February 21, 2026: Saturday Remix
Teachers and Staff: Happy Saturday!
Encourage Recital Participation
Be sure to encourage recital participation to your students. Since we have recitals happening frequently, and in support of our studio philosophy that all students should be actively developing a repertoire of memorized music that they can play any time, anywhere, for anyone, students should always be preparing for and prepared for recitals. Even very young children and beginner students can perform in recitals.
Upcoming Recital Opportunities
Our special Theme Recital opportunity, “Songs of Ireland & Latin America,” is coming up soon on Friday, March 13, evening, at Chamber Music OC in Lake Forest. Participating students will perform both Irish and Latin American music.
The objectives for participation are: Play at least two songs, pieces, or movements; Play from memory (some exceptions may apply); Play at least one song or piece that is related to or expresses each theme; Wear Irish or Latin American style costumes and accessories!
Our Spring Quarter Studio Recitals take place Saturday & Sunday, 3/28 & 3/29, in the afternoon, at the Laguna Hills Community Center.
Our annual Destination Recital takes place Mother’s Day weekend, on Saturday, May 9, all day. We will travel by train to the Namba Performing Arts Center, located in historic downtown Ventura. We will leave in the morning, have lunch, perform the recital in the afternoon, attend a special event / activity after the recital, and then enjoy an ice cream treat before we head home! Each student will receive a recital t-shirt, certificate, and fun gift bag!
Musical Ladder Reminders and Test Ideas
Remember – no student can ever fail their test (and not pass their level)! They can postpone their test, perhaps. They can do not as well as they hoped for and then retake the test, but ultimately, they must pass their test, in a reasonable timeframe according to when they are supposed to complete it.
Tests are intended to be assessments of some sort to help make achievements on the musical ladder more meaningful. The Musical Ladder levels are based on longevity – how long a student has been continuously enrolled in lessons.
Tests or assessments have two important features: 1) They should be designed and planned for by students and teachers in cooperation. 2) A student must never, ever, fail their test. (They can, perhaps, not succeed the first try, but then they should soon succeed – that same week or the week following. They cannot ever go to a level without completing it.)
Here are twenty examples of potential tests or assessments (reposted). I am confident that you can think of others that might be useful, appropriate, and meaningful for your students.
Complete the written Review of Part 3 of Presto! It’s Piano Magic, Book 1.
Play two songs from memory while singing the lyrics, back-to-back, and demonstrate proper performance practices (such as coming to the performance space, bowing in response to applause, exiting the space, etc.).
Play the G Major and D Major scales up and down, one octave, with proper fingering, in a consistent rhythm.
Complete the Review Test at the end of Book 4 of The Basics of Keyboard Theory series.
Perform in the studio recital taking place in this evaluation period.
Complete a written self-evaluation, approximately 2-3 paragraphs, possibly answering one or more questions posed by the teacher.
Successfully tune your own guitar or other string instrument.
Play a song accurately and in good rhythm to a recorded backing track.
Define a list of music vocabulary terms (written or oral).
Complete a harmonic analysis of a piece or section of music.
Play a song on the piano while singing the lyrics, and while singing the melodic solfege.
Prepare, produce, perform, and preserve a Solo Recital for family and friends, according to these instructions and guidelines:
https://www.dennisfraynemusicstudio.com/music-solo-recitals-for-family-and-friendsPlay the first 5 Major scales up and down, one octave, with proper fingering, in a consistent rhythm. (C, G, D, A, E.)
Complete the Row, Row, Row Your Boat transposition/arranging project in Presto! It’s Piano Magic, Book 2, and play in each key (C, D, F, G).
Attend a live musical performance and write a brief “concert report.”
Watch/listen to two performances of the same piece, and write a brief analysis consisting of three similarities and three differences of the performances.
Perform in your school’s talent show.
Practice until able to aurally identify the difference between two intervals with 90% accuracy. (Such as major and minor seconds, or thirds, or octave v unison, or major scale v minor scale, etc.)
Research and be able to discuss the significance of four composers (written or oral presentation).
Complete an analysis of the form of a sonata composed for your instrument.
Make your tests age appropriate. Very young children can participate in very simple tests, such as a brief discussion about their favorite something, or something they are proud of, which are early forms of self-assessment and analysis.
Q: What should I do if a student is absent on the day we scheduled their Musical Ladder test?
A: If a student was absent for their scheduled test, please conduct the test at their next lesson. Please put the completion date accurately – the date they actually complete their test.
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Thank you, everyone, for all that you do!
Have a magical Saturday, a musical weekend, and a safe and healthy coming week.
Thank you,
Dennis Frayne
"Dr. Dennis"
Laguna Niguel School of Music
Dennis Frayne Music Studios
30110 Crown Valley Pkwy, Suites 105/107/108
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 844-9051 (office cell)
Lake Forest School of Music
Baker Ranch, CA 92630
(949) 402-7210
www.dennisfraynemusicstudios.com
www.lagunaniguelschoolofmusic.com
www.lakeforestschoolofmusic.com
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