Jan 1, 2014 ... Mr. Jones has maintained his private teaching chops by directing and ... What
was the last piece of music (sheet music or a recording) you ...
4981 Highway 7, Suite 1 Markham ON L3R 1N1 Canada M1K 3K1 Phone: 905.489.4620 Fax: 905.489.4621 www.internationalmusicacademy.ca
[email protected]
iMA Newsletter Voted top 100 educators in the world by the International Biographical Centre Winner of the Consumers’ Choice Award for best music school in the GTA. Winner of the Royal Conservatory of Music Gold Medal for Teaching Excellence. Winner of the York Region Character Community Award. Markham Board of Trade Business Excellence Award finalist. Year XVIII, No. 1
WELCOMING OUR NEW STUDENTS Registered during the first few days of December only
Anujan K. (piano)
IMA STUDENTS BIRTHDAYS IN JANUARY Natalie Z., Daniel G., Brianna M., Adit K., Charlotte G., Shane A., Katherine L., Jessica F., Doris W., Ravindran S., Sheng Z., James A., Roshnie R., Anjali M.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
IMPORTANT DAYS IN JANUARY
January 1. New Year’s Day. School is closed. January 7. Christmas (Orthodox) January 7. RCM April session applications deadline (piano) January 13-‐25. RCM Practical examinations January 17. PA day (YR) January 31. Markham Music Festival registrations deadline January 31. Chinese New Year
International Music Academy 4981 Highway 7, Unit 1 Markham ON L3R 1N1
International Music Academy January 2014
NEWS HAPPY NEW YEAR! The International Music Academy Faculty and Staff wish you a joyful, successful and healthy 2014.
IMA CHOSEN ONE OF THE TOP 100 EDUCATORS IN THE WORLD The International Music Academy was chosen as one of the “TOP 100 EDUCATORS” in the world, by the International Biographical Centre in Cambridge (England). The Award was given for “providing private music education at exceptionally high level and international standards”. A beautiful commemorative plaque is displayed at the IMA reception area. Congratulations to all Students, Parents, Faculty and Staff!
GREAT COMPOSERS BIRTHDAYS IN JANUARY January is another memorable month, particularly because of the birthday of Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus or simply known by Mozart. A child prodigy who changed the world of classical music and influenced art and culture for centuries after his death, at age of 35. 4, 1710 PERGOLESI, Giovanni Battista 4, 1874 SUK, Josef 6, 1838 BRUCH, Max 6, 1872 SCRIABIN, Alexander 7, 1899 POULENC, Francis 25, 1913 LUTOSLAVSKI, Witold 27, 1756 MOZART, Wolfgan Amadeus 31, 1797 SCHUBERT, Franz Peter Where you born or do you know someone who was born on the same day as these famous composers? Drop us an e-‐mail at
[email protected] to let us know.
PLACE THE MAILING ADDRESS LABEL INSIDE THIS BOX
2014 GREAT COMPOSERS ANNIVERSARIES • • •
C.P.E. Bach – 300 years from his birth (March 8) M. Mussorgsky – 175 years from his birth (May 21) R. Strauss – 150 years from his birth (June 11)
4. Who are your favourite composers? As a songwriter myself, this question feels difficult to answer. Different types of music mean very different things to me. I'll try and approach it by genre. Classical? Beethoven, no question. Glorious melody. Jazz? Miles Davis. Even though a lot of his best work was created through improvisation his approach to his ensembles definitely made that music possible. Folk? There simply won't be a more important single American songwriter than Woody Guthrie. He's an absolute tower of influence. Music Theatre? Jason Robert Brown is writing harmonically dense music with catchy melodies and danceable rhythms. Just amazing! Rock? I sort of consider this my home genre and for my money there is no better writer of rock music than Bruce Springsteen. 5. What was the last piece of music (sheet music or a recording) you purchased for yourself? The last piece of music I bought was a Billy Joel live album from 1980 called "Songs in the Attic". It's a great, personal document of the era and his music before he became an 80's video star. Interestingly, the last piece of sheet music I purchased was "Send in the Clowns" by Stephen Sondheim. Not exactly a matching pair…but they are both life-‐long New Yorkers, so that's something.
FEATURED TEACHER OF THE MONTH
Mr. Jeffrey Jones, B.F.A.
Guitar Studies After spending much of the last 20 years performing and writing music, Jeff Jones' compositions and performances have been heard nationally in Canada on the CBC and have charted locally on campus radio stations. The Toronto Star (reviewing a performance) warned, “We're sure to hear more greatness from Jones in years to come.” A guitarist, songwriter, singer, playwright, teacher and actor, Jeff first took on guitar students in 1996 and continued to teach privately while he has hired by the Toronto District School Board, in 2001. While working as a classroom drama and music teacher over the past 12 years, Mr. Jones has maintained his private teaching chops by directing and conducting many musical performances, taking novice players and singers and helping them hone their skills for performances in shows as diverse as Jesus Christ Superstar, Cabaret, Pink Floyd’s The Wall and many others. Mr. Jones continues to perform and write music as well as host a monthly cabaret called “The Charcoal Sketch Cabaret”. Mr. Jones was happy to answer a few questions for our students and parents: 1. What do you like most about teaching? The absolute best thing about teaching is being part of someone's "A-‐Ha" moment. That moment when a student understands something new and gets excited about it all over again is what makes teaching way more than just a job. Then the energy that follows pushes it to the next level and even bigger challenges are attempted. To see a student go through and own that moment is a truly special thing. 2. How do you inspire students to practice more? Practice is one of those tough things. It's absolutely necessary. No player has ever been great-‐even good, without a lot of practice. The best way to approach it is a "one day at a time" mentality. The best way to inspire it? It's to be appreciative of it. Whenever my students talk about a skill that I have and they are hoping to pick up, my first response is always…"It's just practice. That's the only difference. I've practiced a bit more than you. Catch up!" 3. What roles does performance play in student’s development? After a certain level, it's everything. Once the bare basics of an instrument are learned, performance comes next. It really is the venue for musical expression. Music is a communication of emotion through sound (harmony and rhythm). If you're not working with an audience, how is this communication mastered? The only way to understand the dynamics of a musical conversation is to have one. When you do, it's transformative.
FEATURED STUDENTS OF THE MONTH
Emma Grace Ortiz
What instrument do you play? I have been taking voice lessons. How long have you taken lessons? I have been taking lessons at the International Music Academy for about 2 years already. Who are your favorite musical artists? My favorite musical artists are Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. What are your other hobbies, besides music? My other hobbies are dancing, drawing, reading books and running. I also enjoy helping my mom bake desserts. I also enjoy physical activities such as volleyball, soccer, floor hockey and badminton. Favourite food? Lasagna, pizza and spaghetti. What is the coolest thing you’ve learnt in your lessons in the past three months? In the past three months I have learned to work on increasing the projection and volume of my voice. Do you have any performance coming up? I look forward to performing at the International Music Academy Winter Music Festival, on December 21.
E-‐mail to
[email protected] a photo of yourself (or your child) together with the answers of the questions above. The deadline for submissions is the 15th of every month. We will feature you in one of the next issues of the newsletter.
PET OF THE MONTH
Send a photo of your pet together with following information and we will publish it in one of the next issues of the IMA newsletter. What is the name of your pet? How old is he/she? What kind of breed our pet is (if applicable)? How long have you had him/her for? Any special circumstances around getting the pet (i.e. a gift, foster pet, etc.)? The funniest story about you pet? Any special skills or abilities? Ana Choi has an amazing pet. Learn more… What is the name of your pet? Sausagerolls How old is he/she? Not sure… What kind of breed our pet is if applicable)? The vet thinks she's between a lop and a dwarf. How long have you had him/her for? I've had her since March 2013. Any special circumstances around getting the pet (i.e. a gift, foster pet, etc.)? A friend of a friend found her abandoned on the side of the road. She has a condition with overgrown teeth that needs to be trimmed down every so often, in order for her to eat properly. The funniest story about you pet? She tries to nibble my nails if there's nail polish, she thinks it's food! Any special skills or abilities? Her only skill is being cute and demanding pets. She does this by trying to tug her head under my hand or go under my pant leg openings when I'm standing up.
Liverpool. The publication a few weeks ago of Mark Lewisohn’s Tune In − The Beatles: All These Years, Vol 1, the first of a what is likely to be a definitive three-‐volume biography, goes a long way toward giving Ringo his due. It’s one of the things I like best about a book that doesn’t just rehash the same old Beatles stories, but deconstructs, revises and sometimes rebuts them. Starkey was a sickly child and a ‘no hoper’ student, in Lewisohn’s telling, but he grew into an accomplished girl magnet and one of the best dancers in Liverpool – a guy who could flip, flop and fly the girls on the dancefloor. He ran with a rough crowd − a gang of Teddy boys – and he could play the drums. At one point, he was playing with as many as three bands a night, so in demand were his skills as a musician who helped bridge the gap between the short-‐lived skiffle era and rock ‘n’ roll. In 1960, with Ringo Starr on drums, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes were the city’s biggest band. The Beatles coveted Starr’s skills but were somewhat intimidated by him; “he looked the nasty one,” Harrison once said. He was slightly older than the rest of the Beatles, and even the never-‐easily-‐impressed Lennon embraced him as a peer. So did McCartney, saying: “He’s a grown-‐up, Ringo – always is, always has been. I suspect when he was about three he was a grown-‐ up.”
FEATURED ARTICLE
NEWS
A new book about the Fab Four gives Ringo Starr a long-‐ overdue reassessment. So, Greg Kot asks, is it time we re-‐ write myths about The Beatles’ drummer? By Greg Kot, December 12, 2013 One problem with being as big as the Beatles is that myths get ingrained and are repeated so often that they after a few decades they’re treated as fact. Ringo Starr may be one of the four most famous people ever to play in a rock ‘n’ roll band, but he’s also popularly perceived as one of the luckiest, his contributions to a legendary legacy dwarfed by those of John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. If anyone’s due for a re-‐evaluation in the most famous rock band of all time, it’s Richy Starkey, born 73 years ago in
League of his own When the Beatles finally sacked Pete Best and invited Starr to join in 1962, he set up his kit at the first show with his name on the kick drum, not the band’s. That would soon change, but the implication was that Starr didn’t feel at all out of his league in Liverpool’s fastest-‐rising rock band. They needed him perhaps more than he needed them, given the deficiencies of Best, who was essentially a one-‐trick basher and was holding them back. Harrison rhapsodised about Starr’s debut on 18 August 1962: “From that moment on, it gelled – the Beatles just went on to a different level.” “He was the guy the Beatles always wanted,” Lewisohn told me in a recent interview. “He was everything Pete Best wasn’t … He was rock steady, he could play all the styles…. [His style]
was sympathetic to everything they did … It brought an extra element to their songs that was in complete tune with what they were thinking.” He was the missing piece, even if Beatles producer George Martin didn’t immediately recognize it. Martin brought in a session drummer to help the Beatles record their first single for EMI, a slight that tainted Ringo’s relationship with the producer for years (though it’s Ringo’s version of Love Me Do that was eventually released as the single’s A-‐side; Andy White played drums on the B-‐side, PS I Love You). Shape shifter It also fed into the idea that Starr was somehow not good enough, amplified by Ringo’s own insecurities about joining the inner circle of the tight-‐knit trio up front. But those doubts evaporated when the band returned to Abbey Road studio two months later to record Please Please Me. There was no studio drummer in place this time, and Ringo’s live-‐in-‐the-‐studio performance with the other three band members exploded out of the speakers. Martin, usually ultra-‐reserved about such matters, told the band they’d just made a number one record, and he was right.
International Music Academy
GIFT CERTIFICATE for new students only
ONE FREE LESSON
Call the IMA Office at 905.489.4620 to schedule your first lesson. Once scheduled, the lesson cannot be rescheduled. Cannot be combined with any other offer. No refunds, no exchanges.
Music is sooooooooo beuatiful!
Register for lessons by January 19, 2014 and receive
Starr’s work on the Beatles recordings is astonishing, even if it didn’t jump out in the way the drumming of other ‘60s icons did – the nonstop fury of The Who’s Keith Moon, the African-‐ inspired virtuosity of Cream’s Ginger Baker, the thunderous swing of Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham. Ringo almost never gets name-‐checked as an innovator, in part because he didn’t play solos (except for the exquisite drum break on The End from the 1969 Abbey Road album). But consider how he makes the complicated shifts in métier sound effortless on Here Comes the Sun, the rolling, proto-‐metal tom-‐tom groove of Rain, the tribal dance thump of Tomorrow Never Knows, the hi-‐hat work on Come Together, the syncopated propulsion of Ticket to Ride.
$30 off
New students only. Cannot be combined with any other offer.
REFER A NEW STUDENT and GET ONE FREE LESSON!
Starr gave each song exactly what it needed, but he didn’t call attention to himself while doing it. The only thing flash about Ringo were the rings on his fingers, which inspired his nickname, and the mega-‐watt grin he wore on stage.
When you refer a new student to the IMA, who registers for lesson, you will get one free lesson for every new student. So, if you refer the IMA to 2 new students, we will give you 2 free lessons; for 3 new students – 3 free lessons etc. Fill in the coupon below and leave it with the IMA Office administrator.
“He is nowhere near as flashy as so many drummers, but that isn’t what the musicians wanted,” Lewisohn told me. “He brought his personality to the kit, but he wasn’t flash. The Beatles recorded 215 tracks (between 1962 and 1970) in all these different styles … and how many tracks have bad drumming? The answer is zero.”
Greg Kot is the music critic at the Chicago Tribune.
Your name: ______________________________ Name of the new student: __________________
If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to the IMA Facebook page or message us on Twitter.
You can print or photocopy this coupon as many times as you need. Cannot be combined with any other offer.
