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THE MMW MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
"MUSIC MATTERS"
Music Makers is a place for imagination to flourish, students to learn, create, grow and most of all have fun creating moments that matter. We thank you for being a part of our special community!
 

A Note from the Directorsโ€”
We are excited to unveil our exciting Fall Session at Music Maker Workshops! Get ready to explore your creativity and passion for music, and make unforgettable memories.  
 
๐ŸŽถ Winter Spotify Original Series Album ๐ŸŽถ
Are you ready to be part of something extraordinary? This fall, starting in August we are embarking on an epic musical journey to create our first very Winter Spotify Original Series Album! Feature your very own original song.  Your compositions will be launched on the Winter album in December.  Reach a global audience, and who knows, you might just become the next breakout star!
 
๐ŸŽธ Fall Rock Band Session ๐ŸŽธ
Calling all rockers and music enthusiasts! Our Fall Rock Band Session is back and better than ever. Sign up for the Fall session to start August 13th. Be in the band and rock out to your favorite tunes.  
DIV I on Sunday Nights 
DIV II on Friday Nights 
Adult Band on Thursday Nights 
Our mentors will guide you through rehearsals, help you fine-tune your performances, and prepare you for an unforgettable live show at the end of the session. Get ready to feel the energy of the crowd as you take the stage!
 
๐ŸŽƒ Halloween Party at Wicked Featuring MMW Rock Bands ๐ŸŽƒ
The Rock Bands will help you get into the spooky spirit with our Halloween Party at Wicked on Oct 28th! Dress up in your most creative costumes and join us for a musical celebration like no other. Expect Halloween-themed songs, a spooktacular atmosphere, and Costume contests. It's going to be a wickedly good time!
 
๐ŸŽบ School Band and Orchestra Rental ๐ŸŽป
We are a Milano depot that has a wide selection of instruments available. Pick-up is conveniently at the studio.  Let us help you shine in your school's band or orchestra.
 
๐ŸŒต Arizona Study Program ๐ŸŒต
Are you interested in having your child participate in The Arizona Study Program (ASP) for piano in 2023-2024?
Who:  Dr. Kuo & Dr. Kim will be taking students who fulfill the requirements of the study program.
 
Requirements for AZ Study:
Students attend 1 hour weekly lessons.
Purchase & Complete the
AZ Study Workbook for Theory
Attend Quarterly Masterclasses (4 per year) to review Technique & Theory
 
๐Ÿ“ฃ Team Updates ๐Ÿ“ฃ
Our beloved office manager, Ms. Jessica will be moving up to Flagstaff on August 11th since her husband is now a dentist there. While we'll miss her dearly, we wish her all the best in her new adventure.
Ms. Jasmine Moore: Join us in welcoming Ms. Jasmine Moore as our new Client and Facility Coordinator. With her expertise and enthusiasm, she'll ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for all our students and visitors.
Ms. Cindy Weir: We are delighted to have Ms. Cindy Weir as our new Faculty Coordinator. Her passion for music education will inspire and support our incredible team of instructors.
Ms. Jessica Magee: With her creativity and attention to detail, we are glad Jess can still help us remotely as our Marketing and Events Coordinator.
 
Warm regards,
 
Kim Steedman & Shelley Yakubow 
 
 
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STUDENTS OF THE MONTH
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Composer Corner
Do you share a birthday with a famous composer?
 
August 5thโ€” Guillaume Du Fay (1397-1474): Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance era. He is considered one of the greatest composers of his time, and among the first musicians to make a living solely as a composer. He wrote both sacred and secular music including masses, motets, chansons (songs), rondeaux, ballades, hymns, and more. Due to his affiliation with the Cathedral of Cambrai (France) his biography and works were documented more than any other 15th century musician.
 
August 8thโ€” William Henry Squire (1871-1963): British cellist and composer who popularized the instrument by giving public performances in the 19th and 20th century. His compositions for the cello are still included in student repertoire and widely performed to this day. In addition to cello solo pieces, he composed a number of orchestral works, piano pieces, and songs. W. H. Squire served as a professor at the Royal College of Music in London, was a prominent chamber musician, soloist, and member of the London Symphony Orchestra.
 
August 10thโ€” Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936): Composer, conductor, and director of the
famed St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia. His compositional talent was discovered when he was only 11 years old. It earned him an opportunity to study with some of the greatest Russian composers of all timeโ€” Balakirev and Rimsky-Korsakov, who even premiered and conducted Glazunovโ€™s work. (Glazunov was only 16 at the time.) Glazunov gained international success during his lifetime, and is remembered as one of the leading Russian composers of his era.
 
August 14thโ€” Pierre Schaeffer (1910-1995): founder of Groupe de Recherche de Musique
Concrรจte (GRMC), and pioneer of โ€œmusique concreteโ€ (โ€œconcrete musicโ€ or โ€œreal musicโ€โ€”
original music mixed with recorded sounds). Schaeffer is a French composer and musicologist and one of the key figures of electronic, experimental, and avant garde music. He further developed the techniques of tape looping, tape splicing, and sound collage, while incorporating them into music. He was a profound influence on generations of other avant garde composers of the 20th century.
 
August 18thโ€” Antonio Salieri (1750-1825): Italian composer and teacher remembered for his contributions to the development of operas during the Classical period. Student of C.W Gluck, Salieri wrote operas in three languages and was considered the leading expert in the field. He achieved international fame for his operatic works, with performances and patrons from the highest courts and nobility of Europe. His music experienced a revival in the 20th century, in part due to the play Amadeus (1979) which dramatized his relationship with Mozart and suggested that Salieri may have poisoned Mozart. Historical analysis reveals no credible evidence of these claims, and instead suggests that the two composers were friendly, as Salieri was a teacher to Mozartโ€™s son, Franz Xavier Wolfgang Mozart.
 
August 19thโ€” George Enescu (1881-1955): Romanian prodigy, violinist, composer, and
conductor. He began composing at the age of five, and became a student at the Vienna
conservatory at the age of 7โ€” the youngest in history! He toured across Europe and the United states performing and conducting. Many of his compositions are inspired by, or incorporate Romanian folk music. Pablo Casals (cellist) described him as โ€œthe greatest musical phenomenon since Mozart.โ€ Enescuโ€™s music remains popular and widely performed to this day.
 
August 21stโ€” Count Basie (1904-1984): William James โ€œCountโ€ Basie was an American jazz pianist, composer and bandleader. He had a long and prolific career with his band, the Count Basie Orchestra, and influenced generations of future jazz musicians. His band was famous for being creative and innovative in its use of two tenor saxophone players, and an active rhythm section. Before starting his band, Count Basie toured and collaborated with many other famous musicians including Louis Armstrong. Count Basie is remembered as one of the most influential American jazz artists of all time, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as well as an asteroid named after him.
 
August 22ndโ€” Claude Debussy (1862-1918): One of the most influential French composers of the Romantic era. Debussy attended the Paris Conservatory of music at the age of 10, where he studied piano and composition. As a student, Debussy was known to go against the โ€œtraditionalโ€ compositional techniques, to the annoyance of his professors, yet despite this, he still won the most prestigious music award at the timeโ€” the Prix de Rome, in 1884. Debussyโ€™s vast collection of compositions, many of which are influenced by the Impressionist art movement, remain a staple of the musical repertoire and some of the most frequently performed works to this day.
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August 25thโ€” Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990): American-born composer, conductor, pianist,
and teacher. While his contributions to music are significant, he is often remembered as the
conductor and director of the New York Philharmonic. A recipient of many awards (Emmy, Tony, Grammy, etc.), he achieved international fame as a conductor and director of some of the most prestigious symphonies around the world. Bernstein died 5 days after announcing his retirement from conducting.
 
August 29thโ€” Charlie Parker (1920-1955): American jazz composer, bandleader and alto
saxophonist. Parker was a key figure in the bebop style of jazz, and a virtuoso on his instrument. His compositions made use of interpolation and contrafact, which is the practice of creating a new musical work from an already existing work. The new composition may feature borrowed chords, harmonies, or notes and combine them in new ways. Parkerโ€™s most famous example of contrafact is โ€œKokoโ€ which is based on chords from โ€œCherokeeโ€ by Ray Noble. This practice became a standard among bebop artists. Parker was know as โ€œBirdโ€ or โ€œYardbirdโ€ in the jazz circles, and is considered one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time.
 
 

 
Upcoming Events
August 1st: Registration Opens for the Winter Spotify Album 
Practice Challenge: Barbie vs. Mario - Create your own song!
August 13 & 18th:  Fall Rock Band Session Starts 
September 4th: Labor Day, Studio Closed
September 29th:  Annual Kids Music Day, Bring a Friend to Lessons
October 1-8th: Fall Break, Studio Closed 
October 28th:  Halloween Party at Wicked Featuring MMW โ€˜Rock Bandsโ€™
 
Visit MMWaz.com for details

 
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Make it a musical day!
 
The MMW Team
 
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