Wrapping up another year
Gardner Piano Studio has had a busy year! From theory exams to piano contests to recitals, our students have been working hard and making exciting musical progress.
Performances
We had one particular busy weekend in June, as the Minnesota Music Teachers Association’s State Honors Concert was held at the Minneapolis Convention Center one day before our Spring Recital!
The Minnesota Music Teachers Association’s Honors Concert is a celebration of state Piano Contest Winners, who perform on a stage of twenty grand pianos with conductor Dr. Josh Bauder. For a young pianist, this event is a rare opportunity to perform in a large ensemble and experience working with a conductor.
Gardner Piano Studio was proud to celebrate our four Piano Contest Winners (and one Alternate!), three of whom performed in the Honors Concert after months of preparation and rehearsals. Congratulations to Claire, Amanda and Maggie on their fantastic performances at the Minneapolis Convention Center!
The day after the Honors Concert, our youth students performed in our annual Spring Piano Recital in the historic Art Gallery of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis. We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon of music by Burgmüller, Kabalevsky, Price, Mozart, Beethoven and more.
Congratulations!
As mentioned above, we are so proud of our four students who were State Piano Contest Winners this year. We also had one Alternate and one Finalist among our eight talented students who competed (which is a huge accomplishment in and of itself!). Additionally, two of our students passed the Minnesota Music Teachers Association’s Level 2 Theory & Keyboard Skills Exams with “High Distinction” and “Excellence.”
And one of our adult students prepared an impressive program of music by Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, and Borisova-Ollas for the ABRSM, the exam board of the Royal Schools of Music in the United Kingdom. With this performance, he passed his Grade 5 Exam with Merit!
What Dr. Gardner has been up to
In addition to preparing my students for these events, I was honored to serve as a judge for the St. Paul Piano Teachers Association’s Concerto Competition back in December. I also adjudicated for various levels of the Minnesota Music Teachers Association’s Theory & Keyboard Skills Exams and the fun “Scale Olympics” event at Andersen Piano Studio.
Over in my writing life, I had a lot of fun writing “The Composer” episode of the Wondery Kids & Family podcast Whose Amazing Life? You can listen to that here (and let me know how soon you can guess who the composer is!).
What to do this summer
As always, there are lots of musical events in the Twin Cities this summer! In addition to taking piano lessons, of course (get in touch here!), there are all kinds of fun concerts and musical opportunities to enjoy.
Here are a few that stand out:
This week on June 21, Schmitt Music in Bloomington is hosting Make Music Day, which is full of sessions for musicians dedicated to everything from yoga to improv to performance anxiety.
There’s still time to register for She Rock She Rock’s Girls Rock n Roll Retreat Sessions (ages 9-16), which are coming up in July.
On July 27, the Minnesota Orchestra is hosting their exciting Day of Music, a free event that includes family activities and more.
My talented composer friend Charlie McCarron is leading this film music camp at FilmNorth in August for students ages 10-13 — no prior composing experience required.
Throughout the summer, Ordway Inside Out will present free streamed programming in Rice Park (including a recital by pianist Víkingur Ólafsson on June 22!).
Until next time
I hope you can enjoy a wonderful summer of music-making and listening! As always, don’t hesitate to reach out if you or someone you know is interested in piano lessons. Gardner Piano Studio has students of all ages and all levels, and we’d love for you to join us!
Cheers,
Lillie