Author: Ransom Carlson

What a Beach Party!

Michelle Tuesday Music School held its 2024 Beach Party Recitals the weekend of August 9-11. We encourage all students taking music lessons at Michelle Tuesday Music School to play in our recitals and other performance opportunities. We host concerts at least four times per year, and we never charge fees to join the events. Many of our events, like this one, are coupled with a party. That way, our musicians who aren’t ready to play in front of an audience yet can just watch and enjoy the party.

Friday Night Teen & Adult Only Recital

Our Friday night Teen & Adult Only concert featured performances by adult music students learning piano, voice, guitar and mallet percussion. Jane played “Amazing Grace” on guitar, her debut performance as a student taking adult guitar lessons, and she did great! The percussion teacher accompanied her glockenspiel student on the gorgeous new studio Boston grand piano for a rousing, jazzy rendition of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Disney’s Aladdin. Our audience took our teen & adult recital “rule” to heart, and they screamed, hooted and hollered before and after each performer, because it calms the nerves of the musicians, and it makes the event more fun for everyone.

Saturday and Sunday Recitals

Saturday and Sunday afternoons included contributions from our younger music students. The musicians featured are enrolled in music lessons on a variety of instruments. The student performers are taking:

  • songwriting lessons,
  • guitar lessons,
  • voice lessons,
  • violin lessons,
  • recorder lessons,
  • ocarina lessons,
  • drum lessons, and
  • piano lessons.

Performers learning piano played their prepared pieces on our shiny new lobby grand piano. Our aspiring musicians delighted their audiences with well-known favorites: “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore” on violin; “Yankee Doodle” and “Old MacDonald” on piano; vocal performances of “Part of Your World” and “Candle on the Water”; and from our students learning guitar, a variety ranging from the classical “Spanish Waltz” to an improvisation on “The Wind Cries Mary” by Jimi Hendrix.

Ocarina and Songwriting Lessons

Perhaps the most unique performances of the weekend were offered by Felix, who played “Amazing Grace” on ocarina (of Nintendo’s Zelda fame), and Millie singing her original composition, “The Good Old Days,” from her work-in-progress two-act musical starring her dog, Gwinnie. Watch for the upcoming puppet show, Gwinnie, when Millie has completed her first, but certainly not last, magus opus. Millie tells us she has already begun work on the sequel!

Beach-Themed Games and Prizes

After each 30-minute block of performers, the music students enjoyed the party activities outside, including beach bingo, a duck pond, and sidewalk chalk artwork around the perimeter of the music school, plus fabulous prizes to be had by all.

Kudos to the Student Musicians!

Thank you to all of the performers, parents, teachers and staff who made our Beach Party Recital a smashing success. Your teachers are very proud of you, and it’s always wonderful to see everyone having a great time.

Next Performance Event

Mark your calendars for our next performance opportunity. The annual MTMS Halloween Party Recitals have been our most popular concert each year for nearly a decade and a half. Sign-ups open October 14th!

Staff setting up for the Beach Party Recitals.
Alex on violin, performing “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore” to the delight of her audience.
Felix on ocarina. This was his second recital, so he’s officially a pro!
Ella delighting her audience on our beautiful Boston grand piano.
An engaged and entertained audience, ready for the next performance.

Songwriting Camp

Ready to take a five-day journey to write a song? Of course you are! It’s a great way to start working with music and lyrics in a new way. It’ll also give you an appreciation for all the music you hear over your favorite streaming service. (Who listens to the radio anymore? AM, FM, XM – oh my!)

MTMS will introduce you to noteflight (where we do our compositions) as well as learning all the basics of songwriting. Words become lyrics and it is a lot like poetry to tell a story. Also there’s bits of songs that are important to understand, not just a verse and a chorus. There are specific places and times for the chorus, the verses, and all the other bits- intro, outro, bridge, and hook as well as what kind of tempo and notes are used. For example, if you use a key like E minor, you’re probably going to sound like you’ve got a blues song. But in a key like C major, you’re going to have a more upbeat sound.

One more cool thing about songwriting camp is that you get to work with others on your music and also on theirs. You get to experience the new songs and even collaborate with your fellow campers.

Someone sign me up, please! These kids are obviously in sync with it already.

Playing Music in a Group

Upcoming Rock Band Camp – a great time to try out all of these benefits – sign up for the week of July 15th from 12 to 4pm.

More social interaction: Being part of a musical group brings people together. This can help against isolation and depression. It encourages the members to overcome shyness. Also, bringing together a group of musicians increases cooperation between them.

Working with a teacher or a conductor brings new learning styles and techniques for the group rather than a single player. Listening abilities and communication skills are enhanced in the group setting. This is a great way to get exposed to new genres and new styles of playing.

Playing in a group can accelerate learning of techniques. It improves timing, rhythm, and focus.

If you’ve never tried playing in a group, start now. It’s a great way to begin a new musical journey.

June Theme: Mash-Ups

This month’s theme is hard to envision – mash-ups of music? But there are all kinds of music, and we love to find new ways to put it together.

Try this playlist if you’re ready to keep up with the kids: (256) MTMS June 2024 Listening Playlist – Mashups – YouTube If you’re not ready to keep up with the kids, remember that we’re all on our own music pages and also that exposure to new music can give your brain a good workout.

Enjoy these mash-ups, and see what it brings to your appreciation of the music you already know and love.