With great excitement, Lauren Haley Studios announces a new lesson space within the Sugar Land Art Center and Gallery! This energizing learning environment furthers the LHS vision for dynamic music education and performance.
Our partnership with the Sugar Land Art Center and Gallery, a non-profit 501c3 organization and Fort Bend Star Readers’ Choice Award 2016 Winner, presents fantastic opportunities for group lessons and performances as well as a dedicated space for private lessons. We’re thrilled for the growth this move will foster in our young musicians.
More information about the Sugar Land Art Center can be found online at http://www.sugarlandartcenter.org. Lessons at our new studio location will commence on August 1st, 2016!
Sugar Land Art Center and Gallery 104 Industrial Blvd. Suite Q, Studio #9 Sugar Land, TX 77478
The final award count for Solo & Ensemble is in and it’s wonderful to announce that 22 LHS students won Grade 1 marks, with 5 students competing in both the Solo and Ensemble categories and securing Grade 1 in both competitions. Every Solo & Ensemble contestant who performed in the 2016 LHS Student Showcase Recital on February 13th received a 1 for their solo grade. Well done, kids!
We’re super excited for Amanda, Ananya, Chris, Deepa, Nikita, Paige, Sharon, and Sophie, all of whom received Grade 1 marks on Class 1 (highest HS level) pieces. Sharon and Amanda are still in middle school (7th grade) !
Congratulations to Danae, Deepa, Sophie, Kayle, and Isaac for auditioning for both solo and ensemble competitions and securing Grade 1 marks in both categories!
Well done to Sneha for earning the current concertmaster spot of the Bowie Symphony, to William for maintaining the concertmaster spot in his orchestra at Elkins, to Amanda for maintaining her principal viola spot at Baines, and to Jacob for maintaining his principal viola chair at Quail Valley. We’re all so excited for Deepa, who will play first desk viola for Travis HS’s upcoming performance in Carnegie Hall over spring break!
MS and HS performers are graded on a scale from 1 (best) to 5, so without further ado, here’s the complete list of the LHS students who were awarded Grade 1:
Amanda
Ananya
Anisha
Ayushi
Chris
Danae
Deepa
Enara
Esosa
Isaac
Kayle
Maggie
Megan
Neha
Nikita
Paige
Sarah
Seline
Sharon
Sneha
Sophie
Taruni
Congratulations to everyone on your wonderful progress!
Lauren Haley Studios is thrilled to announce that LHS Collaborative Pianist Evelyn Lam has been selected as Teaching Assistant to Professor Natalya Antonova at the Eastman School of Music! Ms. Lam is pursuing her doctoral performance degree after completing both her B.M. and M.M. in Piano Performance at Eastman. Evelyn takes on this new teaching avenue in addition to her current teaching position (undergraduate piano class) at Eastman.
Ms. Lam will be available for a limited number of piano coaching sessions in Sugar Land and The Woodlands from February 8th – 13th. Interested LHS families must have their piano teacher’s permission before requesting a coaching spot. Arrangements for lessons with Ms. Lam can be made through Ms. Haley.
Ms. Lam and Ms. Haley are excited to invite you to their performance at the LHS Winter Recital on Saturday, February 13th at 5:30pm.
About Evelyn:
Born in Hong Kong, Evelyn Wing-Yan Lam started learning the piano at the age of 7. Her principal mentors include Natalya Antonova, Maxim Mogilevsky, and Wai Cheng. She also worked with Sergei Krivonos, Thomas Schumacher, Jean Barr, Elinor Freer, Sylvie Beaudette, and Ksenia Nosikova. In 2007, Evelyn achieved the Licentiate Diploma in piano performance with distinction from the Trinity College of Music, London. In 2009, Evelyn was admitted to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester NY, where she received a Bachelor degree in Piano Performance in 2013 and a Master of Music degree in 2015.
Before coming to the States in 2009, Evelyn won numerous prizes in the Hong Kong Schools Music Festivals, including 2 champions, three 2nd prizes, and other honors in the piano solo and duos division. In 2001, Evelyn participated in the 65th Steinway & Sons International Youth Piano Competition (Hong Kong Region), winning the fifth prize in the category of aged 10 below. She also achieved the Outstanding Award in the Mozart Piano Competition in 2003. In 2010, she received the Honors Chamber Award from the Eastman School of Music. In 2013, she received the Henry Cobos Endowed Piano Prize from the Eastman School of Music, for her exceptional achievement in the study and performance of piano. In the summer of 2014, Evelyn participated in the piano program at the Chautauqua Institution, where she was one of the 6 six finalists in the piano competition. She also received the second prize in the American Protégé International Competition in 2015, making her debut at the Weill Recital Hall at the Carnegie Hall in November 2015.Evelyn has also performed as a soloist with the Hong Kong Children Symphony Orchestra since 2008. She performed Beethoven Piano Concerto No.3, and Piano Concerto No.5 “Emperor”. In August 2010, she toured with the orchestra to China, performing the Yellow River Piano Concerto, conducted by Dr Yip Wai-Hong.
An active soloist and collaborative pianist, Evelyn has performed in many recitals near Rochester, New York. She often gives outreach recitals in schools, senior homes, churches, and the George Eastman House. In 2015, Evelyn was appointed Collaborative Pianist for Lauren Haley Studios in Houston, Texas, where she performs with and mentors young musicians.
Evelyn is currently pursuing the Doctor of Musical Art in Piano Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music, where she studies with Natalya Antonova and serves as the studio assistant. She is also a recipient of the graduate teaching assistantship, teaching the undergraduate piano classes.
As this semester draws to a close, I’d like to recognize Paige, who recently received the Outstanding Member Award for the Dulles Middle School Philharmonic.
Paige is concertmaster of her school orchestra, has recently acquired a beautiful new violin, and has successfully auditioned to enter the Dulles High School orchestras in Fall 2015. Congratulations, Paige!
While the older LHS musicians complete their orchestra placement auditions, our littlest violinists have put together quite the show for you and the residents of the Sugar Land Atria Senior Living!
Please join us for performances and awards this Saturday, May 16th at 6pm at Atria. Bring a smile and your applause!
Welcome to the 2015 LHS 100 Days of Practice Challenge!
Registration is now open and will close when the Challenge begins on Friday, March 20th. Dust away the dreary winter and infuse your practice sessions with excitement, motivation, and progress!
Celebrate the milestones along the way, and join us for a party honoring your accomplishments at the conclusion of the Challenge in June. Signing up for the Challenge will give your family step-by-step support and motivation. We’re in this together!
Check out www.musicinpractice.com to learn more about setting students up for positive and effective practicing. Sue Hunt, its creator, provides endlessly helpful tips! My favorite article about the 100 Day Challenge is targeted at teachers, but the diagrams help everyone understand how consistent practicing is the key to musical success:
“I want my children to love music, but I’m no expert. How can my spouse and I give our kids the very best music has to offer when we’re so new to violin?”
Here are my favorite ways to help your kids learn!
Attend Every Lesson
Ask questions, videotape, take notes, and try playing a few songs yourself. The more involved you are, the easier everything will come to you and your young musician(s)! Teachers don’t expect you to be an expert — they hope you’ll be their teammate at home, supporting your child each step of the way. Not only does this effort help you keep up with your little violinist, but it also demonstrates to your child how much you love them and value their hard work. Remember that kids will mirror your attitude — if you’re positive and dedicated, they will be as well.
Talk to Other Parents
If there’s an obstacle standing in your way, you can bet someone else in the studio recently faced and conquered it. Friendships with other studio parents can be a huge resource. Ask your teacher to set you up with another family.
Attend Concerts
Youth Concerts — Recitals, local youth orchestras, and high school musical productions inspire us all. “Look how much fun those kids are having together! Are you excited to play with them someday soon?”
Professional Performances — Symphonies often have special concert series targeted at families. These family events often take place on Saturday mornings, making it easy for you to bring even the youngest ones along. Make it a special occasion and celebrate how grown-up the kids are at their first concert!
Houston Families: Check out the Houston Symphony (especially the Family Season!), Virtuosi of Houston, the Houston Youth Symphony, and the American Festival for the Arts.
Dance
Put on a favorite CD and let the kids spin around the room. Encourage them to move to the music — slow when the music slows, speed up and twirl when the music does the same. Encourage brave musical expression from your children by getting up and dancing with them!
Sing
Show children the fun of expressing how they feel through their voice. Sing in the car, on long walks, whilst doing the dishes, and, most importantly, whenever the kids are happy. It doesn’t matter what you sing or how everyone sounds: you’re building self-esteem, a love for music, and perceptive ears!
Rent Your Own Instrument
It may feel intimidating, but renting your own instrument and playing along with your child for the first few months is one of the most effective ways to jump-start progress at home. Who knows, you too might catch the Fiddle Bug!
Set Your Home to Music
Let listening to music and singing along work its way into every aspect of family life. Have a new favorite song each week, listen to your new Suzuki CD until yours neighbors could play Allegro, and show the kids how fun listening to Beethoven over breakfast can be.
The Haley Family
All opinions are by Lauren Haley and all original content is copyright 2015 Lauren Haley Studios.
As we approach spring break, finding ways to include musical development in well-deserved vacation time is essential. Here are some tips on how to keep kids learning!
1.) Seek out musical destinations for each trip. Homes of the great composers, legendary conservatories, museums with instrument collections, grand concert halls –there’s fun to be had everywhere! Bonus points for taking pictures and creating a scrapbook of your musical adventures. Ask your teacher for recommendations specific to your travel plans.
You’re never too young to start learning about the great composers! Pictured: The home where Antonín Dvořák spent the summer of 1893.
2.) Set your trip to music. Put a new CD in the car and enjoy. Encourage everyone to sing along to favorite songs and feel the power of symphonies. Return home humming Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty!
3.) Find new inspiration. Whether it’s the New York Philharmonic, a touring production of Wicked, a pianist playing jazz standards in a beautiful restaurant, or a cousin demonstrating their own musical skills, students can take inspiration from any musical event!
4.) Let theory help you get through those long flights! Bring along a Theory Time book and make a pact to surprise your teacher with how much you’ve learned! Parents, if you’re worried about getting stuck mid-flight, bring along the Theory Time Teacher’s Edition and work as a team.
5.) Practice those bow holds when you can’t bring along your violin! Make a Bow Bunny on a pen and have the bunny share in your adventures.
6.) Let a musical story transport you on long car rides. My absolute favorite is the Classical Kids series. Tchaikovsky Discovers America, Beethoven Lives Upstairs, and Mr. Bach Comes to Call…all on the way to your destination! You can find these CDs on Amazon.com and through your local library.
7.) Invite your violin or viola along for the ride! Check airline-specific guidelines on bringing instruments on flights. Be sure to bring a printed copy of the airline policy with you to show the agent working at the gate desk. Board as soon as possible to make room for your instrument in the overhead compartment, and be especially kind to flight attendants who can help your violin have a safe flight.
8.) Remember, grandparents make the best audience anyone can ask for, so encourage your child to prepare a special performance for family and friends on visits!
The music of Antonín Dvořák grew to mean so much to our family that we visited his former home (in Iowa) on two separate occasions!
All opinions are by Lauren Haley and all original content is copyright 2015 Lauren Haley Studios.
LAUREN HALEY STUDIOS 
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