Category: Music

Academy violin student, Jiening Zhang, won the third place in the Aspiring Violin category of the Washington Performing Arts 49th Annual Joseph and Goldie Feder Memorial String Competition. The competition is open to string students grades K-12 in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Students compete in the preliminary round and live final round in one of four categories based on performer’s instrument types and playing level: beginner, aspiring, intermediate, and advanced. This year, the video preliminary round was considered as the final round as part of WPAS’s social distancing procedures. As the third-place winner, Jiening received $50 cash awards. Jiening is a student of Claire Allen.

“I’m very proud of Jiening’s accomplishments,” said Teaching Artist Claire Allen, Jiening’s private music instructor. “Her love for music and dedication to developing her craft has been evident since she started violin at the age of four, and she continues to work hard, explore different parts of her musicianship, and courageously tackle new performance challenges. It’s a joy to be her teacher!”

Jiening joined the Academy in 2013, where she was in the first ever Violin Beginnings class, and since then she studied pricate lessons with Ms. Allen, in violin group classes, private music lessons, Chamber Music Ensembles, and Violin Summer Bootcamps. She has performed in Academy’s music recitals, Spotlight on the Arts showcase recitals, in Harris Theater, the Academy Music Competition honors recitals, and last year, Carnegie Hall as a winner in the American Protégé Competition.

 

Clarinet students can connect with others while learning techniques for free, thanks to the live stream workshops offered by the Academy’s Mason Summer Clarinet Academy co-director, Ms. Catina Franklin Sweedy.

Ms. Sweedy is running weekly live-streams in support of those young clarinetists who have lost access to their band programs due to school closings.

Through her YouTube channel, The Clarinet Project, Ms. Sweedy offers three different workshops: Bass Clarinet Basic, Ask A Clarinet Teacher, and Pop Song Tutorials. Audiences in the live stream sessions can ask questions about the instrument and learn basic clarinet techniques and songs such as “Into the Unknown” from “Frozen II” and “Duel of the Fates” from “Star Wars.”

 

 

Through those live streams, she hopes to provide teaching continuity for those students’ clarinet studies and an opportunity for them to maintain a social connection with the outside world while being quarantined at home.

“The Pop Song Tutorials are my favorites,” said Ms. Sweedy. “It’s always fun to learn how to play songs that make us happy, but it gives me an opportunity to teach strong fundamentals and technique. I am also excited about Bass Clarinet Basics because there aren’t many resources out there for young bass clarinet players, so I enjoy adding more videos to help.”

Serving as an educator, lecturer, and adjudicator in the Washington, D.C. area, Ms. Sweedy is the founder and co-director of Academy’s Summer Clarinet Academy. She was a former orchestra member for several groups in Florida and Prince William County and performed nationally and internationally as a solo artist.

 

 

Ms. Sweedy said The Clarinet Project YouTube channel provides a space for her audiences to share their feelings with COVID-19 and its impact on a personal level, and she values the opportunity to be a listener and mentor who helps navigate their struggles along the way. She reminds us to use this time to slow down and care for one another.

“We are experiencing upheaval, fear, grief, anxiety, loneliness, and disappointment among many other emotions right now,” said Ms. Sweedy. “As musicians, we have an opportunity to play and create music for healing and joy, for ourselves and for others.”

For aspiring musicians, Ms. Sweedy encourages them not only to focus on technical studies but remembering to share their music with friends and family.

“We are lucky that we have music to help us through this time,” said Ms. Sweedy. “Pull out your favorite pieces, learn a song that you love, even if it isn’t written for your instrument. Let’s share it with others if we can.”

The Clarinet Project’s live stream is open to everyone.  To join the next session, visit Ms. Sweedy’s YouTube channel HERE. Upcoming workshops include:

• Bass Clarinet Basics, Mondays at 4 p.m. EST
• Pop Song Tutorial Live, Wednesdays at 4 p.m. EST
• Ask a Clarinet Teacher, Fridays, at 4 p.m. EST

Hello Fellow Academy Music Parents,

I hope this finds you safe and well during this unprecedented time, which continues to change daily. As I’m sure you know, the Academy has shifted to online lessons until at least Saturday, April 4th.

I know this is new and different territory for some people. One of my kids has done online lessons with the Academy during snow days for years with great success. The other has never done an online lesson. As a parent, I find myself approaching the policy with both confidence and uncertainty.

My 12 year old violinist can do the online lessons independently. I make sure the session gets started okay and then I don’t see her for an hour. It’s pretty wonderful, and I realize a privilege compared to a parent of a 5 year old who still needs a lot of direction. Is it as good as an in-person lesson? Nope, but an online lesson is better than no lesson. We have found online lessons to be quite effective in allowing her to progress through her material and to move on to new things each week. If nothing else, that provides a small feeling of normalcy right now.

I’m less confident about the sound distortion of a trombone over the airwaves for my 10 year old. However, I’m still willing to try.

Here’s why I recommend online lessons:

• We have experience with other elements of the online lesson and they have worked fine.
• I trust his teacher will make any adjustments he can think of to make it work.
• This might not suit my personal needs perfectly, but it’s a small sacrifice in the overall world picture.
• Weekly contact with his teacher is better than a several week vacuum of no instruction.

I encourage you all to hang in there and give the online lessons a try. Please do not immediately call the office demanding a refund for lessons that can’t be held in person. If the Academy grants refunds, that means they can’t pay teachers, who likely count on the lesson income to live. This is a national safety issue beyond everyone’s control – ours, the teachers’ and the Academy’s. It requires all of us to change our daily habits to stay healthy. What we can do is be kind to our fellow humans and be willing to make some sacrifices in the short term until we are on the other side of the curve.

If you have any specific questions about online lessons or have your own experiences to add, please email me at [email protected] If we get enough useful input we can consider putting it together in a blog post to publish to the Academy community so all parents can benefit.

I hope you all stay safe and can enjoy some beautiful music in your homes during the next several weeks.

Best,

Jen Gibson

Mason Academy Parents

 

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Additional Resources for Online Lessons
For Parents   |   For Students

We are excited to welcome Carol Feather Martin, who has joined us as a Piano Teaching Artist. Ms. Martin has an extensive teaching background spanning more than four decades, both as a private music instructor and a director of instrumental ensembles. She welcomes students of every age and level, from complete beginners to serious advanced students. We are excited to have Ms. Martin joining our music faculty—read our Q & A with her below to learn more about her!

 

What excites you the most about joining the Mason Community Arts Academy?

I was quite excited when I learned about MCAA and the fact that it is part of a prestigious university. The breadth of the programs offered by the Academy is quite a valuable resource for the community. The Academy’s program is a way to keep the arts in the spotlight and to supplement the programs which have been seriously reduced or deleted from the public schools. Quality arts education and literacy are vital to the complete health of every society. I am truly excited to be part of this growing program and organization.

 

How did you first fall in love with music?

I fell in love with music the day I was born. My parents are both musicians, and I was always part of any music activity in my home. I learned to read music at age three and a half. Even from a young age, I never wanted to be anything else other than a musician. My parents provided me with the best education possible and supported all my decisions while never pushing or demanding.

 

Tell us about a teaching experience you have had that was especially memorable.

In one facet of my career, I directed children’s choirs, and there was a little boy with Down Syndrome who came to the rehearsal. I eagerly welcomed the family to join the circle of young singers. When we played singing games, all of the children assisted me by taking turns leading the boy through the motions until he was able to do them on his own. When the children took turns leading rhythmic patterns for group clapping, the boy readily volunteered to lead with great enthusiasm. His personality was infectious and kept the choir on its toes.

His love and enthusiasm were totally obvious. After the choir season ended, the boy’s parents told me that his verbal skills had completely exploded and that he was now speaking more eloquently to everyone. Both his parents and teachers attribute his breakthrough to the year of singing and his love of music. The real lucky one in this experience, however, was me. He and I had a special bond, and the reward that I got from seeing him blossom was unparalleled.

 

What are some unique things you do when you teach?

My lessons are infused with laughter, historical information about the music, and curiosity about the interests of my students other than piano lessons. I work to give students a toolkit for learning music so they can continue to enjoy musical activities throughout their lives with or without formal lessons.

 

Do you have any pets?

Pets have always been a part of my life. Currently, I have three rescued cats – one of whom is almost 17 years old. I also have been the mom to a series of rescued Great Pyrenees dogs.

 

What else would you like us to know about you?

While a student at Oberlin, I had an opportunity to learn the basics of metalsmithing in a jewelry course. After many years, I began taking classes again about five years ago. I have recently started my own business to make some of my unique pieces of wearable metal art available to the public.

In my musical life, I am also a conductor for instrumental, choral, and handbells ensembles. I love planning thematic programs that are educational for the audience as well as inclusive with other arts and media.

 

Schedule Your Private Lesson with Ms. Martin Today!