Hello KCRB students!
A mindset I hope to instill in all of my students is progress over perfection. I have fought against perfectionism much of my life, and it really sucks the joy out of music! It also robs a musician of celebrating any progress they are making and other achievements.
And while I definitely push my students to play accurately and with excellence—if pro musicians can mess up during shows (which they do all the time!) can’t we also without beating ourselves up? Instead of aiming to play perfectly, now I aim for improvement. When I perform, I want to evoke certain emotions, connect with the audience, or get joy out of music—for the listener and myself—not just play every note and rhythm correctly.
A quote that nicely applies to this idea is from Guillaume Apollinaire:
“Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.”
Happy with how we are sounding, how we performed, with our progress…..happy we get to make music!
Have a great month, enjoy your music!
Laura Lee Crandall, owner KCRB
(816)419-8526 – lauralee@kcrockband.com
STUDENT OF THE MONTH: NEEMA KIMAKU
Congratulation, Neema, our February Student of the Month! Neema started on piano at KCRB 2 years ago, then added on voice lessons with Ryan Sieh. She’s doing a fantastic job, and Ryan said she keeps up with all the challenges he throws at her. Here’s a bit about Neema:
Age: 11
School and grade: Cedar Creek Elementary, 6th grade
Favorite song so far? Truth I’m Standing On
Are you in music groups outside of KCRB? Band and Evangel Church Middle School Worship Team.
What do you want to be when you grow up? a Computer Software Editor
What do you like about music? How it makes me feel. I like how it sounds.
Who’s your favorite superhero? Black Panther
Any advice for other young musicians? When you are performing, just have fun!
Way to go, Neema! You’re doing great
Practice Tip of the Month:
Understand what to practice, and how to practice, before you leave your lesson.
Be sure to not leave a lesson without fully understanding what your teacher assigned for you to work on during the week.
Parents: drop in for the last 2 minutes of lessons and make sure you understand too, in case your student missed something. What exercises? Do the same ones every day or move on? How many times? Ask as many questions as you need! Our teachers write the assignments in the red folders, but you can write extra notes in there too if you have things you want to remember!