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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!

Did you hear Jessa Carlson’s fun song yet? If not, check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=9L36XSXW0IM

What a great song! It’s called Georgia Porcupine and was written by by George Fischoff. Jessa says, “My favorite part of Georgia Porcupine is all of those awesome glissandos (of course!). I stopped wearing nail polish because it would flake off of my finger nails every time I’d play it and get all over the piano! It’s a song that makes you want to get up and dance, which is another reason why I love it!”

Jessa has a passion for music and cannot wait to share it with others — and she has a funny story about that: “I made the mistake of teaching “Heart and Soul” to my siblings. My cute sisters thought it was so cool they could play this fun duet together on the piano! They would play it ALL day, and everyone got sick of it pretty quick. So I decided to start teaching my sisters so I could teach them to play something else!” Jessa ended up running her own music studio for two years!

She has been playing the piano for over 11 years. Her favorite composer is Claude Debussy and she loves all things jazz. She enjoys playing the keyboard for BRHS Jazz Band. Jessa loves little kids and she is the oldest of six. Her experience includes accompanying violin performances and playing for various church and social events.

In her free time you can find Jessa hiking, painting, or playing tennis. We love having Jessa be a part of Harmony Arts and Music Academy!

Have you ever been in a slump? Have you ever felt like you’re living in survival mode? Have you ever struggled to build the energy and stamina to start fulfilling more of your potential? These are very personal questions, but the good news is that there may be a very simple tool to assist if you or someone you know is going through a rough time like this. Know what it is? (We won’t be surprised if you’ve already guessed it.)

It’s music. As we’ve said before, music is incredibly powerful. This time, however, we’re not just talking about the benefits of learning to read and play music, but the benefits of listening.

We have a very special treat: a song written by our own Maree Zollinger. Give it a listen! (Skip past the first 9 seconds of silence and it will begin.) #MyTimeToShine

Music has a powerful impact on our thoughts and emotions. Have you ever noticed how thoughts and emotions seem to influence each other? When we think a certain way, it leads us to feel a certain way. Our thoughts have a huge effect on how we feel about ourselves, others, and life experiences. On the other hand, how we feel seems to provide evidence supporting how we think. It is similar to a self-fulfilling prophecy, but it goes further than that. Our emotions really do influence our thoughts, like how we are more inclined to give someone the benefit of the doubt when we are happy or more quick to judge or get defensive when we already feel skeptical or offended.

How can we take advantage of this cycle to help us feel good about ourselves, increase our energy, and work through opposition resolutely? Again: music is a great tool for this! As we previously mentioned, music affects both our thoughts and our emotions simultaneously. That makes it significantly easier to work from both ends, changing thoughts and feelings, which changes behaviors, and then ultimately changes outcomes.

Music can be particularly helpful if you struggle with things like anxiety or depression if you know what some of your triggers are. It can help serve as something of a “reset” button in some cases, or simply provide the support you need to weather the storm well rather than just survive it. That’s the point, really. By influencing our thoughts and emotions, music helps us come out of survival mode and step into thrival mode. It’s like a domino effect: thoughts and emotions influence actions; consistent actions (paired with our thoughts and feelings about those actions and their consequences) influence mood and behavior; mood and behavior over time are indications of our overall health and direction. It all starts with those thoughts and feelings, which makes it crucial for us to intentionally influence them with truth and positivity as much as possible.

Want to arm yourself against anxiety and depression? Or prepare yourself for the storms of life? Perhaps enable yourself to be strengthened by opposition rather than impeded by it? Choose your music wisely. Be intentional about it! Prepare now: plan ahead for struggles you know may be coming your way and create playlists that set the tone you want for those moments. Feeling down? Listen to your self-esteem building playlist. Need to be humbled? Listen to your playlist that reminds you about serving others and treating them with love.

You may even want to try writing a song yourself. Another reason music is so powerful is because it is often written by people experiencing similar struggles. Their music tells the story we long to speak ourselves. Let your opposition, whatever form it takes, bring out the best in you. Let it change you for the better. Then, write down your experience! Tell your story! Empower others with the truths you learned.

Not keen on writing music? Learn to play some of the songs you listen to. Not a musician? Don’t play an instrument? Sing along. Singing the lyrics deepens their impact. It’s one thing to hear powerful truths; it’s a whole new level of impact to hear yourself declare them. It doesn’t matter if you can carry a tune or not. You speak the words to the rhythm of the music if you want. Still want more? Try dancing. You don’t have to be Beyonce to feel the beat and move along with it. Just be yourself. If you’re feeling goofy, be goofy. If it’s empowering, pump your fist in the air. Let your body serve as an extension of the music–another form it takes, another expression of its message.

Whatever walk of life you are in, there is music to walk it with you. We encourage you to use music as the tool it can be. Give yourself every opportunity to be your best. Start fresh if you need to. Take time to heal if you need it, but start now. You won’t be sorry. 

Music and article by Maree Zollinger

When my husband and I moved to Idaho, I mentioned that I taught at a music studio when introducing myself at church. They assumed (correctly, thank goodness) that that meant I knew how to play the piano, and shortly thereafter I was asked to accompany the children on the piano every week. It has amused me that teaching at a music studio marked me as a piano player even though I had never specified what I taught, but I have come to realize that the piano is the classic symbol of learning to read and play music for a lot of people. No one seems to question why we teach piano at Harmony Arts. 

As we have grown, we have added other instruments to our offerings. These additions are intended to provide greater depth, experience, and personalization to our program. We highly encourage all who are able to enroll in the Musikgarten classes BEFORE branching out to other instruments. Musikgarten sets the foundation by immersing children in the language of music. The younger they learn, the more natural it feels as they get older. Musikgarten is like the music equivalent of learning math basics before learning trigonometry. Of course, everyone of various ages and skill levels are welcome to sign up, we simply recommend Musikgarten in preparation to prepare individuals and thus improve the experience.

As we mentioned in our previous article, each new instrument has specific reasons for its inclusion in our program. Let’s dive in and explore a couple.

Guitar and ukulele

Nan says, “One of the reasons it is important for me to offer guitar and ukulele here at Harmony Arts is because my own experience with learning these instruments was so very impactful in many positive ways. As a child, I rode my bicycle to the Bothwell church to attend a ukulele and singing class taught by Carl Ashby and his daughter, Kayleen Vance.  In second grade, Jean Stokes came and taught ukulele at the school.  I owe my love of ukulele to Carl and Jean, and it is a great debt to owe!  Those experiences provided me with joy, growth, and opportunities to connect with others, including elderly neighbors in my community.  This was a big deal for me, as I lived in a rural area where my nearest friend was miles away.  I was insecure, so connecting with people didn’t come naturally to me. Playing the ukulele for my neighbors brought me out of my shell and provided a way for me to connect with and serve others. As for the guitar, my sister-in-law, Debbie, got me interested in the guitar first. She kindly and patiently taught me a few lessons–she sings and plays beautifully–so she had a wonderful influence on me. I want to give that back. I want to pay that experience forward by offering that opportunity to others, just as it was offered to me.”

I’m glad she did! I moved to Idaho the summer ukulele class was introduced. I was originally going to attend so I could learn to play, too, and Nan sent me off with plenty to help get me started. I was still helping with other summer camps, however, and on one of my trips back to Idaho, my car overheated. Stuck on the side of the freeway halfway between my old home and my new one, I pulled out that ukulele and played while I waited for help. What started off as a stressful and frustrating ordeal fortunately didn’t end as one!

The guitar and ukulele are unique, because they are great gateway instruments. The ukulele is perfect for young ones for whom a guitar is too big. The music can be adapted to different levels of expertise, as well. Beginners can strum their chords on the down beat while friends and family sing along while advanced players can accompany with a picking pattern. They’re easily portable–no need to lug around any heavy cases or equipment. Whether you have five minutes or an hour, it’s a quick matter to pull out your guitar, tune it, and play! Not to mention that guitar and ukulele are so much easier on the budget than, say, a grand piano! 

Like all instruments, the guitar and ukulele require practice, patience, and self-discipline. They are fantastic for developing dexterity and understanding chords and chord progressions. Singing and playing simultaneously requires the ability to strum the pattern, change chords, and sing at the same time. (Keep in mind that the rhythms for the tune and strumming aren’t usually the same.) 

So many people want to play the guitar someday — and it is such a fun instrument! Playing around the campfire, picking up songs from the radio, or just strumming along to Happy Birthday can be some of the most fun you’ll ever have! We love guitar and ukulele and they’re perfect for adults, children, teens — would you like to learn to play them? 

— by Marée Zollinger

When we were still known as “Croney Music Garden,” it may have been a bit of a surprise when we started offering Drum Lessons and Children’s Choir a few years ago. We continued to add to our offerings: African Drumming, Princess and Hero Camps, Ukulele and Guitar, and now even non-musical art like painting and crochet. We changed our name a year ago to “Harmony Arts and Music Academy.” Why the change from just music to including other forms of art? I mean, if art is taught, it makes sense to include it in the name, but why teach art at a studio that initially focused solely on music? Great questions!

Today we will provide a general overview of why we are including more of the arts. Over the next few weeks, we will dive into the vision and direction of the studio to help clarify why some of the offerings were added — because there is a reason for each one!

“First of all, music is an art form!” says Nan Croney (Harmony Arts administrator). “I believe music is for everyone, and God made it because He wanted to bless all of His children — and He didn’t want them to just sit in the audience! I believe He intended for everybody to learn to use their voice and sing. People are given different gifts that should all be developed. I want our studio to be a place where gifted mentors of all kinds share what they love for the benefit of their students and our community. When we offer a greater variety of arts, more people have the opportunity to develop skills that bless their lives and the lives of others.” 

Here at Harmony Arts, even our staff members are always seeking to learn and grow. We have learned from personal experience that learning music has innumerable benefits (like improving memory, language, and spatial skills to name a few). We have also realized that other forms of art, such as painting, also have a lot to offer. It is our earnest desire to bless as many lives as we can, and we discovered that by including a broader range of artistic activities we could extend our sphere of influence to include more people. That includes staff and students alike!

We chose to embrace and teach more of the arts because they are tools for self-expression, self-discipline, and self-management. These are three of the things we have found are crucial for success in life and leadership. Children are the future, and we strive to equip them with the tools they need to succeed gloriously! Learning art teaches that it’s ok to make mistakes and encourages us to learn from them. It develops fine motor skills. It increases our awareness of ourselves and those around us–of our emotions, relationships, and influence. Painting, crocheting, singing, dancing… These are activities that are fun and effective. They help make learning and progress fun, measurable, and memorable.

It may seem simple, and that’s because it is. Including art in a music studio improves the quality of experience and deepens the retention of the skills we know are important. Variety helps repetition feel novel!

Marée Zollinger taught at Harmony Arts and Music Academy when it was still known as Croney Music Garden. She taught Home, Preschool, and Keyboard 1 and 2, along with private piano and djembe lessons. She also assisted in Cycles, spearheaded the private drum curriculum during its first year, and was heavily involved in the development of summer camps — particularly the Princess and Hero camps.

Now living in Idaho, she continues to contribute to the studio by writing the articles for the blog and occasionally serving as a sounding board for ideas. Marée also helped document the new mission statement and company values.

When she’s not doing Harmony Arts work, Marée spends the majority of her time with her toddler. She loves to read, write music, play brass instruments, compete in sports (especially soccer), and create scratch boards of wild animals. If she had a place to keep one, she would have an off-road motorcycle.

Marée has always had a love for children. Whether babysitting, teaching music, or playing just for the fun of it, she is able to connect with them. She learns as much as she can to help others (particularly children) recognize their value, understand their purpose, and unleash their inner greatness.

From Nan: I am personally very grateful for Marée in the contributions she has made and continues to make in providing the quality we strive to maintain in our studio. I am also very grateful for her friendship and the support that she is to me personally. To know Marée is truly to love her!

Last week we introduced our mission statement and briefly summarized our company values. Today we’d like to expand on those values so the code we follow when making decisions is clear. We’re excited to share our “VISION” with you! (Get it?) Let’s dive on in!

V – Venture fearlessly!

We strive to show confidence in ourselves and others. When we believe in ourselves, others will, too. Confidence naturally leads its bearer to see the best in others, and sometimes belief in others is the spark they need to believe in themselves. It helps release the shackles of self-doubt and encourages us to rise above our fears and try.

Confidence also leads to assertiveness. Part of being assertive means describing circumstances rather than labeling people. It also means being willing to advocate for others even when our opinions may differ. We strive to suggest ideas that address as many concerns as possible and ask questions that ensure instructions and solutions are understood. By showing confidence and being assertive, we enable ourselves and others to venture fearlessly.

I – Innovate creative solutions!

Every staff member assists system developments. We know that maintaining accurate documentation and having systems in place provides a foundation for creating solutions. We view systems as building blocks that improve efficiency, effectiveness, and growth.

An open mind and willingness to think “outside the box” is critical to finding solutions. We ponder on the needs of individuals; we research and create; we strive to be open and teachable while resisting the negative influence of others.

S – Stretch and grow!

Harmony Arts is always striving to improve, so we ask our staff members to flow with the changing current and encourage them to freely share their creative ideas.

We believe that a world without the arts is a world without the basic tenets of humanity. To support and promote this belief, we seek continual improvement by taking correction with dignity, humility, and respect. We seek to achieve our unique measures of greatness and are genuinely happy for others when they do, too!

I – Inspire and uplift!

We bring positive energy to students, parents, and other employees by answering with more “yes”s than “no”s, giving more compliments than corrections, and having more suggestions than criticism.

We value each person’s self-worth. Those who share their ideas will always be respected and validated. Our conduct and materials are intended only to inspire and uplift.

We seek to be builders and influencers for good by focusing on the positive as much as is reasonable. There is always something to be thankful for, and in that gratitude we find joy.

O – Observe and own!

Our students’ well-being is of utmost importance to us. We make note of individual interests, struggles, etc. so we recognize when a different approach or avenue of teaching may be helpful. We are observant and mindful of the needs of our students so we can ensure those needs are met.

This begins with responsibility, which includes taking ownership of our work and making it our best. We also believe that asking for help when needed and doing a little extra when correcting our mistakes are essential parts of being responsible. It is our responsibility to be prepared to deliver the best experience we are able.

We are dependable. We do what we say we will do. We initiate action and accomplishment, and we work hard to complete our tasks quickly and efficiently.

N – Nurture warmly!

We nurture others by modeling respect–for both ourselves and others. We consider how our words or actions may affect others, and seek to convey all communication with love and respect.

We know that home is the first influence and place of learning for children. We provide simple and helpful resources in an effort to support parents in their endeavors to educate their family in the arts.

Harmony Arts and Music Academy has grown and changed a lot over the years! When Nan first started, she wasn’t planning to grow a studio with hundreds of students and lots of employees. We’re so grateful that she followed step by step to make the studio what it is today! Learn more in today’s article by Maree Zollinger:

When Nan first started teaching, her vision hadn’t been to launch a studio and teach hundreds of students over the years. The growth of the studio wasn’t at all the focus or the plan. She worked and struggled, simply doing the best she could, and consequently the growth of the studio came about step by step.

To help guide the direction of the studio as it continues to expand, she enlisted me (Marée) to collaborate with her to create a new mission, Team Code, and Company Values. With the new year only a few weeks behind us, we thought now would be a great time to introduce our Code and Values. Whether you are already enrolled, considering enrolling, or are a supporter of the blog, we hope the articles on this topic will inspire you as these values have inspired us.

Our mission statement is short and direct: “Nurturing confidence, connection, and community through the arts!” We hope it is clear that our mission is to nurture. We feel that “nurturing” sends a message of serving others.  Service is a core belief for us as a company, and we strive diligently to help our students understand and value its importance. At Harmony Arts, we are more than just Teachers–we are Facilitators. A Facilitator helps ignite the love of learning within others, which leads to increased participation and lasting results. We do this by creating an environment in which students will feel emotionally safe to learn and by providing material they can connect with. We know education works when the students feel respected and validated, so we make an effort to meet each individual where he/she is in the moment.

We seek to nurture the 3 C’s – confidence, connection, and community. In order to connect with others, an individual must feel a level of confidence.  Connection is what brings people together in the common good and builds community.  It is our strong desire to establish a place in our community where all community members can go to enjoy the arts and be filled with positivity.

Our Team Code and Company Values are represented by the acronym VISION:

V – Venture fearlessly

I – Innovate creative solutions

S – Stretch and grow

I – Inspire and uplift

O – Observe and own

N – Nurture and uplift

Within each of these Team Code words, we have a specific set of values we will address here in the blog in a future article.  

I have heard Nan express how important the Mission, Team Code and Values are to her. She and the entire Harmony Arts Team use these Values as a check-and-balance. When we make decisions, implement improvements, or introduce new offerings, we first run all ideas through the strainer of our Code and Values. We do not implement anything that is not in line with those values. This has been a very reassuring practice that has helped us maintain a clear vision for the growth of the studio and has simplified the decision-making process.

We look forward to discussing these values in greater detail with you in future articles!

Nan Croney here.  I am so excited to share this particular article Marée Zollinger wrote for us because whistling is special to me.  

I grew up on a farm listening to Dad whistle every day.  I wanted to learn, so he taught me.  It didn’t come easily, and I had to try out a lot of “ways” before I found the easy way for me.  After reading Marée’s article, it made me understand why I loved it so much, as I was a child who struggled with managing overwhelm.  

My husband talks about a carpenter that often did odd jobs for his family.  Carmi was a remarkable man and whistler.  He could make the most diverse and beautiful sounds, but to him it was just him being happy, and a way to let the family know he was around.

Please enjoy Marée’s article, and if you are not a whistler, you might want to start!  From Marée…

Are you a Whistler? Do you know someone who hums everywhere he goes? These are signs of contentment and evidence that one’s mind is at ease. But more than that, whistling can help create a feeling of ease or contentment during moments of stress or pressure. As a result, people who “whistle while [they] work,” as the seven dwarfs advise, actually do a better job!

The effects whistling has on the quality of performance is due to more than just the aforementioned contentment that accompanies it, though happy people generally are more effective workers. Performance also has to do with pressure and how we perceive and respond to it.

Have you ever heard the phrase “to choke under pressure”? What this really means is that the brain has become overwhelmed by all the pieces of information it is trying to process. Dr. Sian Beilock of the University of Chicago calls this, “paralysis by analysis.” In her studies of the brain under pressure, she has found that, “Whistling or singing helps distract the mind from trying too hard and prevents mental overload.” She explains that this is because doing so “helps stop parts of the brain that interfere with performance from taking over.”

So, next time you feel the stress start to build, pucker up and whistle! (Or if you’re not much of a whistler, try humming!) You may find that both contentment and quality work soon follow.

When is your favorite time to whistle and what is your favorite song? Let us know!

-Marée Zollinger

Link to source of Dr. Beilock’s research:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1313993/The-Dwarfs-right-Whistling-work-makes-job-better.html#ixzz3Udyhm5RE

Need a fun family activity over the Holidays?  Homemade Instruments offer a great deal of fun for the whole family!  

I remember picking up rocks, sticks and pieces of metal on our family farm and banging them around to find a pitch or a rhythm I could play around with.  One of my favorite musical activities in nature is just listening to the layers of sound created in the great outdoors.  But since we are all stuck inside for a while, let’s explore some indoor options!  Be sure to scroll to the end of the article for LOTS of ideas on how to make your own instruments!

Musicals:  

Many children and youth nowadays know little about the classic musicals.  There is a wealth of value in many of these shows, and films were created for many of them.  Singing and beautiful orchestration, and in many of them, traditional tap dancing – something fun for any viewer.  There are so many, but here are some of my favorites:

• The Music Man
• Brigadoon
• The Sound of Music
• Singin’ in the Rain
• Fiddler on the Roof
• Oklahoma
• The King and I
• The Wizard of Oz
• Mary Poppins
• Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang
• Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
• Carousel
• South Pacific
• An American In Paris

Stomp:

• Stomp!
• Stomp Live – Part 1 – Brooms
• Stomp – newspapers

Favorite Performers:

• Celtic Woman – O Holy Night
• Gentri – Do You Hear What I Hear
• Gentri – The Little Drummer Boy
• What Child Is This (Piano & Electric Cello) The Piano Guys

Homemade Instrument Videos:

Instruments made from food.  Seems like any youth nowadays loves a good youtube video.  Well,

here’s a few to enjoy together, and who knows, maybe it will inspire your own instrument-making!

• Smash Mouth – All Star (melon cover)
• Toto – Africa (Sweet Potato & Squash Cover)
• Is mayonnaise an instrument?

Instruments in nature:

• Percussionist Makes Music Using Nature’s Instruments
• A natural playground with musical instruments – Child’s Play Music.  Start listening/watching at 1:49.

Making music with water:

• Street artist playing Hallelujah with crystal glasses
• Sugar Plum Fairy by Tchaikovsky – GlassDuo LIVE (glass harp)

Music made with stuff you wouldn’t imagine!

• The most unusual musical instruments of the world!
• Drumming in the street

Make your own Homemade Instruments:

• 25 Homemade Instruments That Really Work – my favorites are:  Hand Drums (same as a Chinese Sun Drum), Singing Straws, Backyard Concerts, Egg Maracas, Bell Shakers, Jingle Ankle Bracelets (also works with scrunchies).
• Drum Sticks and a variety of buckets, pots, pans and junk you can get at any D.I.
• Glass soda bottles, 8, tuned to a Major Scale.  Blow across the top of each to get a pitch.
• Shekeras

Try some of these fun ideas and tell us how it goes! We’d love to see videos and photos of all the fun. 

Merry Christmas!