BY DEB HEDLEY
ISSUE NO. 47 | JANUARY 2023
Modern Day Musings
Happy New Year! The year 2023 promises to be an exciting year at MDM, let’s make it the best! Each new year brings new resolutions. This month's newsletter is all about practice, and how to set and achieve your music goals!
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF MODERN DAY MUSIC SCHOOL
Resolution by definition is “a promise to yourself that you will make a serious effort to do something that you should do.” Every year, millions of Americans set goals for the new year. As musicians, we should strive to become better each and everyday through practice and hard work! First, let’s talk about the importance of practice. The definition of practice (verb), is to “perform an activity or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one's proficiency.” Louis Armstrong once said, “If I don’t practice for two days, the critics know it. And if I don’t practice for three days, the public knows it.”.
A Musician's Resolution
Practice consistently for improvement! Without practice, you will fall short of your goals. What are some ways that you can practice efficiently? First, start by creating a quiet atmosphere that you can learn in. Make sure you have everything you need before you start practicing! Next, set small goals for yourself. Daily goals are beneficial and will help you feel more accomplished and less overwhelmed. Know what you need to work on and what you would like to achieve during each practice session. And most importantly, never forget to have fun! Music goes far beyond the notes... Beethoven once said “To play a wrong note is insignificant. To play without passion is inexcusable!”. Never forget the reason why you play music! Franz Liszt, a Hungarian composer and pianist from the Romantic Period, said “Beware of missing chances; otherwise it may be altogether too late some day”. Practice for success and opportunities. You can never be “too prepared” in any given situation!
CONT...
Practicing has a multitude of benefits. Practicing helps build confidence! It makes you better as a player, and it relieves stress! John Dani, PhD, chair of Neuroscience at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine said, “Playing an instrument may be one of the best ways to help keep the brain healthy. It engages every major part of the central nervous system.” According to a Penn Medicine study, playing an instrument as a child, provides life-long benefits to the brain. Taking music lessons in your 60's — or older — can boost your brain’s health as well. It can help decrease loss of memory and cognitive function. It is never too late to play an instrument! f you need help setting goals or a practice routine, please ask your coach for help! We want to see our students grow and succeed here at Modern Day Music and we are more than happy to help in any way that we can! We look forward to all of the new music this year will bring and cannot wait to see our students crush their goals! To help ring in the new year, we interviewed one of our own vocal students, Leah Anderson! Below we asked a few questions to learn more about Leah Anderson and her experiences at MDM!
Student Spotlight: Leah Anderson (vocal student) How long have you been attending MDM for? I have been taking voice lessons at MDM for almost three years. How did you first get started with music? Do you play any musical instruments in addition to singing? I have always loved singing and was a part of chorus all throughout school. I started taking lessons because I wanted to learn more about vocal technique and my own voice. I have always seen music and singing as a great emotional outlet. I also take piano lessons in addition to singing. Are you involved in any MDM group programs or have been involved in the past? I participated in the musical theatre group last winter. How was your experience being a part of the musical theater group at MDM? I had a lot of fun and learned a lot being a part of the group. It definitely helped break me out of my shell and I enjoyed getting to know others that shared the same musical interests with me. We sang “First Burn” which I had a great time with since Hamilton is one of my favorite musicals as well as “I Won’t Say (I’m In Love)” from another favorite of mine, Hercules.
Advice to other singers/musicians? My advice to others would just be to do what makes you happy and don’t be afraid to be yourself. Even though it’s a cliché, I truly believe all of us have something to say and that deserves to be heard. Thank you so much, Leah, for your time! We are so lucky to have you at MDM. We look forward to hopefully seeing you again in our Musical Theater or Songwriting group session in the future and cannot wait to see you perform out there more this year!
Are there any upcoming events that you are looking forward to? I’ve had a tight schedule with work and school but I would love to participate in another event like musical theatre or song writing. What/who inspires you (musically)? I find powerful women in music especially inspiring. Some of my biggest vocal inspirations are Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande with their soaring high notes and vocal flexibility. I also love songwriters like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and Lana Del Rey. Another woman that inspires me musically is my teacher Nicole, she is amazingly talented and always believes in my abilities. Favorite thing(s) about performing? I don’t have a ton of experience performing but I think it’s a great way to speak your own narrative and express yourself. Are you making any New Year's Resolutions? If so, what are they? A New Year’s Resolution of mine would definitely be to get out and perform more. I have a lot of mental barriers but I want to push myself to do more and expand my comfort zone.
M: Which upcoming gig(s) are you most looking forward to and why? D: I have a monthly gig called “Psykick Dancehall” the first Saturday of every month at a little bar called Pint Sized in Saratoga from 8pm-12am. It’s a lot of fun DJing a mix of Soul, Reggae and even a little early Punk and Rock n roll. I think we can all assume that David is very involved in music outside of MDM, but that is not the only thing! He is also a loving husband and father and tries to spend as much time as possible with his wife and son when he is not at MDM. David’s shared that “I can say without a doubt I would not be where I am today without their love and support!” They have supported David in innumerable ways over the recent months as he took on this new role at MDM, and they were even a part of the MDM family long before that! David’s son was a member of our Little Rockers program for a number of sessions before testing out private lessons where he caught on to everything very quickly. Even back then, David and his family were thrilled to be a part of MDM, and the experience also gave David a look at what things are like from the student perspective. Now that his son is a little bit more mature at age 7, he plans to start private piano lessons in the fall! David’s son loves playing piano in his room and we can’t wait to see where he goes in his private lessons. He also takes after his dad and started his own record collection, which he spends much of his time listening to. David is so proud, and we can tell that music definitely does run in the family! We are all so excited to have David on board, are are looking forward to many great years to come. There are so many possible directions for the future of MDM, but we know that no matter what, that direction will be up!
David's Corner
january CALENDAR
1 - New Year's Day 6 - Under the Den (Ben) at Spa City Tap and Barrel, 10pm-2am 8 - 1935: Elvis Presley is born 8 - Ampevene (Gabe) at Al’s Wine and Whisky Lounge in Syracuse, 10pm 9 - 1944: Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin is born 9 - Open Mic Night, Caffe Lena in Saratoga, 7-10pm 13 - Under the Den (Ben) at Great Flats Brewing with Gordon St and Society High, 7-10pm 13 - Selector David Suede and Guest DJ’s at Savoy Soul Club in Albany, 8pm-12am 14 - Ben Zoleski and Gianna Robustiano at 151 Restaurant, 6-9pm 16 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day, MDM is OPEN 16- Open Mic Night, Caffe Lena in Saratoga, 7-10pm 19 - 1943: Janis Lynn Joplin is born 20 - Ben Zoleski solo at Katie O’Byrnes, 7-10pm 21 - Ben Zoleski solo at Spa City Tap and Barrel, 6:30-9:30pm 23 - Open Mic Night, Caffe Lena in Saratoga, 7-10pm 27 - Under the Den (Ben) at Scally’s Hudson Falls 28 - Under the Den (Ben) at Jay St Pub, 10pm-1am 30 - Open Mic Night, Caffe Lena in Saratoga, 7-10pm
Happy New Year! We look forward to all of the new music our students will bring to MDM this new year and we are excited for the new Rock School 101 and Musical Theater sessions to start in the coming weeks. If you are interested in joining a group, please reach out to the office!
A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR NEW STUDENTS in DECEMBER!
Benjamin J Sebastian S Gennaro P Hannah M Luke N Zainab M Joseph J Harrison C Eli B Layla B Nicholas L Caroline C Mary P Levi D Tanner D Helen L Nate S Mark P Zoe R Liam R Joshua A
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