Know of a little one interested in music? We have new Early Childhood class times beginning in January!

Eden Strings delight at Eden's Chapel and Local Care Home

 

Under the instruction of Ms. Rochelle Agnew and Ms. Michelle Bitler, students from Eden Christian Academy's Strings program as well as Winchester Thurston Strings program delight audiences by performing at Pristine Pines assisted living home as well as Eden Strings students performing for Eden's inter-school Chapel. Pictured above are Josh Larsen, Hope Wiggins, and Heather Nguyen of Berkley Hills, Caeley McMillen and Anna Smith of Wexford. 

Haley Raphael Graduates from Suzuki Violin Book Six...review!

Haley performs at CYM's Ensemble recital in November. Photo compliments of Richard Spear.

Congratulations to Haley Raphael as she prepares her graduation from Suzuki Violin Book Six! Haley's graduation recital is set to take place Tuesday, December 14th at 6:30 p.m. in the downstairs group room in Wexford. Family, friends, and CYM families are invited to attend her recital. Congratulations, Haley!

...A very happy Haley Raphael after her Graduation Recital! Congratulations again, and thank you to all in attendance!

CYM Violins and Celli at Phipps Conservatory

 

CYM  is delighted to feature our violin and cello departments at the Phipps Conservatory Candlelight Evenings performances on Sunday, December 19th from 3:00-4:00 pm. A link to Phipps schedule of performances is listed here.

For those performing that afternoon, here are the details for the event:

• When: Sunday, December 19^th, 3:00-4:15 pm    *Performer arrival time is 2:30 pm

• Where: Palm Court (after you pass the entrance area, it is the very first large domed space when you go up the stairs)

•  Entry: A limited amount of complimentary tickets are available to student family members. This does not include student performers- they get in free of charge, no ticket needed. Two tickets per student performer are reserved for their family members. Extra tickets will be held only for families who request an extra on a first come, first served. Request extra tickets by emailing akunselman@youngmusicians.org. Upon entering Phipp’s, families are to meet in the welcome area where faculty will get a head count and distribute complimentary passes to family before entering the Palm Court. Autumn will be holding those tickets and keeping track of who needs/has them/has requested extra.

• Buying tickets: For those family members who need to purchase extra tickets for their family, general admission is $12, seniors $11. They are available at the ticket office in the welcome area.

• Dress: Concert attire of all black or black and white is appropriate.

•  Setup: Our performance is located at the very front and center of the Palm Court. We are to provide our own seats and stands- all students are to bring their own stand, cellists are to bring their cello stool. Families are encouraged to watch the performance from the perimeter of the area. 

Everyone is welcome to attend this exciting performance and enjoy the beautiful botanical display at the conservatory. See you there!

Pretty as a picture!

We are delighted that Richard Spear took these beautiful photos of last weekend's performance at PPG Wintergarden as well as gorgeous shots of CYM's Fall Ensemble Rectial in November.

To see the full gallery and to purchase pictures from Richard Spear Photography, click on the links below. To access each gallery, the password is CYM:

CYM Wintergarden 2010 Photos by Richard Spear

CYM Ensemble Recital 2010 Photos by Richard Spear 

Sewickley Light Up Night and PPG Wintergarden Performances this weekend!

CYM Violinists at Wintergarden 2009.

The first snow of the year is falling, the holiday season is fast approaching, and we are looking forward to a fantastic weekend of performances once again! Here is your road map for all you need to know for this weekend's performances at Sewickley's Light Up Night and PPG Wintergarden:

Sewickley Light Up Night, Friday, December 3rd

• Where? At the Sewickley Library located at Broad and Thorn Streets in Sewickley. Students are to meet at the Fiction Room to tune and prepare to play. The Fiction Room is located on the first floor.
• When? Students are to arrive at 5:30 p.m., our program is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. Please use the rear doors to enter the library before 6:00 p.m..
• What to wear and bring? Students are welcome to wear casual (including jeans!) and/or holiday attire. Students, don't forget to bring your instrument, music, and any needed accessories with you.
• Need to contact the teacher in charge? Contact Ms. Alicia at amcginnis@youngmusicians.org or Ms. Michelle at mbitler@youngmusicians.org

* Sewickley Light Up Night (now called Light Fest) is a  holiday celebration that takes place in downtown Sewickley- parking at the event tends to be tricky, so plan accordingly. Street parking is available on a first come, first served basis, as well as lots provided in and around town. For more information, keep an eye on the Sewickley Chamber of Commerce website for updates.

PPG Wintergarden, Saturday, December 4th

• Where? At the Wintergarden at PPG Place in downtown Pittsburgh
• When? Students are to arrive at 2:30 p.m., our performance is set to begin at 3:00 p.m.
• What to wear and bring? Students are to dress for a solo performance and bring instrument, music, and needed accessories.
• Need to contact the teacher in charge?Contact Mr. Mark at marston@youngmusicians.org or Ms. Sonia at stripathi@youngmusiciains.org
• Here is a great link for the layout of PPG building and where we will be playing: http://www.ppgplace.com/directions

A pretty present for your family...

 

We have an excellent selection of holiday CDs perfect for ringing in the season! Need a hostess gift, stocking stuffer, or a gift for that hard-to-buy-for relative? Look no further- our collection of seasonal music is bound to be the perfect addition to your family's wish list! Stop by our Wexford location to enjoy 10% off our full inventory of holiday CDs at CYM. CDs will also be made available in our Sewickley location. 

Thanksgiving Break is November 23-27

This is your friendly reminder that CYM's Thanksgiving break is Tuesday, November 23rd- Saturday the 27th. Classes will resume on Monday, November 29th. Have a happy Thanksgiving and see you next week!

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.  -Thornton Wilder

Parents as Partners- a Suzuki Online Series this Winter

As suggested to us by CYM parent Melanie Drake, the Suzuki Association of Americas is offering a unique learning opportunity for parents of musicians! This program would be great for any family in CYM's programs- we encourage everyone to consider this opportunity- especially families whose children are playing an instrument or preparing to play an instrument.

The Suzuki Association of Americas website describes the program as:

"Parents as Partners Online will provide participants with informative talks on various parent education and Suzuki education topics, presented over the course of 6 weeks. Video sessions are 10 to 20 minutes each; participants can access the site at any time day or night to take advantage of these informative, inspiring and concise presentations. We aim to nurture the parent side of the Suzuki triangle on such invaluable subjects as:
•Practice: building a strong parent-child relationship; managing frustration; strategies for creating a successful practice

•Repetition and Review: the whys and hows

•Balancing Busy Schedules

•Reflections and advice on the Suzuki Journey

•Managing the Teenager Years: The Road to Independence

•The Changing Role of the Parent

•The Importance of Listening

•Childhood Memories of Dr. Suzuki

•Institute Experiences: What it’s all about

•What Current Publications are saying about "Talent"

Once you’ve registered, you'll receive emails with schedule details and other information when available. Online discussions, video presentations, and special "events" are just a few of the opportunities to expect."


If any parent at CYM is interested, please comment to this post so we are able to register CYM as a group to provide access to CYM families free of charge. Also, we would love to have parents convene after the program to share thoughts and ideas about the topics covered.
Find out more information by clicking here.

Home for the Holidays season begins with the Fall Harvest Community Concert

It is that time of year again! This Saturday, November 20th, kicks off the start to CYM's 2010 Holiday Concert season with the Fall Harvest Community Concert. Join us as we celebrate the bounty of music harvested from the efforts of our students this fall. The concert features faculty members Tanya Satteson, violin, and Michelle Bitler, piano, perform Beethoven's "Kreutzer" Violin Sonata No. 9 Op. 47 as well as selections from members of CYM's violin, piano, and guitar departments.

The concert is held at the Wexford Community Presbyterian Church at 4:00 p.m.. See you all there!

Karolina Lagerquist Graduates from Suzuki Piano Book 7

Karolina Lagerquist smiles about her successful recital.

Congratulations to Karolina Lagerquist, above, as she graduates from the seventh and final book in the Suzuki method for piano. Her Graduation Recital was held last evening, November the 16th, in Wexford. Family and friends gathered to celebrate this important milestone for Karolina.

CYM family and friends gather after the recital for refreshments.

 Way to go, Karolina, on a job well done!

Welcome to CYM, Rochelle Agnew!

 

We want to extend a big welcome to the newest member of our staff, Ms. Rochelle Agnew! Rochelle, who hails from Lancaster, Pennsylvania is currently earning her Artist Diploma at Duquesne University in violin performance. She holds a B.M. in violin performance as well as a M.M. in violin performance from Duqeusne University, where she studied under the tutelage of Rachel Stegeman and Charles Stegeman.

Ms. Agnew is an accomplished violinist and has performed with many symphony orchestras, most notably with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater Orchestra as well as serving as Duquesne Symphony Orchestra's Concertmaster this year. Ms. Agnew is an experienced violin instructor registered through Suzuki violin book two and teaches private lessons and orchestral literature to undergraduate students at Duquesne University as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. She also serves as an instructor through the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society's Poco a Poco program, teaching Suzuki violin to under-privileged children at the Urban League of Pittsburgh Charter School. 

We are delighted to have Ms. Agnew join us here at CYM- she has taken the helm at CYM's Winchester Thurston strings program, and looks to expand a violin studio as well as begin teaching Early Childhood Music classes beginning in January.

CYM Violinists debut at Heinz Hall at Fiddlesticks Concert: In Review

Congratulations to our violinists who represented CYM proudly at the October 30th Fiddlesticks Concert presented by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. As mentioned here and here on the Take Note Blog, we are delighted to say that the experience was a marvelous one!

An exciting opportunity for violin students of all ages, CYM was invited to participate in a pre-concert performance for the Fiddlesticks concert audience as well as showcase the Young Artist violin group as a part of the Fiddlesticks concert program. The pre-concert program featured a series of twinkle variations taken from the Suzuki violin book 1 as an illustration of a student's progress from early learner to accomplished musician. Pre-concert violinists included: Ava Heinricher, Josephine Reiter, Annie Comerci, Lochlan McGinnis, Brita Lagerquist, Bernardo Vieira, Abigail Hartman. The "Bach Double" performed by CYM violinists Elsa Lagerquist, Madeline Marco Scanlon, Meredith Hudock, Haley Raphael, and Anthony Cicco. They performed as a part of the concert to demonstrate to the audience how melody is an essential component of making music.

Elsa Lagerquist, Madeline Marco Scanlon, Hayley Raphael, and Anthony Cicco under the direction of Tanya Satteson and Leah Givelber, dedicated themselves to additional practices to prepare for the big day!

Pre-concert violinists prepare for their first piece. Our performance station was one of many- audience members were encouraged to move from station to station at an allotted time to experience many different performances.

Mats were provided for children in the audience to get an up-close encounter with our musicians!

Our performers showed poise and professionalism for a constanly circulating crowd.

CYM violinists immediately following their successful performance on stage with director Lawrence Loh and the PSO!

Fiddlesticks the Cat, the PSO's Music Ambassador to Children, (and a huge celebrity among the children attending) with his friend and Mistress of Ceremonies Katy Shackleton Williams, soprano.

What a great day for our performers! Congratulations to all, and we hope to do it again soon!

CYM Ensemble Recital: In Review

Bravo to everyone who participated in this year's Ensemble Recital! We are so proud of your individual efforts that went into making the concert a memorable one. Thank you to our teachers, staff, and families for your support as we journey through a new season of musical learning. Here are some highlights from last Saturday:

These are a random sampling of the many photos taken by Burkhardt Reiter- thank you Burkhardt! Would you like to include your great photo in Take Note? Send it to info@youngmusicians.org- we would be happy to post it.

Also- discussion time! CYM Families, would you like us to upload our many photos to a Flickr account for you to access? These could be photos taken by our staff and other parents during CYM events and concerts. Leave a comment with a yay or a nay and why! Thanks for your great input! 

CYM Ensemble Recital 2010

Violin Department performs at CYM's Ensemble Recital in 2008

All friends and family of CYM students are invited to join us tomorrow, November 6th at 3:00 p.m. for our Annual Ensemble Recital held at Marshall Middle School. Groups and duets from CYM's Violin, Piano, Cello, and Guitar departments come together to showcase their musical abilities. Practice Challenge Winners will be announced, and Beginner's Bow beginning students will take their first bow on stage.

Join us for an afternoon of beautiful music and collaboration.

Fall Harvest Community Concert Featuring Tanya Satteson, violin, and Michelle Bitler, piano

Fall Harvest

Community Concert

• Where? Wexford Community Presbyterian Church,16045 Perry Hwy, 15090
• When?  Saturday, November 20th, 4pm
• What?   Enjoy the bountiful Fall harvest of CYM’s students and faculty.   Student performers will share works by Bach, Rameau, Eccles, and more.
• Who?  Violin faculty member Tanya Satteson and piano faculty member Michelle Bitler will perform Beethoven’s infamous Violin Sonata No. 9, Opus 47,“Kreutzer” Sonata and Wieniawski’s Scherzo and Tarantella, Opus 16.

Friends, family and children of all ages are invited to join them for an enriching

afternoon of music, encouragement, and celebration!

Where is Everyone? CYM Wexford Location Clarification

 Hello CYM Families!

We have noticed something that may have been a bit confusing to you, and would like to remedy it. Our main facility location in Wexford may be a bit elusive to those not familiar to the area, due to the Center for Young Musicians sign posted on the Pine Lakes Plaza marquis:

CYM utilizes a space in the Pine Lakes Plaza for storage purposes- this is NOT the lesson and main office facility where all of the Wexford lessons, classes, and business transactions take place.

Here are instructions from the Pine Lakes Plaza parking lot (where our storage facility is) to our Main Wexford facility:

To access our Main Wexford Facility, pull through the length of the Pine Lakes Plaza parking lot going North (toward Wild Birds Unlimited) at the end of the lot, turn right onto Lake Drive. Our building is the first building on the left, behind the Suzuki dealership. Pull in the lower entrance, and park in the back lot. Enter through the door at the back of the building.

For help finding us, please call 724-935-0505. We hope this is helpful to you!

Violin Department Group at PSO Fiddlesticks Concert October 30th

Attention all violin students:

In lieu of October 30th Violin Group, please come down to support your fellow CYM Violinists as they perform in both the pre-concert activities as well as perform the "Bach Double" at the Pittsburgh Symphony's Fiddlesticks concert.

For tickets and information, see our prior blog posts:

http://cymtakenote.blogspot.com/2010/10/cym-violinists-take-stage-with.html

http://cymtakenote.blogspot.com/2010/09/cym-violinists-take-stage-with.html

Suzuki Review Lists for the Ensemble Recital

Violin Ensemble Review List

Book 1:

Twinkle Variations and Theme

Lightly Row

Song of the Wind

O Come Little Children

Long, Long Ago

Perpetual Motion

Minuet 3

The Happy Farmer

Book 2:

Musette

Witches’ Dance

Book 3:

Minuet

Book 4:

Concerto no. 2 in G Major, 3^rd movement by F Seitz

Concerto for 2 Violins by JS Bach

Cello Ensemble Review List

Book 1:

Twinkle Variation A and Theme

French Folk Song

Song of the Wind

Go Tell Aunt Rhody

Book 3:

Minuet in G

Book 4:

Sonata in E minor by Marcello- Adagio and Allegro

Guitar Ensemble Review List

Nonesuch

Corrente - Paganini
Norwegian Tanz
Rigadoon – Purcell
Perpetual Motion - Suzuki
The Twinkle Blues