April 2019
Dear students and parents,
We’ve made a great start to the year, and so I thought I would take this opportunity to let you know some of what’s been happening this term, and also some things to look forward to in months ahead.
STUDENT ACHIEVMENTS
Congratulations to Christian Nayler for achieving a high distinction for his grade one AMEB musicianship exam last month.
Also, congratulations to Christian Nayler and Simone Wise. Both performed and participated in a masterclass on the 31st of March at Kirribilli and attended a workshop on succeeding in AMEB piano performance examinations.
I have some students preparing to sit piano exams on the 27 of April, and many more preparing for the end of year session.
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MID-YEAR CONCERT
This years mid year concert will be held on Saturday the 8th of June from 1:30 - 3:30. This time it will be held in the Orchestral Room at the Joan Sutherland Centre. All students are encouraged to perform, regardless of age, or how long they’ve been studying piano.
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PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES
I have decided to offer further performance classes for exam students in addition to my half-yearly student concerts. Further details to follow.
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ABSENCE IN TERM THREE
I will be once again be travelling to the US to attend the Golandsky Institute’s summer symposium on the Taubman approach to piano technique this year. This year it is being held at the University of California’s Berkley campus between the 28th of July and the 3rd of August. This means I will be absent for most of week one and all of week two of term 3. Lessons will continue be available during the July school holidays and exam students in particular will be encouraged to continue throughout this period.
If you have any questions on any of this, please do not hesitate to contact me.
December 2018
It's been a busy couple of months for my piano students and so I want to highlight their successes.
RECITAL
In November I held two recitals at my home in South Penrith. A total of 25 students performed. Some had performed in recitals before, but for others it was their first time performing in front of an audience. It was a wonderful afternoon and I was very proud to see those students performing and displaying their talents. I look forward to the recitals in June and November next year. Photos of all the participants are below.
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AMEB EXAMINATIONS
AMEB piano examinations were held in the Joan Sutherland Centre in Penrith over the past couple of weeks. I had a large number of students present for these exams and all did exceptionally well. Result of the exams are below.
Preliminary
Adelaide Mackenzie A+
Larraine Santos A+
Grade 1
Annika Cresini B+
Kiran Nath A
Johanna Mackenzie A+
Grade 2
Thilini Perera B
Ela Quiogue B+
Grade 3
Tania Abacum B
Emma Portugal B+
Grade 4
Selina Vedat B
I also had four students complete AMEB P-Plate examinations. These are non-graded examinations that give students the experience of what an exam is like before being at a level to take the graded exams. They still had to perfect and present three pieces to the examiner. The students were: Madeleine Johansson (P Plate 1), Lauren Abacum, Thalia Rao, and Amber Stoermer (P Plate 2). Photos of these girls with their certificates are below.
A number of students are currently preparing to sit their musicianship examinations. Two students have taken their grade one musicianship exams recently. These are:
Kiran Nath 93% (Honours)
Emma Portugal 84% (Credit)
A huge congratulations to all students who completed examinations this year. It takes a lot of effort to get material to examination level and so all these students can be commended for their work.
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HOLIDAY LESSONS
I will be continuing to teach a number of students during the holiday period. I find that students are often able to make more progress than usual over the holidays as they don't have the same pressures from school and have more time to practice. If you would like to continue with lessons please contact me - these can be as frequent / infrequent as you would like.
Thank you all for your support over the year. It is always a joy and a privilege to teach your children. I hope you have a wonderful holiday period and look forward to another year of music making in 2019.
