I hope you all had wonderful holidays!  I am excited to be back to our regular schedule and for all the exciting things coming up!

Our next event is another recital.  It will be on Saturday, February 8.  The time and place are scheduled tentatively for 2 PM at Gateway Preparatory Academy, like it has been in the past.  Students should dress nicely for their performance.  Refreshments will be provided, as usual.

On February 15, the Orchestra of Southern Utah is having their annual Children's Jubilee at 2 PM.  Children under the age of 6 are not normally admitted to OSU concerts, but this one is special.  There will be a short concert for the children to listen to, as well as science, art, and other exhibits to enjoy after the concert ends.  It's always a lot of fun!

Saturday, March 1 is Music Festival.  Students have already registered for this event and are preparing their 2 pieces.  Students who are playing at festival may perform one of their pieces at the Feb. recital to gain some experience in playing for an audience.  I will post more details about festival in the coming weeks.  Now is the time to start scheduling practice with you accompanist, so please give him/her a call if necessary.

Keep up the good practicing!

HW

Summertime Update

School is just about over, which comes as a bittersweet thing for me as I will not be teaching orchestra again in the fall.  Part of the reason I have decided to teach private lessons only is so I can concentrate my efforts on providing each of my students with the highest quality lesson experience that I can.  There is so much information available about teaching private lessons more effectively (not to mention making it more fun :)  ), and teaching orchestra gave me no time to study that information.  I look forward to learning new teaching techniques and incorporating them into each student's lessons.

Each spring I like to evaluate the efficiency of my violin studio and see what things are going well and what things, if any, need to be changed.  The biggest change I will be making beginning in September will be in how I charge for lessons.  The cost of a month of lessons will be $50.  If a student cannot attend lessons during their regularly scheduled time, we will try to find a time to make up the missed lesson.  Make-up lessons will be held primarily on Saturdays and school holidays.  If you know you won't be available for a lesson a week ahead of time, it is often possible for me to find someone to trade lesson times.

I have scheduled many of my students for summer lesson times.  I will be teaching from 11-1 on Tuesdays and 2-5:30 on Thursdays.  If none of those times fit into your schedule, we will work together to find a time that will work better.

Thanks for being such wonderful, dedicated students and supportive parents.  I look forward to teaching lessons every day because of you!

Have a wonderful summer, and happy practicing!

HW

Festival Time is Near

Congratulations to everyone for a really great recital!  It was definitely the biggest turnout I've ever had.  I hope you enjoyed performing the pieces you've worked so hard to learn, and that you learned what you can do to improve your next performance. 

For some of you, your next performance is on March 2.  I have the festival schedule, so I can tell you what time your performance is scheduled for, and in what room at CVHS.  With only a few weeks left to prepare, now is the time to be sure your pieces are polished and memorized.  Also, be sure to schedule a time to practice with your accompanist.  It's good to do this a little in advance in case you need a few rehearsals before festival.  It makes things very difficult on your accompanist if you procrastinate the day of your rehearsal.

On festival day, you will need to be prepared with a few things. This letter explains everything you'll need. You'll need one rating record form and three judging forms.  It's good to paperclip them together to hand to the judges and tabulator.

Aside from that, I would encourage everyone to arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled performance time to unpack your instrument, warm up, make sure all your music and entry forms are ready to go, and deal with any unexpected problems.  And, of course, relax.  Your performance will go much much better if you feel calm.

Keep up the good work!

HW

It's recital time again

The recital will be held at 5:00 PM at Gateway Preparatory Academy on Thoroughbred Way in Enoch. Refreshments will be served after the recital. Performers should wear Sunday best or business casual dress. Please try to perform without the music even if you feel a little shaky on your memorization. It will help with preparing for festival.

See you Saturday!

Recital Saturday

Dear students and parents,

The much anticipated recital will held this Saturday, October 27 at 5 PM. The time has been changed in order to accommodate more students. It will be held at Gateway Preparatory Academy, 201 E Thoroughbred Way in Enoch. To get there, head north on Minersville Highway (if you come from the freeway, take the cedar city north main exit and turn west off the ramp). You will go straight through the intersection near the bowling alley. Thoroughbred is on the left. There will be a left turn arrow in the merge. Continue on that road and you will see the school on the right.

Students should wear Sunday dress. There will be refreshments after. If I haven't asked you specifically to bring something, I could still use more treats and napkins.

Thanks for all your hard work an patience. See you Saturday!

Recital Postponed

Dear students and parents,

I had planned on holding a recital this Saturday, but so few people will be able to make it that I have decided to move it to Saturday, October 27 at 3 PM. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused!

Heather Wilhelm

Wedding, October recital

As many of you know, I am getting married on September 21, so there won't be lessons from that day until Monday, October 1. I would be delighted so see you at the reception on the 22nd though!

Our first recital of the school year will be on October 13 at 3 in the afternoon. The place is still to be determined.. I will be helping students choose songs this week.

I handed out policy letters a few weeks ago. If you haven't already, please look over it. There is some new information in the "fees and payment" section. If everything looks agreeable, go ahed and fill out the back page and give it to me so I have your information in my records.

Thanks for being great students and supportive parents! I feel so lucky to have a bunch of students I look forward to teaching every day.

Happy practicing!