In This Month’s Newsletter

An Interview with Parent R. S.

Important Dates
Upcoming Recitals and Forums
Welcome Our New Students
Student of the Month
Teacher Spotlight
Days and Deeds of Dr. Dennis
Did You Read Your Newsletter Contest?
Mommy and Me
Also Coming!
Referral Program

An Interview with Parent R. S.

I do recommend Dennis Frayne Music Studios. I have a 7-year-old son who’s been taking piano lessons from Dr. Dennis for one-and-a-half years. We started right when he turned six and it’s been a really good experience. It hasn’t been without challenges, as my son is a very strong spirit and an independent spirit. He started out wanting to take piano lessons, and then I suppose the novelty kind of wears off. But I value him practicing piano. It’s part of our family heritage - my grandmother played piano and passed it down. We have a piano in our home, and it’s like a part of our family culture. So I really really want him to practice. I also think it’s really good for his fine motor skills, which is an area that he needed a little extra special attention.

Music is a skill and an art that we don’t have anywhere else in our schedule. We do baseball and other activities. So I’ve really enjoyed that he’s taking piano lessons, even if he sometimes gets a little bit frustrated with it. Dr. Dennis remains extremely supportive of my son. And he has also been extremely supportive of me. He talks with me about making plans for how we can help him through a slump. I’ve just felt very supported the whole time. We have been able to work together very well, and I know that Dr. Dennis really appreciates my son’s independent spirit and creativity and doesn’t ever punish him for that. He actually encourages it while still guiding him. And so that is something I really value and appreciate in Dr. Dennis’ program and his vision. Having an independent, thinking child who may not always be the easiest to instruct, especially when he’s feeling bored or just kind of over it. Dr. Dennis has always helped him through times of frustration and continued on the journey, and I’m really proud of the growth and resilience my son has made under his guidance.

My son’s playing may not be picture-perfect or Instagram-worthy or anything like that, but I notice the little things, like he said the other day, “Wow, it’s not hard anymore.” I know that part of Dr. Dennis’ philosophy is that you don’t have to do any specific practice unless you want to. So I didn’t make him practice, but he started playing every morning, and I’ve seen him work on things, like when he makes a mistake, he’ll go back and try it again. He won’t just walk away from the piano. He might not articulate his feelings other than, “It’s fine,” but I see in his actions that he’s more resilient when he chooses to sit down and practice of his own free will. And he will put attention and care into how he does things he likes to do, maybe at very different speeds than I would play them!

So now he plays almost every day. He will walk fast to our piano, which is right by our front door, and he’ll just start playing something. It just makes a big difference to me because it is important to me that the piano gets used. It’s my grandmother’s piano and he’s using it and I know deep down he’s enjoying it because he’s choosing to do that. There was an incident where he was really angry about something and kind of kicking stuff around the house. But then I was just being quiet and letting him work it out, and at some point, he walked over to the piano and started playing. And that’s what I hoped for him, that learning the piano could be another tool for connecting to himself in his own unique way and expressing himself while also like maybe a release in some way. I don’t play music so I don’t totally know, but I know that people do get emotional and physical benefits from playing music. So it is important to me that this experience of piano supports that. And that it’s not just some kind of drill and like to do it because you have to, and do it that way, kind of thing. I really appreciate Dr. Dennis’s philosophy. I know that his way of teaching includes the individual and what they can and will bring and develop as their unique self. So that’s how I feel about this experience totally. I love that.

I recommend the Dennis Frayne Music Studio to anyone who wants their child to learn how to enjoy their own way of learning piano. My child is a very independent and creative thinker and doer and Dr. Dennis totally encourages and facilitates that kind of growth and development and relationships with learning piano. So I very much appreciated Dr. Dennis and his school’s philosophy. I just think it’s a really great way to learn a hard but beautiful skill.

IMPORTANT DATES:

In- person Recital (at Hoson House) - Aug. 26
Other Online Forums - August 19

Upcoming Recitals and Forums

Recitals:

In-person Recital:

Hoson House 1961 Irvine Blvd, Tustin, CA 92780

August 26, 2023, Saturday afternoon 2:30 pm and 4:00 pm

RSVP required

Forums:

Saturday mornings at 9:00 am

Zoom

No RSVP required

August 19, 2023

Please welcome our NEW Students who enrolled in June!

Daedalus D.

Thelonious D.

Maddie I.

Marcellino M.

Marcus M.

Geethika S.

Koushik S.

Ario S.

Student of the Month

Arya Parag

Arya began taking piano lessons when she was six years old. She started studying with Dr. Dennis in 2019. Her favorite thing about playing the piano is how everything comes together after all the practice, and she can play the music correctly, with it sounding right. She is happily playing the piano and doesn’t really want to play any other instrument! Arya enjoys literature and writing. She loves to read books. (She also likes office supplies and school supplies!) She practices calligraphy, sewing, and art, and is learning Kung Fu. Some of her favorite places she has visited include Wyoming in the winter, Big Bear in the winter, Alaska on a Disney cruise, and Nevada in an RV.

Arya reached the level of advanced piano while in middle school. On her journey, she has played several Clementi sonatinas, Bach inventions, and Mozart pieces, and is currently working on a Beethoven sonata first movement. She is also entering the level of advanced music theory. Arya has a younger brother, Devyn, who also plays the piano (and they work on a lot of music theory together).

Teacher Spotlight

Daniel Diaz

Daniel Diaz is a pianist, percussionist, music director, and teacher with a deep passion for understanding, performing music and teaching music. Mr. Daniel seeks to leave students with a great appreciation for their music and their instrument while keeping music exciting and instilling confidence.

Mr. Daniel is working towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Music with a focus on percussion, jazz drum set, and piano accompaniment. He is the recipient of a Young Jazz Scholarship and the university Music Scholarship awards at California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo. Mr. Daniel has performed with the Ventura College Symphony Orchestra, the Ventura College Jazz Band, the Cal Poly Symphony, and the Cal Poly Jazz Big Band. Some of his favorite performances include Paul Creston’s Concertino for Marimba, and Worlds Away, by Emelina Gorcheva and Miroslav Dimov.

Mr. Daniel believes that music is the universal language and that there’s magic in music that is a lifelong gift for students at every stage of their musical journey.

Days & Deeds of Dr. Dennis

I love the city of Aliso Viejo. It is a beautiful and well-groomed city with many fun things to do. Especially when I lived in Laguna Hills with my family, we spent a lot of time in Aliso Viejo. My kids loved to go ice skating at the Aliso Viejo Ice Palace, and my son (Mr. Denny) even played a little ice hockey there. My children played AYSO soccer and I coached at Acorn Park off of Wood Canyon, we shopped at the Aliso Viejo Town Center, and we saw a lot of movies at the Regal Edwards Cinemas. I particularly enjoyed breakfast at Bagels & Brew (that location has now closed, but we still go to the one in Lake Forest!). We spent time at the Aliso Viejo Library. We’ve seen some wonderful performances at SOKA University, we went to mass sometimes at Corpus Christi, and one of my daughters really liked attending Coast Hills Church for a time. And we loved shopping for groceries at Trader Joe’s at The Commons.

Inspirations

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

Matthew 7: 7-8

“This morning, the sun endures past dawn. I realize that it is August: the summer’s last stand.”

Sara Baume

Did You Read Your Newsletter Contest?

August 2023

To encourage everyone to read the Dennis Frayne Music Studio Newsletter, each month we’ll feature a new contest winner or a new contest. Be sure to read your newsletter each month to see if your name has been drawn or you might miss out!

This month’s winner is Ishaan La Londe

Ishaan has won 10 tickets which can be redeemed for prizes at the

Dennis Frayne Music Studio, Laguna Niguel!

To collect your prize tickets just bring this to the office.

Congratulations, Ishaan!

Everyone, be sure to read your newsletter each month!

MUSIC MOMMY & ME

Morning Classes

Beginning July 31, 2023,

9:00-10:00 am, ages 3-4

10:15-11:15 am. ages 0-2

Also coming in August and September!

Choir, Band, Orchestra, Strings, Rock Band, and Musical Theater!

Call for more information at (949) 844-9051

Referral Program

If you have a friend who might like to take lessons, refer them to

Dennis Frayne Music Studio, Laguna Niguel.

If they register for lessons, we’ll give you each twenty-five dollars plus make donations to Scholarship Squirrel and Children’s Hospital of Orange County!

You will receive your $25 as a credit on your account, they will receive $25 off their first registration/tuition payment, and Scholarship Squirrel and CHOC each will receive a $25 donation.

It’s very easy to refer someone. Just send an email to us both and share their name(s)!

There’s no maximum to the amount of credits and donations that you can receive and give!

Help us grow our music studio and let’s give a little back to our community and to children in need of special assistance and care.

August 2023 Newsletter