I'm so happy to share this piece of news -- Matt Koll, the choir teacher at Crystal Lake South, was just named Teacher of the Month by Home State Bank! Matt has had both Greg and Andy as students, and has been a terrific inspiration and guide for both of them. Greg truly feels that Matt is one of the best and most influential teachers he's had. And Andy, who had no interest in choir previously, has really started stepping up in choir, partly because he wants to live up to the standards Matt has been working to instill in him. We're all very pleased to see Matt receive this honor.
And from the Saturday, May 19 Northwest Herald's Business section, a full-page article on music teachers in McHenry County! One of the featured schools, Music Makers for Life, and its owner, Theresa Villec, is a friend of Performer's Parent, letting us put flyers out on her counter. Great article! Here's the link to that article!
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Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Battle of the Bands -- Proudest Mom Moments
Check out this week's Clinic column with tips for competing in a Battle of the Bands -- Greg and I put this one together. It's that season, when groups of high schoolers drive their parents crazy with garage band practice. We've been through this -- and it was wonderful!
In 2009, Greg and The Con Men -- the new, expanded group with the added horn section -- participated in several Battles. They competed in and won the Crystal Lake event, scoring way above their competitors. They won some great prizes, including several hours of recording time! That was very exciting for the guys -- they quickly had big plans. Then they moved on to the Regional event, which was scheduled for August.
The night before Regionals, they played at a Battle in Woodstock -- not a Park District competition. Out of 8 bands, they didn't even place! All of us parents were incredulous -- how could they not have taken at least 3rd, when they sounded SO much better than any of the other bands (at least we thought so)? One of the bands that DID place, though, was playing at the Regional event the next day also -- and I think the combination of the loss and the rematch spurred them on to work harder and play better the next day.
And that day -- was HOT! And the performance was outside, at a water park. And the Con Men were scheduled to play LAST! But believe me, they were fantastic. What a moment for us parents to watch the judges bopping along with Soul Man and Nothing Wrong, in a way they didn't for any other band. From their opening introduction -- "The neighbors hate us, the cops love us" -- to the winner announcement -- "You waited five hours to hear them!", we knew -- they had regained their mojo, they were once again the best band standing.
And two weeks later, playing against the winners of all the Illinois regional events, once again, they took first (to see videos of all their songs from State, check out www.youtube.com/TheConMenBand). We screamed, we cried, we tried to keep the drunk guy away from the stage. We wore our Con Men shirts, the boys hoisted the banner we had made for them -- and while I've had many moments that I was proud of my boy and his achievements, that was certainly in the top five.
The night before Regionals, they played at a Battle in Woodstock -- not a Park District competition. Out of 8 bands, they didn't even place! All of us parents were incredulous -- how could they not have taken at least 3rd, when they sounded SO much better than any of the other bands (at least we thought so)? One of the bands that DID place, though, was playing at the Regional event the next day also -- and I think the combination of the loss and the rematch spurred them on to work harder and play better the next day.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Rungs on the ladder
When Greg told us in November that he didn't plan to return to Columbia College for this 2nd semester, we frankly weren't too surprised. I think he's had a hard time focusing on what aspect of performance he wanted to concentrate on -- this has been an ongoing struggle for him, as he has interests and talents in several directions (what is the saying, ... of all, master of none? I know I'm missing a word here -- what is it?)
In December, I took him to lunch downtown and we talked about setting goals, determining realistic steps toward those goals, and evaluating progress. I finally feel (four months later) like he's getting there. In the past month, he's gotten a job he enjoys, been playing as the lead guitarist in a quasi-established band (they've been playing together for many years, but under different names), and looked at the possibility of taking lessons. He's been contacting artists he admires, at the suggestion of a former guitar teacher, and one of them, Mike Milligan of Mike Milligan and Steam Shovel (www.MikeMilligan.homestead.com), invited him to come to their show at House of Blues last weekend. He and Kevin went. Mike spent most of the first break talking to Greg, then asked him to come on stage to sing and play with them! That was quite a leap of faith -- he didn't know Greg's ability, and it's a good thing Greg doesn't suck at singing or playing! He actually played and sang two songs with them, and Mike even passed along the name and phone number of the HoB booking agent! So there's a big rung on the ladder that Greg is trying to climb. (Kevin videotaped the whole thing on Greg's phone, but we found that it plays sideways, and when he tries to turn it the right way, there's no sound. Or I'd post it for you, but don't want to give you a neck problem.)
I'm climbing rungs on my personal ladder, as well! The website is going well, and we're even getting requests from teachers, shops and programs to be listed! I've got two goals that I really need to work on -- getting advertising and getting more expert-written Clinic columns -- but due to a seasonal job, I just haven't had the time. If you know anyone that you think would be great to write a column, either pass their contact info along to me or ask them to take a look at the site and think about it. I would really appreciate your help.
I'd love to hear about the "rungs" your kids have climbed in their performing lives. Write a guest post! Send me a picture or an mp3 clip! I've posted a new sound clip -- Greg's friend Connor has put together a band at Northern called Bowling Night. Check out this tune -- I think it's terrific!
In December, I took him to lunch downtown and we talked about setting goals, determining realistic steps toward those goals, and evaluating progress. I finally feel (four months later) like he's getting there. In the past month, he's gotten a job he enjoys, been playing as the lead guitarist in a quasi-established band (they've been playing together for many years, but under different names), and looked at the possibility of taking lessons. He's been contacting artists he admires, at the suggestion of a former guitar teacher, and one of them, Mike Milligan of Mike Milligan and Steam Shovel (www.MikeMilligan.homestead.com), invited him to come to their show at House of Blues last weekend. He and Kevin went. Mike spent most of the first break talking to Greg, then asked him to come on stage to sing and play with them! That was quite a leap of faith -- he didn't know Greg's ability, and it's a good thing Greg doesn't suck at singing or playing! He actually played and sang two songs with them, and Mike even passed along the name and phone number of the HoB booking agent! So there's a big rung on the ladder that Greg is trying to climb. (Kevin videotaped the whole thing on Greg's phone, but we found that it plays sideways, and when he tries to turn it the right way, there's no sound. Or I'd post it for you, but don't want to give you a neck problem.)
I'm climbing rungs on my personal ladder, as well! The website is going well, and we're even getting requests from teachers, shops and programs to be listed! I've got two goals that I really need to work on -- getting advertising and getting more expert-written Clinic columns -- but due to a seasonal job, I just haven't had the time. If you know anyone that you think would be great to write a column, either pass their contact info along to me or ask them to take a look at the site and think about it. I would really appreciate your help.
I'd love to hear about the "rungs" your kids have climbed in their performing lives. Write a guest post! Send me a picture or an mp3 clip! I've posted a new sound clip -- Greg's friend Connor has put together a band at Northern called Bowling Night. Check out this tune -- I think it's terrific!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
It Just Doesn't Fit!
This week's Clinic column is the first in a series about finding the right "fit" of a college to your kid. Like in any other program, not just performing arts, the feel, look, and other intangibles come into play when your child is looking at colleges. When Greg and I looked at colleges, first for jazz and then for musical theatre, there were times when we agreed -- both that this one was a good fit and this one wasn't -- and when we disagreed. It took me some tongue-biting, but I had to really work at reminding myself that this was his life and his choice.
The ones we really agreed on that would be good fits -- DePaul and Western Michigan, primarily -- felt good for different reasons. DePaul had the allure of the big city, something that both of us are drawn to (is it genetic?), the teacher that Greg really respected, the prestige of the program. Western Michigan just felt good -- they had exciting classes and trips, the enthusiasm of the professors and students was real and contagious. And when we found schools that were not good fits, it was obvious pretty quickly. The students we met didn't exude friendliness or professionalism. The professors were either unavailable for questions or dismissive. Neither of those contacts (or lack of) left us with a good feeling.
I have one more child to go through the college-search process with. While we won't be looking for a performing arts school, I think the things I learned with Greg will really help me with Andy -- despite the fact that he'll be looking for things that are probably polar opposites than items that were on Greg's checklist. But I think I can help him feel those intangibles and not just look at the numbers, the classes, the buildings or the distance from home.
The ones we really agreed on that would be good fits -- DePaul and Western Michigan, primarily -- felt good for different reasons. DePaul had the allure of the big city, something that both of us are drawn to (is it genetic?), the teacher that Greg really respected, the prestige of the program. Western Michigan just felt good -- they had exciting classes and trips, the enthusiasm of the professors and students was real and contagious. And when we found schools that were not good fits, it was obvious pretty quickly. The students we met didn't exude friendliness or professionalism. The professors were either unavailable for questions or dismissive. Neither of those contacts (or lack of) left us with a good feeling.
I have one more child to go through the college-search process with. While we won't be looking for a performing arts school, I think the things I learned with Greg will really help me with Andy -- despite the fact that he'll be looking for things that are probably polar opposites than items that were on Greg's checklist. But I think I can help him feel those intangibles and not just look at the numbers, the classes, the buildings or the distance from home.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Practice, Practice, Practice!
There's a new Clinic column over on the website -- Terry Guynes, band director at Lundahl Middle School, passed along an article he had written on practice tips. While it specifically addresses tips for instrumentalists (he is a BAND director, after all), there's no reason that most of those tips couldn't be applied to dancers, actors, singers -- even athletes! Practice with a friend. Pick a goal -- being able to do something specific better than you could before. Learn timing, breathing, intonation. Practice with a pro -- maybe on a video, or on a CD. Lots of good suggestions! Check it out!
Greg had Mr. Guynes as a band teacher in 7th and 8th grade, both for regular band and jazz. Terry is fun to watch as he conducts -- he practically dances on stage, and his enthusiasm for teaching is obvious. When Greg was in 5th grade, playing clarinet (at the time, you couldn't start on sax, you had to start on clarinet and switch before middle school) and hating it, but loving music, I had quite a dilemma -- he didn't practice, didn't want to play clarinet, but he really wanted me to spend more money to rent a saxophone so he could switch. Given what I saw, though, would it be worth it? Or should I just tell him that, too bad, you didn't show me that you were committed to doing this, so no sax?
I ran into Terry while he was at the elementary school testing the incoming 5th graders for instrument selection. I told him what was going on, and his reply really made an impact on me -- he said that he'd rather have a kid in band who loved music and didn't practice, than a kid whose parents forced him to practice and stay in band even though the kid had no interest. Knowing Greg fell in the first category, he got his sax, stayed in band -- and his love of music grew from there. Once in a while, I think about what would have happened had I insisted he drop band -- he hadn't really started playing guitar at that point -- would he have? Would music be so vitally important to him now? I don't know. (Would he be going into a more stable and lucrative profession right now? I don't know that either.) I think I made the right choice.
Several years later, talking with a friend whose high school son wanted to drop band, I told her about this short conversation with Terry. Her son had some ability, but really hated being in band. She was insisting that he stay and develop his talent, a move that I really felt was a mistake. Every parent makes their own decisions, I realize, but it was hard for me to see that student forced to continue doing something he didn't enjoy (when it comes to math or science or English classes, obviously it's a different situation).
So, Terry, thank you -- for today's column and for that short piece of advice that had a big impact on Greg's music career!
Greg had Mr. Guynes as a band teacher in 7th and 8th grade, both for regular band and jazz. Terry is fun to watch as he conducts -- he practically dances on stage, and his enthusiasm for teaching is obvious. When Greg was in 5th grade, playing clarinet (at the time, you couldn't start on sax, you had to start on clarinet and switch before middle school) and hating it, but loving music, I had quite a dilemma -- he didn't practice, didn't want to play clarinet, but he really wanted me to spend more money to rent a saxophone so he could switch. Given what I saw, though, would it be worth it? Or should I just tell him that, too bad, you didn't show me that you were committed to doing this, so no sax?
I ran into Terry while he was at the elementary school testing the incoming 5th graders for instrument selection. I told him what was going on, and his reply really made an impact on me -- he said that he'd rather have a kid in band who loved music and didn't practice, than a kid whose parents forced him to practice and stay in band even though the kid had no interest. Knowing Greg fell in the first category, he got his sax, stayed in band -- and his love of music grew from there. Once in a while, I think about what would have happened had I insisted he drop band -- he hadn't really started playing guitar at that point -- would he have? Would music be so vitally important to him now? I don't know. (Would he be going into a more stable and lucrative profession right now? I don't know that either.) I think I made the right choice.
Several years later, talking with a friend whose high school son wanted to drop band, I told her about this short conversation with Terry. Her son had some ability, but really hated being in band. She was insisting that he stay and develop his talent, a move that I really felt was a mistake. Every parent makes their own decisions, I realize, but it was hard for me to see that student forced to continue doing something he didn't enjoy (when it comes to math or science or English classes, obviously it's a different situation).
So, Terry, thank you -- for today's column and for that short piece of advice that had a big impact on Greg's music career!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Growing Pains
I've been percolating the Performer's Parent idea for a couple of years. I discussed it with a few friends, who encouraged me to get it going, and when I finally did, I thought, "Oh good, now I can sit back for a little bit..." Nope. With the exit of my friend Sheri, who got the website up and running, I had a panicky few moments and then thought, I can do this! So I found a new way to manage the website, and I'm pretty pleased with it -- I invite you to check out the "relaunch" of Performer'sParent.com! I'm playing with some of the things that go on the site, so please -- take a look and give me your thoughts.
We went to see The Drowsy Chaperone at Crystal Lake South last weekend -- as always, the South students did a FABULOUS job. I've seen several of these students in quite a few shows, and it's great to see how they've grown as singers, dancers and actors! It'll be exciting to find out where they're planning to go from here -- I know that several of them are planning to make performing a part of their college experience, whether it's as a major and career, or as a very important extracurricular activity.
I wanted to try something new in this blog today -- here's a track from The Con Men, one of the very first that they ever did (and honestly, one of my faves), called Walking Away. This was written maybe four years ago, and performed originally just by Greg and his friend Connor Bernhard. 03 Walking Away
Sorry about all the random stuff today. I'm trying to figure out a bunch of things both here and on the new website. Soon, I hope to have a way for you to "join" Performers Parent, which will help me find out if the content I'm providing is on track for your needs or if it needs to be tweaked in some way. I'm working on getting some great columnists to write the Clinic column. I'm still playing with the formats of both sites. And, I have a cold. So please excuse the scattershot approach today!
And one last thing -- if you have something you'd like to share as a guest blogger, send it to me! I'd love to post an experience you had with your performing child, a moment that made you smile or worry, or anything else you'd like to talk about. This blog isn't just for me -- it would be great to have you make it your own, as well.
We went to see The Drowsy Chaperone at Crystal Lake South last weekend -- as always, the South students did a FABULOUS job. I've seen several of these students in quite a few shows, and it's great to see how they've grown as singers, dancers and actors! It'll be exciting to find out where they're planning to go from here -- I know that several of them are planning to make performing a part of their college experience, whether it's as a major and career, or as a very important extracurricular activity.
I wanted to try something new in this blog today -- here's a track from The Con Men, one of the very first that they ever did (and honestly, one of my faves), called Walking Away. This was written maybe four years ago, and performed originally just by Greg and his friend Connor Bernhard. 03 Walking Away
Sorry about all the random stuff today. I'm trying to figure out a bunch of things both here and on the new website. Soon, I hope to have a way for you to "join" Performers Parent, which will help me find out if the content I'm providing is on track for your needs or if it needs to be tweaked in some way. I'm working on getting some great columnists to write the Clinic column. I'm still playing with the formats of both sites. And, I have a cold. So please excuse the scattershot approach today!
And one last thing -- if you have something you'd like to share as a guest blogger, send it to me! I'd love to post an experience you had with your performing child, a moment that made you smile or worry, or anything else you'd like to talk about. This blog isn't just for me -- it would be great to have you make it your own, as well.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Nothing is Ever Easy...
With the help of a community of friends and family, the website, performersparent.com, is just about ready to debut! It's been up and available, in a rough format, for a couple of weeks. I've been learning so much as I go through this process! Mostly, I've been learning how much I'm leaning on people who know a lot more than I do.
Starting this coming weekend, I've put ads in a couple of local high schools' musical performance programs, introducing the website to (what I hope will be large groups of) parents who could use this service. I made a new logo, taught myself the beginnings of HTML, panicked more than a little, hoped for bad weather at O'Hare (not really, Sheri -- I hope you had a great time on your cruise!), wondered why my brother had to move THIS weekend...
And I want to give a BIG thank you to Kyle, who stepped in at next-to-the-last-minute with a welcome offer of help. (And to Andy as well -- he offered his time and assistance, but I was already working with Kyle -- the hour's difference between here and the Eastern Time Zone was helpful).
I really hope that the website will save some other parents a few steps. Check the site out after Wednesday, and let me know what you think! This is definitely a work in progress -- I know there are lots more colleges out there that I haven't gotten to yet, many more summer programs, and lots of great teachers I haven't yet included.
In other news... Greg is now the lead guitarist for an established McHenry County band, EKG. We're looking forward to hearing them soon! And we've discovered a great medical practice for vocalists, The Bastien Group in Downers Grove, which will get on the website soon.
The Drowsy Chaperone, Crystal Lake South's musical, opens this Thursday (hence the panic and time crunch) and runs this weekend and next -- go see it! South's musicals have always been first-rate, and I expect that this one will be too. I'm hoping to go see a couple of the other District 155 musicals (Pirates of Penzance at PR, March 2-10; Urinetown at Central, March 9-17, Anything Goes at Central, March 16-18).
I think I'll let my carpal tunnel rest for a while... hope to hear from you!
Starting this coming weekend, I've put ads in a couple of local high schools' musical performance programs, introducing the website to (what I hope will be large groups of) parents who could use this service. I made a new logo, taught myself the beginnings of HTML, panicked more than a little, hoped for bad weather at O'Hare (not really, Sheri -- I hope you had a great time on your cruise!), wondered why my brother had to move THIS weekend...
And I want to give a BIG thank you to Kyle, who stepped in at next-to-the-last-minute with a welcome offer of help. (And to Andy as well -- he offered his time and assistance, but I was already working with Kyle -- the hour's difference between here and the Eastern Time Zone was helpful).
I really hope that the website will save some other parents a few steps. Check the site out after Wednesday, and let me know what you think! This is definitely a work in progress -- I know there are lots more colleges out there that I haven't gotten to yet, many more summer programs, and lots of great teachers I haven't yet included.
In other news... Greg is now the lead guitarist for an established McHenry County band, EKG. We're looking forward to hearing them soon! And we've discovered a great medical practice for vocalists, The Bastien Group in Downers Grove, which will get on the website soon.
The Drowsy Chaperone, Crystal Lake South's musical, opens this Thursday (hence the panic and time crunch) and runs this weekend and next -- go see it! South's musicals have always been first-rate, and I expect that this one will be too. I'm hoping to go see a couple of the other District 155 musicals (Pirates of Penzance at PR, March 2-10; Urinetown at Central, March 9-17, Anything Goes at Central, March 16-18).
I think I'll let my carpal tunnel rest for a while... hope to hear from you!
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