June 2011 Newsletter

Good Morning,
I don't know what the weather is like in your area but we have had the rainyist season on record! Spring passed us by but I'm hoping summer will be different. And marketing will always be there on the back of my mind. Is your website up to date? Don't have time to do it? Check out "To Market To Market" for some quick tips.

How have your year end recitals been? Mine was simple this year. We had some unexpected changes that put our lives on hold so I chose to keep my recital simple. Usually, I go all out but parents and children didn't seem to mind that there weren't any boomwackers and xylophones numbers. It was a simple recital with solo's, ensembles and goodies at the end that was completed in an hour.

There is a new product coming out for the summer! "Tempo Term Cards" are now available and they can brighten any studio and help young musicians remember music and tempo terms. Read about them further in the newsletter!

Have a sunny and warm June! Go Canucks Go! (I'm praying!)

Musicallyours,

Mrs. Lois

MYC Certified Teacher

Solo Time Music Games

info@solotimemusicgames.com

Don't forget to check out the "Resources" page at www.solotimegames.com/resources for new teaching aids for your students.

Teaching Tip - My iPhone!

My iPhone in the Studio I've blogged about my iphone before and the more I use it the I realize what an awesome tool it is in the studio. As students worked on their recital pieces over a period of three weeks this spring, I videod their performance on my iPhone. Immediately after recording, they listened to it and were able to self judge their performance. It quickly occurred to them where they needed to fix the spot that was highlighted from the week before? Could they hear dynamics and slurs in what they played? Also, video close ups of their hand position was an eye opener for some of the students who thought their hand position was okay. No more nattering from me, the video said it all! Each week the recordings showed improvement and the children could see and hear their progress. No child wanted the first videos posted to YouTube or sent to them during the first couple of weeks! The iPhone was a great tool for reinforcement and encouraging them to continue on in the pursuit of good practice habits.

Game of the Month

New Product! Bright and colourful music term cards for your class room Each term card is $1.25 Choose from over 15 different musical terms (size 8 1/2 by 11) Andante, Allegro, Moderato, Presto, Adagio Fortissimo, Pianissimo Grazioso, Dolce, Forte, Piano, Accent Legato, Staccato, Da Capo, Fermata http://on.fb.me/jtoZyG

To Market To Market - Website

Is your website up to date? New clients were phoning and requesting the times I had posted on my website for their children. Opps... I hadn't looked at my website for quite some time but quickly realized that I had last years levels and times still posted. It wasn't current for new parents to make decisions regarding their child's activities in the fall. Bad marketing mistake. Take the time to update your site soon. It's really important for your business to be current. If you don't have the time to do it, hire a programmer to do it for you. From personal experience if your budget is tight: 1) Ask for their hourly price: This way you can determine if it is in your budget. There are lots of programmers out there, keep looking until you find someone in your price range. 2) Get a quote and ask how long it will take them. Don't accept a price for work without the hours stated! Have them do an hour of work on your site and then take a look at what they accomplished in that hour. If you are happy with the work and the amount accomplished then continue with them. Lois' Tip: My time is sometimes worth the cost of having someone do it for me. It might take them an hour but might take me two hours of frustration to do it.