Here you can see how Mr. Fleischer despite the handicap of  curled fifth finger, creates the sublime and intimate rendition of Bach’s Sheep May Safely Graze.
As usual Reno and I were on hand in the exhibit hall to represent Lee Roberts Music Publications and speak about the Robert Pace Approach.