Category Archives: newsletter

St Patrick’s Day

Folk music is music from a country, usually composed and performed by the people of that country.  There is Australian folk music (think of Waltzing Matilda) American folk music (Home on the range) and if you named a country there would be a well known folk song from there. Most folk songs are very old and the composer is often anonymous, because we just don’t know who originally wrote the song. I love the folk music of Ireland.  The most well known folk song from Ireland is “Danny Boy”. I have linked some videos down below if you would like to sing along.

If you run a music studio you need my music staff. Click image for one month free!

Term Three, 2021

Hi there,

Welcome back to Singing Strong for Term 3, 2021.

For those who have had school holidays, I hope you have had a relaxing break and are looking forward

to get back to singing.

Please make sure that before you come to your singing lesson this week that you have done a bit of singing and spent some time checking in on your voice if you haven’t been using it recently.

Latrobe Valley Eisteddfod

The Latrobe Valley Vocal Eisteddfod is only 7 weeks away. It is being held on the weekend of the 28/29th August.

The closing date for entries has been extended to Friday 16th July, so there is still time to enter.

To find out more go to the website:  https://www.lve.org.au

For those who have entered, it is important to start preparing for this right now.

I have made a brief video about the eisteddfod and some things to think about to prepare for an eisteddfod.

 

 

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me.

Australian Music Examination Board

If you would like to complete an AMEB singing exam, the entries close on Friday 13th August.

If you would like to know more about this, please feel free to contact me to ask any questions.

Please note that there is an entry fee and some grade levels require you to sing with a pianist, so costs can range from $100 to $200.

Completing exams are a great way to improve your singing skills and prepare songs to a high standard.

The exams involve singing songs, aural exercises, sight reading and general knowledge.

To find out more about AMEB, you can go the website:  https://ameb.vic.edu.au

I am also in the process of organizing a performance workshop to be held in the next month.

More details will be sent out about this very soon.

 

I look forward to seeing everyone  back in the studio!

 

Singing Strong Newsletter 1 2017

Welcome back everyone to 2017!

It is so good to be back teaching and working with all the wonderful Singing Strong students.

I absolutely love helping people achieve the voice of their dreams.

 

 

A warm welcome to new students:  Claudia, Samantha, Karla, Emmie and Kate.

Singing Lesson times still available:

If you know of anyone who would like to take up singing lessons at this stage I only have one afternoon session available: Wednesday 4.30pm. If you would like to take advantage of this lesson time please get in touch with me asap.

I do have some day time sessions available on Thursday and Friday, so if that suits, please  get in touch with me so that we can arrange a time.

Studio Policy.

Please make sure you have read the Singing Strong studio policy. You can read it here

This way you know what my role is and the expectation of students and parents.

 

What’s on at Singing Strong?

To keep up to date with what is going on you can check out my blog posts at www.singingstrong.com.au/blog.

There is also the Singing Strong facebook page.  Please feel free to share this with your family and

friends, I like to put up all sorts of information about singing that I think might  be of value.

 

Events for Term One:

Sunday 12th March: Recording session at Spectrum Productions

I love to sing, I love to teach singing and I also love the use of technology in music. However I am discovering that while I am able to do some okay recording, I am no expert in this field.

So, I have arranged a recording session time for Singing Strong students with Brett Tippet at Spectrum Productions on Sunday afternoon 12th March, so that students have a chance to make a professional recording that will be made into a cd.

This session is only open to 12 students.  A time will be arranged for you to come to the studio between 1pm and 5pm. You get a chance to see how it all works, record and mix your song.

To book a place click on the button below. Cost is $20.

 

 

 

If I find that more students want to take part than we can fit on the day, I will arrange another day to do some more recording.

Cafe Concert on Thursday 30th March at Dal Mondo’s Traralgon.

Please put the date in your diary!

Our first performance for 2017 will be at Dal Mondo Cafe, Post Office Place, Traralgon from 6.30pm.  This is a great opportunity to get in some performance practice, or if you haven’t sung in public before, this is a safe, friendly supportive environment to get up and have a go.

If you have already done this performance before I would ask that you still come along to sing.  As I mentioned it is great performance practice and it is also good for everyone to see the progress students are making over time.

 

I had a wonderful time during January working with students in an intensive workshop over 5 days.  It was incredible the progress students made and I will certainly be doing more of this in the future.  I will keep you posted on future dates.

 

 

 

 

 

We near the end of 2016

As we come to the end of another successful year at Singing Strong, I would like to thank all the students who have worked so hard this year on developing their musical skills.

There has been excellent progress made and students can be very proud of their achievements.

A big thank you to those students who participated in the concerts at O’Mara House and Yallambie Village in the last couple of weeks.  The residents really enjoyed the performances and really appreciated you taking the time to perform for them. I would like to think we could make this more regular.  It is a wonderful way to give back to the community as well as work on performance skills.

I have completed a newsletter that covers a lot of the events that Singing Strong has been involved in this year. Please click the link below to read all about what has been going on in 2016.

Singing Strong Newsletter end of year 2016

You can also read more details about what successes students have had this year by going to the achievements page.

Just click here for all the information

Yallambie Dec 2016

Newsletter Term 4 2016

singing-strong-is-on-facebook

Can you believe we have reached the last term for 2016??surprised

 

 

 

Singing Strong studio had a huge Term 3.

Students continued working hard during lessons, working on technique and learning new repertoire. This was quite a challenge for some as there were so many activities on this term.

A large number of students were involved in various Eisteddfods achieving great success.

I held a workshop about preparing for Eisteddfods and performing.  This was very well attended and the masterclass that was held was very worthwhile.

We ended the term with a dinner dance held at the Premier Function Centre. This was a terrific end to the term. It was fantastic to see student up on stage performing with a live band. The night was so much fun!

You can read all the details about these events and more by clicking here.

I have been adding some interesting articles on my BLOG.  The latest is about organizing a practice space at home and getting into a practice routine. Good revision before starting a new term.                   You can read it here.

Term 4 will be fast and furious.

1) CD production

I had said last term we would be making a cd. This will be done in term 4.

Last year we made a Christmas cd but this year we will be making a cd of various songs. Students need to choose the song they love to sing and then we will make a recording of it.  It can be any song, but would you please let me know what you would like to sing asap so that I can create a list.

 2) AMEB Examsshop-banner-1

There are a number of students completing AMEB exams at various levels this term and we wish them well with their studies.

3) End of Term Workshop

I will be holding a workshop day on Saturday 10th December.  This will be broken up into 3 sessions, each for one hour.

10am: 1st session will be for all primary school students.

11.15am: 2nd session is for any secondary school students.

12.30pm: 3rd session will be for all adults.

This will be an opportunity for any students who have missed a lesson during the term to make up this time.  For any students who have attended all lessons, this is a bonus session for you.

4) Performance Opportunity

Our major event for the year was held last term, however I would like to do something for the end of the year. I will be organizing some small concerts that will be held at various nursing homes in the community.  I will send out dates and times soon. This will not be a huge commitment. You can choose which one you would like to be part of.  It is not a compulsory activity, but I would like to see as many students participate as possible.

Please note that the last lesson for the year will be the week ending 9th December.december-calendar

Newsletter 1 2016

Welcome back to another year of singing!

It has been wonderful greeting students for the new year, hearing about their holiday adventures and seeing their joy at returning to lessons.

For the adult students there has been less about holidays ( unfortunately) but there has certainly be the same enthusiasm as they arrive for lessons.

For students who have been studying with me for a while, it has been great to hear their voices again and realize the progress they have been making vocally. It has been so exciting to hear the way their voices have matured and developed.  For new students it has been exciting starting with them and helping them uncover the voice they have inside them.

A big welcome to all the new students who have started for 2016.  I look forward to working with you on your musical journey!

News from the Studio:

PRACTICE BLITZ!

Students have new repertoire to start working on for 2016.

To get you into a practice routine I am holding a practice blitz for the next two weeks.

The blitz will run from Monday 22nd February until Sunday 6th March .  All you need to do is practice consistently and record your practice times on the singing strong website.  (remember you have to log into your account to fill in the details. If you need help with this please let me know.) You can log in at the bottom of this post.

There will be prizes and surprises for the person who clocks up the most practice hours!

Take some time now to work out times during the week when you can dedicate 15 -20 minutes to practice.  Record this on your calendar and then stick to it!

Student achievements:

Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Summer Pantomime “Aladdin”.  It was  a fun show and  I thoroughly enjoyed myself when I went to see it.

aladdin

Congratulations to Alicia Hooimeyer who played the title role and to Sophia Patikisa who was a gorgeous Jasmine.

 

 

 

 

aladdin2Hollie Gibson was terrific as the dog and there were other fantastic performances from the following students as well:

Ella Brent

Zahra Hanratty

Ella Hill

Paige Horn

Maddison Logue

Britney Nelthorpe

Sebastian Poole

 

aladdinall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are numerous students involved in the many productions that will be held during 2016. I will keep you informed as they come up.

Cafe Concert

I have tentatively booked our first term Cafe Concert for Wednesday 16th March from 6.30pm.  Please put this date in your diary.  I understand that some of you will have commitments on this evening, but it would be appreciated if you are able to come and sing, even if you are only able to pop in and out.

I will put out some more information about this event during the week.

 

So let’s get singing!  Have a great week.

Dream!