Summer Recitals, A New Make-up Option, and much more!
SUMMER RECITALS
Saturday, August 15, 2020
We are excited to announce that the Cascade Township has given us permission to offer a summer recital on the library lawn. Here’s what you need to know!
20×24′ stage provided by the township
Recital times: 3 pm, 4pm, 5pm, & 6pm
20 performer maximum per recital (strictly followed)
Current crowd limit per executive order is 100, so performers must request tickets to help us comply (4 TICKET LIMIT). If that changes, we will adjust tickets accordingly. Performers will not need a ticket.
BYOB – Bring Your Own Blanket (or lawn chair). Each family should plan to maintain a safe distance from others.
We are now offering Video Lessons for students that are unable to attend their regularly scheduled lesson. Video Lessons will be recorded by your student’s teacher during their regular lesson time and then uploaded to a private YouTube channel. Once The video lesson has been uploaded, you will receive a link to the video lesson. Please note that all video lesson links will not be instantly available, but will be emailed within 48 hours of the missed lesson. Video lessons will be 8-10 minutes in length and can contain multiple shorter videos for your convenience!
Students may request a video lesson up to 5 minutes prior to the start of their regularly scheduled lesson. Video lesson will NOT be available for missed lessons without advance notice.
DON’T FORGET! You can access your online lessons and/or additional lesson material through our Student Resource Center. Need the link, again? We can send it via email or text!
2020 ACADEMY CALENDAR
SUMMER RECITAL
Saturday, August 15
(clickHEREto register – VERY limited spots remaining)
ROCK & ROLL RECITAL
(at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH)
Saturday, September 5
THANKSGIVING BREAK
No Lessons
Tuesday, November 24 – Saturday, November 28
(lessons resume on Sunday, November 29)
WINTER RECITALS
Saturday, December 5
Sunday, December 6
Sunday, December 13
HOLIDAY BREAK
No Lessons
Tuesday, December 22, 2020 – Sunday, January 3, 2021
Congratulations to everyone who continues reaching their musical goals and keeps climbing higher on the Musical Ladder!
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Say hello to Payton!
Payton is a multi-instrumentalist that has been studying guitar at the Academy for two years. In addition to enjoying music from AC/DC, the Eagles, and Journey, she also has a passion for gymnastics, diving, dogs, hanging out with her friends, and spending time at the lake. Additionally, Payton’s favorite food is peanut butter and her favorite animal is a polar bear. When asked where she would most like to travel Payton shared her interest in going to Churchill, Canada.
When it comes to her guitar lessons, Payton loves learning new soloing techniques. Her advice for other students is, “Put in the effort now and it will pay off later… but, have fun doing it!”
Payton will also be traveling to Cleveland, Ohio this September to perform at our destination recital at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!
SPRING REFERRAL CONTEST
Refer a new student to the Academy by August 31, and you could win a family photography session ($175 value) with Jules K. Photography.
PLUS! We’ll give you $225 towards a photo package.
Better Together in Cleveland, Summer Recital Updates, Group Make-Ups are back and more!
OUR CLEVELAND DESTINATION RECITAL JUST GOT BETTER!
We are super excited to announce that our destination recital on Saturday, September 5 is going to be even better than we anticipated! The Carmel Music Academy of Carmel, IN, owned by Jon E. Gee of the John Mellencamp band and his wife, Sondra Gee, are sharing the stage with us! Matt and Jon will MC the event, and you will get to hear Jon’s thoughts about when to start music lessons, the best way to learn, what it’s like being in a touring band, and more! Students will also be able to submit questions they want Jon to answer.
Still on the fence about joining us? Know that Ohio has been open longer than Michigan, and the number of cases continue to trend down. The Rock Hall has health guidelines in place, including keeping the performance theater at 50% capacity, so we are confident about spending time in Cleveland. Plus, we have reserved rooms in a 5 star Hilton hotel, walking distance from the theater, at a great rate just for our group!
How do you get involved? Reply to this email and we’ll send you all the info. There is a participation fee and only a few slots left, so be sure to reply asap if you or your child is interested in performing. Drums are provided and you only need to bring your guitar/bass (or voice). The trip is a 4-5 hour drive, and we are all planning our own car pools.
So… please let us know soon if you or your child would like to perform and you’ll get to say, “Hello, Cleveland!”
HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE
4TH OF JULY!
Not a student, yet? Be sure to give us a call at (616) 965-1655 and ask about our 4th of July music lesson sale. We’ll be closed on the 4th, but at the office the rest of the weekend.
PROGRESS ON SUMMER RECITAL DETAILS
We have a potential date and location for a summer recital! The Cascade Township Board will be voting on Wednesday, July 8 for final approval on whether we can use the CASCADE LIBRARY LAWN and their 24′ stage on Saturday, August 15 (rain date August 22). We’ll update you as soon as we hear!
NEW GROUP MAKE-UP SCHEDULE AND OPTIONS!
We’re excited to announce that all group make-up classes will now resume in-person at the Academy. To view the schedule or register, click HERE.
All group make-ups will be limited to 5 students each to help ensure that the students and teacher are able to maintain a safe social distance of 6 feet.
Additionally, we are now also offering Video Lessons for students that are unable to attend their regularly scheduled lesson. Video Lessons will be recorded by your students teacher during their regular lesson time and then uploaded to a private YouTube channel. Once The video lesson has been uploaded, you will receive a link to the video lesson. Please note that all video lesson links will not be instantly available, but will be emailed within 48 hours of the missed lesson. Video lessons will be 10-15 minutes in length.
Students may request a video lesson up to 5 minutes prior to the start of their regularly scheduled lesson. Video lesson will NOT be available for missed lessons without notification or for notice of absence coming after the start of the lesson time.
CALENDAR
JULY BREAK
No Lessons
Thursday, July 2 – Sunday, July 5
(lessons resume on Monday, July 6)
SUMMER RECITAL
Saturday, August 15
(online registration starts Thursday, July 9)
ROCK & ROLL RECITAL
(at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH)
Saturday, September 5
THANKSGIVING BREAK
No Lessons
Tuesday, November 24 – Saturday, November 28
(lessons resume on Sunday, November 29)
WINTER RECITALS
Saturday, December 5
Sunday, December 6
Sunday, December 13
HOLIDAY BREAK
No Lessons
Tuesday, December 22, 2020 – Sunday, January 3, 2021
(lessons resume Monday, January 4, 2021)
MUSICAL LADDER CELEBRATIONS
Keep practicing, learning, and achieving!
Check with your teacher about your next test date.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Say hello to Marissa!
Marissa has been taking piano and voice lessons at the Academy for 7 years! Her favorite musicians are Colbie Caillat, Noah Kahn, Lewis Capaldi, and Kelly Clarkson. Outside of music, Marissa enjoys running cross country and track, and she plays lacrosse. Her favorite animal is a lion and her favorite subject in school is language arts. She would love to visit Guatemala! The coolest thing Marissa has learned from the Academy is that there are more than just one way to play a song. You can play it softly to catch the happy bubbly feeling of a song, or play it loudly to catch the emotions. Her advice to other music students: “Regardless of how boring or fun learning your instrument is, always remind yourself who you’re doing it for. Play for yourself and not others!”
SPRING REFERRAL CONTEST
Refer a new student to the Academy by August 31, and you could win a family photography session ($175 value) with Jules K. Photography.
PLUS! We’ll give you $225 towards a photo package.
FROM LIVE FROM YOUR LIVING ROOM TO LIVE FROM THE ROCK & ROLL HALL OF HAME!
JOIN US IN CLEVELAND!
You read that RIGHT. We are very, very, VERY excited to announce that our students and teachers will be performing at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday, September 5th!
How do you get your child involved? Reply to this email and we’ll send you all the info. There is a participation fee and a very limited number of slots, so be sure to reply asap if you or your child is interested in performing. Drums are provided and you only need to bring your guitar/bass (or voice). The trip is just over a 4 hour drive and we are all planning our own car pools.
So… please let us know if you or your child would like to perform and you’ll get to say, “Hello, Cleveland!”
LIVE FROM YOUR LIVING ROOM
Congratulations to all of the students that have and will be participating in our LIVE FROM YOUR LIVING ROOM performance series. Check out some of the photos below! These have been so fun!
CALENDAR
JULY BREAK
No Lessons
July 2-5
MUSICAL LADDER CELEBRATIONS
Keep practicing and learning and achieving!
Check with your teacher about your next test date.
For students who pass their test, wristbands will be mailed!
MIX & MATCH
SUMMER MUSIC LESSONS
Summer camps canceled? Tired of the chaos? Let us help you bring sanity and order back into your lives this summer withquality music lessonshere at West Michigan’smost trusted music school!
Learn from our amazing local music teachers who will meet you LIVE this summer either on-site or online lessons for maximum progress and lots of FUN along the way! We’re here for you!
Register for lessons before 6/13 and we will give you a FREE summer beach bag gift loaded with fun outdoor summer items!
Choose from the following summer lesson packages:
BASIC: One 30-minute lesson per week
ALL STARS: One 30-minute lesson per week plus virtual or outdoor recital in August.
HALL OF FAME: Two 30-minute lessons or one 60-minute lesson plus virtual or outdoor recital in August.
BONUS: All summer students will have an opportunity to register for a destination recital performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH on Saturday, September 5. Seating is expected to be 50%z capacity, so we will limit registration. Reply to this email before 6/13 to save your spot!
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Say hello to Norah!
Norah has been taking ukulele lessons at the Academy for two years! Her favorite musicians are The cast of The Greatest Showman, Elle King and Maisy Stella. Outside of music, Norah enjoys riding horses, art, and writing (songs and books). Her favorite animal is a dragon and she would love to visit the Amazon rainforest! Her advice to other music students is, “Always try your best and never give up!”
SPRING REFERRAL CONTEST
Refer a new student to the Academy by June 30th and you could win a family photography session ($175 value) with Jules K. Photography.
PLUS! We’ll give you $225 towards a photo package.
PLAY-A-THON RESULTS, SPRING PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES, AND MORE!
Do you wish you had a chance to perform right now? We do too! And, that’s why we createdLive From Your Living Room: a weekly performance series to showcase students. Hosted remotely by Academy Director Matt Camp, students will have an opportunity to share their musical talents, talk about their other hobbies, and of course, express their feelings about being stuck at home.
Spots are limited to 10 students each week, so sign up now!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Academy’s first ever PLAY-A-THON to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation! As a student, parent, or donor, your combined efforts helped us raise close to $1000! We are very pleased with this result and hope you’ll join us again next year.
Congratulations to all of this year’s participants. Your dedication to practice with a purpose is going to make a huge difference. Thank you!
4 PRACTICE TIPS… FOR PARENTS
By Mrs. Anna (Academy Violin Teacher)
Below are my tips and advice to parents for setting up the best practice routine for young children. With these tips, I believe that you can avoid student practice burnout, minimize parent to child frustrations, and set up the best teacher-student-parent support system!
Be Consistent!
Set up a practice plan. (e.g. 15 minutes a day/5 days a week.)
Pick the best time of day. (e.g. Always practice before noon.)
Stick with it! Set a timer if necessary. Start small and build up from there. (e.g. For beginners, starting with 5 minutes of required daily practice often helps them build up stamina while reinforcing routine!)
Be Present!
Stay close by your child and be available to help during their practice.
Be encouraging and gently reinforce the items that need to be practiced. Clap for them at the end!
Take notes during online lessons and check in with the teacher within the last 5 minutes of the lesson.
Be Focused!
Have your child follow the lesson notes first when choosing how to spend their practice time.
Offer exploratory playing after lesson items are practiced. (Play review songs, write their own song, practice flashcards, etc.)
Limit distractions in the room and try to maintain a quiet practice environment.
Be Flexible!
“Loop” your practice: On busy days, instead of skipping practice, instead, practice part of the lesson plan, then circle back to it the next day and start where you left off.
Rotate the order of your practice. Avoid leaving the most challenging piece for last when you have the least amount of energy left.
TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK!
May 3-9
Share the love!
FACE OF THE ACADEMY
PHOTO CONTEST
Remote Learning Photos
Do YOU want to be the star of our new marketing campaign for ONLINE LESSONS?
Enter our FACE OF THE ACADEMY REMOTE LEARNING PHOTO CONTEST!
Here’s how to enter.
1) Send us a photo of your student taking an online lessons.
2) Include a statement about why you love the the lessons, how fun they are, or any other positive feedback about the Academy!
We’ll pick winners for each of the lessons we offer – piano, guitar, bass guitar, singing, drums, violin, cello, and ukulele.
All participants will receive a thank-you treat in the mail. Winners will be featured in our new remote learning marketing campaign and receive a $25 gift card.
Submit your entry now and YOU could be the next face of the Academy!
CALENDAR
MEMORIAL DAY
No Lessons
May 25
Live From Your Living Room!
May 8, 15, 22, & 29 6-7pm
JULY BREAK
No Lessons
July 2-5
MUSICAL LADDER CELEBRATIONS
Keep practicing and learning and achieving!
Check with your teacher about your next test date.
For students who pass their test, wristbands will be mailed!
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Our student of the month is Caleb K!
Caleb has been taking lessons at the Academy for three and a half years! His favorite thing he’s learned as a violin student is how to shift positions. Caleb’s favorite musicians are The Piano Guys and Rend Collective. Outside of music, Caleb enjoys camping, rock climbing and hiking. His advice to other music students is to practice every day and have fun!
SPRING REFERRAL CONTEST
Flexpass to the Grand Rapids Symphony Picnic Pops July Concerts!
Flexpass includes 6-ticket vouchers ($114 value) good for any night, in any combination. Use all 6 for one show or see all 4 series concerts.
PLUS $60 in spending cash! Total value of $174!
Drawing will be held on July 1st.
Congratulations to the Bouwman family for wining our winter referral contest!
By referring a new student to the Academy the Bouwman family won a $300 voucher to Tree Runner Adventure Park in Grand Rapids!
April 5-11 We are offering FREE bonus lessons to current students during spring break and FREE trial lessons to prospective students during spring break. Call/text 616-965-1655 or email info@academyofmusicGR.com for more information or to confirm a FREE bonus lesson or FREE trial lesson.
A message from Mandy Moore, photo contest, and more March news.
A Special Message from Mandy Moore to Academy Students
Emmy, Grammy, and Golden Globe nominated actress, singer, and songwriter, Mandy Moore has a special message for students at the Academy of Music in Grand Rapids.
FACE OF THE ACADEMY CONTEST
Remote Learning Photos
Do YOU want to be the star of our new marketing campaign for ONLINE LESSONS?
Enter our FACE OF THE ACADEMY REMOTE LEARNING PHOTO CONTEST!
Here’s how to enter.
1) Send us a photo of your student taking an online lessons.
2) Include a statement about why you love the the lessons, how fun they are, or any other positive feedback about the Academy!
We’ll pick winners for each of the lessons we offer – piano, guitar, bass guitar, singing, drums, violin, cello, and ukulele.
All participants will receive a thank-you treat in the mail. Winners will be featured in our new remote learning marketing campaign and receive a $25 gift card.
Submit your entry now through Saturday, April 4th and YOU could be the next face of the Academy!
PLAY-A-THON UPDATE
The Play-a-thon ends on March 31st! Thank you SO MUCH for participating in this fundraising event to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Please email a photo of your practice sheet to the office: info@academyofmusicGR.com
SPRING BREAK SPECIAL
EXTRA FREE LESSON!
We are thankful that so many Academy of Music students have chosen to continue their music education remotely via Zoom!
To show our appreciation to you for making the remote learning Zoom adjustments with us, we are offering you a Spring Break FREE LESSON on your regular day and time! If you do not plan to take advantage of your FREE LESSON, please let the office know.
CALENDAR
SPRING BREAK
Free Bonus Lesson
Sunday, April 5 – Saturday, April 11
MEMORIAL DAY
No Lessons
SPRING RECITALS
Friday, May 29
Saturday, May 39
Sunday, May 31
JULY BREAK
No Lessons
July 2-5
MUSICAL LADDER CELEBRATIONS
Keep practicing and learning and achieving!
Check with your teacher about your next test date.
For students who pass their test, wristbands will be mailed and photos of trophies will be emailed!
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
This month we are dedicating our Student of the Month feature to all of the current students at the Academy of Music in Grand Rapids who are continuing their lessons remotely via Zoom. Each one of you is demonstrating important characteristics of a musician during this challenging time – patience, resilience, perseverance, positive attitude, and dedication to your goals. CONGRATULATIONS! WE ARE PROUD OF YOU! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
REFERRAL CONTEST
WIN A $300 VOUCHER TO TREE RUNNER ADVENTURE PARK IN GRAND RAPIDS!
Refer a new student to the Academy between November 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020 and you’ll be entered to win!
Thank you to the Bouwman, Singla, Besmer, Helweg, and Hyatt families for their referrals!
Vrisan has been a piano student at the Academy for more than 2 years. He also enjoys drums. Some of his favorite hobbies outside of the academy are swimming, tennis, basketball, and eating bean burritos. He one day hopes to travel to the Galápagos Islands and enjoys listening to Imagine Dragons. His advice for other students is, “continue learning and enjoy music!”
REFERRAL CONTEST
WIN A $300 VOUCHER TO TREE RUNNER ADVENTURE PARK IN GRAND RAPIDS!
Refer a new student to the Academy between November 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020 and you’ll be entered to win!
Thank you to the Bouwman, Singla, Besmer, Helweg, and Hyatt families for their referrals!
