Archives for January 2017

Summer Outdoor Piano Recital

Summer Outdoor Piano Recital

ParkAre you missing the sun yet? Here’s a throwback to an outdoor piano recital we had over the summer. Our instructor Alex and 50 students overtook West Bay Park by the water in Downtown Olympia and had a picnic while listening to students perform songs from Frozen, Yiruma, Kyle Landry, How to Train Your Dragon, Beethoven, Star Trek: Into Darkness, and Taylor Swift – to name a few. In an effort to overcome nerves, Alex let her students go up and perform when they felt ready, giving the recital a more “live music in the park” feel.

“I remember too many of my own recitals where I felt like every student before me on the list was just one more countdown until my doom and my terror just increased as each kid finished performing. I wanted my students to be able to conquer their nerves, and then decide that they wanted to play. It worked really well, I noticed a marked difference in my students faces when they described it afterwards. They were able to have fun before and while performing, instead of just being glad it was over or happy they did it after the fact.”


 

 

 

November Piano & Guitar Recital

November Piano & Guitar Recital

At Jammin’ we strive to create well-rounded musicians. One of the most nerve wracking aspects of playing music is sharing it. Recitals help our students not only master a piece to perfection, but give students the opportunity to share their art and hard work with others. Sometimes this can be a daunting situation! Luckily we have excellent teachers who understand the struggle and are always finding ways to make things fun.

Recently our instructors Becca and Katie had a joint recital at the local Abigail Stewart House. They decided to make it movie themed and had their students dress up like the characters from the movies they were playing from. Cake and ice cream followed up the performance. Becca said, “Everyone had a lot of fun! My goal for having a movie themed recital was to cut down on the kids’ performance nerves by letting them dress up (or bring a prop).  I know that always helps me!”

 

 

Cate, dressed as Princess Leia, playing "May the Force Be With You"

Cate, dressed as Princess Leia, playing “May the Force Be With You”

 

Dylan, dressed as Indiana Jones, playing "The Raider's March"

Dylan, dressed as Indiana Jones, playing “The Raider’s March”

 

Wolf, dressed as Inspector Clouseau, playing "The Pink Panther"

Wolf, dressed as Inspector Clouseau, playing “The Pink Panther”