Congratulations to
Everyone who Performed in the Recital!
On December 11, The Rochester Academy
of Music and Arts held its special Holiday Recital. Upon arrival, guests and
performers marveled at the beauty of the venue—the historic Perkins Mansion on
East Avenue. They then entered the designated recital area, where a full drum
set, a sound system, a grand piano, and a beautiful Christmas tree awaited.
After an introduction from Academy Director Brannon Hungness,
young Bellah Vargas kicked the event off with a bang,
with a 
spirited performance of “Hot
Chocolate.”
From that point on, the audience was
treated to one fantastic performance after another. Singers, drummers, guitarists,
and pianists all took the stage and showed the audience just what Academy
students 
are capable of! A wide variety of
songs were played, from rock, to pop, to standards, and even an impromptu drum
solo from David Tellez. Students of all ages performed. Some students took the
stage with their teachers, some played solo, and some played along to
recordings of their favorite bands. Every performance was different, but there
was one constant between them all—every student did a great job!
After the show, all who attended were
treated to a lovely assortment of snacks and refreshments, all decked out in a
holiday theme. Academy staff, teachers, parents and students chatted over punch
and cake. The atmosphere was friendly and fun. Brian Gemme,
father of performing guitar student Max, called the recital “fantastic,” saying
that “all of the students and teachers
should be very proud.” We wholeheartedly agree!
So congratulations to everyone who performed. You did a wonderful job!
RAMA Special Story:
“I made a mistake. In front of
everyone. What am I going to do??”
If you attended our recital on December 11th,
you may have noticed some errors during the guitar performance of “We are the
Champions.” These blunders were certainly not made by the young guitarist Tessa
Charles, who did a wonderful job. They were made by the person accompanying her—a
guitarist with 30 years of experience and 25 years of teaching experience. The
mistakes were made by me, Brannon Hungness, director
of the Academy.
How could someone with so much experience
make such simple errors? Well, it’s simple. I make mistakes all of the time. More often than you can count. Truth be
told, when performers flub something on stage, most people in the audience
never even notice. They don’t know how you intended the song to sound, and in
reality, most errors are so small as to be undetectable. The problem is that
they don’t feel small. Maybe the
audience doesn’t know that I messed up, but I
do. And that’s a feeling that can really get you down. So how have I managed to
be successful despite all of my mistakes? I have learned to put them in
perspective.
People have a tendency to interpret the word
“mistake” as more ominous than it actually is. I certainly have been guilty of
believing that my mistakes were akin to the end of the world. After all, errors
are an uninvited deviation from the plan. So I would tell myself that if I went
off course, if I did something that wasn’t considered “right,” then I must
simply be wrong.
But then I thought again about how I defined
a mistake—as a “deviation from the plan”; a slight departure from accuracy.
When you really think about it that way, it doesn’t sound so 
intimidating. Has there ever been a sports
team that has won every game? An artist who has never erased a line? A singer
who has hit every note?
Of course there hasn’t been. Like most
people, I can’t deny that I very much want to be perfect in all that I do. But
I also can’t deny that it’s not helpful for me to hold myself up to an
unattainable, imaginary standard. I often wonder what would have happened if I
had let every musical mistake I made affect me to the point of frustration…to
the point of wanting to give up. Well, I am not sure where my life might have
gone, but I can assure you that I never would have gone on a world tour. I
never would have recorded and released albums. And I certainly would not be
writing to you now, as director of a Music Academy. Honestly, I probably would
not have picked up my guitar more than once. (and I’m
not even getting into all the non-musical mistakes I’ve made!)
So it’s important to view mistakes not as
wrongdoings, but as small deviations from the plan. And when you stray from a
plan, you have the opportunity to make a brand new plan. It is your chance to work
hard, experiment, and learn something new. Without “mistakes”, we would not
have half of the great songs we hear on the radio today. Without “mistakes” we would
have nothing to learn and nothing to strive for.
So remember, “mistakes”
are not errors so much as opportunities. It’s your attitude that determines the
difference. Imagine if my flub at the recital upset me so much that I quit the
Academy. Throwing away so much over a simple blunder seems like a silly
thought, doesn’t it? An error in and of itself is not a mistake. The real
mistake would be giving up because of something so small.
So my advice to all of you is…don’t sweat it! I have made many, many mistakes in my life.
What I learned from them has helped to make me who I am today, and I am
grateful for each one.
Introducing Group Make-Up Lessons!
The Academy is proud
to announce yet another new addition to our repertoire…group make-up lessons!
Group make up
lessons are special hour-long lessons that take the place of a normal
half-hour make-up. Group lessons will be held frequently, and will be
pre-scheduled by the school, eliminating the need to try and book a make-up
around your teacher’s busy schedule. But the best part is that group make-ups
provide something special that has been missing from our regularly scheduled
lessons-- they allow students the opportunity to meet and interact with their
peers on a musical level. Not only are students introduced to others with
similar interests, they will also be exposed to the experience of playing in a
group atmosphere.
We have already
begun offering group guitar make-ups to great success. Students say that
they’re a fun and refreshing change of pace. Even students who were nervous
about playing in front of others found the group make-ups to be highly
enjoyable. Our teachers create an atmosphere that is calm, comfortable, and
above all, entertaining!
Whether musicians
strive to play in a band, in an orchestra, or to record music, they will
undoubtedly end up working with other performers. So getting used to working in
a group setting is an invaluable experience.
Round-out your
musical education with group make-up lessons at the Academy! Group guitar and
voice make-ups begin immediately. Piano and drums begin in March. Ask Brigid for scheduling/more details.
Currently, group
make-ups are unavailable for violin, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, and harmonica.
Student(s) of the Month: Rachel and Michelle
Messenger
1) How
long have you been taking lessons?
Rachel &
Michelle: “Since the summer”
2) What
are some of your favorite musical artists?
Rachel: “The Beatles!”
Michelle: “I like to play
jazz, but my favorite singer is Rihanna”
3) Other
than playing music, what are your hobbies?
Rachel: “Watching movies
and writing”
Michelle: “Playing sports, especially
lacrosse”
4) What is
the coolest thing you’ve learned in your lessons so far?
Rachel: “How to play a
hand-over-hand arpeggio on Norwegian Wood”
Michelle: “Learning to play
along to jazz soundtracks”
. Hector Corner .
Last month, we
introduced you to Hector and told the tale of how he became the Academy dog.
Well, the response to that story was so great that we have decided to dedicate
a corner of every issue to Hector!
This month we are
focusing on Hector’s exploits at the school. Many small dogs are sensitive to
sound. However, Hector never seems to mind the wide array of music he hears at
the school (we believe this is because he has naturally good taste!) In fact,
Hector has expressed interest in taking lessons himself…
Hector laying
outside of a lesson room, wanting to get in on the action
Hector trying out
the guitar
While Hector did sit
in on a few lessons, he has unfortunately not yet mastered the art of playing
an instrument. Hector wants to remind all of the Academy students how lucky you
are to have hands instead of paws. They’re so much more dexterous!
Important Dates
From now on, we will be publishing our
calendar in the monthly newsletter. You can also access the school calendar any
time at www.RochesterMusicLessons.com. As mentioned in the registration packet, we will
be following a 48 week schedule, which includes time taken off for holidays.
Open House
Saturday, January 14
2:30-3:30pm
Spring Break
Tuesday, April 10-
Friday, April 13
Memorial Day
Monday, May 28
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