 |
 |
Central Toronto Branch Newsletter - October 2006Message from the President… As we enter into the season of beautiful fall colours and 'crisp' evenings, I hope you are all feeling energized to tackle one of the busiest times of the teaching year. There are many activities for students this season. Check the TAKE NOTE column on this page to mark the dates and deadlines.Soon our branch will be hosting the Fall Auditions and we look forward to hearing the successful candidates at the Scholarship Recital in November. The fall season is also the time of Canada Music Week, which is the third week of November and includes November 22, the day honoring St. Cecilia, patron Saint of Music. Contemporary Showcase, held during Finally, don't forget the various Conservatory examination deadlines - November 6th for RCM, November 16th for Conservatory Our executive is busy working on the 2006 - 2007 version of the branch directory. This new directory will list Central Toronto Branch members. The nine branches making up the GTA will not be producing one big directory this time. These directories will be distributed across the Over the summer, along with the branch levy, every member provided instructions about being listed on the web (or not). If you have any questions regarding this, please call me. You can look for this update towards the end of November at www.ormtatoronto.org. Please check your name and phone number information to ensure that it has been entered accurately. Finally, I want to report on the two recent CTB events. Our RCME Workshop on September 29th with Christopher Kowal was a big success. I have to admit that, last year, after listening to the new pedagogy program details and being led through an Elementary level exam, I was a bit worried about all the new requirements. It seemed to be much more involved and included a great amount of detail. This year however, as we were walked through an Intermediate level viva voce exam, we were able to hear what kind of questions would be asked and what kind of answers would be expected at this level. With the Advanced level exam being the same format except for an expectation of greater knowledge and detail about advanced performance considerations, the overall result was a very clear understanding of the process and it made the thought of preparing a student for these exams seem quite manageable. Our most recent event was on October 1st with David Fallis presenting vocal, lute and keyboard works from the Medieval, Renaissance and early Baroque periods. This presentation was just wonderful, as David is an engaging and very entertaining presenter. As we listened to a variety of musical excerpts, I certainly found myself wishing that more early music from these periods would be heard in Festivals and Recitals. It was also important to remember the improvised nature of early music and how important a skill that is for all of us. I really did feel that, as teachers, we can choose to create more fun in our lessons with students if we incorporate improvised material and it does indeed give us a greater historical perspective about the changing role of the composer over the centuries. This period of music is not represented enough in our current syllabi and we can enrich our own teaching experience by exploring more thoroughly the early music that is available. Wishing everyone a successful fall season! Susan Griesdale Congratulations to our amazing students . . . Congratulations to the following Theory Scholarship wnners: Yuan Shi, 97% for Grade 4 History; Gwendolyn Lovsted, 91.5% for Grade 4 History; Hannah Wong, 94.5% for Grade 4 History – all students of Maria Case. And to Vickie Blechta's flute student, Christopher James who won the Toronto Kiwanis Woodwind Trophy, won the Provincial Open Woodwind competition and placed 2nd in the National Kiwanis competition – all before he turned 15! Congratulations. What a day! We had great weather, cool rooms, and lots of help. And we took in $1015. When hall rental and expenses were deducted we cleared $784, for student scholarships and recitals. Friday helpers were Joanne Bright, Jean Collins, Tracy Lai, Paul Mason, Keith Hargrave and non-members Donna Cope and Charmiene Montgomery. On Saturday morning, Jeannette Roberts, Leanne Kloppenborg, William Vaisey(who also priced Friday evening), Joan O'Mara, Ted Parkinson, Jean Collins and Charmiene Montgomery all supervised sales. In the afternoon Joanne Bright, Susan Griesdale and Marjorie Beckett helped with sales and packing up. An informal lunch was an energy boost. There were 9 donors of music from community- Dave Snider Music generously donated 10 boxes. In all, 23 boxes of fresh stock was received to add to the 27 boxes stored by members and donations from the Branch. We had music! Thank you letters have been sent to non- branch donors. Four boxes of music were packed and donated to music schools in Welcome to new members – Julie Loveless, Jennifer Wong, Lana Ahilov We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming branch events!
Of Note: Cinderella by Rodgers & Hammerstein November 24 & 25 at 7:30pm The Walmer Centre Theatre, Tickets: $10 Adult $5 Child (12+under); Please call: 905-956-0188 for tickets Artisctic Director/Stage Director: Melissa Bencic; Musical Director: Daniel Tsang Choreographer: Meira Gold We are also taking on new students for our next musical which will start rehearsals in January. If any teachers have students who are interested in performing in musicals they can contact Melissa Bencic at 905-956-0188. I run musical theatre programs for ages 7 through to 19. No experience is necessary. Rehearsals take place in Leaside (Eglinton/Brentcliffe). And remember to mark your calendars: Winter Tea and General Meeting with guest Mark Chambers from Teachers in Concert is March 4. Volunteers Needed! We are asking for some help to ensure that our activities run smoothly. If you have high school students who need community volunteer hours, we need student volunteers to help with auditions – please call Jean Collins at 416-694-5969. Student Excuses: We teachers always think we have heard them all, but please feel free to share the creativity of your students with us. Email Leanne at kloppen@sympatico.ca
TEACHERS' TIDBITS Teachers are always looking for different approaches in handling student learning styles. We have a wealth of experience among us so let's share some of our ideas that worked! If you have any ‘tricks of the trade', we would love to hear about them! Submit them to Leanne Kloppenborg at kloppen@sympatico.ca or call 416-462-0785 for inclusion in the next newsletter. From Melissa Bencic: A common problem when working with young voice students is achieving clear diction while singing a legato line. In many cases, students try very hard to sing with good diction and in turn often end up over-accentuating the text and/or build-up tension. To help avoid this situation, I find what helps is having the singer practice singing the piece vowel to vowel using the vowel(s) of each word in the text. Depending on the student you can suggest to make the exercise a little easier that they actually write over each word the vowel(s) that are present. This exercise works especially well for students who are working on English pieces and beginning work in German. From Jeanette Roberts: I remember my speech teacher, Ethel Lloyd Jones, popping marbles into my mouth, then asking me to recite a poem. Thank God I never swallowed a marble! Or the warm, sweet honey'd drink Madame Emilie Rublev, vocal coach and accompanist, brought in a flask. A perfect sip before a performance. Special memories. From Ennio Paola: Piano teachers may will to consider and encourage greater student participation by getting involved with existing performance opportunities provided through their local day school. One such upcoming opportunity can be found through the Durham West Arts Centre “
Upcoming CTB Events: Winter Tea and General Meeting: Sunday, February 11th, venue TBA Mark Chambers, from the Registrar's Office of York University will present his insights on How to Prepare Your Students to Apply for See the next newsletter for more information. Teachers In Concertis looking for performers for the March 4, 2007 concert. Performances can be solo or ensemble, and should be 10 minutes or less in length. If you are interested in participating, please contact Richard Summers by phone at (416) 537-1156, or by email at richardsummers@sympatico.ca
A REMINDER FOR THE AUDITIONS: Students should not be phoning Sonia Bakker or Melissa Bencic directly for Audition/Recital information. All inquires should go through the teacher. 'Late entries' for the auditions will not be accepted and all entries must be postmarked by the deadline. Upcoming Workshop in North York – Andrea Battista is presenting a workshiop titled "Teaching Grades 5 to 8 Piano" at Euromusic Centre ( Primary focus is given to developing skills that prepare piano students for the advanced repertoire, as well as relaxed habits to avoid injury. $15 for members, $20 for non-members, $10 for students. For more information, call 416-502-1315 or 905-886-3578. CODA . . . Needed: Lively teacher with strong music background!!! Are you a singer and musician who loves to work with children under 4 ½ years? Are you energetic and fun? Have you led toddler or baby classes before? Do you have music training? Then, come lead a class at a new fun music series for kids. Part-time, flexible morning hours, competitive pay, training paid for. Please contact Claire Blicker at cblicker@rogers.com with your resume or for further information.
For more information, please contact info@ormtatoronto.org Back to Top  |