Category: Music

A good singer with a lovely personality—this is how Jillian Michelson’s friends and family describe her, an Academy voice student who loves to bring happiness to other people’s lives.

“It was always joyful to have lessons with her,” said Ms. Seon Gyu Park, voice teaching artist at the Academy. “She has the ability to make people around her happy and bright. I believe this is a great strength as a singer.”

The Perfect Role
A singer who wishes to bring joy to her audiences, Michelson constantly searches for musical characters that make people laugh. A perfect opportunity appeared when a community theater production held an audition for its musical “Frozen, Jr.” Michelson jumped into action and earned a leading role, Olaf, a goofy and heartwarming character from this famous Disney story whose songs and jokes draw frequent laughs from the audience.

“I was excited because making people laugh and singing on stage is so fun!” said Michelson. “I feel like God’s blessed me with the perfect role to make people happy and one that suits my personality really well.”

 

 

Building the Foundation
Before the audition, Michelson was a private voice lesson student with Ms. Park, who is a full-lyric soprano with almost 20 years of singing and teaching experience. Ms. Park recalled that Michelson was weak on the low and middle vocal ranges when she first started voice lessons in 2016. To widen her vocal range, Michelson worked tirelessly to build up support muscles.

“She is enthusiastic about singing,” said Ms. Park. “Whenever I gave her songs, she learned it thoroughly and made the song her own. Her ability to express the characters is excellent. Hard work finally paid off so that now her voice is stronger on every vocal range.”

A Road to Success
A successful audition comes with endless hours of training and overcoming obstacles. After Michelson told her voice coach Ms. Park about the audition, Ms. Park believed that Michelson has the potential and work ethics to succeed, and determined to help Michelson to land on a role.

Michelson spent her lesson time analyzing the storyline, characters, and their expressions. She examined herself in the mirror for her posture, her facial expressions, and her body movements, repeating every second of her audition over and over to refine every detail.

“This role has challenged me and also brought me joy in unexpected ways,” said Michelson. “Because I’ve grown accustomed to bouncing, singing, and being happy both on and off stage!”

 

 

After endless hours of training, the production opened in early October. Michelson’s family and Ms. Park attended the opening show as Michelson’s enthusiastic fan club.

“As parents, we are so proud of Jillian’s accomplishments both on and off stage,” said her mother, Kira Michelson. “She is a smart, strong, funny, kind-hearted young woman who works hard, encourages others, and is a true joy to all around her.”

“She was shining on the stage,” said Ms. Park. “I feel thankful that she believes in me. I am a proud teacher.”

The musical is at Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre, located on 125 S. Old Glebe Road in Arlington. The show dates are Thursday, October 17 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, October 19 at 3 p.m.; and Sunday, October 20 at 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the box office and cost $15 for general admission and $12 for children, students, military members, and seniors. Come and support our Academy student!

 

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT:     VOICE PRIVATE LESSON    |    GROUP CLASSES

Five Academy piano students showcased their talents in a recital at Carnegie Hall, one of the world’s historic performing arts venues, on Saturday, October 5. The Dream Trio, formed by faculty artists and Mason alumni Mr. Zachary Whitaker, Ms. Faith Zuniga, and Anna Kong, also made a special appearance in the program.

“The students played at a very high level and made us teachers really proud!” said Mr. Misha Tumanov, piano teaching artist. “They were super excited about performing at such a prestigious venue.”

“A recital in an important venue like Carnegie Hall is beneficial to students,” said Ms. Zuniga, piano teaching artist. “Because it rewards them for their hard work and dedication to excellence and encourages them to continue practicing diligently!”

 

 

Mr. Tumanov and Ms. Zuniga received the recital invitation from their alma mater, the Instituto Superior de Artes. They quickly realized that this would be a perfect opportunity for the Academy students. Based on the piano instructors’ recommendations, Ella, Mara, Anna, Andrew, and Dylan were selected to participate in the recital along with other dozens of young performers from Costa Rica.

 

 

In addition to the students’ performances, the Dream Trio presented a selection of chamber music including the last movement of “Smetana’s Piano Trio in G Minor, op. 15” and hoped to inspire the young musicians to continually elevate their solo performance skills and explore the beautiful sound of music through many styles and genres of music performance.

Before the concert, students spent endless hours polishing their repertoires with their instructors at the Academy. “For a big performance like this,” said Ms. Michelle Richardson, teaching artist of piano. “It is crucial to have lived with a piece for many months and to have multiple build-up performances.”

 

 

Ms. Richardson added that preparing for a formal recital requires continually reexamine the piece as it is new repertoire and going deeper and deeper as the performer crafts an interpretation.

“The rediscovery of your piece keeps the memorization clear and the emotions in the performance fresh,” said Ms. Richardson. “I tell my students that we all get nervous, even the best performers, and the key is to use the nerves in a musical way to help keep your focus and energy through the performance.”

 

 

The music faculty plans to provide more performance opportunities for our private lesson students and participants of the Vivace Intensive Program. “Traditionally, this has been a piano-only recital,” said Mr. Tumanov. “But we’re looking into having other instruments perform as well. We hope to have a bigger delegation from the Academy next year.”

 

 

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WRITTEN BY LI LI

 

This fall, join the Steel Band Ensemble to experience the Caribbean culture and a new music world through steel pan—the most recently invented chromatic and acoustic instruments from the 20th century. Opens to students from ages 12-18, the ensemble will play a range of musical styles from traditional folk to pop and classical.

The class is a blend of culture study, music theory, and hands-on practices for students to imagine and learn about the fascinating tropical scenery of Trinidad and Tobago, where the beautiful sea meets the sand and the tropical weather. Mason’s School of Music Professor Victor Provost, one of the growing top artists in the pan world, will spend time coaching the students and performing for them.

 

 

Students will spend their first two weeks learning how to play the instrument. Then, students will focus on studying the history of steel pan instruments and the culture of Trinidad and Tobago. “I believe that when you are learning to play pan, you also need to know some of the history of the instrument and the culture it defines,” said Mr. David Singhaus, percussion instructor.

The steel band ensemble will provide students an opportunity to perform in a unique ensemble setting that is different from their school percussion ensembles, and students will play drumset, learn a variety of world music styles, and learning to read music, ear training, and musicality through a different medium.

 

 

“The notes are labeled on the instruments,” said Mr. Singhaus. “The visual association to its sound allows the students learning the pan instruments via both sound and visual stimulations.”

The class begins on Sunday, October 6, from 2-4 p.m. To register for the class, visit https://masonacademy.gmu.edu/music/steel-band/ or call the academy at 703-993-9889.

 

LEARN MORE:  STEEL BAND PERCUSSION

We often receive questions from parents about what their roles are in helping their children learn music and instruments. We asked some of our instructors about their experiences working with students and parents, and they offered these five ways that parents can take part in their child’s musical development.

 

1. Commit to Daily Practices

As cliché as it sounds, musical success is due to consistent, quality effort, and not just raw talents. Playing instruments involves daily practices. Helping your child set and keep a daily practice routine, and then to be engaged in that practice routine, is the best thing the parents can do. “My students who have parents involved in their musical journey tend to come to lessons better prepared and move through repertoire at a faster rate,” said Ms. Joan Burdette, instructor for Cello Beginnings, Cello Adventures, and Music Discoveries. “I encourage parents to set aside 20 minutes a day to practice with their child, bonding with songs, games, and activities.”

 

2. Be a Cheerleader

Children first learn to eat, sleep, read, and do just about everything through observing their parents. Music is no different. There is a general misconception that if a child shows a lack of interest toward practicing that the child wants to quit. Although some children are self-motivated, most children need encouragement and support from parents, especially at the beginning.

“With good parent and teacher communication and structure in their practice routine,” said Ms. Michelle Richardson, teaching artist for Piano Beginnings. “Children can overcome the difficult phases of learning and grow their intrinsic motivation with time.” With the support and encouragement from the parents, student’s first goal is to establish good practice habits and a positive mindset. Parents can help achieve that goal through listening to a variety of musical styles, going to concerts, or making music a central part of family life. “Let music becomes a vibrant part of life rather than a chore,” said Ms. Richardson. “and will grow with them forever!”

 

3. Help Your Child Complete Practice Assignments

After each class, music instructors assign specific tasks for playing and music theory for students based on their progress. By following the instructions and guidelines provided by their instructors, students will make the fastest progress and be prepared for their next lesson. “This is important for parents to let their children review their learning,” said Dr. Kelly Nam, teaching artist for Piano Beginnings. “Assignments will reinforce their learning outcome and build up to the highest level of music study.”

 

4. Show Your Interest in Their Music

Parents who are involved with their child’s musical development have a special bond with their child. Attending classes with a young child or asking your older child how they are doing in their lessons or rehearsals shows that you are committed to being on the musical journey with them. “It gives the parent a chance to see their child in a different light and be on hand to see their growth,” said Ms. Caitlin Renner, teaching artist for Violin Beginnings. “And the parent often ends up learning something as well!”

 

5. Don’t Skip Class

Consistent attendance ensures that the students have a cohesive learning experience and steady musical progress. Our instructors build each class upon a previous lesson session, and missing a class results in a disconnection for students with class materials. “If the students come to class regularly,” said Mr. Glen McCarthy, teaching artist for Guitar Beginnings. “They wouldn’t do a lot of preparation before the class. We play and learn a lot in the class. If they miss it, they are missing a big gap of learning that will spend a week of their time to catch up.”

 

We hope these five tips are helpful for our parents, no matter where your child is on their musical journey! If you want to learn more, we encourage you to speak with your child’s instructor for specific ideas on being more involved with your child’s learning process.

Violin Beginnings is our class for children ages 4-7 who are learning the violin for the very first time. Teaching Artist Caitlin Renner aims to help students become well-rounded, kind, and compassionate people as they study the violin with the support of their parents.

In Violin Beginnings, students will learn how to play violins in the healthiest way possible, gain a musical vocabulary, learn about the history of violin, and explore the wealth of music that exists for violinists.” Alongside the crucial skills of how to hold and play the violin and bow, Ms. Renner believes that movement and listening to different kinds of music is critical for young beginners.

 

 

“It’s important to learn how to listen and identify what you hear when listening to music, and learn to move with an awareness of rhythm,” said Ms. Renner. “In classes for younger children, I focus on engaging the mind and body.”

A Suzuki- and Mark O’Connor-Method trained music instructor, Ms. Renner is an active music educator who teaches students at all ages from preschoolers to college graduates. Throughout her teaching career, Ms. Renner has observed the positive role music plays in helping a child’s mental development. Students who study music and violins at an early age enrich their lives with enjoyment of music and develop skills from muscle coordination, strength and stamina to valuable communication skills, ability to receive feedback, and perseverance.

 

 

The Violin Beginnings is open for all students ages 4-7 with no prior playing experiences. Students are required to bring their own child-size violins. Violin rental guidelines and recommended vendors can be found HERE. A parent must attend and participate in class with their child and coach their child in daily practice sessions at home.

Class sessions 1 begins on Monday, September 24, from 4:45-5:45 p.m. Class session 2 begins on Wednesday, September 25, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. To register for the class, visit https://masonacademy.gmu.edu/music/violin-kids/ or call the academy at 703-993-9889.