December 2014 Newsletter | Harris Academy of the Arts

HAA Newsletter December 2014 inspiring creativity through the arts

Recital Weekend Well on our way to breaking the Guinness world record for the longest recital weekend, we enjoyed student performances in 11 back-to-back recital sections Friday, November 14th and Saturday, November 15th. A BIG congratulations to our students! It’s a special thing to watch students’ progress each year and rediscover and showcase the wonderful talent that surrounds us everyday. A big thank you to those who volunteered their help with snow shoveling!

View all photos from the recital on our facebook page: Harris Academy of the Arts We invite you to share your photos and videos too!

NEW STUDENTS ♫ Help us welcome these new musicians to Harris!

Elise Benson Heather Eads Robbie Fields Troy Fuehrer Scott Harrison Courtney Klaasmeyer

Kelly Menjivar Madeline Nelson Olivia Ondracek Julia Phillips Ava Tran Kaden Tran Kalena Tran

HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS Share the gift of music with your loved ones!

Gift Certificates for music lessons and/or merchandise (available in any denomination)

And More: Frozen Sheet Music: Piano, Voice & Violin

Metronomes Music Stands Musical Gift Items 2935 Pine Lake Road, Lincoln, NE

402.423.7121

harrisacademyofthearts.com

Nebraska Music Teachers Association

State Festival Congratulations to our students who participated in the State Festival at Wayne State College on October 25th & 26th.

Amanda Holding Natalie Holding Trent Kivett Ian Orchard Jonah Payne (1+ rating) Ella Pike Nate Pribil Brin Swanson Elizeh Tarkian

Students participating in the Nebraska Music Teachers Association State (NMTA) Festival prepare two pieces to perform memorized before a judge. They also take exams in music theory and ear training. Those receiving a 1 rating receive a trophy for their accomplishments.

Instructors who are members of NMTA and LMTA (Lincoln Music Teachers Association): Jentry Barrett, Mai Butler, Vicki Harris, Heera Jang, Cristina Vlad

Elizeh Tarkian and Nate Pribil show off the trophies they earned at State Festival.

Student of the Month: Avery Smith If you have any goldfish crackers, share some with Avery Smith– it’s her favorite food. This bright and bubbly 13 year old takes piano lessons and flute lessons at Harris. Her flute instructor, Sherri Brouillette, says, “Avery is very fun to work with and I really enjoy having her in lessons. She has a great sense of humor and is extremely smart with many musical interests, including music history, ukulele, and flute.”

“Avery has come a thousand miles over the last two years,” Vicki continues, “in simply relaxing, enjoying the music and ‘going with the flow.’

As a result, she has grown so much in her playing. The confidence she has developed has made her become such a stronger player. I am really proud of her and the progress she’s made!”

When she’s not learning life lessons at Harris, Avery makes breakfast for her family every weekend morning (hey, we’ll hire her!). She also enjoys playing volleyball, traveling, shopping, reading, and skiing. Help us congratulate Avery on being named our December Student of the Month!

Avery is learning an important lesson all musicians learn at some point – it’s okay to make mistakes! Avery’s piano instructor, Vicki Harris, says she and Avery share some similar qualities. “We want to always put our best forward…making mistakes doesn’t always fare Read the full feature on our website: so well internally.” harrisacademyofthearts.com/current-students/ student-of-the-month

PET OF THE MONTH Meet Courageous, the “grand” pet of Barb Carlson, a violin student at Harris who no longer has pets of her own. Barb says he is not courageous at all—just spoiled.

Now accepting submissions for the January Pet of the Month. Send a photo of your furry friend to info@harrisacademyofthearts.com

#Sharp Student Corner “How to Mess Up” by Avery Smith (Student of the Month) First, do something you have always wanted to do. This can be a sport, something music related, knitting, performing, anything you want. Next, do this activity. Give it your 100%. Act like this is the last thing you will ever do in your life.

Now, you may mess up. Most of us human beings on this planet hate messing up.

They think people will think of us differently if we are not perfect. They also might think of themselves differently if they mess up. If you try to be perfect, you

are just going to beat yourself up and hurt others around you. You learn more if you mess up. People feel more comfortable around you if you make mistakes. When you finally realize that you have messed up, accept it. The last step is to move forward. Never wallow on your past mistakes. Look towards the future. It will all work out. So make mistakes and gracefully bounce back from those mistakes. Because we aren’t perfect.

Students, have a story or article relating to music that you'd like to share? We'll feature it in this section, one student per month! Send your work to info@harrisacademyofthearts.com 2935 Pine Lake Road, Lincoln, NE

402.423.7121

harrisacademyofthearts.com

Instructor of the Month: Jeff Kuhl At Harris Academy of the Arts, we call Jeff our resident comedian. It will only take a few minutes with Jeff to make grumpy turn into laughter. His enthusiasm flows over into his lessons where student and teacher equally inspire one another. “My students really inspire me,” Jeff says. “Their desire to discover what they can do inspires me to work to help them find the answers. I’m very lucky.”

Jeff is a rare and talented musician in Lincoln with more than 25 years of professional performance experience. He has performed in more than 50 Broadway musicals on many of Chicago’s best-known stages and has won the city’s Tony Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical. With an even longer list of awards on the shelf, he is also a charter member and lead performer with the Emmy Award-winning, “Classical Kids.” And that is the kind of experience and expertise Jeff shares in his lessons. His students learn more than just how to sing; they learn to express, they see goals realized, and they develop confidence that extends into their lives far from the lesson room.

PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES December 13 Gracepoint Senior Living Center 3:00-4:00 p.m.

December 20 & 21 Gateway Mall Sat.12:00-1:00 p.m. & 2:00-3:00 p.m.

Sunday 2:00-3:00 p.m.

DATES TO NOTE ♪ December 21-January 4 Holiday Break (no lessons or classes)

January 9—6:00 p.m.

Strings Make-up Class (intermediate

January 10—9:00 a.m.

What else should you know about Jeff? He has taught and competed nationally in ballroom dancing! We’ll let him tell the rest. Take some time to enjoy getting acquainted with yet another great instructor at Harris.

Theory Make-up Class (all ages)

Read the full feature on our website: http://harrisacademyofthearts.com/about-us/instructor-spotlight

Student Spring Recital

Student Picture Day

April 10 & 11

On November 7 & 8, HAA student had the opportunity to have their picture taken with their instrument. Each student received a free photo, and hopefully gained a whole lot of fun in the process. Here's a sample of the great photos. You can view all the photos on our website.

We'll see you at the next picture day!

Photos left to right: Olivia Scribner; Gregory Burroughs; Kiara and Don Day

Instructor Availability Our instructors’ schedules are changing daily. New students can enroll in private lessons any time during the year. Call 402-423-7121 today to enroll! If your ideal time is not available, call or email to get on the respective instructor’s waiting list. (Openings reflect after school times only. Please contact us for information about additional daytime availability.)

Jentry Barrett (violin, viola): CLOSED Mai Butler (piano): Monday – 2 openings Tuesday – 4 openings Wednesday – 3 openings Thursday – 1 opening Friday – 2 openings Saturday – 7 openings

Vicki Harris (piano, violin): CLOSED

2935 Pine Lake Road, Lincoln, NE

Lee Heerspink (guitar, bass)

Heera Jang (piano):

Cristina Vlad (piano):

Monday—6 openings Tuesday—7 openings Wednesday—4 openings Thursday—1 opening

Monday – 1 opening Tuesday – CLOSED Wednesday – 4 openings Thursday – CLOSED Friday – 2 openings

Monday – CLOSED Tuesday – CLOSED Wednesday – CLOSED Thursday – 4 openings Friday – CLOSED Saturday – 3 openings

Garrett Hope (guitar, bass, composition) Monday—9 openings Tuesday—9 openings Wednesday—5 openings Thursday—2 openings Saturday—4 openings

Jeff Kuhl (voice, piano, beginning trumpet): Monday – 1 opening Tuesday – 1 opening Wednesday – 1 opening Thursday – CLOSED Saturday – 1 opening

402.423.7121

harrisacademyofthearts.com

Spring Class Schedule Something for everyone! Classes start in January.

2935 Pine Lake Road, Ste. C Lincoln, NE 68516 402.423.7121

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Adult Beginning Guitar

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Beginning Guitar Workshops (all ages)

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Beginning Piano (8-12)

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Children’s Music Academy (3-7)

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Kindermusik (newborn-7)

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The Beatles for Acoustic Guitar (11+)

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And MUCH MORE!

harrisacademyofthearts.com

JOB OPPORTUNITIES Door Hangers Ages 14 and up. A terrific income opportunity for high school students and adults! Earn money while exercising and distributing literature about HAA. For more information, contact us at: (402) 423-7121 or info@harrisacademyofthearts.com

YARD SIGN PROGRAM

Holiday Carolers Bring the sights and sounds of the holidays to your holiday party! Harris Academy of the Arts’ Charles Dickens carolers will serenade your guests with classic and contemporary carols in four-part harmony, dressed in authentic costumes. Their yuletide cheer will relax and entertain guests in any atmosphere.

To inquire about rates and availability, please call (402) 423-7121.

“Guests loved the Christmas caroling. The singers were excellent and the costumes were great!”

-Kathy, event planner

Earn a FREE lesson or class For every 4 months you post a Harris Academy of the Arts Yard Sign in the front lawn of your home or business, you can earn a FREE private lesson or class.

For more info: info@harrisacademyofthearts.com

How to take part:   

Contact the office to pick up a sign place the sign in your yard, take a photo After 4 months, bring the yard sign back to the studio to receive your FREE music lesson or class!

REFERRAL PROGRAM

Earn $20 For every new student you refer to Harris!

Here’s how it works:   

Professional Charles Dickens Carolers to perform at your special event

Refer a friend to Harris Academy of the Arts.

Be sure to tell them to include your name as a referral on their registration form!

After your friend completes their 3 month commitment, you’ll receive a $20 credit toward lessons and classes.