August Newsletter – Back to School Edition
Vivaldi Students' Summer Adventures
Our students and faculty travelled to Venice, Italy for a recital of a lifetime at the Santa Maria della Pieta also known as Vivaldi’s Church!
Our West U and Bellaire locations are reaching capacity fast! Stay ahead of the game and book your back-to-school lesson times before all the popular after school times are gone!
WEST U
713-858-9617
BELLAIRE
832-404-2299
Stay tuned for the October announcement of where Vivaldi Music Academy goes next summer!
Check out how some of our students also spent their summer vacations:
A cultural experience as Arianna and Sebastian attend the Vienna State Opera!
Keeping cool in the Texas heat, Anisa and Reva spent time with their family!
Max had a blast at Legoland!
Simran is all smiles in the San Diego sun!
Franciska was in California! She was excited to meet Mickey and Minnie at Disneyland!
NEW Sunday Classes for Seasons! Check out our new website for our early childhood music classes.
To accommodate our youngest students, new Sunday classes are being added to the schedule in August. Check out our brand new Seasons website
www.thevivaldiseasons.com
and sign up for a FREE PREVIEW!
Back to School Tips for your Child's Music Education
the back to school season can be hectic! Sometimes simply getting back into the swing of things takes some preparation. Here are some easy tips to ease the transition:
Lock down your schedule
Most kids respond well to consistent schedules, so use a calendar to ensure everyone knows what activities are expected each day. This includes both lessons and practice times! Also, consider including a reward system to help make the connection to consistent practicing and hard work.
Set expectations for practicing
Make sure everyone is on the same page!
Stay organized
Come to music lessons with all the essentials! If your child is especially forgetful, consider creating a checklist and posting it on the door.
Befriend your child’s music teacher
Our teachers encourage parents to sit in on at least the few lessons, which will help ease the anxiety and also allows you to get a feel for their teaching style. Communication is key, for everyone involved!
Don’t forget the practice journal
A practice journal can be an incredibly valuable tool, when both student and teacher are using it effectively. Sit down with your child and review the journal each week.
Congratulations to our faculty members on their recent promotions!
Matthew Gutwald (Director of Piano Pedagogy) and Sam Perez (Director of Guitar Studies) share their philosophies on music education and why they enjoy teaching at Vivaldi Music Academy.
Matthew Gutwald
DIRECTOR OF PIANO PEDAGOGY
On the first day of school, my 3rd grade teacher would play piano for our class to wake us up. I remember getting home from school that same and telling my parents that I wanted to learn how to play the piano. My grandparents gifted me the family piano, and I have not stopped playing since. Lessons and practice have taken me so many places I never thought I would get to experience. When I was given the privilege to perform at Carnegie Hall, I had truly achieved my dreams.
I absolutely love teaching piano because it is such a versatile instrument. Students are able to explore, experiment, create, and imagine infinite styles, sounds, and melodies. My philosophy for teaching piano is to build strong, well rounded fundamentals and habits that can be used universally for any genre of music that interest the students. Being trained as a classical pianist, I strive to expose my students and their families to music that they may not have heard, ranging from Bach to Prokofiev. My favorite thing about this job is the fact that every lesson is different. I get to be outrageous and make people laugh while they learn, build rapport, and see people grow and progress into artistic musicians.
Sam Perez
DIRECTOR OF GUITAR STUDIES
My relationship with guitar began with my wonderful parents. When I was 8 years old my parents surprised me with a guitar from a Sears catalog. From that day on, my life has been an amazing adventure taking me to places I never thought possible. My perspective as a teacher is that the guitar is a very unique instrument, it is challenging and rewarding at the same time. Playing the guitar teaches children to think differently. I enjoy teaching kids to play the “classical” way because there are many developmental benefits. While harvesting fine motor skills, my students have learned to play anything from Taylor Swift to Bach. I emphasize sustainable playing by teaching students and parents that having healthy habits in our musical education will positively influence the rest of our lives. My favorite thing about my job is seeing people young and old grow in confidence as their skills develop on a weekly basis.
REFER A FRIEND
Refer a friend & receive a FREE LESSON! Or refer a friend for Vivaldi Seasons and receive $10 off and your friend will receive a FREE REGISTRATION (up to $45 value)
Our Vivaldi family is growing!
Welcome to our new staff and a new baby!
I am so incredibly happy to join the Vivaldi Team! I’m excited to be around such talented individuals!
– Amanda
I’m excited to join such a talented and creative staff, it’s great to be surrounded by like-minded people!
– Gina
I’m so happy to be a part of the Vivaldi team and looking forward to meeting everyone! Let’s rock N’ roll!
– April
Congratulations to our wonderful piano/guitar teacher, Dr. Colin Davis and his wife, Jenny, on their little bundle of joy, Adeline!
This August, you can help build a school for children in developing nations by checkin gin on Facebook at Vivaldi Music Academy! We’ve partnered with Causely and buildOn to help fight poverty by providing access to education. Remember to add #bricks4schools when you check-in! For more information about this month’s charity, visit buildon.org For every check-in the Academy donates a portion to this month’s charity.
Vivaldi Music Academy is happy to announce our partnership with the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra
Upcoming Events
Winter Recitals – Rice University
Dec 11th and Dec 17th (2016) & Jan 8th and Jan 14th (2017)
Faculty Recital – Houston Baptist University
January 28th, 2017
Misty Munoz – Creative Director
