Spring Report Card

Bright yellow daffodils are cheering up a studio driveway, and deer already have helped themselves to my beautiful Dutch tulips that didn’t last even a few days. Spring is here! Even though temperatures are still hanging on to 40-50’s, I see students optimistically wearing summer t-shirts, and several even managed to get some nice tan while playing outdoor games. It is time for a summary of the latest events.


SMC Recitals:

Lucy- Honors,November
Sarah- Honors, January
Jonathan-Honors, January
Gaby- Honors, January
Maggie- Honors,January
Faith- Honors, February


Before spring forward, we had a busy winter time. The first week of February was dedicated to Theory Exam, the last week-to Bach Baroque festival. You had a chance to read about Baroque Festival, so here are our top three Theory scores:

Gabrielle- 98%, level III
Sarah- 96%, level IV
Eileen- 95%, level VII

In the middle…..Springfield Music Club Student Recitals, NVMTA and WMTA Judged Recitals, Young Artist Musicale and a memorable trip to New York for two families in our studio.



Faith deserves a double cheer and should be named a “star student” this season. She received Honors from the NVMTA Judged Recital. In March, Faith was also featured on the Young Artist Musicale at the GMU. Faith has even more good news to tell us: American Fine Arts Festival chose Faith to be one of the performers at the Winter Gala at the prestigious Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall!

Bach Baroque Festival, 2011

Another Festival/Competition is completed, and we can look back at this event with a feeling of an accomplishment. For several years, our studio has been participating in NVMTA Baroque Festival. It has become an important part of every student’s performance calendar in my studio. Studying Baroque music takes skills and knowledge; it is also essential that we explore compositions from this era, especially music written by J.S. Bach. We go beyond recognizing Minuet in G. This winter, I noticed that many students and parents pointed out their favorite Inventions and Scarlatti Sonatas, or even expressed their opinions about other student performances or interpretations of a certain piece. After attending last weekend’s a festival and hearing wonderful students from other studios, several students have asked me to include new pieces in their repertoire. It is a sure sign that we are on the right path.

This winter, I have encouraged several students to participate not only with playing, but also with writing, and perhaps with a contribution to this blog. I am planning to include the first essay very soon. Our children have to write daily, why not write about impressions from the Festival or Studio Group Class, or a review of a Talent Show at school? It has become most evident to me that there is no shortage of opinions in my studio. In the mean time, we will continue to study, and listen to different performances, in the class and from recordings.

Gabrielle Li- Honors, performed at the evening Winners Concert
Angus Chang- Group Winner
Lucy Blazquez-Group Winner
Jonathan Lam- Group Winner
Eileen Zheng-Group Winner
“Superior”- Maggie, Sarah, Jessica, Gabrielle, Lucy, Jonathan, Eileen, Angus
Sarah Zhou- received a 15 point Baroque Festival plaque
Jonathan Lam- received a 15 point Bach Baroque Festival Plaque
Eileen Zheng- received a 30 point Medal