October 25, 2024: Friday Medley!
Happy Friday!
Just a quick reminder:
Next week, starting tomorrow, Saturday 10/26, through Friday, Nov 1, is our scheduled studio off-week.
There will be no regular lessons unless special arrangements have been made with Dr. Dennis or the office.
Our Halloween Recital is going to be a monstrous mash of music of all kinds - fun, serious, beautiful, and spooky!
Congratulations to our Concert Performance Team who performed last weekend on Sunday, 10/20/24 in Mission Viejo (see photo).
Christmas & The Holiday Season Recitals:
Sign-ups will begin next week.
Please see below under Recitals for more information.
Special Theme Recital coming in January
Get ready for our first special theme recital on Friday, January 10, 2025, in the evening at the beautiful and acoustically brilliant venue, Chamber Music OC, in Lake Forest. This will be a Friday Medley audition-only recital for students and teachers wishing to participate. Performers can be at any level, including beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The recital will be recorded.
The theme for this Friday recital is “Sets of Music”
The requirements for participation are:
a) Play a full set of some music (could be the first five songs or any complete Part in the Presto! It’s Piano Magic book series, all three movements of a sonatina, or both parts of a two-part published work, or many other options and combinations - please discuss with your teacher or email Dr. Dennis with questions and ideas);
b) Play from memory;
c) Complete your audition (and be invited to participate).
Students of every level from beginner to advanced can prepare and participate in this exciting Friday Medley event!
FSP
Our Families Support Performers program is shaping up, and we appreciate the families who have signed up to help out at our studio recitals so far! You can sign up for upcoming recitals here:
https://forms.gle/kiERAk8rmRuqREus8
Additional Lesson Rooms and More Music-Making Opportunities!
The Laguna Niguel School of Music has expanded into Suite 205, on the second floor of our Crown Valley Pkwy location, bringing you even more opportunities for music-making, including our Friday Medley events! We will have additional lesson rooms and a larger ensemble space for choir, string quartets, wind ensembles, and musical theater.
One of our lesson rooms will be specially designed as a sensory-safe “soft” room, while another will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology for music composition and production. Students can learn how to compose, arrange, engrave, record, and mix tracks to produce music and distribute it in electronic formats!
Forum is coming! What is forum?
Forum is a weekly practice-performance opportunity for students. At no additional charge, students can attend forum with a group of other students and families, and practice their performance pieces in front of a small audience.
Benefits of forum include:
1. Regular performance practice.
2. Encouraging students to practice during the week to prepare for forum, in addition to lessons and recitals.
3. Helping students to become more and more comfortable performing in front of others.
4. Providing an opportunity for students to collaborate (for example, playing duets, trios, quartets, accompaniments, combos, and even musical theater numbers, dances, or skits).
5. Keeping music more purposeful and meaningful in students’ lives. Students can make music, perform, and entertain, and experience more frequently the rewards of this real music-making.
6. Providing an additional social aspect to music learning.
7. Offering exceptional value to students and families.
Forums will take place Friday evenings, Saturday mornings, and Sunday afternoons. There will be two 30-minute sets, back-to-back. Participating students must agree to stay for the whole 30 minutes of a set, and they can optionally stay for both sets.
Recitals
Halloween Recital
Our Halloween Recital takes place on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at Shepherd of the Hills UMC, 26001 Muirlands Blvd, Mission Viejo, CA 92691. There will be two performances: 2:00 pm and 3:30 pm.
Christmas & Holidays Recitals
Get ready to sign up for a spot on the program!
We will have FOUR options to attend the Christmas & Holiday Season Recital, over two dates and two time options each date:
Wednesday, November 27, 2024 (the day before Thanksgiving Day), 2:00 and 3:00 pm, at the Laguna Hills Community Center.
Sunday, December 8, 2024, 4:00 and 5:30 pm, at the Norman P. Murray Center in Mission Viejo.
We will provide a sign-up form soon to request one of these recital days and times.
Friday Youth Choirs
Our youth choirs have started and we have an offer for you! (And you can share this with a friend!)
The first 5 students at each age level (8-12, 13-17, and 18+) to join choir will receive 50% off their monthly membership… FOR LIFE!
This means that participating in choir will cost only $89.50/mo, for as long as you are continuously enrolled in choir!
We are forming two youth choirs, one for ages 8-12, and one for ages 13-17.
(We are also forming an adult choir, ages 18+.)
Youth choirs are meeting on:
Saturdays. Ages 8-12 from 1:00-2:00pm, and ages 13-17 from 2:30-3:30pm.
Adult choir will meet on Tuesday evenings from 6:15-7:15 pm.
Choir will follow our regular school calendar and perform at recitals, concerts, and special events.
Our youth vocal/choral teacher/director is the skilled, experienced, fun, and all around wonderful Miss Kendra (aka “Auntie KK”). Our adult vocal/choral teacher/director is the skilled, experienced, fun, and all around wonderful Miss Liezl!
Tuition will correspond with our Black & White “Kitten on the Keys” membership pricing of $179/mo for new students. (Enrolled students who wish to participate will retain their price for life guarantee and come in at their locked-in rate.) First 5 students in each group will receive 50% off this price - for life!
Please reply to this email if you are interested in joining the choir! (Or forward it to a friend!)
Did You Know…
Our Price-for-Life Guarantee is for real!
When we say your price is locked in for life, we mean it!
It is a fun fact that students who enrolled in 2016 are still receiving their 2016 rate.
Students who enrolled in 2018 are still receiving their 2018 rate.
Students who enrolled in 2022 and 2023 are still receiving their 2022 and 2023 rate.
Founders at the Laguna Niguel School of Music are still receiving their founder’s rate!
And all of our students will continue to receive their original locked-in rate, for life, as long as they stay continuously enrolled.
Let’s talk more about Recitals!
Performing music is one of the benefits of learning music - it allows us to apply what we’ve learned, to take pride in our work and accomplishments, to express ourselves and be creative, to gain confidence, and to have fun and enjoyment in making music!
Performing music is also one of the motivators in learning music. We want to practice and prepare our music because we want to perform and make music!
Performing music is one of the ways a solo/individual activity can become a group/social activity.
Performing music provides us opportunities to spread joy and make others happy - they get to listen to and enjoy the music we make!
We believe in performance opportunities, so we provide lots of them!
Here is an overview of some of these opportunities.
In ongoing communications we will continue to provide more details and chances to sign up, etc.
The Studio Recital - We host studio recitals at least four times a year (one per quarter). All students are invited and encouraged to perform at studio recitals, including very beginners and very advanced students and musicians. Our next studio recital is coming up on October 26, 2024. An email will be sent soon for families to sign up!
The Solo Recital for Family and Friends - We encourage students to prepare, produce, perform, and preserve in-home or in-neighborhood solo (or sibling / small group) recitals for family and friends. We offer a guide with detailed instructions and suggestions for how to put on a wonderful recital that your parents and families will cherish. It’s on our website, and printed versions are available in our school/office lobby. And your teacher will help you and give you additional ideas!
https://www.lagunaniguelschoolofmusic.com/preparing-producing-performing-solo-recital
The Concert Performance Team - Participating students perform special monthly concerts in community, residential, and health centers around Orange County. Our third CPT performance is 11/17/2024, 2:00 pm, at Palm Terrace Healthcare & Rehab Center in Laguna Hills.
Specialty & Themed (Auditioned) Recitals - We host recitals with a specialty or theme for students who wish to perform more, and to perform at a high level. Our next such recital will be held on January 10, 2025, and will feature students who memorize and play a complete set of music. A complete set could be defined by the composer, or be one Chapter or Part of a music book, or all the movements of a sonatina or sonata, etc. Keep a lookout for more information and how to sign up and audition.
Destination Recitals - Our first destination recital will be a day trip to the Los Angeles or San Diego area on Saturday, May 10, 2025. Subsequent destinations will include multi-day trips out of state. Our longer-term goals include arranging destination recitals to Carnegie Hall in New York, and perhaps Nashville, Tennessee, and maybe one day to Europe, Asia, and other international locations!
Exams and Honors Programs - These programs offer additional higher-intensity opportunities for students to perform their music, including for panels and judges! One of these is the Music Teacher Association of California (MTAC) Certificate of Merit (CM) program.
This year we have four students participating in
CM 2025:
Caleb K. (Level 10/Advanced)
Elliot M. (Level 6)
Eleanor M. (Level 2)
Emma L. (Level 4)
Let’s give these students our best wishes and encouragement! They are working very hard and will experience proud rewards from their efforts!
MTAC Community Recitals - We encourage students who are ready and interested in performing for MTAC (and other music organizations) community recitals and events. These are invitational only (please discuss with your teacher if you are interested in future performances).
Congratulations to student
Greyson Avila
who recently performed Arabesque No. 1 by Debussy in the MTAC Orange Coast Cities Community Recital at the Laguna Hills Community Center on Sunday, October 6, 2024.
Did You Know…
We Teach Many Instruments!
We proudly offer the highest quality, healthy, and rewarding music lessons in piano, voice, guitar (acoustic, electric, and bass), ukulele, drums & percussion, strings (violin, viola, cello), wind and reed instruments (clarinet, flute, saxophone, recorder), brass instruments (trumpet, trombone, tuba/euphonium, French horn), and a few instruments you might not expect, such as mandolin and banjo! We also teach early childhood music, musical theater, acting, and voice over! And, music theory (classical and jazz), music composition, and songwriting!
And More!...
Our weekday afternoon lesson schedule is filling up. We also have availability weekends, Saturdays and Sundays, mornings, and evenings.
Participation in our weekly Music Playdates in the Parks keeps increasing! Playdates are hosted by Miss Suzanne (Wednesdays) and Miss Kendra “Auntie KK” (Saturdays) at 10:30am. Please find the calendar here:
https://www.lagunaniguelschoolofmusic.com/music-playdates-in-the-park-laguna-niguel
Some families are asking about music-themed birthday parties. If this is of interest to you, please let us know! We are considering putting together birthday party playdate packages.
Have a magical Friday, a musical weekend, and a spooky month of October,
as we round the corner into November!
Thank you,
Dennis Frayne
"Dr. Dennis"
Laguna Niguel School of Music
Dennis Frayne Music Studios
30110 Crown Valley Pkwy, Suites 105/107/108
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 844-9051 (office cell)
(949) 468-8040 (personal cell)
www.lagunaniguelschoolofmusic.com
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