Twice as Nice

Michelle and Charlotte received HM, level 4

NVMTA Piano Duet Competition took place past weekend. It turned out to be a colorful ribbon weekend, well done everyone!

  Michelle and Charlotte are busy 8th graders, they did a fantastic job this year and performed with a lot of energy. I heard more than once from both students: “ I really like playing piano duets with my partner, it is a lot more fun then playing alone!”. 

Raelyn and Cameron, 2nd place winners of level 1

  I always enjoy hearing my students practice duet pieces. Most of them find out that knowing how to count and doing it consistently really matters. This was a first opportunity for Cameron, Raelyn's younger sister to test out this theory in practice. 

Annabel and Katherine, 2nd place winners for Level 3A

Katherine and Annabel (guest artist from Mrs. Breth studio) performed two beautiful compositions by R.Schumann. 

                        Sophia and Nicole, 3rd place winners for level 3A
We have learned exciting pieces as we searched for new duet repertoire this year. Sophia and Nicole played "Typewriter" by L.Anderson with a lot of great attitude. One could not help but smile hearing them "type" up a great story with a lot of humor added to it!

                         Raelyn and Kayleigh, 2nd place winners for level 3B
  Raelyn and Kayleigh were a sister team. They played Mozart Sonata in D major, and Anitra's Dance by E. Grieg.

Recital Recap

NVMTA General Recital, Arlington

April is almost over, many student recitals kept us busy attending events on weekends. I appreciate all the hard work and driving parents are willing to do, thank you all!

SMC Student Recital, Jordan Kitts

Springfield Music Club held its event at Jordan Kitts. Lucy, Raelyn, Luke, Cameron and Yvette received Honors and will be attending SMC Honors Recital in May. 

                                               Judged Recital, Arlington
Realyn received HM at NVMTA Judged Recital in April.

 Upcoming dates:
May 10-WMTA Hartman Awards, Washington DC
May 17-NVMTA Sonata Festival, GMU
May 24-SMC Honors Recital, Springfield

Nicole Papenfuss at YAM

Nicole was selected as one of the Young Artist to perform at GMU. She played Etude in A flat major by E. MacDowell and Toccata by T. Shishido.

 Young Artist Musicales are presented in conjunction with Jeffrey Siegel's "Keyboard Conversations" performances at GMU. The YAM series features students selected by a Committee from NVTMA events. Nicole was selected after receiving Honors at NVMTA Judged Recital.

                                                     Nicole with Jeffrey Siegel

Bland Contest and Baroque Festival

Calendar pages have been turned to month of March, yet there is no sign of spring in sight since winter is refusing to admit its time is over. Snow shovels have been used more this year than ever before. Students have not attended a full, uninterrupted week of school since December. We are still digging out of this memorable winter. Good news, I see footprints of Spring, it will be here soon!

 SMC Student Recital was held at Jordan Kitts.  Luke and Reyna received Honors, congratulations!

   Due to frightening winter storm and dangerous weather conditions, only a few students could attend NVTMA Bach Baroque Festival. Sophia will receive a 15 point Award, 3 years of "Superior" rating! Jacqui was a winner of the group and received Honors in a very competitive group. She will receive a beautiful  Honors medal. 

 Raelyn and Nicole attended Bland Contest. This event is very popular in our area. Performers of different ages, including high schoolers, and different instruments participated in a contest organized by Lions Club. Realyn won 1st place and cash award of $50 at Middleburg competition. Nicole won 2nd place and cash award of $50 at Fairfax location, she competed with 18 other entrants.  We are very happy for both students!

Important dates:

April 19-NVMTA Judged Recital

April 25/26-NVMTA Piano Duet Competition

May 9- NVMTA Achievement Awards

May 10- WMTA Hartman Competition

Winter News, 2015

       Katherine performs in Washington D.C.

The year is off to a great start. Event calendar started with VMTA Sight Reading Exam the very first weekend of 2015. Everyone showed great skills this year. Top scores go to Katherine, Michelle and Charlotte. 

NVMTA Judged Recital was held third week of January. Sophia performed Toccata by L. Leo and two Bagatelles by Russian composer A. Tcherepnin. Katherine played Variations on Japanese Folk Tune by D. Kabalevsky. Sophia and Katherine both received Honors.

Nicole and Raelyn participated in a very competitive NVMTA Piano Concerto Competition. Both students performed with a lot of confidence and received very positive comments from demanding panel of judges. Congratulations to Nicole  on 2nd place and receiving a check in mail!

WMTA Speciality Competition was attended by a small group from our studio this year. 

Raelyn-3rd place

Sophia-HM

Jacqui-HM

"Not an End but a New Beginning", by Eileen Zheng

           Eileen at Young Artist Musicale, GMU

On New Year’s Eve, as I sat in my family room watching the annual ball drop, I could not believe that 2015 is going to be the year that I graduate and leave for college. Although there will be many changes taking placing in my life this year, there is one that I am most reluctant to embrace: leaving Ms. Silva’s piano studio after almost ten years. Being a part of this studio and this large family has brought me so many fond memories and valuable experiences that cannot all be expressed in a few, short paragraphs. But whether it’s enjoying Halloween cupcakes during theory group lessons or performing one of my favorite pieces, Mendelssohn’s Etude in F Major, at the DiCapo Opera Theatre in New York City, I have truly enjoyed every moment of my journey. I’m hoping that time will slow down a bit during these next sixth months. Recalling all of the fond memories, experiences, and knowledge from my past ten years of studying the piano, I don’t ever want to say goodbye to participating in piano competitions or sitting down for weekly lessons with Ms. Silva.

However, as I think about the endless possibilities that await me in the future, I am excited to have learned so much from Ms. Silva, from practicing technique and understanding music theory to exploring the masterpieces of Kabalevsky, Bach, and Scarlatti, just some examples of the numerous classical maestros. Learning piano with Ms. Silva has allowed me to explore my creativity and hands-on abilities outside of school. More importantly, it has built my self-confidence, performing on-stage in front of hundreds of audience members. Whether it’s for a recital, competition, or charity concert, the sound of roaring applause is such a priceless reward that playing the piano has allowed me to experience.

I cannot wait to continue to pursue my passion for piano in college and to share all of the knowledge that I have gained with my new community. My future is uncertain, but one thing’s for sure. 2015 will not be an end to my journey of studying the piano but rather a new beginning.

Fall Festival and Judged Recitals

Seasons Greetings! I hope everyone is enjoying winter break this week. In our house, a festively decorated Christmas tree is bringing a lot of cheer in addition to creatively wrapped gifts waiting to be open. It has become a tradition in our studio to have a Group Class in December. Students could accomplish some theory work, perform solo pieces, play fun board games and enjoy sweets. It was great to see you all together!

Time to give an update about the latest events we have attended during past two months.

VMTA Fall Festival was held the first week of November.

Superior- Reyna, Jacqui, Sophia, Raelyn, Michelle, Katherine, Lucy and Nicole

Nicole performed Etude by E. MacDowell and Sonata by Shishido at NVMTA Judged Recital in November. This recital was very well attended, there were 20 performers on the program for students 12 and under. Congratulations to Nicole!

NVMTA Judged Recital:

Nicole-Honors

Raelyn and Cameron at Jordan Kitts. This was Cameron’s (5) first recital.

SMC Honors: Cameron, Raelyn and Nicole

Raelyn participated in a very exciting and competitive WMTA Judged recital in Maryland. She played Variations on Russian Theme by Glinka. Congratulations to Raelyn for receiving Honors!

WMTA Judged Recital:

 Raelyn-Honors

As a growing tradition, we held a Holiday Recital at “Woodlands”. Students not only played solo repertoire, they also added holiday music, including several piano duets. 

Important dates:
January 4- NVMTA General Recital
January 11- VMTA Sight Reading Exam
February 7- VMTA Theory Exam