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Summer PRINCESS/HERO CAMP — such a favorite! A 1-day camp with a princess or a superhero, Mini-performance for the parents and a fun photo opp at the end! More info ahead:

Young children often have a positive sense of self-worth that we adults can learn from, so how can we help them keep and further develop that inner understanding of their importance and potential?

Well, at Hero and Princess Camp, we have just the thing for kids age 4 to 11! In just 2 hours, your child will experience empowering principles such as journaling, vision boards, declarations, and service as well as learn how to incorporate these principles into their daily lives in simple ways. We know there is value in every individual, and part of our mission is to help others recognize that value in themselves and grow by facing obstacles that might otherwise stifle them.

This camp includes music, story-telling, creative movement, crafts, and the opportunity to meet a real Hero and Princess! It concludes with a mini performance for the parents and a fun photo opp to help the memories last. Modest princess or hero costumes are welcome but not required.

To learn more and to register, visit HarmonyArts.net/class-descriptions and scroll down to Summer Offerings.

At Harmony Arts, every experience is curated to offer the most meaningful and enriching experience possible. Are you aware of what your student will experience and gain from our Resound Choir? Take a look, you might be surprised!

Connection. For starters, we are perhaps more aware than ever of the need for social interaction, and choir provides a positive, uplifting, and emotionally safe atmosphere for meeting up with old friends and making new ones.

Mental and Physical Health. Singing regularly also releases endorphins that improve one’s overall emotional state and can even reduce stress, anxiety, and depression by providing a positive tool to managing it. It may not work the same muscles as your traditional workout, but learning to breathe and sing properly helps optimize oxygen in the bloodstream, which boosts energy and improves physical health. Did you know that many health conditions are improved by proper breathing? Studies have shown that singing “reduces shortness of breath, increases the strength of your voice, improves posture, increases lung capacity, and boosts response to infection.”1 These are only a few of the health benefits.

Self-Expression, Creativity, Confidence. Learning to sing correctly develops confidence. Confidence gives the student the courage to learn to express herself. She then finds reason to create and in our inclusive Harmony Arts community, finds validation of her ideas. When self-expression, creativity and confidence are part of the experience, the experience inadvertently helps us become better versions of ourselves – we become better humans who want to create, express and share to build others up.

The Program. This summer, we are so pleased to offer our Resound Choir experience–this time for TEENS AND children so that more youth in our community can experience the magic!

All students will gather weekly for a 75 minute class. Older teens will spend special time with a different instructor, and join the entire group for a company number. Each youth group will learn songs that are meaningful to their age group – songs they love from a variety of genres.

In addition to teaching vocal exercises and proper singing and breathing techniques, we incorporate movement and simple instrument accompaniment that the singers participate in. Our choir also experiences singing/performing with a professional drummer and/or other professional musicians to create memories that are unique and unforgettable.

Joy. We value creating opportunities for students to experience for themselves the feeling of goosebumps from a beautifully sung harmony, the breath-taking silence that follows a perfect cut-off, and the comradery of being with friends and adults who really care. Working together to create something so impactful is nothing short of magical, and we invite all community youth to immerse themselves in our “something joyful” this summer! Come join us!

Resources: Singing for Lung Health: How Singing Can Improve Your Breathing.
Authors: Maree Zollinger, Nan Croney

David Parker is one of our amazing drum teachers! He was born in Valparaiso, Chile, and has two young sons. David likes to play soccer with friends, cook, and go to the mountains. He has played music all around the world, including rock, blues, salsa, cumbia and many other musical genres.

David moved to Utah 5 years ago, and says, “I am learning about the culture here and more about the language. I like animals and seeing the stars at night. I am happy to be part of this community of musicians, and I hope I can contribute my knowledge so that children can express their emotions and be better musicians.” David’s students feel his passion and love for music and teaching — a truly magical experience! We’re thrilled to have you here, David. Welcome to Harmony Arts and Music Academy!

Meet Heidi Bodrero! She has a fun story about making music during her growing up years:

“As a child, coming home from the farm work in the back of the truck with my siblings, we would create music together. Someone would tap a beat on the side of the truck, someone else would make a silly animal sound, and the rest of us would add to it in whatever random sounds we could come up with. Some of them actually sounded really good and we wished we would have recorded them. That’s a fond memory I have with my siblings.” 

Music has always been a big part of her life. Here’s another fun story:

“On several occasions, as a young girl, I was caught in the local stores of my hometown, dancing with the clothes on the clothes rack to the music playing over the sound system. I would sing along and didn’t care who was watching. Even now, I gather my kids together, turn on music, and we sing and dance all over the house. I’ve also been known to make up my own songs as I cook dinner or dance with the broom as I sweep the floor.”

Doesn’t that sound like a fun home? Heidi is married to her “Knight in Shining Armor”. She has used her love of music as her 7 children have grown up in the Musikgarten program, and the older ones are now in private lessons. She is a mentor, and especially loves mentoring children. Heidi has homeschooled her children for 8 years, and has mentored children in their homeschool co-op for over 6 years. Musikgarten has been an important part of her homeschool curriculum. She sees the value of music in the lives of children, and the power music has to help a child discover, and grow into their true identity. She loves helping others succeed and get excited about learning.

Heidi is a Board Certified Traditional Naturopath, Tuning Fork Specialist, and has completed Iridology Certification.

Heidi has a way of making everyone feel important and helping people know their ideas matter. She’s approachable, insightful, and kind. We love to have her teaching Musikgarten and Keyboard here at Harmony Arts and Music Academy. Thank you for being part of our studio, Heidi! 

“Billy, I’ve asked you several times, don’t make me ask again: Get your practicing done before you play.” Mom’s patience has worn thin. What’s the point of paying for lessons if he’s going unprepared half the time? Maybe it’s time to call it quits and end the power struggle. She wants Billy to gain the benefits of learning to play the piano, but it has turned out to be just one more thing on her own plate that she simply can’t handle right now. This isn’t what she had in mind when she imagined him increasing his independence.

Does this sound familiar? It’s a tough and frustrating position to be in. If you can relate to this, we have great news for you! It doesn’t have to be that way. There are some simple guidelines that can end the power struggle and motivate your autonomous child to practice.

The Practice Domino Effect

You may have seen signs in the studio that look like this:

This is what happens when a small child doesn’t practice.

        LESSON DAY 100%           

        Day 1        No Practice

        Day 2        50% lost. Without practice, 50% of what has been learned in the lesson is lost every 24 hours.

        Day 3        75% lost       

        Day 4        87% lost       

        Day 5        93% lost

        Day 6        96% lost

        Lesson Day    97% lost       97% of the material has to be re-taught at the next lesson.

    It’s clear why piano quickly loses its luster without practice. The idea of playing the new song is invigorating, but without progress and success to keep the interest level high, soon it no longer matters how passionate a child is about a song. Practicing within 24 hours of a lesson helps solidify what they learned at their lesson and creates an early success that makes continued practice both easier and more enjoyable.

With this in mind, if you only have enough time to help your child practice once a week, the first time (within 24 hours of the previous lesson) is by FAR going to have the most impact. This helps carry the energy and excitement of the lesson into the home environment and practice.

Consistency Is Key

Nan once taught a student who was involved in several extra-curricular activities and didn’t always have 30 minutes to sit down and practice. She tracked her practice to the minute, turning in practice sheets that said,

Monday – 7 minutes

Tuesday – 32 minutes

Wednesday – 14 minutes

Thursday – 4 minutes

Friday – 2 minutes

Saturday – 46 minutes

Some of the days didn’t look impressive on their own, but the effort and consistency added up and allowed her to make notable progress despite all her other activities. Some of her practice times were short because she was snatching opportunities when they came, no matter how short they were. (Like practicing for a few minutes while waiting for her family to be ready to leave.) When Nan asked her what she did during the 2 or 4 minutes of practice, her student responded, “I ask myself, ‘What can I accomplish? How can I make the most of the time I have?’ Then I put all my focus and effort on that one thing.” Whether she knew it or not, she was following principles that made her practice effective. In case you didn’t catch it, those principles are:

• Recognize and act on opportunities to practice. Some time is better than no time.
• Focus on one skill, such as a new scale or a tricky part in a song. (More on this in a future article).
• The amount of time isn’t nearly as important as the amount of effort. Five minutes of focused, intense practice accomplishes more than fifteen minutes of just playing. 

Motivating Your Child 

Ok, so it’s clear that practice is essential to success on the piano, but how does one encourage practice without the power struggle? You may already know that we are big advocates of reward systems here at Harmony Arts, and that’s because it works. Sometimes parents worry that practicing for a reward will lead to selfishness and increased dependence on extrinsic motivation, but when a reward system is setup and followed, it actually does the exact opposite!

Intrinsic motivation comes with confidence. Confidence follows progress; progress follows consistent effort. In short, consistency is the key to becoming intrinsically motivated, and positive reinforcement (a reward system) is the most effective way to improve consistency. Another way to put is that rewarding effort leads to accomplishment. Rewards are tangible recognition of effort and are essential until intrinsic motivation develops.

So how do you get your child to want to practice without your nagging to remind him? Find the 1 thing that motivates your child the most. Create a reward system using whatever that is. Make sure both sides (the effort and the reward) are measurable.

Examples

Goal: Practice 100 minutes each week

Reward: 20 extra minutes of screen time

Goal: Practice five days each week

Reward: Bike ride to the park with Mom

These are just examples. Adjust the practice goal and reward to what is realistic and motivating to your child. Be clear when the goals are met: “You earned this; I am so happy giving you this reward because I see the effort you are giving.” Following a predetermined system is NOT the same as a bribe. Give this an honest and sincere effort. If you need help or ideas, feel free to talk to your child’s teacher. That’s what we’re here for. We’re happy to be a sounding board to help create a reward system both you and your child feel good about.

Enjoy the Change

You can do this! A reward system takes far less effort than the power struggle. There may be times when the reward needs to change as interests change, and that’s ok! Make changes when needed and stick to the new system. Your child will choose to practice on his own, he’ll remember more and progress faster, successes will add up, confidence will build, and intrinsic motivation will grow! There may come a time when the rewards are no longer needed because the enjoyment of achievement will be enough. You are simply setting the foundation so it can happen naturally.

Meet Alyssa Chapman! Alyssa is an administrative assistant at HAMA. She was born and raised in the Tremonton area. Music has been Alyssa’s passion since childhood, but she also enjoys reading, running, baking, and singing.

Alyssa studied piano at Snow College with an emphasis in commercial music and has taught piano for 8 years. Alyssa loves sharing music with others and had the privilege to be an accompanist for a local women’s choir for the past 2 years.

She married her High School sweetheart and they have two adorable boys! Her goals shifted after college, and she says motherhood has become the best part of her life. Her favorite thing, most of all, is to spend time with her family. They enjoy fishing, shooting, hiking and anything outdoors.

Alyssa collaborates with our team on curriculum-related projects, adding her special kind of magic. Thank you, Alyssa, for what you do at HAMA! We’re so very glad you’re here!

by Maree Zollinger

It may sound surprising that Musikgarten offers classes for babies and toddlers, not just children, but when we approach the “why” behind it, it’s not so surprising. Let’s review the benefits of learning to play an instrument.

Physical Health Benefits:

• Deep breathing – Breathing from your diaphragm (like when singing or playing a wind instrument) strengthens the lungs and respiratory system. It also helps reduce unhealthy stress.
• Developed immune system – “There is increasing evidence that making music enhances the immunological response, which enables us to fight viruses.” (Cicetti)
• Refined listening – Learning music improves our ability to isolate sounds as they occur – and not just the sounds of instruments!
• Cognitive retention – The American Psychology Association found in a study that those who learned to play an instrument in their youth performed better on several cognitive tests than those who had no musical experience. They concluded that learning to read music increases cognitive retention as people age. (Pappas)

Mental Health Benefits:

• Mental performance – Playing an instrument teaches the brain to perform well under certain amounts of stress, improves long-term memory, and can slow the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s. (Costandi)
• Concentration – Learning an instrument activates the parts of the brain that help us focus.
• Mathematics – Theory and counting begin neural pathways that assist with finding patterns and connections in math.
• Time Management – We learn through practice, which requires us to set aside time for that intent. This is a great way to develop self-discipline.
• Reading skills – Sight reading increases our ability to process information in more than just music.

Emotional Health Benefits:

• Self-expression – Playing an instrument is a healthy way to express and address emotions. “Research shows that making music can lower blood pressure, decrease heart rate, reduce stress, and lessen anxiety and depression.” (Cicetti)
• Achievement – Music is a simple way to learn to set and achieve goals. Achievement is a powerful emotion and can be an effective motivator because it can help increase confidence.
• Building healthy relationships – Music is a great way to meet new friends, spend time with old friends, and connect with people whom we might not connect with otherwise.

To summarize what this all means, early music exposure increases the likelihood a child will be interested in music classes and activities, which result in benefits across the board from performance in school to emotional well-being and more. How early can we influence with music, and what are some simple ways to introduce music? It’s never too early! Here are some ideas for providing babies and toddlers with music opportunities:

• Make a game of imitating different sounds. (Animals, machines, whatever you can think of!)
• Drum, whistle, hum, dance, or sing along when there’s music playing. (They’ll associate music with positive experiences and will already be used to participating if they take classes later on.)
• Recite or sing nursery rhymes. Leave out words or phrases for your child to fill in.
• Experiment with sounds. Try sticks vs spoons on a surface. Try an oatmeal bucket vs a cardboard box.
• Let them try simple instruments, like the kazoo. You can buy or make them, and they’re inexpensive.
• Play a listening pattern game. (You can sing, drum, whistle…) Try short patterns for your little one to repeat. Show him how it’s done by repeating him first.
• Change the words to familiar songs. (Try using funny sounds and voices to make it fun and silly.)

These are just a few ideas to get you started. You don’t need to go out of your way to expose your baby to music. There is music all around us! Use your imagination and what you have on hand and you’ll be surprised what you can come up with. As your child grows and benefits from your efforts, you won’t regret it.

Recitals… Some of us may have fantastic memories of performing in recitals in our youth while for others, not so much. If the latter sounds like your past experience you may wonder, ‘What is the point of recitals?’ That’s a great question! Hopefully by the end, our reasons for holding recitals as a studio will be clear.

PIANO MASTERCLASS AND RECITALS

Let’s start off by discussing a different question. Why learn an instrument? More specifically, why is your child learning an instrument? We obviously can’t answer that question for you, but one common response (in addition to the benefits we love to remind people of) is “opportunity.” Opportunity to learn a new skill, opportunity to express oneself, opportunity to serve… Learning an instrument is full of opportunities, and we at Harmony Arts believe service to be among the greatest opportunities available. Our recitals are intended to be just that: an opportunity to share talent in service of others. It also allows the guests who attend to serve the performers by supporting and encouraging them. Our students are still learning, and our recitals are not intended to cause undue stress or overwhelm. Unlike concerts, which are where professionals perform, recitals are where students share their progress with their loved ones and support their peers.

We strive to create an atmosphere where recitals are fulfilling and even fun. We encourage our students to focus on the positive and teach them tips and skills to help them overcome any fears or worries they may have about playing in front of others. Much of this growth and preparation takes place at Piano Performance Masterclass (PPM). Every fall and spring, approximately 3-4 weeks before the Christmas & Spring Piano Recitals, piano students at HAMA participate in a PPM, which is a traditional masterclass where students perform their recital repertoire while we (teachers and students) write comments on their performance. It is a two-way service opportunity that provides a safe place for students to receive feedback on their recital pieces while simultaneously giving their peers the opportunity to practice following along on sheet music, increase their musical vocabulary, and improve their ability to listen and discriminate by leaving feedback on comment cards provided by the studio. It also encourages students to memorize their pieces ahead of time and allows them to gain experience that will help them become more comfortable playing for others. For additional encouragement to focus on the positive, we have a Performance Journal accessible to our students, (see your child’s private teacher for details).

ETIQUETTE

To further promote our recitals as service opportunities and a safe place for our students to share their talents, we have recital etiquette that we ask the musicians and guests alike to abide by. When attending a recital, please arrive on time, silence all devices, and stay until the recital is over. All of our students work diligently to prepare and deserve a full audience. Listen quietly. Even whispering can be distracting to those performing and sends a message of disinterest, even if that is not the intent. If young ones become noisy, please take them out so others may continue to enjoy the performance. When should you clap? A good rule of thumb is to wait until the performer stands. That way you won’t accidentally distract in between movements of a multi-movement work. We also ask our students to bow and smile after their performance as a show of gratitude for the audience. Overall respect throughout helps make the recital a good experience for everyone.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Piano Performance Masterclass and recitals are part of the Harmony Arts learning experience. PPMs do not cost extra, they simply replace the private lesson of the week they are scheduled for. There is a FEE for recitals so we can pay staff members for their help, and all students pay the fee whether they are present for recital or not. An alternate performance can be arranged if your family will be out of town on recital weekend. Sign up for ONE time of your choice; be sure to sign up early if you have a busy schedule. In the case of PPM, only the students need to attend. Be sure they are signed up for a slot when they can remain for the entire class. In the case of recitals, please sign up for a time that you and any friends and family who plan to attend can remain for the entire recital so that all performers can have a full audience. To sign up:

• Login to the Parent Portal – This is the ONLY way, and you MUST sign up to attend!
  • Go to the Harmony Arts Parent Portal
  • Login with your email and Jackrabbit password that you set up (or click on “forgot your password or need to get started”).  Now you are on the Jackrabbit Parent Portal.  
• Click on the“Event Registration” tab, then click on “Event Calendar”.  
• Click on the event you want to sign up for, and if it is NOT full, it will allow you to register.  
• Each student has to be signed up individually, but you can register multiple students for the same event at once.

For Piano Performance Masterclass, students may wear regular school attire. They need to bring their lesson binder, Assignment Notebook, 3 copies of all recital pieces, and a pencil. Performers must wear best dress attire to recitals and need only bring sheet music if playing a duet. Family and friends may wear casual attire to recitals.

PPM is for ALL PPC students and ALL Private Piano Students.

Recitals are for ALL Private Students (Drums, Guitar, Piano and Voice) AND all PPC students.

by Maree Zollinger

We have introduced how Harmony Arts and Music Academy has been evolving as well as discussed the reasons for some of the additions to our offerings in previous articles. Let’s continue a bit further by diving right in with the drums. Why drums in what would, at first glance, appear to be a piano studio?

The children who have participated in Musikgarten through the years know that we drum in our classes- even the keyboard classes. It stems back to not only the Musikgarten curriculum, but the natural steps of learning on which it is based. Rhythm is an essential part of learning music. It is not enough to know just the notes. Try imagining your favorite song giving every note the same count value (for example, all quarter notes)… Not nearly as compelling anymore, is it?

Since we teach music like it’s a language, let’s draw some comparisons. We don’t speak every word at the same pace. We pause for breath, emphasis, or to separate clauses or ideas. In that sense, there is rhythm even in our daily conversations. Rhythm is the fluctuation of the language of music and is just as important for music to make sense as fluctuation is to help our words work together to make sense.

That brings us to drums. What better way to improve rhythm than by playing a percussion instrument centered on just that? Of course we still teach rhythm in our Musikgarten classes, but drums build on the foundation set by Musikgarten to further develop that skill. It’s kind of like taking a general English class and then taking a reading literacy class. You need to know English for the literacy class to be of real benefit, and the literacy class dives deeper into one aspect of English itself. Musikgarten provides the foundations that help students in our other offerings. Drums help us focus on rhythm specifically.

Another reason for adding the drums is because drumming is a great outlet for anxious or wiggly kids. It’s an active, adaptable opportunity to meet a lot of children where they’re at. Got a real mover? Tie a shoelace on either end of a bucket and let your drummer march and drum simultaneously. Got a little one who gets stressed? Drums are great for self-expression and stress release. Struggling to get the rhythm right on a piano piece? Drum it out first and get the rhythm down, then try again on the piano.

Can you see why we like the drums? Why wouldn’t we offer something that impactful at our studio? Exactly. That’s why we do. We love the children who come through our doors, and we know that drums are a great asset in our efforts to help them succeed.

We’re so excited to welcome Marie Hellewell to Harmony Arts and Music Academy. Marie handles so many things that are essential to HAMA running smoothly! We couldn’t do it without her!

Marie was born in Brigham City, Utah, although she spent most of her upbringing in Gilbert, AZ and Las Vegas, NV. Marie attended Dixie State University and studied vocal performance with scholarships for piano accompaniment, before transferring to Utah Valley University to finish her schooling.

Marie met her husband Brian and they married in 2015. They moved to Tooele, where they bought their first house a few years ago. Marie and Brian raise Great Danes. They have 3 adults now, and recently had their second litter of puppies. Marie works as a piano and vocal teacher in Tooele, and also has recently started to work as a piano technician and tuner. For fun, Marie enjoys anything social with her friends and family. 

Thank you for being part of Harmony Arts and Music Academy, Marie!