Easter Egg Hunt!

The weather is changing and spring is finally here! Our spring break is happening on the third week of April and what better way to wrap up our last week before we close the school than with an Easter Celebration! It’s going to be fun filled event including a potluck, egg hunt and a visit from the Easter bunny! There will be a $2 fee per student that will include an easter basket and fun prizes. You can sign up in the Main Office and make sure to do so soon because we only have limited spaces. So remember to mark your calendar: Saturday, April 12th is the Easter Celebration from 3 – 6pm and parking will be available at P.U.E.N.T.E. Learning Center. See you then!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Christmas is fast approaching and so it was time to take out all of the decorations and make this house a bit more festive. There is something magical about twinkling lights and thanks to helpful parents and students we were able to them up!
Who is following along our countdown until Santa’s visit? It’s been so much fun watching students excited for the big day!
This was the first year that I was in charge of putting up decorations and I had a blast. It all came together thanks to everyone’s help.
Something exciting that’s been happening is our trips to White Memorial to perform for patients, their families and also staff. The group class stops by the hospital every second week of the month and it’s great to hear how happy everyone is with these special performances.
A big thank you to Julie, David, Deborah, Travis, and Samuel for such a great performance.

Instruments of the World

One of the coolest things about working in the main office is learning about new instruments that are either donated to the school or are brought in by students and share a background story about it. With so many interesting instruments coming in and out of the office, I thought it would be fun to share with you all here on the blog. Let’s start this series with Sarah, a piano student who had gone on vacation with her family to the Grand Canyon and had brought back a really cool instrument as a souvenir. She said that she didn’t know much about the instrument but really liked the bright colored strings that hold the pipes together. I thought it would be fun if I did some research and shared the information with her so she had some background information for her next show and tell. I did a quick google search and it says that it is called Anatara. It is the ancestor of both the pipe organ and the harmonica. The pipes are typically made of bamboo and originate from Peru and Bolivia. According to this website,”It is tuned pentatonically (5 note scale). The Antara is easy to play and colorfully adorned with textile fabric. Archaeological studies have shown the ANTARA to be one of the oldest instruments of Andean culture.” To continue with this fun series, next up we will be talking about the marimba which was kindly donated to us and will be finding a home upstairs with Natalia who teaches an introduction class to music.

Happy Birthday Mr. Debussy!

If you visited the google page today than you may have seen this cool video celebrating Claude Debussy’s birthday. This link gives a bit more detail on the google doodle. If you think the piece being played in the video sounds familiar thats because if you have taken the tour of the school with Bernard he plays a snippet of this beautiful piece. It is called Claire de Lune translated to Moonlight. (It was also made popular in the movie, Twilight) Here are some facts about this incredible french composer:

– He was also known as “Claude of France”.
– Is seen as the founder of musical impressionism.
– His father wanted him to join the French Navy; some say it is the reason the sound of water is in much of his music.
– His godmother was the person who pushed for Debussy to learn how to play music.
– He started taking piano lessons at age 7 and progressed so well that he entered the Paris Conservatory when he was 11.
– He later dedicated Children’s Corner Suite to his daughter, Claude-Emma.

Hope you enjoyed this post and remember you can always leave a comment below with requests or questions you may have. Thanks for stopping by!

Instruments 101: Guitar

Lets talk about the guitar. It is one our most popular instruments, we have students of all ages taking guitar lessons. Here is what the book had to say:

– The daily practice can be excellent therapy for asthmatic and other delicate children who need their minds taken off their physical condition.
– It takes two or three years of weekly lessons and daily practice to reach the level of playing graded pieces.
– Playing guitar correctly develops considerable strength in the fingers, wrists, and forearms.
– The best progress is made by children who are good at mental arithmetic and good with their hands.

The book had three chapters on guitar, it had information on the classical guitar (information above) as well as the electric and folk guitar. Most of the information fits all instruments but here are some fun facts included about those two instruments:

electric guitar
– This instrument is not hollow like the classical guitar, it is solid and heavy with steel strings (this is something to keep in mind if the student is young).
– A reminder that this instrument does make a lot of noise so please consider the noise level the student will make while practicing at home.

folk guitar
– It is usually played solo or accompanying their own or friend’s voice.
– It’s a light, hollowed-bodied acoustic instrument. It looks like a large classical guitar, but the strings are made of steel, to give a louder, harsher sound.
– The capo is a device clamped on to the strings to make playing easier.

I hope you have been enjoying this series, It has been so much learning about instruments. Up next we’ll be talking about the trumpet so stay tune for that post.

Painting party

We had a jam packed house full of artists today who came by to help out with the finishing touches on a couple of projects for tomorrows event. Everyone from parents to students and even a couple of teachers had a brush in hand and added color to our posters. It was so cool working along side so many creative people. It’s thanks to these wonderful people that our events turn out great and help our school grow more united. Tomorrow is the big day! So don’t forget to stop by for a fun filled event that includes fun games, yummy food oh and did I mention a bounce house (!!) exciting right? See you tomorrow!

In the groove!

While doing some spring cleaning around the office, I came across a couple of records that were donated to the school. I happen to own a record player and thought it would be fun to bring it in and try the records out. I’m happy to report that the record player was a hit! It was a great conversation starter with all the curious students and parents who walked by the office and saw it. Seeing everyone’s face light up when they put the needle down and heard the first note of the song was the absolute best!

A Night at the Opera

We recently had the chance to attend an opera performance for the first time thanks to LA Opera who provided tickets. It was such an amazing experience and I think all the students who went with us really enjoyed. We all know the fairy tale story of Cinderella but this performance had an awesome twist! I would tell you what it is, but I think it’s best if you check it out for yourself. A big thank you to LA Opera for giving us this awesome opportunity!

DIY: Musical Notes/Terms Egg Matching Game!

Can you believe Easter is almost here?! (woo hoo!) I found this fun DIY game on pinterest just in time for sunday. All you need is: Plastic eggs and a sharpie Draw a note/term on one half of the egg, and the note name or term definition on the other half of the egg. Mix bottom halves and let the matching game begin! Enjoy!

Instruments 101: Violin

To continue our series let’s talk about the violin.

Here’s what the book had to say:
– The violin is the smallest and highest-sounding of the stringed instruments.
– The vibration of the instrument passes by bone-conduction through the child’s body directly to the brain.
– Most children who make progress on the violin combine intelligence with sensitivity, a good sense of pitch and a very high degree of conscientiousness.
– Violins suit quietly behaved children. The sort who are quite happy reading in the bedroom or playing with one or two friends.

I’ve been very curious about the violin for some time now. Every now and then I get a chance to see Julie or Bernard helping a student with tuning or with their bow. Violins are always around the office and after reading the chapter on the violin I was amazed to learn that the player makes and shapes each note and feels the vibration of music every time they play. That must be so cool to feel what you are playing, not just to hear it but feel it. The more I read about instruments the more I believe music is more than just sounds put together to sound good but a way of expression of feelings and thoughts.

Just a reminder, NMS will be closed next week for spring break! There will not be classes but our office will be open just in case any parents want to stop by and make tuition payments. Now for some exciting news, we are at the beginning stages of planning the 2nd Annual Community Festival! So far, since Saturday, we have fundraised $100 of our $250 goal! So stop by NMS to make a donation or learn more about how you can volunteer on June 1st. (woo hoo!)