Saxophone, Student Feature, Teacher Alumni Update!

Happy March! The weather might still feel like January, but the calendar tells us that Spring is just over two weeks away! How exciting! It's been a busy month here at school, and we're looking forward to sharing it with all of you!

Spring Break is COMING: It might not seem like it, but Spring Break is this month! We will be closed the week of March 24th. As always, please remember to notify the office if you will be missing lessons outside of the Spring Break dates! Saxophone Lessons at AOS! You read that right! We are excited to announce that we are now offering saxophone lessons on Thursdays! The best part? You don't have to wait until Summer to enroll! Get started THIS WEEK! Check out enrollment options here. New openings with teachers! Would you like to study voice, drums, or ukulele but are worried you missed the window to enroll? We have NEW openings in those areas (as well as some new teachers offering them!) Check out the openings, and get signed up today! AOS Student Feature: This month, we are excited to be launching a NEW feature in which we feature one of our current AOS students. Our first feature is Payton Cardella, a long-time voice student of the Academy! Meet Payton!

How long have you been studying at Academy of Sound? Payton: I've been attending AOS since either 2009 or 2010. I started off playing guitar, but dropped it for singing in late 2011, and that's what I've been doing since. What prompted you to take private lessons? Payton: I always wanted to be proficient with something in music, and when I picked up guitar, AOS seemed like the perfect place to start learning music in a more in-depth way. After a few years, however, I learned that my true passion in music was singing. And, luckily, AOS also provided excellent voice lessons which helped me improve my technique and explore my vocal range. What are some of your favorite aspects of private lessons at Academy of Sound? Payton: I love being able to have real connection with my instructor rather than just being another student in a classroom. Doing private lessons means that I can work on what I need specifically, whether it be aspects of my singing, or songs I need to learn for musicals during high school.  Any advice or practice tips for other students? Payton: If it's possible, listen to whatever song you're practicing on YouTube to get the tune in your head. It's great to have an idea of what the piece should sound like as you practice so you know what parts you can do well and which parts need improvement.  If you could anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? Payton: If I could go anywhere in the world, I would probably go to Japan. It just seems like such a cool place to visit. The sights, the culture, and the food especially are all really cool and interesting to me, and I'd love to spend a week or so there just to experience being on the other side of the planet.  Any upcoming news you would like to share with us? Payton: Something I'm definitely looking forward this May is playing the role of Christopher in the Madison Strollers production of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" at the Bartell Theatre. This will be my first big role in a production outside of school, and I couldn't be more excited to be pursuing my dream of being an actor on stage.  When not studying music, what do you like do for fun? Payton: Outside of singing and acting, I actually compete in a lot of Super Smash Bros. tournaments around the state. I've been competing since early 2016, and to this day, I practice the game daily alongside singing, and it really keeps me busy throughout the day. I like to think of competing as a second passion of mine, and I think that everyone should try to find something they love to compete in, whether it be sports, video games, music, just anything that you love to do and strive to see yourself improve at. 

Thank you for sharing, Payton, and we're so glad to have you as part of our AOS family! Where Are They Now? We love our students, and we also love our alumni. It gives us such great joy to see where life has taken our former students and faculty . In the upcoming months, we'll be sharing news from our alumni. For our first month, we're highlighting former piano and brass teacher, Chris Telfer!

From 2012-0215, Chris was on our faculty as an instructor in brass and piano. Since then, Chris has been staying busy with as a public school teacher!  From Fall 2014- Spring 2018, he was in Southern Door County Schools teaching full time, grades 5-6 General Music, 7-8th grade Choir and was co-director of their big fifth grade musical production. In the Fall of 2018, Chris started teaching at Mount Horeb Middle School as the part-time choir director! Congratulations, Chris, on your continued success!

Who's Leveled Up? We want to give a big shout out to Emmet Harm, who finished Level 1 in Ukelele in February! Way to go, Emmet! 5 Quotes to Celebrate Music! We know how hard winter can be, especially when it comes to staying motivated. Here are a couple of quotes to help motivate and inspire. "If music be the food of love, play on." William Shakespeare

"Without music, life is a journey through the desert."- Pat- Conroy

"Without music, life would be a mistake."- Friedrich Nietzsche

"Music is really driving my whole life."- Ariana Grande

"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which is possible to be silent."- Victor Hugo

What is your favorite quote about music? That's all for this month! We hope that March is full of joy, sunshine, and excitement! We'll see you in April!