Hello!  I hope your April is starting out beautifully.  We are excited that our Spring Concert is right around the corner!  Drummers, pianists, vocalists, guitarists, ukuleles and Rock Band will be performing!
We’d love to have you join us.  Here are the details:

  • Friday, April 15th
  •  7:00pm
  • Evangel Church 1414 E 103rd St.  Kansas City, MO  64131

The concert is free and open to the public, so please join us for a great night of music!
In other news, check out our new guitar teacher below!  We’re getting pretty full in our schedules, so if you’d like to start lessons or would like to move lesson times, please contact us ASAP!

Here’s a run down of current availability:
GUITAR
Matt Crandall – Mondays – 1 Spot Open; Thursdays – Sold Out
Michael English – Mondays – 4 Spots Open; Thursdays – 5 Spots Open
VOICE & PIANO
Karren Schiele – Mondays –Sold Out; Thursdays – 2 Spots Open
DRUMS
Laura Lee Crandall – Mondays – 2 Spot Open; Thursdays – Sold Out


Welcome New KCRB Guitar TeacherMichael English Kansas City Guitar Teacher
Michael English


Michael English is a seasoned professional in the music world and currently plays with the Ronni Ward Band.   Mike graduated from the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) in Los Angeles with Vocational Honors, the highest certificate offered.  He has been teaching privately for over 30 years and also taught music at Austin Community College and at GIT’s summer music program for high school students.
His list of accomplishments are long and include opening shows for  Merle Haggard, Toby Keith, Shania Twain, The Oak Ridge Boys, The Bellamy Brothers, and many more.   He has also performed on guitar with Dave Brubeck, Tanya Tucker, and Lee Greenwood.  Mike played on numerous recording sessions and toured the USA and Canada alongside Tate Stevens, who would go on to win the X-Factor in 2012.
Whether you’re brand new or very advanced, Mike can show you the way to the next level.
Mike teaches on Monday and Thursday, afternoons and evenings. His schedule is limited, so please call ASAP to reserve a lesson time.

Practice Tip of the Month

Practice the Performance.
There is not much in daily life that can rival the intense feelings of stage fright that occur for most people.  How can musicians overcome anxiety about performing and do their best at concerts?  Often we practice in places that are completely different than a performance setting, and then we are thrown off at performance time because of the new environment.  Do a little homework and figure out what the setting will be like.  Things to consider:
  • Lighting – Will there be bright lights shining on you and a dark audience area?
  • Noise –  Will there be silence in the audience, or maybe small kids playing and babies crying?
  • Room Size – Will you be in a huge auditorium or a small room?  Will you be up on a stage?
Answer these questions then find a place you can practice your performance in a similar way.   Shine bright lights at yourself, or make it dark so it’s hard to read your music.  The best situation would be to practice on the actual stage you’ll be performing on if you have that opportunity!
Other factors that throw performers off are nervous reactions inside their own bodies.  Do you get sweaty hands, a racing heart, or shallow breathing when you’re nervous?  Run up and down a staircase to simulate those feelings, then play your piece while you’re still out of breath.  This is just the tip of the iceberg on preparing for a performance.  Check out these books for further study:Performance Success: Performing Your Best Under Pressure – Don Greene, Ph. D
The Musician’s Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness – Gerald Klickstein


April 2015 – New Guitar Teacher!