December is here

Hello all!  Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Can you believe December is almost here already???

For December, we will keep everything in the first few weeks of the month so as to allow for a nice big break at the end of the month.  We will have lessons at regular times these next three weeks and then a group lesson on Friday, December 18th from 3-4PM.  After that, we will have a break until the first full week in January.

All students have been or will be picking out Christmas songs to learn for this month.  Please encourage your student(s) to practice these not only for lessons, but for any family parties or gatherings that they could possibly play at.  It's good to get performance practice and learn songs for this time of year.

Thanks for all your support and here's to a great holiday season!  Please let me know of any questions or concerns you may have!

November Reminders

The Halloween Recital was so fun!  Thanks to all who came.  I thought all the students did a fantastic job!

Just a few things to go over for November lessons.  Please remember that tuition is due this week or at least by the 10th.  The group lesson this month will be on Friday, November 20th.  There will be no regular lessons that week, but there will be lessons the week of Thanksgiving at normal times.  If your student(s) will not be able to come that week, please let me know and we will make other arrangements.

Thanks again for your support and here's to a great November!  As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns!

October reminders

I wanted to let you know about a few things for October.  First, the recital date has changed because of my schedule to a week later on October 29th.  It will now also be at the Layton Library instead of the Clearfield Library.  I've already been informed of potential conflicts with this date as there is a school carnival that evening, but I'm hoping we can work around it however needed.  At present, I have it scheduled for 7PM, but if needed, I can move it earlier or later.  Please let me know what would work best for everyone.  As a reminder, students are encouraged to dress up for this recital, as long as it doesn't interfere with playing the piano.

The group lesson will be October 22nd from 3PM to 4PM at my home and I would like everyone to attend if possible to get performance experience prior to the recital.  Students can dress up for this as well, if they would like, and we will play some fun games and have treats.  That week of the group lesson we will not have regular lessons, but we will have one the week of the recital.

I gave all the students at the group lesson practice records.  Please make sure they hang on to them.  If they lose it, I will email you another and you will need to print it up and fill it out yourselves.  We will set practice goals for October next week.

Happy Fall!

Next week

Just as a reminder, there are no regular lessons next week.  Instead, there will be a group lesson on Friday, September 25th at 3PM.  It will last an hour and will be at my house.  If students are prepared with a song they would like to play for other students, they are welcome to play it.

Also, currently I have the Halloween Recital scheduled for Thursday, October 22nd at 7PM.  It will be at the Clearfield Library (in the basement).  Please let me know if this does not work with your schedule and if enough students have a problem with the date then I will attempt to change it.

Finally, I want to let you all know that I neglected to remember to hand out practice records this month, and I apologize for the oversight.  I will be sure to hand them out in October so that the students can keep track of their practice minutes and earn more Bradshaw bucks.  In the mean time, please keep them practicing!  :)

Welcome back!

Welcome back to lessons!  A few reminders...

**The first group lesson will be September 25th.  There will be no regular lessons the week of the 21st-25th.
**Please bring summer practice records to the first lesson if they were filled out.
**Tuition is due by the 10th of the month or there will be a $5 late fee.  If a student has no lesson in the month that is on or before the 10th, tuition will be due on the next lesson without a late fee.
**Please help your student(s) remember their books and notebook for every lesson.


I'm looking forward to a great year of piano!  I will let you know soon when the Halloween Recital will be!

Fall Lessons

Can you believe it's already back to school time?  I, for one, cannot!  Yet here we are.  August is upon us and it is time to start thinking about piano lessons again.

There are going to be a few changes in lessons this year.  I have accepted an elementary school position to teach Creative Arts and my schedule will be impacted because of this new employment opportunity.  However, since I really do not want to give up teaching piano altogether, I have come up with an idea for the year that will help to ease the burden of potential over-scheduling and exhaustion.  My plan is this: I will teach lessons as normal for 3 of the 4 weeks of the month and have a group lesson for the fourth lesson each month.  This will give the students opportunities to perform more (if they wish to), learn more about music in general in a group setting, and have additional practice time at home for any difficult music they are assigned.  Also, I will be able to keep my crazy schedule a little less hectic and still not have to raise rates for the 8th year in a row, which is a win for all!  :)  The group lesson time will probably be on a Friday at 3PM for an hour, as most group lessons are.  I will let you all know in advance when the group lesson will be and try to work around holiday weekends.  I will also send out notices when there are no lessons as a reminder.

I know that this will be a change.  If you would prefer not to or are unable to have your student(s) on this schedule, please let me know and we'll see what we can work out.  I understand that some of you may not be able to have your student(s) continue piano if there is not a good way to meet the needs of all involved parties.  I hope, however, that things can work out well for everyone.  I will do my best to keep things going smoothly with my studio, but please be patient as I figure things out for this school year since it will most likely be challenging.  I am not sure as of yet which days I will be teaching, but will get back to you with that information in the next week or two.

Also, until I figure everything out, I will not be able to accept any new students.  I will let you know if I have any openings after the dust of the new school year has settled a bit.  :)

Thanks for your patience, loyalty, and, most of all, support.  Please let me know of any questions, concerns, or comments you have.  Here's to a great new year of school and piano!

Summer Lessons

Can you believe it's already May?  I can't!  It's time to talk about summer lessons already!

I know summer is busy and that many students do not find the time to practice much, but for those who are so inclined, I will be teaching summer lessons for June, July, and half of August.  If you are interested in summer lessons for your student(s), you will need to e-mail me with the day(s) and time(s) that would work for lessons no later than May 15th.  I will teach in the mornings and afternoons on weekdays.

If your student(s) will not be taking summer lessons, please let me know by May 15th as well.  I will plan for your student(s) to start again in the fall unless you tell me otherwise.  I will also send home summer practice records with those who will not be taking lessons for a chance to earn some extra Bradshaw Bucks.

Please let me know by May 15th at the latest what your plans are.  Enjoy your Spring!

I don't know about all of you, but I really enjoyed the recital on Saturday!  It started a little late due to bad traffic, and it went a little long, but I still thought it was a lot of fun!  Thanks to all students and parents for all the hard work to make the recital a success.  I know that parents are a big part of student success and I really appreciate all the support and help you provide for your students.

As a reminder, there will be no lessons this week.  Enjoy the deserved break for a job well done!

In May, I will start sending information about lessons in the summer and next fall, so keep an eye out for that.

Thanks again for a great recital!

This week & next week

We had a great group lesson last week for those who were able to attend.  I am excited for the recital on Saturday and hope that you all are too!

A few people have asked about lessons this week, so I want to be clear that we do have regular lessons this week to prepare for the recital.  However, after the recital, we will take a little break with no lessons next week (April 20th-24th).  We will return to regular lessons the following week (April 27th-May 1st).

I did want to mention one thing about the recital this weekend.  Apparently the bridge over the freeway on Antelope drive will be closed this weekend, so please avoid the area if you can when coming to the recital.

I look forward to seeing you all at the recital Saturday!  Until then!

April reminders

Can you believe it is April already?  I hope you all had a fantastic Easter weekend and are ready for the upcoming group lesson and recital!

The group lesson is this Friday from 3-4PM.  Students will only be performing their teacher's choice song at the group lesson and saving their choice for the recital.

The recital is on April 18th (one week from Saturday) 2PM at the Clearfield Library.  Students have an option on what to wear for the recital.  Since the theme is around the world, they are invited to dress in clothes that represent the region of their respective songs.  They could even change clothes from their first to their second song if they would like to!  If they are unsure of that region, or would prefer not to dress in that way, nice clothes are acceptable (skirts/nice pants & nice shirts or dresses for girls, nice pants & nice shirts for boys).  I would also like students to know a little bit about the area their songs are from if possible.  I can also help students with this in their coming lessons.

As a reminder, if you have not already paid for April, tuition is due by Friday.  Also, sometimes I receive texts/calls from parents while I am teaching and am unable to answer immediately.  Please be patient and try to call/text before 3:45 PM if you need an immediate answer from me.

Thanks again for all you do!  Let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

Spring Practice Tips

The weather this winter has actually been pretty nice, so it seems a little silly to be discussing Spring Weather when we've already had it!  Still, I've found that nice weather usually means less practice time for kids who are hoping to play outside again.  Here are a few ideas and tips to make sure practicing doesn't get pushed aside when the weather is better.

*Try early morning before school or evening before bed.  My son practices in the morning after breakfast and it works out well for him.  Other kids may do well practicing in the evenings when it is too dark to play outside.

*Break up practice time to a little bit several times in the day.  Maybe 5-10 minutes in the morning, 5-10 in the afternoon, and 5-10 in the evening would work, depending on their practice goals.

*Allow them to do theory outside, if possible.  Then at least they could enjoy the weather while learning more about music!

*Have students practice more on days when the weather is worse.  This may take some planning and watching the news in advance to make sure there are enough "bad" weather days to get practice in for the week.

*Focus on specific goals rather than just time.  Usually when students are trying to get comfortable with a song, focusing on a little bit at a time is best.  Maybe a parent could encourage them just to work on one hand a day, 1-2 lines of music a day, or even just problem spots.  Running through songs can get tedious and build in problems if not fixed soon enough.  I always encourage students to break things up a bit so that little sections are done right and help the whole piece work better.

The Spring Recital is coming up soon!  Please help your student be ready by encouraging practicing as the weather gets better so that we can all be ready for this fun recital!

January 2015 Newsletter

Welcome to a new year!  January is almost over, so 2015 is in full swing now!

With the new year, we are starting preparations for the Spring Recital.  I have asked students to start thinking about a song they would like to play for the recital.  We will pick another song together so that all students will have two recital songs.  The recital theme is “Music From Around the World.”  I am hoping that students will be able to find songs that have to do with the theme, but it may be difficult to find a song that works.  Some ideas for songs include songs from movies or book adaptations of movies from different areas of the world, folk songs of other countries (possibly that family members or friends have lived in/visited), and music by artists from different places in the world.  If students still can’t think of anything that works, just help them think of any song they would like to play and we will make it work!  I am hoping to have all songs finalized and distributed by mid-February.

I have planned the Spring Recital for Saturday April 18th at 2PM at the Clearfield Library.  Please mark that date on your calendars!  We will also have a group lesson on April 10th from 3-4PM at my house.  If your student cannot attend the recital or the group lesson, please let me know ASAP, preferably by March 18th, so that I may plan accordingly.  I am giving lots of advanced notice for this one so that we can hopefully avoid a few last minute problems.

Now for a few reminders.  PLEASE do not send students to lessons if they are sick.  I would be happy to schedule a make-up lesson or discount the following month’s tuition if needed rather than have a student come when they are sick.  My family, my other students, and I can get sick when one ill student comes to piano.  I don’t require 24 hours notice with illnesses, but would like as much notice as you can give.  Also, please make every effort to be prompt when dropping off and especially picking up your students.  If you arrive early to drop them off, please wait until the time the lesson starts to send them in as I am usually with another student or getting things ready right up until the lesson time.  It’s difficult to have students coming early and staying late when other students are there.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns with any of the recital information or dates.  I will send out more notifications soon regarding upcoming school breaks and changes that may result from those breaks.  In the mean time, keep your students practicing!  Here’s to a great Spring Recital!