NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER. November 1, And the winner is: ROOM 5 (decorated by Marie Leatham-Davis) will enjoy them as much as we do!

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1 NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER November 1, 2017 Brill Music Academy In This Month s Newsletter: Are YOU Our Contest Winner? (See the Last Page) Determining if Practice Actually Happened Spotlight on Our Teachers November Birthdays Student Achievements and Teacher Activities Vol 7, #11 Halloween Door & Window Decorating Contest These past few weeks we have held our first Halloween Decorating contest. Our teachers & staff decorated our room doors and windows and encouraged our students to vote for their favorite room. We knew it was going to be a success when we saw that even parents were voting. Thank you very much!! With 107 votes cast and the counting has been completed. And the winner is: Please welcome our NEWEST students! Take advantage of our Referral Program and win a FREE LESSON!! (See the last page) Priscilla Amerian Christopher Phan ROOM 5 (decorated by Marie Leatham-Davis) As our contest winner, Marie will be the one to select one student to receive a free lesson within the next 30 days. That student, with photo, betime named in our December Thewill next we will newsletter. be CLOSED for lessons will be for As the seasons change, hope to have other fun contests thewethanksgiving and activities for our students. Stay tuned and we hope you Holidays from will enjoy them as much as we do! Monday, Nov 20th to Our 2nd and 3rd Place Saturday, Nov 25th. winners were: Room 4 - Jaime Quintoa Jason Pham Room 10 - Liz Kaupp Kamden Edwards Sean Iler Connor Julson Our Winning Door The next time we will be CLOSED for lessons will be for the Thanksgiving holiday break from Monday, Nov 20 thru Saturday, Nov 25. Happy Turkey Day to Everyone!! Marie Leatham-Davis (Voice & Piano Instructor)

2 SPOTLIGHT ON OUR TEACHERS Mike Esposito Sax, Flute, Clarinet, Drums Place of Birth: Akron, Ohio Education & Professional Experience: BA Music Education, University of Florida with an emphasis on saxophone and percussion. Performed in numerous bands and ensembles. Toured with a DCI Drum & Bugle Corp. I have almost 14 years of experience teaching Elementary Music. Hobbies: I enjoy playing the saxophone, spending time with my daughter and watching the Florida Gators play football. Favorite Food: Homemade spaghetti and meatballs with a close second being pizza. Pets: Little dogs: Tater, Gracie, Bella, and Princess. Big cat: Sarah Favorite Vacation Spot: Brian Head, Utah. I love to snow ski when I can. Place I Hope to Visit: Italy Instruments I Teach: Saxophone, beginning Woodwinds and Mallet Percussion. Philosophy of Teaching: Demonstration and building a strong foundation in the elements of music. Fundamental instrument skills with an emphasis on listening and rhythmical pulse creates confident musicianship. Favorite Thing About Teaching: Creating enjoyable lessons and helping students learn skills to develop their own creativity and abilities to explore, create and perform music for a lifetime.

3 SPOTLIGHT ON OUR TEACHERS Richard Clark DJ I was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA under the name Richard C. Clark Jr., aka DJ Ricochet. I started my musical career in 1984 as a DJ/Entertainer in various venues throughout the Los Angeles, CA and Las Vegas, NV area. I was inspired to become a DJ/Entertainer upon meeting a very good friend by the name of Capt. Mark K. Davis USAF, aka Sir Jamelot, Founder & CEO of Camelot Sound Harmonic Mixing Service, As a DJ/Entertainer throughout my 25+ years in the Music Industry, Music has always been a very important part of my life. I feel just as passionate about it now as I did when I first began. On stage or in the recording studio I ve been blessed to have worked with some of the industry s best, which include Charles Rich Cason, Reginald Barrett, Mark Davis & Camelot Sound, Greg Rose, Paris Red, Doug E Fresh, Heavy D & The Boys, and the Legendary Ray Charles just to name a few. I ve delivered breathtaking performances as a DJ/Entertainer over the years and am still actively pursuing my love for the art. I feel that now is a good time for me to give back and share my knowledge with the students of the Brill Music Academy. Peace & Blessings, R

4 Director's Corner: You Can Never Be Sure If Piano (or any instrument) Practice Happened... But You Can Do This: In the 1980 s Van Halen was one of the biggest rock bands on the planet. Their hair was big, their stage show was bigger, and their ego was biggest of all. Or was it? Some people will tell you that Van Halen was a group of egomaniacs that their concert demands were outrageous to the point where they even required all brown Smarties to be removed from the Smarties bowl in their dressing room. But here s the thing while their egos may indeed have been inflated, the Smarties demand was, ironically, reasonable. Why? Because it was a trick of sorts. You see, Van Halen had an outrageously huge stage show with insane rigging and massive equipment. The entire setup was outlined in a huge instruction manual for the arena crew at each venue (a crew that belonged to each arena, not the band). One missed instruction and the stage could become a deathtrap for concert-goers, the band, and the crew. To ensure the arena crew paid attention to even the smallest of details, they inserted a few insane demands (the Smarties) into the instruction manual. If the band arrived in the dressing room and found brown Smarties sitting in the bowl, this was an indication that the arena crew lacked attention to detail and thus the stage setup must be inspected personally. It s brilliant really and a strategy piano teachers AND parents should consider. (This anecdote first came to my attention while reading the book How To Think Like A Freak.) The Van Halen Practice Strategy Minus The Candy: Consistent piano practice may be the single most important factor in determining a student s success. But how do you know if piano practice is happening? You may think you know if practice happened or did not happen (this can be glaringly obvious) but you can never be one hundred percent certain. Some kids may have practiced their hearts out but struggled so much that it seems like nothing went on at all, where other kids could not have even cracked their book but somehow manage to get away with faking it. So when it comes to something as important as piano practice, it is important that you know (to the best of your ability) what did or did not go on during their practice at home. Strategies For Finding Proof of Practice... (or Non-Practice): The following indicators of piano practice are not meant to trick your students. By all means, let them know that they are indeed indicators. Often having a very specific practice-related task to accomplish is much more motivational to kids than simply being asked to remember to practice. Now, before we get to these practice indicators, do know that particularly stubborn or creative students can find ways around these strategies. Most, however, will look forward to an opportunity to show you that a particular task was accomplished. If they choose to work that hard to avoid piano practice, that may be all you need to know anyway. 1. The Piano Parent Critique Parents should be included in piano practice whenever possible. Parents: listen to your child play and then write two things you really liked about your child s performance and one thing you think your child can work on. You can write their responses directly on the performed piece. Your teacher will appreciate your feedback immensely. Continued on page 4

5 Continued from page 3 2. Circle The Struggles Before the student leaves the lesson, teachers can lightly circle (in pencil) 3 bars of music that are causing some troubles. Instruct them to erase the circles when they master the music in those bars. And if they are still causing troubles, ask them to draw a little unhappy face above the complicated bar. 3. Trick the Teacher Instruct the student to change 3 things about their piano piece while at home this week. Depending on your student this could involve adding dynamics to certain measures, changing the ending, leaving out the left hand for a couple of bars etc. At the next lesson have the student play the piece while you try to guess the changes that were made. 4. Awesome Autographs Tell the student to perform their piano piece for at least 5 people over the week. Instruct them to collect an autograph (directly on the piano piece) from every person who attends a private recital. 5. Over The Rainbow When the student practices this week ask them to draw a red arch over the first bar of music in the piece. The next time they practice ask them to draw an orange arch. Challenge them to complete the rainbow before the next lesson. 6. Rename The Music Tell the student that their piano piece has been named incorrectly and that when they return to lessons next week the piece should have a new name written at the top. Before they leave, discuss how the sound of the music should influence the name of the piece. Gift Certificates are for Anytime! Looking for just the perfect gift to give to your loved ones? Why not surprise them with a Gift Certificate for Music Lessons from the Brill Music Academy! SPECIAL DISCOUNT (with this coupon) Four 30 minute lessons or Two 60 minute lessons - $ Call or see us for details! Brill Calendar The new calendar for the coming 12 months is available. If you haven t gotten one already, they are available at the front desk. Each year, we try to match our holiday closures as close to the public school s as possible. However, our overriding rule is that we provide the same number of lesson days (48) throughout the year for each day of the week (Monday - Saturday). This requirement for lesson number equality creates the need for a few changes. Some years, there are extra days around a single day holiday. Some years, there may be a Friday and/or Saturday that Brill is open and the schools aren t. Please be aware of the differences in the two calendar schedules and don t assume that just because the schools are closed, that we will be also. Keep your Brill Calendar handy (it s a great addition to your refrigerator door) and don t be afraid to call us if you re not certain. We also post signs on the door/counter/ bulletin board, our website contains the calendar, and most of the time we send a mass reminder to everyone. There shouldn t be any confusion as to when we are open or closed through the year.

6 The Brill Music Academy is now offering a brand new class, one that could potentially lead to a lucrative career for anyone interested in learning the basics of this musical field. It also offers details and knowledge based on experience from operating a highly successful business. Want to learn to DJ like a Pro? Then come be a part of where Art meets Technology and uncover endless possibilities. This private, one-on-one course will teach you how to mix like a professional. All ages accepted, no experience required! Subjects Covered ** Downloading music, sorting your music library & playlists ** Understanding BPM's (Beats Per Minute) ** Setting cue points on music tracks ** Harmonic Mixing ***** ** How to read your audience ** Vocal microphone performance technique ** Equipment maintenance, set up & break down, plus much more If you would like to learn more about becoming a professional DJ, please contact us at the Brill Music Academy ( ) or BrillMusicAcademy1@gmail.com We'd love to hear from you! * Additional (varying) costs for equipment may be incurred on the recommendation of the instructor. DJ Like a PRO!!

7 When important events happen in the lives of our students, I depend a lot on our teachers to share the news. I also want to let you know what our teachers are doing. Please let us know when special things occur in your life. We want to be able to tell everyone the Good News! **************************************** Zuzana Engererova, Cello Instructor, will be performing in the following venues: 11/3-11/4 Pop Strings at Cleopatra s barge at Caesars 10pm-12am 11/10-11/12 Femmes of Rock in Washington, DC 11/17 Pop Strings at Cleopatra s barge at Caesars 10pm-12am 11/18 Las Vegas Music Oasis wedding ceremony 11/18 Pop Strings at Cleopatra s barge at Caesars 10pm-12am 11/24-11/25 Pop Strings at Cleopatra s barge at Caesars 10pm-12am 11/30-12/2 Femmes of Rock in Jacksonville, FL Kaimaera Williams (piano with Tammy Jacobs) has graduated from Alfred s Kids All-in-One Book 4 and is now in Book 5. Big Congrats, Kaimaera!! Shelby Urciuoli (string bass student of Tammy Jacobs) auditioned and was accepted into the Honor Orchestra on her upright bass. Great job, Shelby!

8 The Non-Negotiables for Wind Player Success by Andy Austin (Sax Instructor) So, I'm preparing to dive down into the orchestra pit for a three performance run of Prokofiev's wonderful ballet Romeo and Juliet. Before I do, though, I wanted to share some thoughts with you. You see, one of the cool things I get to do at UNLV is perform in the Wind Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Tom Leslie. Maestro Leslie is a big name in the field and has even been president of the American Bandmasters' Association. One of the things that I noticed when receiving the syllabus to the Wind Orchestra was a list from Maestro Leslie called his 'Non-negotiables'. It was basically a list of rules which, when implemented by the ensemble, would all but guarantee the highest level of performance and success. Here's the list: They make perfect sense, don't they? It got me thinking "Great! These are good rules for an ensemble but how about for the rest of the day? What are steadfast rules which will all but guarantee success and growth for the wind player?" Well, here's what I came up with... YE OLDE MUSIC MAJOR'S WIND PLAYER NON-NEGOTIABLES: 1. Do some form of practice daily (I include score study, critical listening, visualization, and active recovery in with this. Giving your chops a day off every week isn't a bad idea) 2. Do long tones, overtone work, mouthpiece work, etc., EVERY practice session. 3. Do scales, arpeggios, scale fragments, or patterns and articulation work EVERY practice session. 4. Sight read as often as possible. 5. Use a metronome in EVERY practice session. 6. Use a tuner in EVERY practice session (By tuner I mean a drone or some sort of fixed pitch. You cannot learn to tune with your eyes). 7. Play with people better than you as often as possible. (This is a big one.) 8. Perform as often as possible. 9. Approach the practice room from a place of joy, gratitude, and curiosity. If it feels like a grind, pack up your horn and come back later. Your mindset is wrong. 10. Learn active recovery techniques. What we do is in fact a physical activity and repetitive use injuries are real and debilitating. You want to be able to do this for the rest of your life, right? 11. Learn Alexander Technique, body mapping, or some other method of proper alignment and set up to minimize the chance of injury and maximize playing enjoyment. 12. Record yourself often. Listen later so you can be objective. 13. Video yourself often. Look for hitches in your alignment, set up, embouchure, etc. 14. Tell them you want the gig, then SHOW them you want the gig. 15. Learn to market yourself as a performer not from a place of arrogance but from quiet confidence and professionalism. 16. ALWAYS be professional on the stage and in rehearsal. 17. Maintain balance. Find a non musical hobby. We all need a way to 'get away' mentally. 18. Learn to say 'no' when you need to. 19. LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN- Find the best musicians in the world, not necessarily on your instrument, and listen constantly. 20. HAVE FUN - If you aren't enjoying it, then why are you doing it?

9 Happy November Birthday to our Students Minahil Tufail 1st Allyson Grossa 2nd Brooke Wilson 4th Hana Staples 6th Katelyn Phan 6th Cairo Frost 8th Naomi Foster 9th Carter Tempro 12th Kalyaan Lim 13th Williams Quinn 13th Brooke Gorman 14th Erik Danoski 18th Uriel Valles 23rd Giana De Anda 28th Happy November Birthday to Our Teachers & Staff Fred Green 8th Tammy Jacobs 23rd Band & Orchestra Rentals Available NOW! Do you or a friend need an instrument for the school band or orchestra this year? Now is the time to get the best deals on rentals and rent-to-own instruments. Come in, call, or order online the perfect instrument for you. Brill Music Academy 8534 Del Webb Blvd Online Rentals: IMPORTANT INFORMATION Have you seen our promotional ad on the Brill Music website? Check it out at: Or see it in action at: (Welcome Page) PLUS, watch our newest commercial video at:

10 Did You Read Your Newsletter Contest November 2017 To increase readership of the Brill Newsletter, each month we ll feature a new contest winner or announce a new contest. Be sure to read your newsletter each month to see if your name has been drawn or you might miss out! This month s winner is: Kalen Mullen (drum student of John Signorella) Kalen has won a free music lesson from the Brill Music Academy (a $35 value). To redeem your prize, please contact the front desk to schedule your FREE lesson. It is good for 30 days or until the next winner is announced. Congratulations, Kalen!! Everyone, be sure to read your newsletter each month! SHARE THE NEWS: If you would like to share upcoming events, great information, or anything that would be of general interest to other students and parents, please feel free to submit it for possible newsletter publication to: BrillMusicAcademy1@gmail.com. Refer a Friend & Get A FREE Lesson! (A $35 Value) If you have a friend who might like to take lessons, if you refer them to the Academy and they take 1 month of lessons, we ll give you a lesson for FREE! It s very easy to refer someone. Just visit: Type in your name, their name, and their address, and we ll take care of the rest! Free Lesson Gift Certificate Thank you (YOUR NAME HERE) for referring to our Academy!! To redeem your free lesson, call and sign up for an additional lesson with your teacher, or any other of our teachers. You are welcome to try another instrument if you like, or give this to a friend. Lessons cannot be rescheduled once they have been made. Certificates cannot be used for refunds to your account or for cash. Given by: Date: There s no maximum to the amount of free lessons that you can receive!