2022-2023 Calendar and Schedule Including Recital Dates
Tuesday, July 19, 2022 by April Davis | Announcement
Fall Semester
Begins: August 8, 2022
Ends: December 15, 2022
Dates off: November 21-25 (Thanksgiving Week)
Holiday Recital: December 16, 2022
Spring Semester
Begins: January 9, 2023
Ends: May 25, 2023
Dates off: March 13-16 (Spring Break)
Spring Recital: May 25, 2023
Welcome Back!
The school year and a new semester of piano are upon us! I missed you all this summer and I hope that your summer was filled with fun and memorable moments!
Above, I've outlined the most important dates for the upcoming school year. More information will be available on the recitals as the date draws near.
You can claim your weekly lesson spot for the school year via this link: https://calendly.com/davispianostudio/schoolyear.
Tuition of $135 per month will be due starting in August. There will be no tuition in May. Here's the math: 36 lessons over the school year (August - May), 9 months of tuition (August - April) is an average of 4 lessons for every month of tuition paid.
Studio policies have been updated for the new year. Nothing much has changed, but you can view them on the website here.
Students worked hard last year to learn composition. All students are invited to submit their compositions to the Austin Music Teacher's Association in September for consideration. The competition is judged by age range.
I look forward to seeing you all in August! We're going to have a great year!
2022 Spring Recital
Monday, February 21, 2022 by April Davis | Announcement
Our spring recital is the most formal and students spend a lot of time in preparation. To that end, it is a moment of great celebration! We honor the focus, hard work, and achievements of each student. Certificates are given for every method book completed over the course of the year. Awards are given to recognize specific achievements: composition, participation in MTNA competitions and tests, and dedication and hard work displayed mastering challenging pieces for the recital.
The 2022 spring recital will be Thursday, May 26, 2022, at 7pm.
The location has not yet been set. It will either be at St. Julian of Norwich Episcopal Church or Chandler Creek park. Both locations are in Round Rock. This post and other event postings will be updated once the location has been successfully booked. Both locations offer wi-fi, so the hope is that we will be able to stream the event this time, so family who cannot attend in person will be able to watch online.
Streaming Information:
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/cys-pnxp-ogj
Or dial: (US) +1 617-675-4444 PIN: 450 224 098 5197#
Piano Maestro! Your tool to make practice fun!
Thursday, September 3, 2020 by April Davis | Announcement
Hey y'all! New to the studio this semester is a subscription for all students to Piano Maestro, an app available for iPads only. Piano Maestro turns daily practice into a game--guitar hero style!
I've emailed an invitation to each student. Download the app and sign-up with the same email address the invitation was sent to; or, after signing up with a different email address, pick a teacher by typing my name into the box. I'll show up as April Davis in Round Rock, TX. When students are ready to practice, just set the iPad on the piano or keyboard like you would a music book.
Piano Maestro Sections
There are three sections: Journey, Library, and Home Challenge. Journey is a built-in method book of its own. Students can also pick songs on their own from the library and there are tons of songs including pop, country, classical, and traditional songs to choose from! Home challenge is where weekly assignments show up. This will normally include hand warm-up exercises and their assigned song from the Piano Pronto method book. (Yes! The method book we use is included in the app!!!!)
Piano Maestro Library Content
Here's a quick view of the library. You can look at all of the songs or narrow down the selection by choosing a genre and/or a level.
Piano Maestro Home Challenge
When a student views their home challenges, they pick an assignment and select learn. Students can opt to play the keyboard on the iPad screen making this the perfect companion for long car rides, or they can enable the acoustic piano option. The first time they pick the enable acoustic piano option, you'll be prompted the allow the microphone in your iPad's settings. A green key will light up on the app and you play that key on your own piano or keyboard and then the app will progress to the next screen and listen for the notes they play!
Piano Maestro Gamification
Piano Maestro turns learning into a game! Students play the notes as they get to the blue bar. The app breaks down learning the song into left hand, right hand, and both hand options. It also teaches smaller sections of the song at a time. Students are scored on note accuracy, timing, and assists. If they haven't mastered that section yet, they will get an option to restart. When they have mastered it, they see a next button to progress to the next section! By the time a student completes each section the entire song is learned!
Piano Maestro Student Feedback
Students are loving practice with Piano Maestro!! There's a little bit of a learning curve: reading notes that are moving, playing at a tempo set by the app, accidentally choosing "play" instead of "learn" for a new song. But, these challenges are easily overcome and students are soon hooked! Who doesn't love getting screen time to play a game? Oh, and that game also counts as piano practice time? So fun!!!!!
Piano Maestro Premium Subscription
Davis Piano Studio students have full access to all library items and features because the studio pays for the premium subscription. There will be no accidental purchases while on the app! Happy playing!
