September 2023 Newsletter
In This Month’s Newsletter
Releasing Tension
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
Coming in September!
Referral Program
Releasing Tension
A primary goal of making music, whether singing, playing the piano, or playing any other instrument, is to release tension. To the greatest extent possible, we want to strive for tension-free singing and tension-free playing.
Tension is tightness, and it can occur all over our bodies, inside and out, up and down. Tension can happen even if we are unaware of its presence. Tension can reduce our effectiveness in singing and playing, can increase anxiety while playing, and can induce soreness, pain, and even injury.
One ironic problem with striving to reduce or eliminate tension is that too much effort placed on trying to get rid of tension too quickly can actually increase tension. A teacher who over-stresses the idea of reducing tension with a student, for example, is likely to increase both anxiety and tension in that student. Of great importance, therefore, is that the learning environment itself needs to be tension-free.
Effective teachers learn and develop ways to help students reduce tension by employing effective teaching strategies that include nurturing healthy relationships with students, developing each student’s trust and confidence in themselves and their abilities, and helping students release tension without necessarily (specifically, or always) calling it that, maintaining a tension-free learning environment, and teaching healthy singing and playing technique that avoids, reduces, or releases tension.
Effective teachers also know the importance of time. Working on improving things too fast, too aggressively, with too much emphasis on right-ness and wrong-ness, often results in negative outcomes. Teaching and learning in a stress-free and tension-free environment can go a long way toward letting time heal wounds and solve technical struggles. Many problems work themselves out over time simply by being in a healthy environment.
Some students have trouble recognizing that they are holding tension in their bodies. For these students, it can be helpful to employ simple exercises that enable a student to feel the difference between holding tension and releasing tension. For some students, it can be difficult to release tension, or even simply to relax certain parts of their bodies.
Here are some tension-reducing activities that can help some students “feel what it feels like” to have less tension. Perform these exercises several times each, on many occasions (such as daily) over an appropriate (extended) period of time.
1. Lift your shoulders high (to ears), hold, and then release (drop) them.
2. Lift your arms high, reaching up to “touch the sky,” hold, and then release (drop) them.
3. Spread your hands wide open, fingers outstretched, hold, and then release them.
4. Open mouth very wide, as in a huge yawn, hold, then release mouth, jaw, and face.
5. Stand, twist back and forth at the waist, and let your arms flop around freely, wherever they go.
6. Walk, and while walking, let your arms flop freely at your side, or wherever they go.
7. Spread your feet wide open, toes outstretched, hold, and then release them.
Once the above are mastered, these additional exercises can be used. (Be aware that some students will unconsciously try to control the drop, slowing it down. The goal is to completely “let go” and drop freely.)
8. Stand, lift arms parallel with the floor, hold, then release them, dropping by side.
9. Sit in an open chair, lift up arms parallel to the floor, hold, then release them, dropping them in the lap. Finally, work on the breath, and breathing.
10. Take in a deep breath of air, without lifting the shoulders or clenching any muscles. Hold in the air, release any part of the body that feels tight, and then release, let it all go.
Engage in these activities without trying to apply them directly or immediately to the voice, piano, or other instrument. Focus for a time just on the feeling of releasing tension.
Here is a link to a video with this information and practice ideas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzyxkUQG5Eo
Let’s go release some tension!
IMPORTANT DATES:
Labor Day - September 4
Online Forums - In Person Combos - September 16
Upcoming Recitals and Forums
Recitals:
In-person
Saturday, October 28, 2 pm, RSVP required
Location - TBD
Forums:
Online - In Person:
Saturday, September 16, 9:00 am RSVP required Zoom, Laguna Niguel School of Music
Saturday, October 14, 9:00 am RSVP required Zoom Laguna Niguel School of Music
Saturday, November 4, 9:00 am RSVP required Zoom Laguna Niguel School of Music
Please welcome our NEW Students who enrolled in July!
Aramis G.
Colter T.
All our Music Mommy & Me Playdates!
and,
All our Summer Piano Camp Friends!
Student of the Month
Ryan Smart
Ryan started taking piano lessons with Dr. Dennis about one year ago. He started at the beginning and has now completed Book 1, and has started Book 2! Ryan says he likes learning new songs, especially hard songs that he never thought he would be able to play. Last year, Ryan performed a piano compilation at his school talent show.
One day Ryan might want to learn the harmonica, but for now, he is happy with learning the piano! Ryan likes that Dr. Dennis breaks up teaching by introducing some progressively harder songs, but also includes some easier songs. He likes that Dr. Dennis incorporates activities and questions into the lessons. Ryan’s sister, Rachel, also takes turns practicing on the piano and takes piano lessons from Dr. Dennis.
While recess is Ryan’s favorite time at school, and he plays soccer with his friends, he also really likes writing because “you can think up anything you want.” Ryan is an advanced student of Karate on his way to earning his black belt. This June was Ryan’s first overseas trip, traveling to his maternal side’s ancestral home in Taiwan, and meeting his 100-year-old grandmother. He hiked in the mountains, went to night markets, and ate new foods!
Teacher Spotlight
Ziad Asadi
Mr. Ziad has been playing music since he was six years old. He started taking lessons on piano and then learned violin and viola for his middle and high school orchestras. Later in college, while studying at UC Davis, Mr. Ziad started his own music ensemble called the Video Game Orchestra, a group that continues to arrange and perform music from video game soundtracks. Since graduating, Mr. Ziad regularly plays with the Southland Symphony Orchestra and has started learning to play the tenor saxophone.
He really loves playing different kinds of music and instruments!
When Mr. Ziad teaches, he says he aims to ensure that his students become more comfortable with their instruments. He helps his students learn music that helps them master each instrument’s fundamentals, and also to play tunes they love listening to.
He strives to allow for creative freedom. Mr. Ziad’s number one goal for teaching is to have his students enjoy the experience and rejoice in the little improvements they make every day.
Days & Deeds of Dr. Dennis
I lived in Laguna Hills for several years while raising my children. I love Laguna Hills! I lived off of La Paz and Aliso Hills, on Luna Bonita. When my daughter was a toddler, she called our city, “A Goon of Hills!” My children attended a variety of Laguna Hills schools including Valencia Elementary School and Laguna Hills High School. In high school, my daughter played a lead role in The Fantasticks one year, and I played the piano for the musical, as the orchestra. We loved the parks, especially El Conejo Park, Mendocino Park (with the giant turtle), and the Prehistoric Playground (“Dinosaur Park”) at the Laguna Hills Community Center and Sports Complex. My kids played (and I coached) AYSO Soccer and Laguna Hills Little League. For several years they also enjoyed Laguna Hills summer camps, including Build-a-Fort! As a musician, I performed in piano recitals with other Saddleback College music students at the Laguna Hills Community Center, which also hosts the Music Teacher Association of California, Orange Coast Cities branch (MTAC OCC) meetings. And I have performed piano and vocal concerts at some of the Laguna Hills retirement communities and other locations, including Villa Valencia, Laguna Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center, and private homes and businesses in the area. The whole family enjoyed shopping, dining, and movie theater outings to the Laguna Hills Mall, and we’re interested in the new Five Lagunas development!
Over the past several years, we have held several recitals at the Laguna Hills Community Center, in Heritage Room C, where they have a stage and a beautiful grand piano, and will be holding more in the future, including this year’s Christmas and Holiday Recital (December 21).
Inspirations
“Then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce
and the trees of the field will bear their fruit.” -
Leviticus 26:4
“Try to remember the kind of September, When life was slow and oh so mellow.
Try to remember the kind of September, When grass was green and grain was yellow.
Try to remember the kind of September, When you were a tender and callow fellow.
Try to remember, and if you remember, Then follow.“
- Tom Jones (from The Fantasticks)
Did You Read Your Newsletter Contest?
September 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 Vasily Chovkovy
Vasily 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, Vasily!
Everyone, be sure to read your newsletter each month!
MUSIC MOMMY & ME
Morning Classes
Thursday mornings,
9:00-10:00 am, ages 3-4
10:15-11:15 am. ages 0-2
Coming in September!
Choir, Band, Orchestra, Strings, Rock Band, and Musical Theater!
Call for more information at (949) 844-9051
