Category Archives: Uncategorized

Good luck to all of my exceptional students. This spring, each student will undertake the RCM Music Theory exam, a significant milestone. Several of you are on track to earn points that will lead to a prestigious trophy. These exams represent serious opportunities to master the material—the key to your success—and to earn the recognitionContinue reading “RCM Music Theory Exam: Key to Success for Students”

Yes, reading music can be considered good preparation for learning math because it involves understanding patterns, fractions, ratios, and time sequences, which are fundamental mathematical concepts that are also present in musical notation; essentially, music can be seen as a practical application of math principles, making it a helpful tool for developing mathematical thinking skills.Continue reading “Reading Music and Learning Math”

Yes, learning to read music can be a good preparation for learning to read traditional text, as both involve decoding symbols to understand meaning, and research suggests that musical training can significantly improve auditory processing skills, which are crucial for reading comprehension; essentially, the brain processes music and language in similar ways, making music a potential trainingContinue reading “Reading Music and Reading Traditional Text”

Yay for all the students and our distinguished guests who performed beautifully, kicking off the holiday season with joy and grace! Thank you to the families, friends, and additional teachers who participated and made it all possible.

Congratulations to my student, Pro, for successfully playing Secondo of the “Diamond Sonatina” by Robert Vandall. The Greater Indianapolis Music Teachers Association hosted the Piano Ensemble, with conductor Zak Tschiniak. All three movements were played beautifully! Below is a video of movement I. The sheet music can be obtained here: https://www.alfred.com/diamond-sonatina/p/00-88525/

Students from the Donnelly Music Studio participated in two of the six morning and afternoon recitals held during the day. Below are group photos of students and teachers from those two recitals. Congratulations one and all!

Required: (1) Faber Adventures in Piano Lesson Book, (2) RCM Celebrate Theory, (3) Hanon The Virtuoso Pianist in Sixty Exercises or Jr. Hanon Exercises for the Piano, and (4) a dedicated Practice Time and Assignment Book. The exact level of Method, Theory, and Technique materials will be determined at the first lesson. I also haveContinue reading “Materials for Your Practice Space and Individual Lesson Time”

This year our final Studio Recital features the works from Catherine Rollins’ music and art collection for Early and Middle Level Intermediate pianists, along with several classical and romantic period Sonatinas.

This summer, we are excited to offer both in-person and ZOOM classes in July, extending a warm welcome to both returning and new students. Our class hours are limited, running from 11 am to 8 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, EST. Additional hours are available to accommodate other time zones. Our focus is personalizedContinue reading “Summer Schedule”

Congratulations to my Late Elementary, Early Intermediate, and Intermediate level students who have completed their Theory Exams! This was our first year, for my studio, to take the exams, and we are moving forward! Next year, we will be back. Excellent work everyone! For the newcomers next year, let’s get ready!