Just a reminder that there are no lessons this Holiday week.  Our teachers are taking a vacation and preparing for Summer Lessons, which will resume June 4.  We had a wonderful year with all of you, you make us proud!

We are planning on piano lessons this week - just a reminder!  As teachers, we like to wrap things up with our students, collect music they've borrowed, talk about the recital (maybe even watch their playing from the video), pick out music for summer, and confirm summer plans.  So please plan to come to the studio this week!

A lot of preparation has gone into this big recital weekend, and we are excited for it to come!  The students are ready with their music, and we are looking forward to celebrating their achievements throughout the year.  Friday night the awards begin at 6:30, and Saturday morning recitals start at 10:00 and 11:15 am.  All events will be held at Bowling Green Alliance Church on Napoleon Rd.  Students, please arrive 10-15 minutes before your recital is to begin, so that we can have you arranged in order near the front of the sanctuary.  We love seeing our students dressed up and ready for success in performing.  You have all worked so hard - keep up the good playing and let's finish this year out strong with enjoyable music!

On Saturday we had seven students participate in the Art Walk in Bowling Green.  The Wood-Ottawa Co. Music Teachers were asked to provide background music outdoors, at the Huntington Square, for the people browsing around town.  The weather prevented this from happening, but our rain location turned out to be even better!  We were moved to the display location of students from Kenwood & Crim Elementary Schools.  Thanks to the encouragement from the school art teachers, this may become a yearly event.  Our students who participated were Peter B., Lilith F., Leanne H., Nathan H., Philip K., Hudson P., Hannah W. Thank you for sharing your musical art with the community in this comfortable setting!

Three times a year, our students are able to participate in the the Wood-Ottawa County Music Teacher Recitals.  This is a local division of the Ohio Music Teacher's Association through Music Teacher's National Association (MTNA).  In November 2011, five of our students were involved:  Rhys B., Emma C., Eric J., Mary K., and Nthabi K.  On April 22, 2012, Hudson P., and Russ T. willingly performed.  They all did an excellent job!  This is a neat venue to play because of how "live" the sound is in the library.  Plus it's a very nice Steinway piano to play.  Here are a few pictures from the most recent recital:

Is it time for your piano to be tuned?  How long has it been?  Are there a few notes that just make you cringe when you hear them played?  Recently we had Mr. John Bailey in from The Piano Works (in Pemberville) to tune our pianos at the studio.  He even let me take a picture of him at work on my piano!  It is fascinating to see the insides of the piano and understand how it all works.  Mr. Bailey said that now is a great time to be getting your piano tuned as the weather is starting to taper off and not be so extreme as it is in the winter and summer.  Remember, when you sign up for piano lessons, you are not just learning to play the piano, but you are also learning to train your ear.  Constantly practicing on an untuned, poorly maintained piano can really hinder your listening skills and steal the enthusiasm that comes with beautiful sounds you can produce on this instrument.   If you notice a significant difference between the way your piano at home sounds and how the piano at your lesson sounds, then it is definitely time to do something about it.  A typical tuning costs around $90.00 and should be done about once a year if it is played as regularly as your piano teacher would like it to be!  When searching for a piano technician, you want to look for a Registered Piano Technician who has training and vast knowledge in the field.  Here is a helpful website to do a little research on your own :  www.ptg.org  
If you are interested in contacting Mr. Bailey at The Piano Works, here is his contact info:  419-287-4848 and website:    www.thepianoworks.net  John will gladly answer questions about the inside of the piano, when to get it regulated (this deals with the touch of the piano), and recommended tuning (dealing with the sound of the piano).  I am glad to refer him to all my students - I find him very knowledgeable and helpful!