Sing-a-Lingo, Conference Lessons, Practicing Tips!

2019 is here! Can you believe it? We certainly can't. Of course, the lack of snow doesn't help... We hope that everyone had a wonderful Winter Break! It's great to be back, especially as January looks to be a full, exciting month at Academy of Sound!

Conference Lesson Reminder: It's the end of our first semester, which means it is time for Conference Lessons!

Conference Lessons are an opportunities for parents/guardians of students to sit on a their student's private lesson. Over the course of first 2/3rds of the time, the teacher and student will have a regular lesson as they would any week.

The last 10-15 minutes are designed for the student, parent, and teacher to talk about the student's progress over the course of the past semester. In addition, the teacher may offer suggestions for additional opportunities for the student or tips on growth for the next semester.

In addition, the teacher will provide a form detailing points discussed and suggestions offered that can be taken home at the end of the lesson.

Conference lesson attendance is NOT MANDATORY but encouraged. If you are unable to attend, the teacher will send home the completed form with the student for you to review at your own leisure.

Sing-A-Lingo

Have you heard the news? We've got a BRAND NEW music class for students who are ages 2-6 and their parents! This fun, early childhood class will incorporate music and language learning! Classes launch 1/29 and are limited so sign up here today!

Sing A- Lingo is made possible through our partnership with the fabulous staff and faculty at Rhapsody Arts Center in Verona, WI!

Enrollment- still a few spots open!

Is 2019 the year you re-visit your love of piano or take up guitar? We've got a handful of spots open still with our teachers. Check them out here! Please note that tuition cost will be prorated based on when you sign up.

Student Level- Ups:

We've had a couple weeks off since the last post but that hasn't stopped a few of our students from making the leap into their next level of studies.

Let's give a shout out to: Jackson Sweet who recently leveled up to Piano Adventures 2B and Lily Sweet, who is now in Piano Adventures 1.

Way to go, Lily and Jackson!

We'll be sharing more student achievements next month!

Have you synced your calendar to AOS? If you haven't, that's ok! Details on how to do that can actually be found right on our website.

Some important dates of note include: January 21st: AOS is closed March 9th: District Solo and Ensemble (Stoughton High School) March 25- 29th: Spring Break- we are closed! April 22nd: AOS is closed April 27th: State Solo and Ensemble (UW- Platteville) May 19th: Spring recitals at 1 and 2:30pm May 20- 24th: Spring Conference Lessons May 27th: AOS is closed May 28-30th: Makeup lessons and workshops

If you have any questions or concerns, our calendar can always be accessed on our website. 

January Practicing Tips:

It's the first month after the holiday, and that can be a difficult time for many. Getting back into a routine after a busy holiday season is tricky. Here are some tips to make January a successful month!

1.  It's ok to back-track: Did you have that scale mastered in December, but not it feels foreign? It's ok to go back and break it down. Practicing is a series of steps forward and backward each month.

2. Be kind to yourself: If you took a few weeks off from regular practice, that's ok! That being said, don't expect everything to be exactly where it was when you last played. If practicing feels like it's moving slower for bit, that's fine. Just don't be too hard on yourself in the interim!

3. Set attainable goals when practicing: Do you have a 3 page song to learn for Solo and Ensemble? There is no reason to learn it in one day. Set a goal for yourself. If you practice 30 min a day, start with a goal of getting through the first half of the page successfully with few or no errors. If you can do that, add another chunk. Simply playing through the piece is not the best way to practice, especially when starting a new song.

4. Share goals with your teacher: What? Share goals with your teacher? Yup! If you have a goal of auditioning for a summer musical or trying out for marching band next year, now is the time to tell your teacher that. Your teacher can help tailor your music assignments to those goals.

5. Take Notes/ Record Lessons: Did you know you can actually take notes or record your lessons? You can! This useful tool can help immensely with retention between weeks. Unsure about this? Try it for a few weeks, and see what you notice.

That's all for now! We wish you a Happy January, and hope that 2019 is off to an exciting start for all!