Friday, May 19, 2023 by Debra B Heald | Uncategorized

First, everyone should have at least 3 summer lessons to select day/time for. Open lesson times are available for 9 weeks throughout June and July, so everyone should be able to find THREE times which they can attend. You can sign up for all 3 lessons in the same week (or even the same day) or spread them out evenly over the summer, or any combination that works for you. How to:

• Go to Encore Studio, login, and you usually land right on the calendar where available times show up.
• Click on the desired time slot
• Click on "register"

You may have more than 3 credits available if you had a qualified absence recently. To check the number of credits available:

• Go to Encore Studio, login
• On the menu on the left (click 3 bars if needed) click on "Contact Info"
• To the right of "teacher" and "contact information" will be makeup credits 
• Or just go ahead and schedule your 3 and ask if you have more

If you want more than the 3 already covered in your tuition (as in, maybe you want a regular weekly lesson or just a few extra) you must register for the 3, 6, or 9 option on the calendar on June 1. And you must do so BEFORE June 1. It's just like signing up for a time on the calendar. After you've paid tuition for the additional summer lessons, extra credits will be applied to your account and you'll be able to sign up for more lesson times on the calendar.

Reminder: Summer Lessons conclude at the end of July. Lessons in August do not resume until the fall schedule begins in late August.

Since they days/times quite limited on the summer calendar, you may request a day/time that does not show on the calendar. Depending on my schedule, I may be able to accommodate.

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Friday, March 31, 2023 by Debra B Heald | Uncategorized

Some Festival participants are submitting recorded entries! So here are some tips for recording:

• Keep it simple, use what you have. Almost every phone/tablet has the option of a video recording. Choose a high quality recording if option is available. For best results, Mom, Dad, sibling, or other person helps start and stop recording.
• If possible, use a similar view to what we use for lessons. Student's face, hands, and as much of the keyboard as possible should be in the frame. If pedal is used, the foot on the pedal should be visible in the same frame. For memorized piano solos, make sure the music rack WITH NO MUSIC is visible in the frame. (So that it's clear you are playing by memory.)
• Please record VERTICALLY if at all possible. (This may be a change from your normal lesson setup. If you are using pedal, this may be the only way your feet can be in the view.)
• It will be best if the recording device is stationary - on the stand or music stand you normally use for lessons, rather than handheld. HOWEVER, if you can't get the above frame from your normal location, have the person taking the video hold in their hand if needed.
• Wear decent clothes (no short shorts, t-shirts with graphics, tank tops, flip-flops etc) and if you want, you can dress up. Keep in mind you will want to wear the same clothes for multiple "takes" so that both pieces appear "live".
• Please announce your name, your event/level (i.e. "Piano Solo" and "Primary 3") and the name of the piece. I will be sending individual emails/messages with your level information.
• Please record the pieces separately - this helps everyone with quicker upload/download.
• Here's a rough idea of how you want your view (It could be lower and more to the side):

If possible, please upload to youtube as "unlisted" and send me the links. Here is a short video on how to do that: upload unlisted video to youtube. If that is a problem for you, hang onto your "best" performances and I will let you know in a few days where to upload your final recordings.

Thanks!
Debra

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Tuesday, December 27, 2022 by Debra B Heald | Uncategorized

The spring Federation Festival (held in LINCOLN April 1, 2023 - or submit a video) will be using a new online registration format. For students who have entered previously, complete records from the past will need to be entered, which my colleague and I are working on over the next few weeks. The middle name is needed (as well as birthdate, which I already have for most students) because it's a national database. It helps to distinguish your student from any other students with similar first and last names. This is to your advantage, because if you ever move or need to switch teachers (HOPE NOT!) your student information will already be there.

Note to newer students: The Federation Festival is our main performance AND non-competitive festival for the year. Most students will participate at least by taking the theory test. There are tests at a very easy beginner level and you begin to accumulate points towards a trophy!

You can help by logging in on my website. In the upper right corner, click on the arrow beside your name, then click on Profile Settings. Scroll down to Student Information. Because My Music Staff does not have a field for middle names, please enter the student’s legal middle name in the Skype Username field since we are no longer using Skype for any online lessons. Also, if your student has a different legal first name than the one listed (e.g., Patricia instead of Pat), please make that correction. And please check that the student’s birthday is correct. Click on save before leaving the page.

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