Students of the Month August 2012

Justin Alfano

Justin is one of the students who have been studying with me the longest.  As such he is also one of my most advanced.  It has been a pleasure to see him develop the level musicality that he has reached over the last couple of years.  I like to acknowledge students when they put forth a noticeable amount of effort and he has done so over the last few weeks.  I have asked him to take on one of the heaviest workloads within our Rock School program and he has risen to the occasion, even taking it upon himself to arrange a more accurate version of the transcriptions.  I always know I can depend on him to know his parts with minimal assistance from me.  I look forward to continuing our efforts with music theory and seeing what interesting ideas he will certainly have as he takes on songwriting.

Spencer Lynch

  August features A.I. Root 8th grader, Spencer Lynch, as our percussion student of the month.  Spencer has been a student of mine since I began teaching at Woodsy's almost five years ago. With the encouragement of Spencer's Father, David, he has blossomed into a first rate player of several styles of music, including Jazz,  Afro-Cuban, and Latin. All this diversity enables Spencer to enjoy playing drums to his favorite Rock bands and participating in the Jazz and Concert bands at school. Thanks for all your hard work Spencer.

                                 -Roy King

Students Of The Month June 2012

Demitria Tsonton

The Piano Student  of the month for the May is 8 year old Demitria Tsonton, a third grader at Hinckley Elementary.  Demitria began piano lessons about 1 and 1/2 years ago and is probably one of the hardest working students I have.  She is always well prepared for her lesson and works very hard during her time in the studio.  I always look forward to seeing her smile as she walks in for her lesson.

-Tom Zitkovic

Alex Kiehnau

The June student of the month on Drums is Alex Kiehnau.  Alex is a hard working 5th grader at St. Francis Xavier School.  Last year, Alex began to concentrate her studies on the drum set at the request of her school music teacher, Mrs. McDermott. Although Alex has been busy dividing her time between her many interests and school work, she has made significant progress with her drumming abilities.  Thanks for your hard work Alex.

                                                                                                -Roy King, Woodsy’s drum teacher

 

Grace Vanleeuwen

               Grace has been working very hard on her bow technique and intonation. She only began lessons less than a year ago, and has made great strides. She is determined and asks thoughtful questions at every lesson!

-Cathy Miller

Steven Hartwell

Steven has been making consistent progress since he began taking lessons with me.  He has shown a good deal of desire for progress through his efforts and positive attitude.  He smiles frequently which makes him a pleasure to teach.

-Tim Norris

Hannah Tenke

The Brass Student for the month of June is Hannah Tenke.   Hannah will be in the 4^th grade at Blake Elementary School.  Hannah has taken lessons since September of 2010.   At that time she was 8 years old.  She is the youngest student I have taught since I started teaching. She comes to her lessons with the determination to try things on her own first and then she always asks what she can improve on .  Hannah was selected to be an "expert" in her class on trumpet.  She was asked to give a small report and demonstration on how to play the trumpet.

-Angela White

Emily Boccio

Emily has been studying tenor saxophone with me for one month.  She will be entering the 7th grade at A.I. Root Middle School this fall.  This summer, Emily participated in the Medina Summer Band Camp.  Emily always has an excellent attitude and her lessons are well prepared.  We are always able to go further into the lesson book because she practices hard to make sure her lessons are ready.

-J. Calvin

Students Of The Month- May 2012

Whalter Briggs

            Whalter has taken to the fiddle as if it is something he has always played. He is constantly challenging himself to play harder material and loves to perform in front of his family, friends and even strangers he meets along the way. I'm excited to see where his studies will take him, and expect that he will go far with his fiddle! Nice work Whalter!

-Cathy Miller

Joshua Lee

            Joshua Lee is a bright and promising percussionist.  He participates in his schools concert band and has made amazing strides on his drum set and in his reading.  He very rarely has trouble with the tasks that are put before him.  Joshua has a promising future with his instrument and it is a pleasure to teach him. 

-Jim Curtis

 

Caitlyn Gow

Caitlyn has been taking lessons with me since June of 2011 and has made some excellent progress in that short period of time.  She is always in a good mood and practices the material every week.  That is why she is excelling on the guitar.  Great work Caitlyn!

-Mike Edwards

ALEX LOEPER

Alex Loeper is the May Woodwind Student of the Month.  Alex is in the sixth grade and is finishing up participating in his first year of band and clarinet lessons.  Alex works hard during every lesson to ensure that he fully understands each new concept.  He completed his first Essential Elements book within 7 months and is already several lessons into his new book.  Within the last two months Alex has made great personal strides in understanding his own playing.  I am very proud of Alex and am excited to see where this next year takes him!

-Jessie Rowe

NATHAN NEMEROVSKY

The May Brass Student of the Month is Nathan Nemerovsky. He is a 5^th grader at Garfield Elementary. He started taking trumpet lesson in September of 2011. Since then he has made rapid improvement in his playing. He has actually has completed the Essential Elements in less than 8 months.  He is always willing to take on extra challenges that are given to him. We are looking at possibly having him join the 7^th grade band as a 6^th grader next year.

-Angela White

Jackson McKinney

               The Piano Student for the month of May is 6 year old Jackson McKinney, who is in Kindergarten at Garfield Elementary in Medina. Jackson began piano lessons in February and in a very short time is improving his ability to read music and is rapidly advancing in his technique. He is always well prepared for his lesson and works very hard during his time in the studio.  Jackson says that he wants to play piano like his mom and when he learns enough he's going to teach his Dad to play.

-Tom Zitkovic

Nathan Brej

Nathan Brej is a 4^th grader at St. Francis Xavier.  He has always shown great enthusiasm for his guitar lessons.  Since beginning last August he has progressed rapidly and is already well into his second method book.  Ha has become an excellent sight reader on the guitar, often skipping ahead in his lesson book.  His keen interest in playing and attention to study make him a pleasure to teach.

-Mike McClosky

Students of the Month: April 2012

Josh Fenn: Guitar

 My choice for student of the month is Josh Fenn.  It was an easy decision.  He is one of my most advanced students and displays incredible consistency, control, and concentration.  Josh has the potential to be a special musician and has the traits of a future professional.  He just recently began studying electric guitar after over a year on acoustic.  An amazing music reader, Josh is already improvising blues and displaying a solid understanding of basic theory.  He's the type of student who makes teachers look good and enjoy teaching.

-Jeremy Reitzel

Luke Peiris

Luke Peiris has made consistent progress since he started.  He has a good attitude which allows him to adapt quickly and easily overcome challenges.  He listens well when I speak.  He is currently working on a challenging section of the book, but I believe he has a good constitution, which will allow him to overcome and excel.

-Tim Norris

Nicholas Cabacungan

Nicholas Cabacungan

The Piano Student for the month of April is 7 year old Nicholas Cabacungan.
He is a first grader at Northrop Elementary in Medina.  Nicholas began piano lessons in February, and in a very short time is improving his ability to read music and is rapidly advancing in his technique. He is always well prepared for his lesson and works very hard during his time in the studio.  I'm looking forward to watching his progress as time progresses.

-Tom Zitkovic

Josh Paul

  This month’s Drum Student of the Month is Josh Paul. Josh is in 7th grade at A. I. Root Middle School.  Josh has really blossomed into an excited percussion enthusiast.  He now enjoys learning more complex rhythms and has grown his drum set playing quite rapidly in the last six months.  He has expanded his musical curiosity to include computer programs that feature composing and sound creation.  All of this extra time experimenting on the computer has increased his confidence on the drums and in other areas of his life. Thanks for your hard work, Josh.  

-Roy King

  Abby Breitenbucher

 

Abby Breitenbucher is the April Brass Student of the Month. She is a 6th grader at A.I Root Middle School. She started taking trombone lessons in the fall of 2011. She is a great student. She is very determined and dedicated towards doing her best at every lesson. She has made great improvement in her overall playing and understanding of musical knowledge. This has helped her to be selected as a 6th grader to play with the 7th/8th grade jazz band.

-Angela White

Tamera Zoldak

Tamera Zoldak (12 yrs old) is a 6^th grader at A.I. Root Middle School.  Formally a string player, she has been taking lessons with J Calvin since the fall of 2011.  She plays in the concert band and jazz ensemble and looks forward to playing in the Medina High School Marching Band.  Tamera is a hard worker and loves playing the Saxophone.

-J. Calvin

 

Meredith Stein

 

Meredith has been studying violin with me since she was 5 years old, and has progressed beautifully, especially in the last few months! She had to take a break while her broken arm healed this past summer, but she has come back strong and better than ever. She always comes to her lesson prepared and ready to learn. Thanks for being a great student Meredith!

-Cathy Miller