Spring Program 2017

Dillard Piano Studio

Spring Program

May 20, 2017  2:00 p.m.

Halloween Space Witch – Alfred d’Auberge
Chimes of Westminster – traditional/d’Auberge
        Katelyn McCracken
        2nd grade, Bluebonnet Elementary School, Flower Mound
        daughter of Michael Cindy McCracken

Nonsense Song - Alfred d’Auberge
Theme from “London Symphony” - Franz Joseph Haydn/Faber
        Ava Shirk
        3rd grade, Immaculate Conception Catholic School, Denton
        daughter of Mike and Andrea Shirk

Three Blind Mice - folk song/d’Auberge
Mickey Mouse March - Jimmie Dodd/Faber
        Grant Menard
        Kindergarten, Prairie Trail Elementary, Flower Mound
        son of Troy and Karen Menard

Long, Long Ago - traditional/d’Auberge
The Music Master - Alfred d’Auberge
        Emma Griffin
        11th grade, home-school, Carrollton
        daughter of Kristina Griffin

Old MacDonald - folk song/d’Auberge
Chopsticks - traditional/d’Auberge
        Sofia Arevalo
        4th grade, McAuliffe Elementary, Highland Village
        daughter of Armando  and Irene Arevalo

Mexican Hand-Clapping Song - Mexican folk song/d’Auberge   
I’m Popeye the Sailor Man, from Popeye the Sailor - Sammy Lerner/Alexander
        Gia Mehta
        3rd grade, Bluebonnet Elementary School, Flower Mound
        daughter of Manish and Sonika Mehta

Little German Band - Alfred d’Auberge
Clouds - Zach Soblech/Garou
        Morgan Menard
        4th grade, Wellington Elementary, Flower Mound
        daughter of Troy and Karen Menard

Crafty Crocodile – Alfred d’Auberge
A Mighty Bear – Alfred d’Auberge
        Courtney McCracken
        4th grade, Bluebonnet Elemetary School, Flower Mound
        daughter of Michael and Cindy McCracken

Swingin’ Sam - Nancy Faber
Blue Moon - Richard Rogers/Faber
        Jacob Mendizabal
        8th grade, Lake Dallas Middle School
        son of Ernesto Mendizabal and Magaly Garay

Polovetzian Dance, from Prince Igor - Alexander Borodin/Faber
Menuet, from Anna Magdalena Notebook - J. S. Bach/D’Auberge
        Ayaan Puri-Lechner
        2nd grade, Forest Vista Elementary School, Flower Mound
        son of Christian and Mamta Puri-Lechner

Ode to Joy, from Symphony No. 9 - Ludwig van Beethoven/Bastien
Amaryllis - Henri Ghys
        Shania George
        1st grade, Parkway Elementary School, Lewisville
        daughter of Globy and Mary George

In the Sweet By and By - Joseph Philbrick Webster/Leonard
Prelude in C Major, from The Well-Tempered Clavier - J. S. Bach
        Patricia Hoilen Thang
        4th grade, Founders Classical Academy, Flower Mound
        daughter of Ni Thang and Cinthluai Sung

Canon in D - Johann Pachelbel/Faber
Prelude in E Minor, Op. 28, No. 4 - Frederic Chopin
        Mark Jacobsen
        10th grade, home-schooled, Flower Mound
        son of Tom and Cindy Jacobsen

Munchies & Mingling follow in the choir room!

Our informal piano programs are an excellent opportunity to prepare your children for concerts and theater productions in formal venues by teaching them proper Concert Etiquette.

1 – Remain quiet and seated while someone is playing.  Applaud when the music is finished.

2 -  If a piece has multiple movements, applaud only after all movements are finished.  If you are unsure, a conductor’s arms will drop or a pianist’s hands will drop when all movements are done.

3 – Silence all cell phones and other electronic devices.  Do not text during a concert as the light disturbs your neighbors.

4 -  Remain seated for the entire concert.  If it is necessary to leave due to an emergency, enter or leave only during applause between pieces.

5 – Never use flash photography during a performance.  Flash affects the vision of the performers.

6 -  Professional concerts do not permit recording due to copyright and performance right laws.  Many do not permit photography either.

Reading a program:

If a piece is followed by more than one name, as in Name/Name, the first name is the composer of the piece listed and the second name is the person who wrote this particular piano arrangement.

If there is only one name, then that person is the composer and this is their original version.

If it says something like “folk song”, “traditional”, or “spiritual”, the piece is anonymous.  We do not know who originally wrote it.  It has merely been handed down through the years.

If there is a title with several Roman numeral titles under it, this is a piece with more than one “movement”.  You should not clap between the movements, but follow along and clap when the last movement is completed.  As in:

            Sonata No. 20

I.Allegro

                        II. Andante

                        III. Rondo

Program notes are often provided at a concert.  They give you more information about the composer or the piece of music, to give you more understanding or enjoyment.

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Dillard Piano and Organ Studio

Cristofori's birthday

Today is Cristofori's birthday.  Check out Google Search's tribute to him!

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl

Here is a great video about how pipe organs work:

https://www.facebook.com/DukeUniv/videos/10152902238151475/

What happens when you practice:

This is an excellent article that describes how learning takes place when you practice.  It describes in very basic terms the physical processes in the brain and nerves.   It was written for businesses that are training new employees in job skills, but it applies very well to learning a new piece on an instrument or a new athletic activity.

Note the importance of repetition.  This article states that 30-50 repetitions are required to solidify a new action.  They state this is an unrealistic expectation; however, we all know it is quite realistic and we all do it regularly.  A piece of music has been repeated at least this many times before it is mastered.

Note the importance of emotional engagement.  We all know that being emotionally engaged in the music is essential in "being musical".  It is also important in creating the neural pathways in the brain that are necessary to learn a piece of music.  An emotional disconnect from the music can be a factor in the "I've never seen this before" sensation that sometimes occurs while playing.

Finally, not the importance of de-stressing.  In order to be successful, you must not stress yourself out over  learning something new (or re-learning something old).  Stress inhibits the brain's ability to engage in any activity and creates tension that interferes with muscle responses.  Learning music should be challenging, but not intimidating.  Approach new pieces with self-confidence and open expectation.

They do make a statement that skills training does not work.  They are referring to the typical skills training that is used in most businesses, which consists of demonstration followed by only a few repetitions by the new employee before they are expected to be proficient.  As we know, this does not work; this is what happens when you "don't practice".  The music never progresses past a sight-reading stage.  If the piece is below your technical skill level, the notes may be there for the most part, but they are never solid and that added emotional level that constitutes making music never occurs.

http://www.p3t.com/downloads/eletter_nov09.pdf

So....  PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

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