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Britt Violin Studio News – October 2010

Dear Parents and Students,

I can’t believe what an awesome place I’ve found to live and teach! The last few months have included some of the most wonderful experiences of my life. The children I teach here are beautiful. The families I have gotten to know are kind and loving. I am excited to be feeling well again, too! I look forward to getting to know all of you even more and watching your children grow through the upcoming years. I am thankful for everything that I have here in Fredericksburg. In this newsletter I have information about group play-ins for October and the Parent-Student-Teacher triangle!

Videos to Help You Practice

To help you practice, I created some resources and uploaded them to YouTube. I think they will be very helpful to your at-home practice:

http://www.youtube.com/user/tslemmons?feature=mhsn#g/u

Another useful site is the Mastery for Strings website created (in part) by Dr. Laurie Scott of the University of Texas:

http://www.masteryforstrings.com/video.php

Twinklers

So why is Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star so important?

When learned correctly, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star sets the student up for success through the rest of their playing years. The student needs to have mastery of each “Pre-Twinkle” step in order to play Twinkle correctly.

Pre Twinkle Activities

Listen to your Suzuki CD

Print out the Twinkle Listneing Chart and cross out a star each time you listen to the entire Twinkle Variations. The more you listen, the sooner you’ll be able to memorize the piece. The CD has a lot of beautiful music that your child will be playing soon.

2010-2011 Calendar

Fall Semester Dates:
August 30, 2010 to December 17, 2010 (16 weeks)

Fall Holidays:
Labor Day, September 6*
Thanksgiving, November 24, 25, 26, 27*

Winter Break:
December 20, 2010 through January 2, 2011

Spring Semester Dates:
January 3, 2011 to May 27, 2011 (20 weeks)

Spring Holidays:
Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, January 17*
Texas Music Educator’s Association Convention, February 9, 10, 11, 12*
Spring Break, March 12-20**
Good Friday, April 22*

*Lessons from these dates will be rescheduled.

**Lessons during Spring Break will not be rescheduled.

Upcoming Performances

Ambleside Back to School Picnic Performance

Ambleside students who have worked during the summer with Jessica Embach and Theresa Britt will perform at the Back to School picnic on August 26, 2010 in the evening at the Lady Bird Johnson park. I look forward to seeing you there!

Now Enrolling for Fall 2010

Britt Violin Studio is now relocated to the Fredericksburg, TX area. Enrollment is now in progress for lessons at my home studio and at the Ambleside and Hereitage private schools. Please contact me for more information on how to enroll. Students ages 3 to adult will be accepted. Families are welcome at a discounted rate.

Where to Shop

The goal is to find a good quality instrument that will make learning easier. There are three shops I have visited in our area that I can highly recommend:

Melody Corner in Kerrville, TX (830) 896-8933
Antonio Strad in San Antonio, TX (210) 349-9789
Hill Country Music in Fredericksburg, TX (830) 997-0900

Selecting an Instrument

We all want the most for our money, however, the old addage “you get what you pay for” really means a lot in the world of strings. There are three things you can look for in a stringed instrument that will help you make the right choice: Materials, Accessories, and Playability.

Taking Care of your Instrument

In order to protect your investment, here are some tips on how to take care of your instrument. Many simple things that can be overlooked will cause damage or wear to the instrument that can make it loose its value, good looks, ease of playability, and sound quality.