When Children Write Music

Who knows what you'll get when 35 children write their own songs-

my students range from songs about ice cream to songs about the death of a friend. one little girl's friend got killed by a car while riding her bike. then another child wrote about different horse speeds while horseback riding. Through the hard songs though, I have to help council each student through their loss, and hope that they find healing through their music.

Operatic Singer loves Hardcore? Hmmm...

What would my students think if I told them that my favorite music is Hardcore, going hand in hand with my love of tattoos and tattoo art? This is so funny, when I prance around in high-heels and continuously follow fashion and girlie things like hair styles, painted toe nails and Vogue?! :)

And so the question in my mind is put to rest in the obviously easy answer: As diverse as I am, I stand in unity, accepting all art forms, and embracing all forms of expression. Within my classroom, I support individuality. I have just as many hippie skirts and purses along with punk shirts and shoes in my closet, as I do high-heels, pencil skirts and coach bags. And the conclusion is that our hearts are not nearly as closed off as our style of choice. :)

The lesson: Embrace all types of people, and clothes, our music, our families and interests do not merely define us, but the kindness in our hearts surpasses everything else that surrounds expressions of our personalities.

If we teach this to our children, maybe one day we will have world peace :) We can all hope for that. :)

Art Class for the Young Musician- Who Knew?

A long time ago, in a far away place...

This is how my art class began:

I remembered being a little girl and watching my mother draw a portrait of my profile. I was astonished at how she could so swiftly take my face, and replicate it perfectly onto the paper.

Many years later, I realized that there must be some family talent there and I started to dabble into the world of art. I figured "Well, I already make a living as a music instructor, why not go all the way, and let my creative side take over?"

My husband has been very supportive, and reviews and honestly critiques my work for me so I can be somewhat competent in my new-found passion.

We offer music lessons, but art and music are so intertwined that I thought it would be best to pair them up. -----Children are fearless, and will try anything, just for fun, so why not encourage the already creative children and allow them to blossom?

Enough about me, but my friend Melissa will be teaching a SPECIAL EFFECTS MAKE-UP CLASS IN SEPT. OR NOV. TO GET READY FOR HALLOWEEN (Which is also my brother's and my birthday! Yay!)

Who doesn't love bloody zombies at Halloween? :) Last year I was the Tooth Fairy. Who knows what this year will hold?! Around the beginning of the summer, I start thinking about my costume. It takes me all the way up until the week before Halloween to decide! But, maybe this year I'll have a little professional help from Melissa! I have a Halloween Costume Concert, and the kids are so cute! Costumes are required :) So be on the look out for funny stories from the secret life of a music instructor! :)

Hello World- - - -

When you come from a family of 10, you have been a nanny, and married into a family of 6 children, one may think: "There isn't anything that I haven't seen!".

Wrong- just when you think you've heard everything, seen everything and lived through most things, think again! :)

Children are the most unpredictable, astonishing, adorable and fascinating creatures on the planet, except of course my husband, whom I love very much!

So we don't have any kids, but with years of childcare experience, and music education, I decided to jump into this world of Private and Group Instruction. I have been teaching for 7 years, and have studied my instruments: Voice and Piano for 14 years.

What do you do when a little girl cries in your room because her mom has H1N1, and she's scared to tell anyone else?

What do you tell your 6 year old piano student, who loves lessons so much that he wants to take you in as a "Show and Tell" subject to the YMCA, where he goes for after-school-care? (I did laugh at that one)

These are the daily excitements and heartbreaks of knowing and loving 40 children, as if they were your own.

So- grab a bag of popcorn, a blanket, and cozy up for a view into the life where the arts are celebrated, enriched, and encouraged while I divulge a secret society of rainy-day stories! :)

If anyone has read this, thank you. :)