Flute posture; it's a compromise

Flute students: Jennifer Cluff shows how flute posture is a compromise between the ideal playing position for your head and torso versus the ideal position for your hands and arms. She also shows how you can find the best "compromise" for your own playing.

More information on posture can be found here: http://www.jennifercluff.com/posture.htm

A brand new year of music lesson

Fall is upon is, but for teaching it feels more like spring; a sense of a new beginning. A fresh 'batch' of new students are awaiting teachers, and a refreshed outlook on teaching is helping us to get the best out of our students.

Getting organized
Over the summer Jackie (partner in life and music, pianist) and I have developed a completely new record keeping and tracking system, which will help us to be more effective teachers. 

An essential part of the record keeping is the Goals and Accomplishments sheets. Each student will have their goals defined during the first lesson, and a comprehensive strategy is developed for the full year.

Goals can be straightforward, such as "improving my tone" or "doing more jazz improvisation this year". But there's more to it than just that. Together with the student we will design an effective, goal oriented strategy.

New duo-tangs!
Helping students setting goals and planning for the year.  

For example, somebody who is planning to do an RCM Grade 8 exam would want to take advantage of more performing and mock-testing opportunities, and would want to know where and when theory lessons are available. With the help of our Goals and Accomplishments sheet in combination with our Theory, Concerts & Exams sheet we are now able to plan this.

All of these documents have been put in bright coloured duo-tangs (easy to find in your music bag), together with newly designed weekly Practice Charts, which will help the students realizing their goals step-by-step. 

New performance opportunities
Both Jackie and I are members of the BCRMTA, the British Columbia Registered Music Teachers Association. THE BCRMTA organizes five student concerts a year, which gives our students more opportunities to perform.

And we have not forgotten about taking care of our adult students. An "adults only" concert is scheduled for the end of the season.

We are looking forward to a GREAT year of music making with you!

We have moved, we're nearing the end of renovating our music studios, and we're almost ready to teach again in the fall

Summer has kept us really busy: predominantly with moving and renovating.

On July first we moved to beautiful Oak Bay, South Oak Bay to be precise, and are living on a quiet little street called Beaverbrooke Street. It's right in between St. Michael's Junior School and Monteray Middle School. 

We have moved to Oak Bay, 2189 Beaverbrooke Street

Our renovation was necessary to turn two bedrooms, located on the lower floor, into two music studios. With the help of family, especially contractor and uncle, Jim, these rooms have undergone a major transformation.

We finished the new laminate floor of my own studio today (yeah!), and I still will have to paint the ceiling and walls to give it that 'fresh' look. We're getting there. 

My saxophone/clarinet/flute studio; the floor is done.