Reminder! NO lessons July 26- August-9.
If you forget, my Mom will be here to check your theory assignments 🙂
Register for The Music Experience!
The Music Experience is a weekly 45 minute session for third through sixth grade children. Children can perform, read, compose, and experience music, no prior music knowledge necessary.
Cost is $25 for the first child and $15 for additional family members. POC: Jane McKee and Mary O’Connor.
Miss Jane has a BME in Music Education and has taught music and directed choirs for all ages. She sings, rings bells, plays piano and flute, and plays autoharp in the Pender Praise Band.
Miss Jane is presently a teacher for FCPS schools. She is looking forward to meeting you in our Music Experience!
Miss Mary has a BA in Music Education and has taught piano lessons for many years as well as directed handbell/chime choirs for children. She plays piano, sings, rings handbells, and plays in a recorder quartet. She has sung bass in a woman’s Barbershop Chorus.
Miss Mary is currently a private piano teacher and she’s very excited to meet you in our Music Experience!
Practice sessions will be held in the choir room and sanctuary.
Register your child here or use the QR code below:
Event Coordinator • Jane McKee
NoteRush App
We often use this app in the O’Connor Music Studio. There is a new update coming very soon that looks like it will be even better.
Note Rush boosts your note reading speed and accuracy, building a strong mental model of where each written note is on your instrument.
Note Rush 2nd Edition: What’s New?
- Refreshed user interface: Note Rush 2nd Edition boasts a modern, colorful new interface that is visually appealing and user-friendly.
- Extended instrument support offering an expanded library of built-in levels designed for various instruments, including piano, guitar, violin, flute, and more.
- Enhanced level designer system with support for Treble and Bass clefs as well as Grand Staff (Tenor and Alto coming soon) and up to 6 ledger lines!
- Save custom levels within the app for easy access: No more hunting through the camera roll!
- Unique landmarks-based hints system! Landmark notes are a great way to get a firm grasp of the staff, and now Note Rush brings this approach into the learning experience. Learn more
- New themes including Fruit Smash and Cute Bird, and a new scrolling theme selector, making it quicker to select a theme and get playing.
- New Audio Recognition Engine to make gameplay faster and more reliable.
How it Works
Note Rush is like a virtual flash card deck for all ages that listens to you play each note, giving instant feedback and awarding stars based on speed and accuracy.
Race against the clock to improve your performance or hide the timer to gently engage those just starting out with the staff.
Includes built-in levels for piano and a range of other instruments as well as custom level design.
If you want to use it at home, the current cost is only $4.99 (not a subscription, one-time only) but it will be going up soon to 8.99.
More info at https://www.noterush.app/
Who Slobbered On My Songbook? New VU Book For Summer
This laugh-out-loud resource follows the hilarious adventures of a homework-hungry dog who has been framed for chewy crime he didn’t commit.
Inside you will discover 7 piano solos, a teacher-student duet, warm-up exercises, note reading games, sight-reading and rhythm activities, a practice tracker, and a certificate.
If you want to check it out, the Studio has a couple copies. As always, students who would benefit from this book will get a free copy.
Piano Maestro Summer Camp
Pender UMC Spring Concert 2023: Joy Ringers
On May 13, 2023 Brian Stevenson, Pender Music Director, produced our annual Spring Concert.
This wonderful evening included music by Heidi Jacobs, pianist, the DC Harp Ensemble, the Pender Joy Ringers Handbell ensemble, Sean Wittmer, violinist, and an Irish music session.
The Joy Ringers played Streams of Life by Jason Krug and Fantastica by Ron Mallory.
Streams of Life Review: This exciting original tune from the pen of Jason Krug is not to be missed! Featuring alternating measures of 4/4 and 3/4, the joyful, memorable melody moves throughout the ensemble. Frequent interludes take the piece off in different directions before coming back to the melody once more. A slower, introspective middle section gives a respite before the driving feeling returns once more to close the piece out in explosive, festive fashion!
Fantastica Review: Inspired by the scores to epic fantasy films, this original composition will take your listeners on a journey into their own imaginations while keeping your ringers engaged with its intertwining melodies and multiple handbell techniques.
Donations received went to the REACH International foundation in support of two Sri Lankan orphanages.
“Advent Medley” from Spring Concert 2023
On May 13, 2023 Brian Stevenson, Pender Music Director, produced our annual Spring Concert.
This wonderful evening included music by Heidi Jacobs, pianist, the DC Harp Ensemble, the Pender Joy Ringers Handbell ensemble, Sean Wittmer, violinist, and an Irish music session.
Heidi had just been hired as Pender’s pianist on May 11, 2023 and she agreed to play her audition piece, “Advent Medley” for our concert.
Donations received went to the REACH International foundation in support of two Sri Lankan orphanages.
“Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio” by Claude Bolling from Concert for Ukraine
Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio by Claude Bolling “Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano” (aka Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio) is a “crossover” composition, synthesizing Baroque and swing era jazz elements, by the jazz pianist and composer Claude Bolling. The composition, originally written in 1973, is a suite of seven movements, written for a classical flute, and a jazz piano trio (piano, string bass, and drums).
Helen Kim, Liz Sellers and AJ Rios performed the first movement – “Baroque and Blue”. It follows a large scale ABA form — beginning in G major, modulating to the parallel minor at 1:54, and returning to G at 4:36.
The Pender Concert Supporting Ukraine on April 23 featured Liz Sellers on piano, Brian on harp, and local professional musicians, including woodwind quintet, drums, organ, guitar, flute, penny whistle, singing and violin.
Concert repertoire included: Harp arrangements by Debussy, Piano trio of Jazz/Baroque, Flute Concertino by Chaminade, Woodwind Quintet with music of Duke Ellington, The Widor Toccata Organ Symphony Movement V and an Irish session!
There was no charge for this concert but there was a free will offering taken to support Ukraine through Advance #982450, UMCOR International Disaster Response and Recovery. This fund provides direct assistance to those in Ukraine as well as assistance to Ukrainians fleeing to neighboring countries.
One hundred percent of all Advance contributions go to the designated cause. (The independent charity watchdog, “Charity Watch,” gives UMCOR an “A+” ranking, and includes the UM organization on a highly selective list of charities it recommends when considering how to support the Ukrainian people. Read more)
The United Methodist community in Ukraine, though quite small, is actively engaged in assisting neighbors in need. Global Ministries is in touch with the church’s leadership as well as with church leaders in countries welcoming those who are fleeing from violence in Ukraine.
Click this link and choose UMCOR to send direct aid. In the memo line, put Advance #982450, UMCOR International Disaster Response and Recovery.
Thank you for your support!
Don’t Get Around Much Anymore by Duke Ellington from Concert for Ukraine
“Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” is a jazz standard written by composer Duke Ellington. The song was originally entitled “Never No Lament” and was first recorded by Duke Ellington and his orchestra on May 4, 1940.
The Morpheus Chamber Players are Alisha Coleman (clarinet, Gwen Jones (flute), Jeff Kahan (oboe), Wendy Chinn (French horn) and Lisa Eckstein (bassoon). AJ Rios sat in as guest percussionist.
The Pender Concert Supporting Ukraine on April 23 featured Liz Sellers on piano, Brian on harp, and local professional musicians, including woodwind quintet, drums, organ, guitar, flute, penny whistle, singing and violin.
Concert repertoire included: Harp arrangements by Debussy, Piano trio of Jazz/Baroque, Flute Concertino by Chaminade, Woodwind Quintet with music of Duke Ellington, The Widor Toccata Organ Symphony Movement V and an Irish session!
There was no charge for this concert but there was a free will offering taken to support Ukraine through Advance #982450, UMCOR International Disaster Response and Recovery. This fund provides direct assistance to those in Ukraine as well as assistance to Ukrainians fleeing to neighboring countries.
One hundred percent of all Advance contributions go to the designated cause. (The independent charity watchdog, “Charity Watch,” gives UMCOR an “A+” ranking, and includes the UM organization on a highly selective list of charities it recommends when considering how to support the Ukrainian people. Read more)
The United Methodist community in Ukraine, though quite small, is actively engaged in assisting neighbors in need. Global Ministries is in touch with the church’s leadership as well as with church leaders in countries welcoming those who are fleeing from violence in Ukraine.
Click this link and choose UMCOR to send direct aid. In the memo line, put Advance #982450, UMCOR International Disaster Response and Recovery.
Thank you for your support!
Sonata Latino: Bossa Merengova by Mike Mower from Concert for Ukraine
The Bossa Merengova movement was performed by Liz Sellers (piano), Helen Kim (flute) and AJ Rios (percussion).
From the composer: “Sonata Latino was written in October 1994 for Kirsten Spratt and Elizabeth Mucha. They asked for a piece in South American style so I wrote this sonata incorporating various Latin rhythms. It is not intended to be a purist representation of the idiom, but to sound how a contemporary latin/jazz improvising duo might play at a gig. I hoped to capture something of the personality of each country in the music. Although I have no Latin roots, I’ve loved the music for years and have been lucky enough to tour South America a few times with my Saxophone Quartet Itchy Fingers.”
Bossa Merengova. “This borrows from the more recent Bossa Nova hybrid rhythms from Brazil. I treated this movement more as a jazz player might do with “improvised solo” sections for both flute and piano. The piano writing is looser and more harmonically jazz-oriented, but in places moves into double – octave arpeggio licks evoking the Merengue style popular in Venezuela and Columbia. A coda section then returns to a salsa ‘turn-around’ riff reminiscent of the Cuban – influenced first movement.”
The Pender Concert Supporting Ukraine on April 23 featured Liz Sellers on piano, Brian on harp, and local professional musicians, including woodwind quintet, drums, organ, guitar, flute, penny whistle, singing and violin.
Concert repertoire included: Harp arrangements by Debussy, Piano trio of Jazz/Baroque, Flute Concertino by Chaminade, Woodwind Quintet with music of Duke Ellington, The Widor Toccata Organ Symphony Movement V and an Irish session!
There was no charge for this concert but there was a free will offering taken to support Ukraine through Advance #982450, UMCOR International Disaster Response and Recovery. This fund provides direct assistance to those in Ukraine as well as assistance to Ukrainians fleeing to neighboring countries.
One hundred percent of all Advance contributions go to the designated cause. (The independent charity watchdog, “Charity Watch,” gives UMCOR an “A+” ranking, and includes the UM organization on a highly selective list of charities it recommends when considering how to support the Ukrainian people. Read more)
The United Methodist community in Ukraine, though quite small, is actively engaged in assisting neighbors in need. Global Ministries is in touch with the church’s leadership as well as with church leaders in countries welcoming those who are fleeing from violence in Ukraine.
Click this link and choose UMCOR to send direct aid. In the memo line, put Advance #982450, UMCOR International Disaster Response and Recovery.
Thank you for your support!
MaryO'Studio 