BY DEB HEDLEY
ISSUE NO. 49 | MARCH 2023
Modern Day Musings
Happy March! This month is an exciting month for our piano students who will be participating in Piano NYSSMA! What is NYSSMA? NYSSMA (New York State Music Association) is the New York affiliate of the National Association for Music Education.
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF MODERN DAY MUSIC SCHOOL
NYSSMA is best known for sponsoring festivals each spring in which students have the opportunity to perform solos and small ensembles (duets, trios, etc.) for an impartial adjudication. It is a professional organization that evaluates student musicians from elementary school to high school. NYSSMA levels range from levels one to six, level six being the hardest. This year we are excited to be sending over 10 of our own Modern Day Music piano students to NYSSMA! This year's festival will take place at SUNY Schenectady County Community College on March 10th and 11th.
NYSSMA.RCH PIANO MADNESS
Over the past several months, our piano students have been practicing hard and preparing for NYSSMA. Each student participating has selected a piece to perform from the NYSSMA manual. In addition to their solo piece, there is sight-reading and major scales to perform. Each level has its own difficulty and requirements that increase with the level. Tips for Piano NYSSMA: Practice, Practice, Practice! Practice is essential to succeed! Make sure you are actively practicing your piece everyday! Focus on smaller sections at a time, then run through from top to bottom. Use a metronome if needed. If you have the chance, perform in front of others! Playing in front of your family and friends can help gain the confidence and experience you need to perform in front of others on NYSSMA day! Remember to practice your scales! Scales are required for each level of NYSSMA! So whether are you just starting out as a level one soloist, or performing a level 6, have those scales memorized and ready to go! Check your key signatures and fingering! Proper fingering and technique will go a long way! For sight-reading, one of our piano coaches, Chelsea, had a helpful tip to share with NYSSMA students... here is what she said: “Sight-reading a few lines a day will go a long way! And just keep going even if you make a mistake. Our instinct is to stop and correct it, but power through because we can’t do that with NYSSMA sight-reading.” Thank you, Chelsea, for this insightful tip!
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Day of NYSSMA Piano Tips: Don’t forget your sheet music the day of! You will need two copies of the sheet music you are performing, one for you and one for the judge! Arrive early and show the judges you are prepared! And most importantly, don’t forget to have fun! Beethoven once said, “To play a wrong note is insignificant. To play without passion is inexcusable!” Another famous musician, Ray Charles said, “The important thing is to feel your music, really feel it and believe it.” Feel the music and never forget the reason why you play the piano! Good luck to all of our piano students participating in NYSSMA this month! If you are interested in Piano NYSSMA and learning more about it, please ask your piano coach for more information and what you can do to prepare for next year! This month, we interviewed one of our multi-instrumentalist students, Lucas McManus, who will be performing at Piano NYSSMA for the second year in a row! Lucas has been a part of MDM for several years now playing both drums and piano and also participates in the Rock School 101! Read below to find out more about Lucas and his experiences at MDM!
Student Spotlight - Lucas McManus How did you first get started with music? When did you start playing? Instrument(s) you play? Is there one you gravitate towards the most and why? I first got started in music when I started learning percussion in 4th grade at my elementary school. I played a variety of percussion instruments in the school band and even now, I still play percussion in my high school Jazz Band and Wind Ensemble. I play both drums and other percussion instruments and piano. I would like to eventually learn to play guitar as well. Between the drums and piano, I don’t gravitate towards one over the other. I like them both equally. I try to practice both every day, but since I have NYSSMA coming up for piano, I may tend to play piano more now. When I have a Rock School show or other show where I am drumming, I play the drums more. When did you start taking lessons at MDM? I started taking drum lessons at MDM around October 2018 and piano around August 2019. What is your favorite thing(s) about MDM? I really like the coaches. Deb, Brian and the Rock School coaches are the best! They are really great at what they do and I look forward to lessons each week! They show they care about their students and their progress their students are making.
music related services. Outside of school besides Rock School 101 at MDM, I have played both drums and piano for 2 years at Rock Camp that is part of Proctor’s Collaborative, which is held at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga. It is an intense two-week, all-day camp for intermediate level musicians ages 10-16 where we learn to play in a band and at the end of the 2 weeks, we have a concert to showcase about 10-12 songs that we have learned in those two weeks. I am submitting my audition for Rock Camp 2023 soon. I am also playing percussion for the second year in a row with the Capital Region Wind Ensemble Side by Side concert on March 26, 2023 at Schenectady County Community College.
I also like the format of the lessons and immediate feedback and encouragement from coaches. Not only do they help you learn to play your best, but also to not be afraid to ask questions or to make mistakes. The coaches have also taught me to have confidence in myself and in the music I play. MDM’s atmosphere is family-like and I am comfortable here. If you love music and want to learn an instrument, this is the place to come to learn, grow, and perfect your skills. How long have you been a part of the MDM Rock Band 101? I have been a part of the MDM Rock Band 101 since 2019 when I was still 12 years old and I had my first Rock School show the day after my 13th birthday in October 2019. I have played both drums and keys with the various bands I played with over the years both at live shows and when we recorded songs in the music studio. Are you involved in music at your school? What music activities are you involved in outside of school? I am involved in music at Ballston Spa High School. I play percussion in the Wind Ensemble and Varsity Jazz Band. I am also in the Pit Orchestra for this year’s school musical, “Mean Girls”. I also accompany the chorus on songs for their shows. I am a member of Tri M at my school which is an organization where we volunteer for
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!
Last summer, I played synthesizer in the pit orchestra for Proctor’s Theater Broadway Camp’s rendition of “Into the Woods”. I am auditioning soon to play in the pit orchestra again this summer their production of “The Prom”. On May 5th, 6th, and 7th, I will be playing drums for the Galway Players’ version of “Little Shop of Horrors”. I also have NYSSMA solos coming up in March and May for piano and drums. On September 16, 2023, I will be participating in the 2023 Chopin Piano Competition. Who inspires you (musically)? I listen to many different genres of music. Two musicians who inspires me the most musically are Billy Joel and Neal Peart. I saw Billy Joel live last October at Madison Square Garden and he was phenomenal! What level will you be performing this month at NYSSMA? What piece will you be playing? I am playing a level 6 piano piece for NYSSMA on March 10th. I am playing “Tempest 3rd Movement” by Ludwig van Beethoven. What are some ways that you have prepared for NYSSMA over the past few months? This is my second year playing at the NYSSMA festival for piano. PRACTICE, lots of practice. I have been practicing not only the piece I am playing for NYSSMA, but also scales and sight reading. It is also important to make it to lessons and reach out to my Coach Deb with questions. Any upcoming gigs/performances that you are looking forward to in the future? I am looking forward to a lot of different shows this year that I am participating in such as the Side by Side concert with the Capital Region Wind Ensemble on March 26th, “Mean Girls” musical at my school in April, NYSSMA piano solo on March 10th, the Rock School Band show on March 19th, Pops Concert at Ballston Spa High on the evening of March 10th, and “Little Shop of Horrors” with the Galway Players on May 5th-7th, and the Chopin Piano Competition in September. Advice to other piano students? My advice to piano students is to try to fit in a few minutes of practice each day. You don’t have to play a whole song. You can focus on one part at a time and build on it from there. Don’t get discouraged if something seems difficult. Ask questions to your coaches. Have fun. Thank you, Lucas, for your time and insight! We are so incredibly lucky to have you as a student at Modern Day Music! Your hard work, talent, and dedication is paying off and we cannot wait to see your next accomplishments! Catch Lucas at the next MDM rock show on the 19th at Wicked!
David's Corner
march CALENDAR
1- On this day, Frédéric Chopin was born in 1810 2- On this day, Jon Bon Jovi was born in 1962 4- Ampevene (Gabe Stallman) at Rockwood Music Hall in Manhattan 4- Gianna Robustiano at Rafferty’s Duo with Ben Zoleski 8- International Women's Day 10- Gianna Robustiano at 151 Bar & Restaurants Duo with Ben Zoleski 10- Savoy Soul Club w/ Selector David Suede and the Nor’easter Soul Crew. All Vinyl Soul, Ska and Boogaloo dance party! 10- Piano NYSSMA Festival 11- Piano NYSSMA Festival 11- Ampevene (Gabe Stallman) Single Release Party at No Fun in Troy 14- National Pi Day 17- St. Patrick's Day 19- MDM Rock Show at Wicked 20- First Day of Spring 24- Gianna Robustiano at Frog Alley Duo with Ben Zoleski 25- Gianna Robustiano at Katie O’Byrnes Duo with Cody Chamberlin26- On this day, Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) was born in 1948 27- World Theatre Day 29- World Piano Day 31- On this day, Johann Sebastian Bach was born in 1685
Happy March! Good luck to all of our piano student participating at NYSSMA this month. We are also very excited to watch our MDM students perform at our next rock show at Wicked on the 19th. See you there!
A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR NEW STUDENTS in february!
Laina Jean C Michael P Charlie H John L Sidney P Maryna K Ravi P Serafina P Sam P Kendall M Rick M Lilly G Ali A Danica A Donovan C Rei F Clifford A Hassan W Ella H David Q Buglem T Neda N
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