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When Preparation Meets Opportunity

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When Preparation Meets Opportunity

All the students come with slightly different goals. Some want to be in a rock band with their friends. Some want to audition for a music program at the college or university level. Some come to the studio just to have fun. Some put the work in to be professional players. ALL of these goals are legitimate, and I’ll help you move towards your goals - whatever those may be. The important thing here is that the teaching objectives are defined by the students.

The students undertake all this preparation: hand speed workouts, ear training, repertoire work, etc., so that when an opportunity presents itself, they are ready to step in and do a professional job.

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Audition Prep @ groove; My Favorite Kind of Email

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One of the key services the studio provides is audition prep. It could be for your student’s school band, for district or regional orchestra or band, college or university music school, or marching percussion at the DCA, WGI or DCI level. It is all about preparation and hard work.

Below is a screen shot of one of my favorite kinds of emails:

Preparation and hard work does indeed pay off.

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Dennis Chambers Clinic Roundup

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The Dennis Chambers clinic was a terrific experience for our students and a lot of new friends who got a rare chance to see one of the best in the business up close.

Dennis talked a lot about the importance of playing with feel and groove versus showcasing your shops (i.e. playing as many notes as you can all the time).

Dennis performed with Oz Noy Trio later that evening to a sold out crowd and brought the house down.

Student Spotlight: Dan Ciccone

Last night, Dan Ciccone’s band had their debut performance at a PACKED Kennett Brewing Company. It is always gratifying to see the students go out and turn in a professional performance in a real world setting, which is exactly what this is. Here is an excerpt of their interpretation of Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears. There were some equally adventurous song selections, which was great to hear, and not one seat available in the entire place.

Student Spotlight: Thomas L.

Congratulations to Thomas L., who recently won the PMEA District 12 audition and will be participating in the District Band Festival (and also District Chorus)! District 12 is comprised of all high schools in Chester, Delaware and Philadelphia counties, so there is a lot of competition for these festivals. A lot of work went into preparing for the audition, which required pieces on snare drum, xylophone and timpani. A short clip is below.