Major melody:

Who's ready to rock?

New Classes are starting at Milder Musical Arts that you won't want to miss!

Our newest class, Junior Jammers, will begin March 26. This class, designed for ages 4 - 5, will jump start your young musicians on their musical journey of learning. Using fun and unique methods, students are introduced to basic musical concepts and given the opportunity to apply those concepts to instruments such as keyboards, guitar, percussion and more. Days and times are:

Monday 1:30
Wednesday 4:10
Friday 11:15
Saturday 11:10

Click here to enroll.

Music Together® will begin it's Spring Session March 26. This 45 minute introductory class, taken with a parent, guides babies, toddlers and preschoolers in their first steps in developing their imagination, encouraging exploration and instilling a love for song, story, movement and play. Click here for days and times and to enroll.

Junior Jammers and Music Together® will be taught by Miss Holly.

Hip harmony:

Summer Information

Summer information will be distributed on April 4th. Here are some of the activities you can look forward to:

Day Camps
There will be many new camps this year such as Folk Dancing and Intro to Glee, while popular favorites like the Music Games Camp and Singing/Boomwhackers will also be available.

Weeklong Camps
Weeklong Camps include Disney Princess Camps, Glee, and Rock Band.

Private Lessons
Students may choose how many hours they will take from 4.5 - 9, and may choose any of several voice and piano master classes throughout the summer.

Also, Milder Musical Arts will lend a hand at Shaare Emeth's summer camps this year. Holly Smith will be teaching the Glee portion of the camp. For more information on this opportunity, please contact Jodi Miller at 314.569.0010 Ext. 127. Click here to visit the Shaare-Emeth website.

student spotlight:

Sonatina Festival

Congratulations to the students who participated in SLAMTA's Sonatina Festival this past February!

The Sonatina Festival is offered every February to advanced and hard-working students who understand the "Sonata" style. Students need to prepare and play one movement from a Sonata for a judge at the St. Louis Area Music Teachers Association.

Sonata is a multi-movement piece mostly written for a  solo instrument, but can also be written for a duet.  Although the title "Sonata" appears before the Classical period, it was in the Classical Period (Haydn, Mozart. Beethoven) that the Sonata form was developed and used the most.  There can be anywhere from two to five movements in a Sonata, with the most common number of movements being three.  Many times the first movement is the sonata-allegro form which has an exposition, development and recapitulation.  Sonatas continue to be composed today.

Students from all over the St. Louis Area come to this event. It is noncompetitive, but allows students to receive feedback from professional music teachers. Pictured below: Patrick Andrew, Sharanya Kumar, Allie Wills.

teacher tidbits:

Karen Smith

Milder Musical Arts is excited to welcome Karen Smith to the teaching faculty.

Karen graduated from Concordia University, Irvine, California with a Bachelor of Arts in Music with emphases in voice and piano.  While in college in California Karen had the opportunity to perform with many ensembles and in various musical theater productions as well as teaching for a music school based in Tustin, California.

Karen has loved music from a very young age and has studied piano since the age of 8 and voice since high school. She is trained in all styles of voice including classical, Broadway and pop and trained in classical and pop piano.  Currently Karen is very involved in the music ministries of various churches around the area, playing and singing for Sunday morning services.  She teaches private voice and piano lessons and a Harmony Road 4 class.

The return of Miss Kate!

Families were thrilled to hear that Kate Reimann would return to teach on Fridays for the Spring Session.

Kate is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance from Washington University.

Prior to beginning work on her degree, she taught voice and piano full-time at Milder Musical Arts for six years, and she now maintains a limited schedule of students.

Kate has been featured as a soloist with The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and The Webster University Symphony Orchestra and is a principal singer with the St. Louis Symphony Chorus with whom she has performed at Carnegie Hall. She has been seen on the operatic stages of Union Avenue Opera, Washington University Opera, and Redwoods Opera Workshop in Mendocino, California.

Kate is engaged to high school sweetheart, Matt Muncy.

FAmily fun with music:

St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra

Gian Musarra is a pediatrician by day and a string bass player by night, performing with the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra. Understanding the benefits of early music education, Gian and his wife, Kate, enrolled their son, Ryan, in our Piano Prep program. Ryan is currently in the second year of his class training. Recently, we had the opportunity to speak with Gian about the importance of music in his life.

MMA: When did you begin taking music lessons?

GM: I began taking piano lessons when I was about 7 years old and played for nearly 9 years.  I then took up the string bass in 7th grade and this has been my primary instrument since. 

MMA: So you can play two instruments well, piano and string bass?

GM: I also played baritone for my H.S. marching band starting in 10th grade and marched in college for the University of Central Florida Marching Knights for 2 years.  It was a great experience that I’m glad I was able to be a part of. 

MMA: And even after high school you continued to play?

GM: I played throughout college in Orlando with various orchestras, chamber groups, and multiple small ensembles for church performances.  I was also able to do the same while in Cincinnati for a short period of time and now I have resumed again since moving to St. Louis. 

MMA: Why do you continue to perform?

GM: I love playing music and particularly enjoy playing in symphonies.

MMA: As a performer, what do you feel are the benefits to learning music?

GM: It’s a wonderful outlet no matter what you do in your life.  Even rehearsing just once week gives me a chance to “get away” from everything else and enjoy music at its finest.  To me, music is another language and is something I can’t imagine living without.  If not for learning music early on, this likely would not have been possible for me.

MMA: Why do you feel learning music early on was so important?

GM: I think the big reason for me is that music was a part of my life so early on that I don't really remember a time without it. It's been a 2nd language for me for almost as far as I can remember. Because of that, even when I otherwise may not have had much time for it, I've always made sure I made time for music because I can't imagine not doing so. I guess saying it wouldn't be possible isn't exactly accurate because you can start to learn music at any age. But, for me, I had so many experiences early on that led to future music experiences that eventually led to where I am today that it's difficult to imagine what I'd be like without any of that.

MMA: What, have you found, are the benefits of playing with an ensemble?

GM: Playing in an ensemble allows me to share my love of playing music with others.  There’s just something to being IN an orchestra and listening to the various other instruments while playing along that I can barely describe with words.

Gian will perform with the SLPO this weekend playing works by Mozart and Bruckner and the Beethoven Emperor Concerto. Click here to find out more about the SLPO.