Silver Music

 

Faculty Feature: Blythe

Blythe Bonnaffons is Program Director at Silver Music. Here is a bit of insight into her early study:

Age you began studying:
I began flute in fourth grade through my school’s band program and began taking private flute lessons that summer. I also started taking piano lessons around the same time. 

Why did you choose the flute?
I thought it was the most beautiful instrument and I had a hard time understanding why anyone would NOT choose to play the flute if they heard it (played well). I still feel that way!

One memory from your lessons or early study:
One of the only negatives of playing a woodwind instrument is that you cannot LAUGH. I loved the social aspect of playing in band and in chamber ensembles but not laughing was a challenge throughout my early flute-playing life. Goofy rehearsals sometimes led to barely making it through a performance. And a couple times I didn’t make it. I have a pretty vivid memory of a NYSSMA flute trio that ended as a solo because two of us were behind our stands laughing. 

Did you always like to practice? If not, how did you, or your parent motivate you to practice?
I didn’t mind practicing, but in middle and high school it was really challenging finding the time. Like many of our Silver Music students, I had a lot going on in school, and after school, and I was exhausted! Being consistent helped–if I could get in practice most days, even for just 10 minutes, it felt like I had kept a promise to myself and it was way easier to keep going. Of course concerts, recitals, and auditions, definitely motivated me too.  

Did you ever want to quit?
I never did! Flute felt like a big part of my identity.

Current Favorite Suzuki Piece:
Humoresque. I’m glad that almost all the Suzuki students at Silver Music (violin, viola, cello, flute) learn this piece because I enjoy hearing everyone play it!

What else do you enjoy doing besides playing flute?
In the pandemic, I have enjoyed getting outside and hiking almost every weekend. During this time I’m also catching up on iconic series that I’ve somehow missed up until to this point. I’ve now watched all of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and I’m halfway through the seventh Harry Potter book.

Faculty Feature: Emily

Emily Wilcox teaches Ready, Set, Play! classes at Silver Music. Here is a little insight into her early study:

Age you began studying: 
I was 3 years old when I started violin, 4 when I started piano, and 9 when I started trumpet.

Why did you choose the violin?
My mom and older sister played violin, and my mom was also an orchestra and Suzuki teacher, so I think I was naturally drawn to it just from so much exposure!

Did you always like to practice? If not, how did you, or your parent motivate you to practice?
I definitely did not always like to practice, especially in late elementary school and middle school. During these years, I saw practicing as a chore and my parents usually had to nag me to do it. It was challenging to motivate myself to practice after a long day of school and hours of homework because I just wanted to relax! What helped motivate me most during these years was having goals for myself or musical events to look forward to and work towards such as performances, summer music camps, competitions, and regional festivals (like area all-state and conference all-state).

How did music education affect your life?
Music education has played a huge role in my life. Both of my parents were music teachers, so my sisters and I all grew up with a great appreciation for the arts. My parents always nurtured my artistic and creative endeavors, but encouraged me to pursue whatever career path I wanted. So much of what I’ve learned from music education has helped me become a more empathetic, compassionate, and driven person and has given me invaluable life skills.

Do you have a musical role model?
My biggest role models are some of the music teachers and mentors I had between both my music education and music therapy training. I can think of a few who really stand out to me because they are not only incredible musicians and people, but are incredible teachers/music therapists too.

What else do you enjoy doing besides playing violin?
I love making jewelry, going for walks, exploring new places, and cooking! I also like doing photography or painting sometimes if I’m feeling inspired.

Faculty Feature: Marjie

Marjie Shemanski teaches Ready, Set, Play!, Music & Yoga, and violin group classes at Silver Music. Here is a little insight into her early study:

Age you began studying: I started piano lessons when I was 5 or 6, trumpet a few years after that, and had my first violin lesson when I was 10 years old.

Why did you choose the violin? My Grandma grew up in Jerusalem, and learned to play the violin when she was in school there. My parents had her old violin from that time, and I used to always look at it in awe and wonder if I could play it someday too.

One memory from your lessons or early study: When I was first learning Minuet 2, my teacher did not let me move to the next piece for 6 months! At the time it was frustrating! Looking back on it later, I realized it was one of the first big challenges for me as a musician where I really started to develop patience and discipline.

Did you always like to practice? If not, how did you, or your parent motivate you to practice? I did not always like to practice! Practice charts really motivated me. Sometimes there would be a goal, but other times just finishing the pattern was enough of a reward. My friends and I would have practice challenges too, that really helped motivate me!

Did you ever want to quit? Yes! When I was 12, I had played the violin for two years, and was ready to move on to something else – something easier! By practicing with me consistently, my dad helped me stick with it. My music friends and group class community also encouraged me to keep at it even when it was hard.

How did music education affect your life? Music education has taught me so many things! It’s taught me to listen deeply, which helps me every day as I listen to others, to the world around me, and to myself. It’s helped me learn that with patience, practice and the help of a supportive community, I can accomplish almost anything!

Current Favorite Suzuki Piece: Chorus from Judas Maccabaeus. I love the clear, smooth tones of this piece, and how closely it relates to Tonalization!

What else do you enjoy doing besides playing violin? I love cooking big dinners with seasonal foods from the farmers’ market, listening to and playing music with friends, practicing yoga, and reading about the lives of artists and musicians.

Faculty Feature: Victor

Victor Dizon teaches private piano lessons at Silver Music. Here is a little insight into his early study:

Age I began studying piano:  Around 5/6, like most of us!

Why did I choose piano?  Good question, I actually did not choose piano, my mom decided…sounds familiar? 😉 I also tried guitar at some point, as well as the electone organ (folks who grew up in the late 70’s and early 80’s would know what it is)! I enjoyed the electone more at some point, but, with a wonderful twist of fate, I ended up being a pianist…

One memory from my lessons or early studies:  One thing that comes to mind as of writing this (during my early studies) is that my piano teacher (1st piano teacher) would use note flashcards and she will make me arrange them from lowest to highest, from left to right against the fallboard of the piano.

Did I always like to practice? If not, how did I (or my parents) motivate me to practice?  Of course not! I was a kid…;) for myself, I did enjoy practicing music that I liked, even those that are way to difficult for me at that time.  As for my parents motivating me? Well…I grew up in Asia…go figure 😀 …(just kidding)!

Did I ever want to quit?  Yes, and I did, for a while, BUT…my mom and I had an agreement: That I will keep playing on my own, and I’m proud to say that I kept my promise!

How did music education affect my life?  Oh, this will need to be a book, but then you won’t read it, so…I would say music has made me the person I am today. Key words that come to mind: respect, patience, understanding, tradition, hard work, love, perseverance.  Everyday of my adult life I’m grateful that I decided to be a musician, both as a performer, and as a music educator.

Do I have a musical role model?  Yes I do, but I will have to say model(s) because there are five! They would be my piano teachers, because each of them, in their own way have helped me grow into who I am both as a person and as a musician!

Current favorite student piece to teach: I would say, for the young ones, it would be pieces that will make the student light up! And that is different for each student! For the advanced student, the moment we get to the level of a classical Sonata, i.e. Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, that would be any of them, because each of them (to me) are musical journeys in their own unique way. Personally (as a musician), I have been in a Mozart phase for a number of years now – that would be specific to the Classical period. However, given the choice, I will always gravitate to repertoire from the Romantic period.

My advice to budding piano players:  Keep at it especially the moment it gets challenging, because that’s when you will really start to grow with music.  The moment you realize that it’s not about mastering a piece(s), but rather growing with them, that’s when music will become a lifetime companion.

What else do I enjoy doing besides playing the piano?  There are many…I love exploring/walking around NYC (though not feasible at the moment), photography, spending time with friends, travelling, and definitely a foodie here…and many more!!!

Faculty Feature: Sarah

Sarah Bish teaches Suzuki cello group class and private cello lessons at Silver Music. Here is a bit of insight into her early study:

Age you began studying: 5 years old 

Why did you choose the cello? My mother is a violin teacher so at first I started playing the violin when I was 3/4 but I have never been a fan of the E string, so I told her that I wanted to play the “jello.” Probably because of the amazing C string and warm sound. The rest is history!

One memory from your lessons or early study:
Even in my 30 minute lessons, my teacher, Marianne Wion, would give me a break and I always got a piece of chocolate. She was from Switzerland so it was really good chocolate. 

Did you always like to practice? If not, how did you, or your parent motivate you to practice? I think that “liking” practicing and feeling successful in a practice session are two different things. There are (and definitely were) days that I don’t want to practice, but I knew that even a short amount of efficient and focused practicing makes a big difference in my cello playing. When I was younger I had sticker charts and getting jelly beans for good practicing. I still use rewards today for myself and my students, although now I prefer Skittles to jelly beans… 

Did you ever want to quit?
No, definitely not. There are some days when you realize that what we are doing is really hard and sometimes it would be easier not to play, but whenever I have to go a few days without playing, I miss it. That makes me remember that I could never not play the cello. 

How did music education affect your life?
I have had teachers (cello teachers, chamber music coaches, other role models) who showed me that being a musician is so rewarding. I am a very goal-oriented person so working on a piece satisfies my want to learn and improve my technique, and then polishing it and finding the beauty satisfies the artistic side of my personality.

Do you have a musical role model?
All of my cello teachers- Madeleine Golz, Merry Peckham, Astrid Schween, and Jonathan Spitz. As a female cellist, Jacqueline Du Pré is the ultimate inspiration!

Current Favorite Suzuki Piece:
It’s hard to pick! I love The Two Grenadiers, Danse Rustique, and French Folk Song.

Any advice for budding string-players?:
Try to have fun when things get tough! I know practicing can feel like a chore, but when you realize how much you are improving, that is the best feeling in the world. 

What else do you enjoy doing besides playing cello?
I love baking! I am not that great at it, but my fiancé doesn’t seem to complain. I also love to watch nature documentaries and doing puzzles to relax. 

Faculty Feature: Zara

Zara (Zadie) Lawler teaches Suzuki flute lessons, flute group classes, Flute Readiness, and Ready, Set, Play! at Silver Music.

Name:  Zara Lawler, but everyone calls me Zadie

Age you began studying: 9 

Why did you choose the flute?  This is kind of a silly story.  I had started on piano when I was in 4th grade.  My father played the piano all the time and I thought it would be really fun, but the teacher and I were not a good match, and the piano and I were not a good match either!  So, the summer after 4th grade, I took drum lessons as our local public school summer music program.  I chose the drum because I loved banging on things in cool patterns and drums looked so exciting.  In reality, I found it to be very boring!  All my friends were playing either flute or clarinet and having such a good time playing tunes and songs…so I thought I would switch AGAIN to either flute or clarinet.  How to decide? In the end, I chose the flute because I thought it had a cooler case.  Lucky for me, it turned out to be the Best Instrument In The World!

One memory from your lessons or early study:  My first performance was London Bridge is Falling Down, played for my whole elementary school.  Afterwards, I cried because my tone was so airy!  I had only been playing for about a month at that time…  Anyway, I always think of that while working with my own students on making a beautiful sound.

Did you always like to practice? If not, how did you, or your parent motivate you to practice?  At first, I didn’t really understand what practice was all about…I think mostly because my parents were both musical but I never saw them practice.  My father would just sit down at the piano, and out would come the Maple Leaf Rag, sounding complicated and amazing.  And at first, it didn’t take much work for me to progress on the flute.  But I do remember distinctly learning to practice when I was in 7th grade, and I wanted to audition for a better seat in band.  I had to play a really tricky passage from the theme song to MASH, a TV show Silver Music parents might remember!  It was the first time I ever really had to work out how to get my fingers and my air to work together to be consistently successful.  It was like I could feel the neural pathways forming themselves as I worked out how to play it and then how to play it over and over again the same way.  

Did you ever want to quit?  I did not ever want to quit but every once in a while I’ve gotten so frustrated I feel like throwing the flute out the window. Thankfully, I have never actually done that!

Current Favorite Suzuki Piece:  I love the Woodall Serenade in Book 3, and also By the Brook in Book 7.  I’ll be performing both at Flute Day at the Suzuki Music School in Westport CT on March 22:  https://www.suzukischools.org/pillow-concerts

Any advice for budding flute-players?: Don’t wait until 7th grade to learn how to practice!  

What else do you enjoy doing besides playing flute?  In addition to being a Suzuki teacher, I’m also a Suzuki parent, and I am having a lot of fun learning about the cello, and learning about what this whole Suzuki triangle thing is like from the parent side. 

Zadie playing flute in 8th grade!

Faculty Feature: João

Joao Kouyoumdjian teaches Suzuki guitar lessons and guitar group class at Silver Music.


Age you began studying:

12 years old 

Why did you choose the guitar? 

I felt a strong desire to play the music that I enjoyed back then – Rock n’ Roll. At first, that was my intrinsic motivation. I later flirted with Jazz and Bossa Nova before finally learning how to read music and diving into classical music. 

One memory from your lessons or early study: 

I remember when my first guitar teacher – the Brazilian guitarist Preto Moreno – had me improvise on a one-octave G major scale. A whole new world of freedom, imagination, beauty and joy opened up for me and I was never the same. I was completely hooked. 

Did you always like to practice? If not, how did you, or your parent motivate you to practice?

I always locked myself inside my room and practice for hours, no matter how joyful and painful that was. I always did what I thought had to be done to make music according to certain standards, driven by an internal necessity to transcend reality.

Although my parents were always supportive, they never played any role on my practicing habits (and remember I started a little “late”, if you take into account the absence of a childhood music education). I was a self-motivated teenager. In the beginning I didn’t have much practice discipline as far as practicing techniques but I acquired it later on, when music studies intensified and got more serious. 

Did you ever want to quit?

Never. I thought of professionally becoming a doctor at one point though, like my parents, but music soon took over. Even if I did take another career path, I doubt I would stop practicing, even if as an amateur. 

How did music education affect your life?

It gave me a purpose, a meaning. Since it began it has been my reason to live. It made me see long-term goals and has fostered life skills such as patience, determination and courage. 

Do you have a musical role model?

My former guitar teacher – the Brazilian guitarist Paulo Martelli – is a great inspiration. I admire his firm convictions on art and life in general (even if I disagree with them), and above all his fearlessness attitude towards music making. 

Current Favorite Suzuki Piece:

Lightly Row – That is a magic moment when I can usually get students initiated on phrasing. They start to understand what lies behind and in between notes and make artistic choices such as crescendos, decrescendos, forte, pianos, rallentandos, etc. That’s when music transforms itself into a canvas where they can express themselves. 

Any advice for budding guitar-players?

Keep your passion and motivation alive! If you have patience and put in the work, everything eventually falls in place. Stay away from teachers that shut down your enthusiasm. As the great British guitarist Julian Bream once said: “Passion and desire to communicate; that’s the key”

What else do you enjoy doing besides guitar?

In my spare time I enjoy reading, singing, playing cards and watching movies. 

Faculty Feature: Troy

Troy Stuart teaches private cello lessons at Silver Music. Here is a bit of insight into his early study:

Age you began studying:

I began studying the violin at age 5, and then switched to cello at age 11.

Why did you choose the cello?

 I liked the size and the sound.

One memory from your lessons or early study:

I remember the day my instructor taught me to vibrate (how to use vibrato) after I had been begging him for almost a year.


Did you always like to practice? If not, how did you, or your parent motivate you to practice?

 I always loved practicing! My parents had to make me go to bed!

Did you ever want to quit?

 Never!

How did music education affect your life?

Music education made me a better teacher and person.

Do you have a musical role model?

 Jacqueline du Pre

Current Favorite Suzuki Piece:

Rigadoon by Henry Purcell

Any advice for budding cellists?:

Have fun and learn to communicate with your teacher.

Things you enjoy other than cello:

Dance, singing, and going to the movies

Faculty Feature: Hillary

Hillary Alleman teaches violin and viola lessons, violin group class, chamber music, and introductory classes at Silver Music. Here is a bit of insight into her early study:

Age you began studying:
I started playing the violin when I was 4 1/2 and added the viola at age 14.

Why did you choose the viola?

My violin teacher had all of her students graduate from her studio once they turned 14 yrs old. I figured this meant I could quit the violin and I was excited to never have to practice again. She had a different plan. Viola.  I very hesitantly agreed to give it a try. It took about a year to find my instrument (the one I still play today) and teacher. I ultimately fell in love with its rich tone and the collaborative nature of so many pieces written with the viola in mind.

One memory from your lessons or early study:

I remember the bead counter! I was always hoping the drill spot was only one row of reps (10), but sometimes Mrs. Moench would just keep going to the 2nd or 3rd row 😂😅

Did you always like to practice? If not, how did you, or your parent motivate you to practice?

I did not like to practice, but I did like being able to play the violin. Starting was the hardest part and I remember throwing *looooong and loud*  tantrums. (Sorry Mom). Using timers was helpful as well as getting the practicing done before school.

Did you ever want to quit?
Often. My mom would say “ You can quit. You just have to call Mrs. Moench to tell her.” That always made me realize how much I would miss her and the violin friends I had made.

How did music education affect your life?

It taught me how to have a growth mindset when trying new things or doing something difficult. It also brought THE BEST people and friends into my life and gave me opportunities to experience the world I otherwise wouldn’t have had.

Do you have a musical role model?

Many. But my teachers have been the most influential and positive forces in my life. Debbie Moench, Natalie Reed and Jeffrey Irvine

Current Favorite Suzuki Piece:

French Folk Song. I always loved hearing the cellists play this tune and it might be the main reason I became a violist 😉

Any advice for budding violin/violists?:

  1. Make friends in group (Some of my closest friends to this day  are from my childhood violin group).
  2. Make it simple. When it feels really challenging ask yourself “how can I make this easier?”  For me, that answer usually includes playing a smaller chunk, playing it slowly, playing it  25-100x,    using pizzicato, or playing a review piece I really enjoy.
  3. Know that  it is a process; not a destination
  4. The voice in your head that tells you “you can’t do it” is a lie. Gently tell it “no thank you” and keep going.

Things you enjoy other than violin and viola

I love to golf, throw pottery, read, and cook/bake for friends!

Faculty Feature: Racqui

Pianist, Racqui Borromeo started formal lessons at age 9 in the Philippines. This is an interview with her mother.

Q: What were your thoughts about starting lessons? Were you excited? Anxious? Confused?
A: I was excited for her to be able to experience piano lessons like I did as a child. I was hoping for a good student and teacher relationship/harmonious rapport which she had so it will boost her possibility of liking piano lessons.

Q: Did I always like to practice? If not , did you have any tricks that made practice easier?
I felt you liked to practice, it was not a “battle ” when it was time to practice. You were a perfectionist, did not want to stop until you got the right notes.

Q: What was the most helpful thing my teacher ever said? Least helpful?
(Racqui) A: The most helpful thing a teacher has told me was to sing while I play. The least helpful was to copy someone else’s playing.

Q: Were there times you wanted me to quit?
A: Not at all because I could see that Racquel loved the piano and music loved her back.

Q: Were there times I wanted to quit?
(Racqui) A: I was never sure about the feeling of quitting but certainly feeling that I needed time away.

Q:Was there a point when it became clear to you that it was all worth it?
The raves from people who listened to her during performances, the awards she received in competitions, and her love of music just kept on going.

Q: How did you see my musical education as affecting the rest of my life?
A: Music is the language of Love, it will always be a source of refuge in times of sorrow and happiness in life.

Q: What was the worst fight you remember having with me about music?
A: Never had, can’t remember of any.

Q: Is there anything you wish you had done differently?
A: None, the switch from traditional to Suzuki method then back to traditional way of playing piano was a good exposure for her , it opened more techniques.

Q: What was the best time you remember having with me surrounding music?
A: The joy seeing you getting the awards you deserved , for family to hear your abilities and gift, whenever I see and hear that you have perfected the music piece and ready for the next competition, learning and accepting victory and defeat during competitions and the will to work harder.