New Music Teacher Appointments!

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February 2010: We are delighted to have appointed three new music teachers: Marisa Arzillo (voice and musical theatre), Alan Rigoletto (guitar), and Richard Woo (piano). Marisa is pursuing a distinguished career as a singer and operatic stage director. She has started teaching voice for us, and will take our Musical Theatre program to the next level. Though well versed in all guitar styles, Alan Rigoletto is coming to HAA with some significant expertise on the jazz guitar, as well as a semester of guitar studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst ("Academy of Music and Performing Arts") in Frankfurt, Germany. Lastly, currently pursuing a Master's degree at Westminster Choir College, Richard Woo is majoring in Piano Pedagogy/Performance and Music Education. In addition to his professional studies, he is also on the piano faculty of Westminster Conservatory of Music.

We warmly welcome Marisa, Alan, and Richard to our music faculty.  They will help us maintain our high standards of education and meet the demands of our growing lesson program!

The Piano in My Life

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By Michele Collins
Kindermusik Educator

Music Lessons for Adults

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A growing number of adults have been contacting us about music lessons--not for

 their kids but for themselves.  Some barely seem to have enough courage to inquire, cautioning that "it's been so many years since I took lessons."  Others tell us the story of their hectic professional lives, and that they are longing for a "peaceful island" away from it all, a place where they can relax and be creative.  Others still are beginners, wondering if they'd be able to learn an instrument later in life.  The answer is an emphatic YES, YOU CAN!  We learn, mature, and improve as long as we live, in all areas of life.

To be sure, if your goal is to become a classical music virtuoso performing in major concert halls around the world, your musical journey invariably would need to begin in childhood; it does take a long time for such a career path to develop, and even those starting early have no guarantees that their talents will ever be recognized by a national or international audience.

But this is hardly the point.  Music is enjoyable, exciting, and deeply meaningful, even more so when we turn from passive listeners into active music-makers.  Try adult music lessons for yourself, and find out how your new, or newly rediscovered, passion can enrich your life!

New Blog: Music and Art for All!

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Hunterdon Academy of the Arts proudly announces its new Blog--"Music and Art for All."  Visit us and join the conversation!  We would like to hear your thoughts on music and arts instruction and related topics.  Post your questions, share your ideas, and become a resource for each other!

5 Things to Consider when Signing up Your Child for Music Lessons

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Fortunately, many parents still believe in the importance and far-reaching benefits of music education, particularly for young children.  While music training often has to compete with so many other activities--such as karate, soccer, gymnastics, chess, etc.--to retain its place in a child's busy schedule, we keep seeing strong demand especially for music lessons.

However, when signing up your child for music lessons, the following issues should be considered carefully in order to achieve maximum results and benefits:

1. Lessons in a private home vs. a professional music studio: if you are planning to hire an in-home instructor, do you trust this person enough to leave your child with him or her, in your home or theirs?  Can your child handle potential distractions likely to interfere with teaching in a private home setting (other people in the room, pets, surprise visitors, etc.)?  

2. Age: the child's age is important for several reasons.  On a basic level, the student's age can help parents and educators make a responsible decision whether or not private lessons are the appropriate mode of music instruction for a particular child.  In our experience, 4- and 5-year olds often do better in group classes than in private lessons.  Aside from the benefits of social interaction, young children learn much from each other.  In fact, they may even absorb information more readily than in a one-on-one setting, which requires a much greater focus and attention to details--abilities that are not fully  developed yet in many young children.  If you choose to sign up for one-on-on instruction, discuss with your  teacher the option of a 15- or 20-minute format, instead of the more customary 30-minute lesson.

3.  Choice of instrument: other than the child's personal color, shape, and sound preferences, age is also the single most important factor in determining the proper choice of instrument for a very young beginner. Nobody will argue that the tuba is unsuitable for small children.  However, even with some of the most popular instruments in early childhood music education, the case is often not as straightforward as it seems.  Let us consider, for example, the violin.  While some four-year-olds are ready to take up the 1/8- or 1/4-size violin, many other children of the same age range may not yet have acquired the fine motor skills necessary to progress well on this instrument. 

4. The instrument: your child must have access to an instrument for weekly practice purposes.  Without some weekly practice, however casual it may be at first, there will be very little progress, if any, from one lesson to the next.  Inevitably, your child (as well as his/her teacher) will feel frustrated, and you will ask yourself whether taking music lessons was a wise decision in the first place.  Don't deny your child a good educational experience by denying the need to provide an instrument!

5. Renting or owning?  From an educational point of view, it doesn't matter much which route you choose.  Many music stores offer decent and affordable rental programs with full insurance coverage of accidental damage.  Whether you rent or own, make sure that the instrument is of good quality and in good working order.  In most cases, this means that you should not buy the cheapest violin or guitar you can find anywhere.  The "bargain" you've so proudly hunted down may actually make it very difficult, if not impossible, for your child to achieve good and satisfying results on the instrument, regardless of how much time is spent on daily or weekly practice.

At Hunterdon Academy of the Arts, our passion is teaching music and the arts. We're happy to help parents make the right choices in their childrens' education.  For more information, click here

Choir Month at HAA!

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Enroll now and participate in our joint performance with Newark Boys Chorus on March 27!

Requirements to join:

Training Choir (grades 1-3): registration

and

Bel Canto Singers (grades 7-12): audition and registration


For more information, please call 908-782-4943 or visit our website:

HAA Bel Canto Singers