Keeping the Music Alive In July
Wednesday, July 3, 2019 by Caitlin Peach | Uncategorized
I don't know if you guys are like me, but it seemed like I blinked and it was suddenly July! My summer break is half over! I know I certainly have not completed everything I had hoped to by now on my list for summer, so I'm setting weekly goals for myself this final month before school starts back up of things to complete. In doing so, it got me thinking about how beneficial this would be for my students, as well. It is so easy in the Summer to truly take a break from everything, but in doing so our skills tend to fall behind and we have to spend extra time in the Fall catching up to where we left off at the beginning of Summer. So here are some tasks I'm giving all of my students this week and some ideas to keep involved in music in some way during what is left of our summer break!
1. I'm going to be asking all of my students next week for one goal for the month of July. This can be a piece they want to complete, a technical skill they want to master, a set number of minutes that month they want to practice, faster note reading, a stronger focus on theory, mastery of scales, etc. We are going to write down everyone's goals for the month of July and put together a weekly game plan to keep everyone on their targets. I encourage all of my students to start thinking about this now!
2. One thing I LOVE about the summer are all of the opportunities there are to go see musical performances. Check out some of your local groups. I have included some below with links to their website and/or Facebook pages. Go out and catch a live performance! Nothing encourages me more to want to grow myself as a musician than going and seeing others perform. Check out a live musical, too! There are so many opportunities out there for us musicians beyond a symphony setting, I know for myself, I LOVE performing in a pit orchestra for musicals. Not only are you getting the chance to see different types of performing groups, but it'll expose you to different types/styles of music and performances that are out there. Here are just a few of the opportunities I know that are out there - I will continue to update this list as I find more - so keep checking back! You can click on the name and it'll take you directly to more information about the group and a performance schedule.
Illinois Groups
Alton Municipal Band - FREE - Concerts on Thursdays and Sundays
Edwardsville Community Symphony - FREE - Concerts on Sundays
Riverbend Theater - Drowsy Chaperone (Musical)
Alton Little Theater - The Wizard of Oz (Musical)
Carollon Concerts at Gordon Moore - FREE - On Sundays - Walk through the garden or bring a blanket and listen to the bells being performed
Missouri Groups
St. Charles Symphony Orchestra - Lots of FREE concerts
The Muny - You can get FREE seats if you arrive early!
Whitaker Music Festival - Held at the Botanical Gardens
Jungle Boogie at the STL Zoo - FREE - Held on Friday evenings for all ages
Chesterfield Summer Concert Series - FREE - At Faust Park on Tuesday Evenings
Grooving in the Garden - Held at the Magic House - FREE with Museum admission
Chesterfield Amphitheater - Check out the Gateway Festival Orchestra - FREE concert in July!
Union Avenue Opera - Candide, La Boheme and Glory Denied
3. Play for your friends and family! I know with my family in the summer, we have a lot more family gatherings. With those, this is the perfect opportunity to perform for or with your family! Look up some easy popular songs that you can play for your family and friends and have them sing along with you. Not only are you getting a chance to practice and your family and friends get to hear you play, BUT you'll be working on your sight reading skills AND on your performance nerves, which will pay off around concert/audition/solo and ensemble time - it's a WIN-WIN situation!
Summer doesn’t have to be a time of year when your musical endeavors are put on hold –
it is an opportunity for adding extra music to enrich your summer activities.
I hope you all have a GREAT 4th of July and enjoy whatever celebrations you have planned!
I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at their next lesson!
Ms. Peach
