December 2023
Thank you to my violin, viola and guitar students for preparing and presenting a beautiful holiday music program at Westmont and Merrill Gardens in Brentwood, December 2023!
Westmont of Brentwood, December 10, 2023.
Merrill Gardens, Brentwood. 12/11/23
Fall Recital @ Chelsea Fusion. November, 2023
August 1, 2023: Sierra Music Studio starts music sessions
8/2023-6/2024 TUITION UPDATE (Same rate as 2022/23):
$40/week, 30 minute session
$60/week, 45 minute session
$80/week, 60 minute session
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Spring Performance in Brentwood. 5/2023
WINTER PERFORMANCE 12/3/22:
Saturday 1:30pm Brentwood On Ice!
This is a sing-along seasonal music performace, we are delighted to give our first post-pandemic public performance! We are delighted to be joined for gorgeous singing by Brett Colvin!
Hardly Strictly Classical Performance Series on 11/13/22: We rented Chelsea Japanese Fusion restaurant for a beautiful (and delicious) recital. Sharon Schneider on piano. Music sections ranged from Bach to Beatles!
6/1/2022 SIERRA STUDIO UPDATE:
June-August 2022 Calendar:
Sunday June 5, 3pm: Suzuki Violin Books 1-4 Student Play-in.
Summer Music Camp 2022! A week of music camp is worth a year of motivation!!
Several families of violin students are looking at Suzuki Summer Institute camps and Summer String Orchestra camps around the greater Bay Area! I will be attending Advanced Suzuki Institute at Santa Clara University July 17-21!
NEW: Marketplace for Sierra Music Studio families to buy/sell privately-owned instruments! Listed as a drop-down item under Resources (tab is located above).
MARCH/APRIL/MAY 2022 SCENES FROM PERFORMANCES AND THE STUDIO:
16 Sierra Music Studio players gave a beautiful musical gift to friends and family on 5/7/22.
Violin students Sahnyah, Ava and Natia, following their Heritage High School orchestra performance.
Parent and child work together to establish the beginner bow-hold.
Congratulations to both Emilia and Emersyn for completing their "Mastery of the Twinkles" certificate!
January 2022-
The first annual SIERRA MUSIC STUDIO holiday tree! The theme was "Music is a bridge to joy and peace", and lovingly decorated by myself and several students to be displayed at Brentwood's "Deck The Park" event. Savannah is pictured here with the tree, along with a creative tree-topper, made of bridges and bows.
1. As of 1/10/22, we return to regular weekly lessons with my "Mighty 20"!
2. 30 or 60 day "PRACTICE CHALLENGE" begins. Assignment located at bottom of this link.
3. NEW: Marketplace for Sierra Music Studio families to buy/sell privately-owned instruments! Listed as a drop-down item under Resources (tab is located above).
A note on tempo-
How do I bring up my tempo in general?
1. Scales, scales, scales. They are the bedrock of ALL music, upgrade your nimble fingerings with the scales you are working with. Use a metronome to set the beat, pick it up as scales are played with good tone and consistent tempo.
2. Listen to the piece A LOT. Learn to hum along and program this musical "story" into your mind. If you have it there, it is MUCH MUCH MUCH easier to translate to your fingers.
1. As of 1/10/22, we return to regular weekly lessons with my "Mighty 20"!
2. 30 or 60 day "PRACTICE CHALLENGE" begins. Assignment located at bottom of this link.
3. NEW: Marketplace for Sierra Music Studio families to buy/sell privately-owned instruments! Listed as a drop-down item under Resources (tab is located above).
A note on tempo-
How do I bring up my tempo in general?
1. Scales, scales, scales. They are the bedrock of ALL music, upgrade your nimble fingerings with the scales you are working with. Use a metronome to set the beat, pick it up as scales are played with good tone and consistent tempo.
2. Listen to the piece A LOT. Learn to hum along and program this musical "story" into your mind. If you have it there, it is MUCH MUCH MUCH easier to translate to your fingers.
PLEASE review the Sierra Music Studio Policy each year:
https://kathysierra.musicteachershelper.com/studio-policy
LIVE student performances: You KNOW I love to organize these, whether in a student's living room, a Senior Living Center, or a local winery. There is nothing like sharing our art as a gift to others. We need to watch the changing County health-guidelines. I would love to book public performance, but for now, let's set our sights on sharing music in the park. Stay tuned for date(s).
2021 in review:
- 11/20/21:
Suzuki Violin Student "PLAY-IN" at Veteran's Park, Brentwood. - 9/25/21: Suzuki Violin Student "PLAY-IN" at Veteran's Park, Brentwood.
- 7/10/21 Suzuki Violin "Play-In" at the park!
- 3/21 Zoom Recital!
- 8/20/20: Zoom Recital on October 10!
- 5/20/20 : FIRST SIERRA STUDIO ZOOM RECITAL
- 3/20/20: Online Music Lessons ANNOUNCED
- 2/23/20 The Casual Couch Concert Photo:
Third year of the Sierra Music Studio's informal student recital series.
- 2/24/20 30-Day Practice Challenge is on!
Students are invited to take on 30 days of practice for absolute glory (and a gift-card).
2019 in review:
- 2019 HOLIDAY PERFORMANCE: Sierra Music Studio presents: the 5th Annual "Sing-Along" Winter Performance!"
- Friday, 12/20 @ Students home in Brentwood 6-7pm
- Saturday, 12/21 @ Cortona Park, Brentwood 1-2pm
- October 2019: The 30-day Practice Challenge is Complete! Congratulations to violin student Grace for turning in 900 extra minutes practiced!
- November 10, 2019 "CASUAL COUCH" CONCERT . We enjoyed solo or duet performances by 13 violin and guitar students! Thank you for preparing and shining up your piece.
- May 11 (Westmont) & 19 (Trilogy), 2019
5/19/19 NOTE: I want to thank my musicians and their families from the bottom of my heart for being a part of and/or supporting the musical arts in the Brentwood area. Today we gave our final Spring Performance, against the patter of falling rain outside the tall glass windows at Trilogy.
I'm only now sitting down to catch my breath, and beginning to reflect on the amount of work and focus this program required. Kudos to the bravery and practice hours of these musicians that we were able to create a program which raised the bar, artistically, for this music performance program. A huge thanks to anyone supporting a musician financially or mentally!!, you make it possible, you make artistic expression important
June-July 2019
Summer lesson schedule releases via email in April. - 2/9/19 The Casual Couch Concert!
- Next Student Performance: Saturday, Feb 9, 2019!
- January/February 2019 The BIG FAT 30-day PRACTICE CHALLENGE IS ON!
2018 in review:
2018 HOLIDAY PERFORMANCES:
Sierra Music Studio presented:
the 4th Annual "Sing-Along" Winter Performance!"
Here's the fabulous group of musicians:
Here's the fabulous group of musicians:
November 30: Westmont of Brentwood @5pm
450 John Muir Parkway, Brentwood CA
December 2: Hannah Nicole Winery @3pm
6700 Balfour Rd, Brentwood CA
Golden Bough Nov/December performances in N. California. What a great way in inspire students, support live music, see their teacher practicing what she preaches in the studio!
September 3-October 3 2018 - Sierra Music Studio was DARK. Thank you for following Golden Bough musical/cultural shenanigans in Europe on Facebook
MY GIGS--
Some of you have never seen me play music professionally, I'd like to put in a plug for regional gigs you can bring your young people to, check here for my concert calendar.
I am ALWAYS tickled pink to see ANY OF YOU supporting live music, no matter who is performing. Let's feed that inspiration, parents make music important for their young artists!
February 11, 2018: The first "Couch Concert" --
The musical scene this afternoon- 11 Sierra Studio students joined me for our first “Couch Concert”, for individual performances on either guitar or violin. Until today, our performances have been group-centric. A very different dynamic today however, and I was so proud of the bravery of each of these artists! The performances culminated in a group jam of the blues in key of A. Several students were prepared to solo over the 12-bar blues by playing the pentatonic scale. Kachow!!
It takes a significant amount of bravery to accept many pairs of eyes cast ones way. Furthermore it takes guts to decide to have something to say, this case in musical form.
Dare I say this is character building/healthy self-esteem stuff right here?
The premise of this musical afternoon was to start introducing these musicians to sharing from their own projects, to shine in their budding skills, and support their fellow artists in expressing themselves artistically as well.
A big thank you to Tim and Julie Riley, parents of violin student Liam, for their generosity in hosting 35 folks at today’s event!
February 2018: Couch Concert 2018 on Sunday 2/11! This is the first event of it's kind through the Sierra Studio. I have a feeling it will be well-received and happen again this year! Super-casual setting to feature a piece or two that each student has been working on. Secondly, my Celtic trio, Golden Bough has two events in the area, please consider bringing the family. We have area shows in Benicia and Sonora.https://s3.amazonaws.com/teacher-files-musicteachershelper-com/6987/IMG_3067.jpg
December 2017: Sierra Studio hosted its annual Sing-along Winter Performance on Dec 2. 13 of us (including my mom as special guest on cello) made family, friends and the Trilogy community a little happier, and I was SO VERY PROUD of the prep my students put in to learning their parts!! Last pic is of my travelling trio, Golden Bough (with special guest Helene Benedikte on cello).
Shred fiddle bow, just like a cheese grater!
December 2017: Sierra Studio flash-mob: BF's Natalie and Brooklyn have back-to-back lesson times. Their sisters came in as well. Suddenly a sister is reading guitar chords on the piano, other sister is singing perfect part to Elvis's Falling In Love With You. How I loved this!!
November 2017: Sierra Studio is busily preparing for the December 2 annual "SING-ALONG WINTER PERFORMANCE" at Brentwood's beautiful Trilogy At The Vineyard (Club Los Medanos). FB LINK
September 15-October 15 2017: Sierra Studio is DARK. You can follow our musical/cultural shenanigans on FB: GOLDEN BOUGH'S ANNUAL EUROPEAN TOUR
RECENT ARCHIVE:
JUNE 2017: The Studio enjoyed preparing and performing it's first "sing-along tribute to the Moms" program last month! 12 of us performed at Trilogy at the Vineyards:
YOUR STUDIO SPOT:
- I teach MON/TUES/THURS
- $40/30 min, $60/45 min, $80/60 min
- Read Studio Policy before registering.
FEEL FREE TO SHARE MY SITE to anyone who lives locally and would love to learn to play violin, guitar or Irish whistle! ZOOM LESSONS AVAILABLE!
Musically Yours,
Kathy
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Photo by Irene Young
