We have readily available hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes/spray, and soap everywhere. In each lesson room, we’ve installed a clear shower curtain liner to separate the teacher from the student. We’ve removed a large percentage of our lobby seating and ask parents of independent children to wait in their cars or drop off/pick up. Masks are required of staff, students and clients at all times except where it interferes with the lesson – for example, voice lessons or trumpet lessons – in which case the teacher/student are separated by the curtain or the lesson is conducted in our larger classroom, and they wear masks up until the point where it would interfere. We do have a music lab where students work on independent study under the guidance of a theory teacher, and we’ve reduced capacity in the room from 9 students to 4 students and separated the work stations with plastic divider walls. And most significantly, we offer online lessons, and since approx. 75% of our clients have opted to stay online for the time being, as well as about half our teachers still choosing to teach remotely from their homes, our overall traffic of people is significantly reduced from pre-COVID operations. Some days are busier than others, so if your schedule is flexible, we can find you a time with a minimum of people in the building, if that interests you.
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Can’t Stop the Music: MTMS Values
At Michelle Tuesday Music School, we have a commitment to music and sharing that love with others. There are other values that shape our mission as a music school, and it’s important to highlight our dedication to our purpose.
Collaboration: We appreciate working together. Communication and support are at the top of the list, whether it’s toward clients, students, or each other.
Creativity: Unique expression of each individual is what we strive for – making space for our students and each other to be our own idea of ourselves.
Learning: We love to participate in the growth of our students and ourselves. Perseverance and discipline teach all of us to reach to new heights.
Community: The shared love of music and learning brings us together and keeps us returning every day and every year.
Are you new to MTMS? Give us a call. These are the values that shape our vision for the future, and we can’t wait to see how you’ll fit in with all of us.
Online Lessons Available
We are currently offering online lessons. Choose a sampler on this page or contact us via email (lessons@michelletuesday.com) or text (614-418-7110) to get started today.
Due to covid-19, we do not have access to our phone system to take your calls. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Update:
We are back in person and able to take your calls. In-person lessons are available with select teachers. At this time, in-person flute lessons are not available due to high covid-19 transfer risk associated with flute playing. Virtual lessons are available for all instruments and with all teachers.
April Lab and Music Composition
This month’s lab theme is the history of guitar. Today’s modern flat-top acoustic guitars have had a similar design for a couple centuries, but similar instruments – the European lute and the Arabic oud- can be traced back to ancient times. The word guitar comes from the Greek word kithara, which mythology attributes to the god Hermes creating from a tortoise shell.
The guitar became closer to what we see today in the 1790s for design. Steel strings and the flat top design, along with a specific number of strings (6) and frets along the neck, has become the modern instrument we recognize. All of these details, along with the shape of the body and neck, have defined the music that is created on the guitar and how we play it. Even adding a pick and a pick guard have changed the sound that we get from the guitar. Learn more in the music history station in the lab!
April’s Music Composition theme is the Blues – April showers bring May flowers! Bring your bit of the blues to life in the composition station. Here are a couple songs to get you in the mood:
There are also a few advanced challenges – have fun and don’t be afraid to put your own spin on it.
Let’s Talk About It
Teaching is easy. I bet you’re laughing right now. But really. Think about it. You know your subject. You are passionate about your content. You know what’s difficult? Talking to parents. Think about it for a moment. Even if all you’re doing is giving the parent an update on how their child is doing, it can be a nerve-wracking conversation. But there are ways to make it a less daunting prospect.
First off, relax. Both you and the parent(s) want the best for the student. Both of you are also probably nervous. Don’t get defensive. Both of you do know best and now you have to find a middle ground.
Before you start the meeting, have an idea of what you want to talk to the parent about. Even if all you can think of are negatives, make sure to have some positives. Start off with those positives. But don’t use them all up, keep one in reserve for the end. You want to end on that positive note.
Parents, please don’t go into the meeting thinking that the teacher is going to tell you all the things they think you are doing wrong. While you’ve known your child longer, they see your child in a different light. I promise you, your child can sometimes seem like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when you and the teacher compare notes. And you might not know which side of the child you’re seeing.
Finally, as with all meetings, both parties need to go into the meeting with an open mind. In the long run, both the teacher and the parent want what is best for the student. That’s something we can all agree on.
Charlie Puth and Commentary
In this video, Charlie Puth is breaking down how he wrote his hit song, “Attention”. I have always been a HUGE fan of Charlie Puth and his music. I came across this video the other day and was really intrigued by his song writing process. Being classically trained, I am constantly looking at the sheet music and putting all my focus in that. Even when I wrote compositions during music school, it would be on sheet music. Charlie thinks outside of the box. He puts all of his music on his phone in his voice notes app when he has a song idea. What was interesting about this video is how he goes through his song writing process, by playing, mixing and layering different parts together into the final product. Charlie uses his ears and knowledge of different musical genres and backgrounds into his pop music and as he says, “likes to trick people into what they are hearing”. I love seeing what songs start out as and how they grow into the final product.
I thought about using this a couple of different ways. First, I wanted to remind myself to make sure my students know where different ideas in music come from as we are learning them (which I normally do, but this is important!). I also want them to play different genres of music so they have that knowledge. Secondly, I wanted to show them alternatives to writing music. Not everyone writes it down on sheet music. This also teaches how important it is to know your scales, intervals, and to use your ear, whether you are reading sheet music or if you are improvising or composing. I would like to implement more ear training into my lessons for my students.
– Ms. Kristen Hyatt
Correction on Spring Break!
Spring Break!
