This is Laurel! She has been taking cello lessons for about 15 months after a 14-year hiatus. She played as a kid into high school but in her words..."became too cool for cello and music classes" so she stopped. She held onto her cello and to a desire to get back into it ever since. And here she is - nearly 15 years later - preparing for her solo cello debut! She is playing her first recital in mid-May and I couldn't feel more proud for her. I admire her courage not only to work hard on the music she selected for this performance (which she is ROCKING, btw) but also then to share it with her friends, family, and community. That is what it's all about!!
She told me today that this recital is special for another reason, too. It will mark her 1st anniversary of sobriety. Awesome. I am in awe of her major courage, major strength, and major commitment to taking better care of herself! And of her major love for playing the cello. (There are def minor moments, too - It is the cello, after all. We cellists love us some minor modes.) Go, Laurel!!
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Grow Music has partnered up with Imagine Nation Brewery to offer a BEGINNING FIDDLE CLASS FOR ADULTS!! Have you always wanted to learn how to play? - well, now's your chance!
This is going to be a super fun, low pressure class to get you started off right in the world of string playing. The beer is optional, of course, but we do find it serves as an effective lubricant for all the squeaky sounds. Join us - sign up here today! Give the gift of music and it will last a lifetime! Order yours here today!
These two tiny fiddlers came to class early today and just couldn't wait to get started! They warmed my heart with their singing, tapping, and bowing on their brand new fiddles. So much fun! Four wonderful young cellists - Lillian, Lydia, Mayana, and Tait - from the Grow Music private studio participated in this year's MMTA Spring Festival, held at the University of Montana. Each cellist played their absolute best in the adjudication where they got some useful tips and feedback from Hermes Padilla Beltran, who is filling in as Violin Professor this semester at UM. Tait and Lillian were then invited to perform the following day in a public recital that showcased some of the great young talent in voice, piano, and strings that we have in Missoula! It was a great event!
Meet the silliest fiddlers on this side of the Appalachians. I'm talking about Adelaide and Delaney - they're both 6 years old and an absolute hoot! Who says music lessons aren't fun? 'Cuz these girls sure know how to roll when it comes to having a good time - and learning something, too! They've been sharing a semi-private lesson for almost a year, which is how they met. But today, in their "I'm-gonna-be-famous!" and "They'll-even-see-me-in-India?" spotlight interview, we learned that they also have a bunch in common. Both girls like singing, skiing, math, and soccer and they share some favorite fiddle tunes like, "Green Grass Grows" and "Shortnin' Bread." But Delaney likes "Frère Jacques," while Adelaide prefers "Boil 'Em Cabbage Down." These two are doing a magnificent job with their learning, they compliment one another so well, and I can see they inspire each other to do their individual best every week. I always look forward to spending time with them each Wednesday! A couple things they'd like you to know: Adelaide likes fairies A LOT and wants to be a Rock Hound (Geologist) when she's older. Delaney doesn't like pirates (most of the time) and plans to be a Soccer playing Professional Artist Teacher who Skis. Chelsea Pierce is a Montana native who enjoys an active performance and teaching schedule across Montana and the Pacific Northwest. She recently earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from the University of Montana and currently can be seen playing with the Missoula Symphony Orchestra.
When not practicing, Chelsea enjoys studying violin pedagogy and teaching violin to her studio of young students in both private lesson and group class settings. She has participated in violin pedagogy classes and workshops with Margaret Baldridge and Brenda Brenner. We are thrilled to have her on board! Welcome, Chelsea! Meet Jack. He's five years old and is in the "Little Fiddlers" class at Clark Fork School. Jack is a fun-loving kid with an ultra-sweet disposition. He's an attentive listener and approaches his fiddle with a confident and calm spirit. His favorite thing about fiddle is what he calls "free fiddling" - when he plays fast and crazy. His favorite song on the fiddle is "Eek! Eek! Eek!" Someday, he would like to learn the theme to Ghostbusters and Shake it Off by Taylor Swift on his fiddle. Other things that Jack likes are playing with his friends at school, biking, building with Legos, reading books, eating sweet treats and burritos. OK. So, I'm just like a beaming ball of sunshine right now. Like a proud parent...........of 80+ children. Before I moved to Missoula 2 1/2 years ago, I lived in Los Angeles. I was there nearly 15 years and spent the last 8 of them teaching music for a wonderful organization called the Harmony Project. This is where YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) was born, in partnership with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. It was through YOLA that I was graced to start over 34 young cellists and work with the string sections of 4 youth orchestras. I was with these kids from their very first music lesson - to working with them 4-5 days per week for nearly 6 years - until I moved to Montana to raise family of my own. We worked on cello, we worked in orchestra, chamber music, solo repertoire, fiddle tunes, music theory, improvisation. I loved this job and all the families involved. We were together A LOT. Now - this news!!! Gustavo Dudamel and Youth Orchestra L.A.'s Super Bowl halftime show will be a win for the arts TEN of my cello students, along with other wonderful young musicians from YOLA will be taking the stage at the Superbowl Halftime show! I couldn't be more proud of these kids and how far they have come. They work so hard and are so dedicated, it's just been a joy all-around to see them grow, becoming knowledgeable and successful musicians. And what an opportunity!! WOW. SO PROUD. : )))))) UPDATE: What a wonderful opportunity for these equally wonderful kids. Watch this touching video and meet Lilliana, Juliana, and Matthew...all three of whom I worked with for nearly 8 years at YOLA! I gave Matthew his very first cello lesson probably 6 years ago! YOLA is playing with Coldplay this Sunday for the Superbowl Halftime show!! (In the video - The woman conducting the orchestra in the blue scarf next to Chris Martin of Coldplay is the new cello teacher there now - gotta say that made me wish I was the one standing there! AHHH!!) : ) SEE IT HERE: http://www.nfl.com AND THIS: Youtube YOLA Meet Lillian. She will be turning 13 years old next month and started playing the cello when she was 10. She has a fierce appetite for music, loves all styles and genres, and has a deep enthusiasm for playing her cello. She's a hard worker, likes to share her thoughts and ideas, and approaches every new piece and musical challenge with a "can do" attitude...it's fantastic! Her favorite pieces, thus far, have been Two Grenadiers and La Cinquantaine. Her dad tells me Lillian often plays for him while he cooks and they are two of his top requests, as well! And music is certainly a family affair - her brother plays a mean fiddle, her sister is quite a force on the bassoon, and her mother is an accomplished pianist (with a side of flute). When asked what she loves about the cello, Lillian says, "When I play the cello, I feel open...It calms me down and relaxes me. I love the hard stuff, I love shifting, and I'm not afraid of making the mistakes." Here is a clip of her playing Scherzo. Go, Lillian!! We are thrilled to be bringing early childhood music education classes to Origins! Beginning in February, both Tiny Fiddlers and Young Fiddlers group music classes will be offered at Origins Preschool on Thursday mornings. More info on our classes page! And click the logo above to learn about this wonderful school!
This is Róisín. Ró is seven years old and has been playing fiddle for a little over a year. She's got a huge heart, a deep love for music, and approaches both her fiddle and the tunes with grace, curiosity, and poise.
Some things she'd like you to know: 1) She loves to spend a couple months in Ireland each summer where she knows three cats - Tigger, Isabelle, and Little Tom Joe. 2) She likes math. 3) Her favorite fiddle tune she knows is "Shortnin' Bread" and she wants to learn ""Sourwood Mountain" next. 4) Her mom makes a mean Irish Whiskey cake (ok, I wanted you to know that). One of my favorite things to do in class with Ró is to sing through all our tunes before we play them - she's got a strong and beautiful voice! This is Porter. He's five and a whole lotta fun! He's been working hard on "Hot Cross Buns," or, "Hot Cross Bones," as he calls it. Porter likes to tell stories with his music making and has such creative interpretations of the tunes and exercises we do together in our lessons. I hope he always keeps that part of himself alive and free!
Tiny Tots with Fiddles started up a few classes at Clark Fork School. These tiny fiddlers are playing their tiny fiddles while learning to sing, clap, and move to many tiny tunes...The cuteness meter goes all the way to 11! Thanks to Libby Catron-Gingerelli for the great photos.
Grow Music is gearing up and giving back to our wonderful MISSOULA community in TWO events on September 19th. First, we will be positioned at the first rest area for the Missoula Symphony Orchestra's OVANDO GRAN FONDO bike race around 9 a.m. Then we pack up and head over to HOME RESOURCE to create the soundtrack for all the participants and bystanders of SponCon during family hour - 1pm! Please come down to support these fantastic organizations and listen to great music by some of Missoula's finest young musicians. After that, we'll probably eat lots of pizza. But before pepperoni, get a taste of our first rehearsal! >>> Throwing it back to my teaching job for the wonderful YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles), which is a partnership of the Harmony Project, EXPO Center, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. This video is 14 of my youngest cellists playing my arrangement of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" and ROCKING IT!! |
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