April News and Reminders

Congratulations to all students who participated in the Florida State Music Teachers Association Student Day Performance Exams. All received Honors designation. I am so prooud of you!

Some reminders for April:

1. Congratuations to Michael Drew and David Espinosa for being selected to perform in Chopin Foundation of     the United States Young Artist Concert on Sunday, April 24.

2. April Tuition (#8 of 10 is due)

3. Our spring recital will take place on May 20, 2022 at New Presbyterian Church in Wilton Manors. More info will be coming!

4. Guild Audition date is still TBD

5. No Lessons the week of April 25-29

February and March News

Happy February and March!

We have been very busy, preparing for evaluations and auditions in addition to supporting Broward County Music Teachers Association at Musicthon.

MUSICTHON INFO: Amount raised by our studio - $1946.00

I am happy to report that our studio raised the most money of any participating studio for our BCMTA Annual Musicthon fundraiser, held January 21-23, 2022 at the Galleria Mall in Ft. Lauderdale. We were so proud to see 100% participation among our studio's families. Even those who were unable to physically be present made a donation. Because of your sacrifice of time and resources, we were also able to make a generous donation to our partner nonprofit, 4Kids of South Fl. Thank you to each and every family for your participation!

I strongly encourage you to apply for BCMTA Summer Arts Camp scholarships this spring! Copy and paste the URL into your web browser.

http://bcmta.org/new/scholarships/broward-county-music-teachers-association/

Here are some reminders as we head into spring:

1. Online Student Day Theory Exams are now active and must be completed by March 15 for those who missed the actual event on Dec. 4, 2021. Sam, Aleksandra, Rowan, Reece and Jason, we will set this up at your lesson this coming week.

2. Tuition payment (#7 of 10) will be due at your first lesson in March.

3. Student Day Performance Exams will be held at First Baptist Church of Pompano Beach on April 2-3, 2022. If you have a preference for a specific day, either Saturday, the 2nd or Sunday the 3rd, please let me know ASAP! Students enrolled in the Conservatory Track at Level 2 and above, should be practicing daily to prepare for their Student Day evaluations.

4. The deadline to apply for the BCMTA Summer Camp Scholarship is April 21, 2022.

CHRISTMAS RECITAL INFORMATION

                                                            

                                                           Christmas Recital

                                          Friday, December 10, 2021 7:00 PM

                                     New Presbyterian Church - Main Sanctuary

                 -----------------------------512 NE 26th Street----------------------------

                                                  Wilton Manors, Florida 33305

Dear Families: You may invite friends and family to attend the recital. You may video. Please arrive in plenty of time to set up. Besure your battery is fully charged as I (or whoever is videoing for me) will be using the outlet to record the recital :) No flash photography will be permitted during performances.

COVID Information: New Presbyterian Church does not requiremasks, so masks are optional. Please wear one if you feel more comfortable. Most families in the studio have already had COVID and are vaccinated. There will be hand sanitizer for students to use before and after their performances

Dear Students: Please wear formal/festive recital attire. Long dresses or skirts for young ladies and suits or dress pants, and dress shirts with a tie for young gentlemen. Absolutely no jeans, shorts, tee shirts, short skirts, sneakers, flip flops, clunky jewelry, long fingernails etc. Please plan to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the recital and check in for seating with the other students.

*Dear Parents: Please bring a tray of food to share for the reception table. Please bring a little more if you have a large group attending. Please bring it to the table in the narthex before the recital. I will provide the paper goods, coffee and punch.

Also, please allow one and a half to two hours for the recital. Remember that many people will spend hours at a sporting event, yet have a hard time sitting through a shorter cultural event like a piano recital. I promise that we will move as quickly as possible through the evening and, hopefully, you will enjoy every minute. This is a celebration of the joyous Christmas season!

November/December Announcements

Dear Parents and Students,

I hope this finds you well! Please read the announcements and mark the dates on your calendars. Students in the Conservatory and Competitive Tracks will receive a different email concerning Student Day Exams and Practice Tests. Please be on the lookout for the email!

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1. Lessons will continue without interruption until the week of November 22 - 27. There are no lessons the week of Thanksgiving. 

With the recital coming up, pieces will need to be memorized by November 16.

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2.The week of November 29 - December 3, we will be having group Master/Performance classes and not a regular private lesson. They will take place on Tuesday, November 30th from 5-6:30 pm for all Boys and on Wednesday, December 1 from 5-6:30 pm for all Girls. There are no exceptions and boys may not come to the girls' class and vice-versa. Please make every effort to be there as we will be performing our Christmas pieces and learning about recital etiquette, critique and the music of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. Masks will be required.

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3. The week of December 6-9 we will have regular lessons.

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4. The Annual Christmas Recital will take place at New Presbyterian Church in Wilton Manors on Friday, December 10 at 7 PM. You may invite your family and friends. We may have an outdoor reception following. Stay tuned!

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Please RSVP to let me know if your child will be participating in the Christmas Recital.

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5. Christmas break will be from December 15 - January 4. We will resume classes on January 5, 2022.

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6. Please be on the lookout for an email regarding our annual Broward 

County Music Teachers Association only fundraiser Musicthon, which will be held at the Galleria Mall on Friday evening,  January 21, 2022. This event is very special to me and beneficial to our studio as it funds student performance opportunities and enrichment, competitions, summer camp scholarships, Student Day, teacher enrichment, etc. We also partner with a worthy charity. This year's recipient is 4Kids of South Florida, Inc. We are so proud and happy to have our "Kids Playing for Kids in Crisis". I will be sending out the Sponsor Letter and the Pledge Sheet in plenty of time for you and your child to seek sponsors for this worthwhile event.

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Have a wonderful harvest celebration and Thanksgiving!

Love,

Mrs. Purchase

August Reminders

Dear Studio Families,

Summer is flying by and now we are in the month of August with school starting right around the corner.

The schedule is just about set for the fall and I will be emailing it out to you by the first of next week, along with the studio calendar. Just a few reminders as we head into the fall:

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1. The summer project will be heard the first week in September at your lesson. Students new to the studio, of course, are exempt from this requirement. I will also be asking to hear your keyboard skills and repertoire, so please come prepared!

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2. The Activities Fee is now past due (due by August 1) for each student. Please go online to determine which fee is appropriate for your track of study.

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3. September tuition (#1 of 10) will be due at your first lesson in September, even if your actual first lesson of the year is in August.

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4. Unfortunately COVID is still very much in our lives and we now have the Delta Variant. As of now, we will begin the school year in person and see how it goes. If you, your child or anyone in your household has a fever, sore throat, cough, is sick in any way, has been exposed to Covid or has traveled outside of our area within the two weeks before your lesson, please let me know and we will have your lesson online until you are clear or the two weeks is past. I promise you the same courtesy.

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For the good of our studio families and our own household, I would appreciate you and your child wearing a mask inside our home and studio.

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I look forward to seeing you soon!

Love,

Mrs. Purchase