iMA Newsletter Voted top 100 educators in the world by the International Biographical Centre Winner of the Consumers’ Choice Award for best music school in the GTA. Winner of the Royal Conservatory of Music Gold Medal for Teaching Excellence. Winner of the York Region Character Community Award. Markham Board of Trade Business Excellence Award finalist. Year XX, No. 8 August 2016

 WELCOMING  OUR  NEW  STUDENTS    Shania  W.  (voice)  Naira  B  (piano)  Melanie  L.  (voice)  Richie  L.  (guitar)      

IMA  STUDENTS  BIRTHDAYS  IN  AUGUST   Aryan  I.,  Jasper  S.,  Ahaana  P.,  Giancarlo  M.,  Nicole  H.,  Ava  F.,  Mavrik  S.,  Jhanvi  T.,  Jack  W.,  Jiazhi  L.,  Grace  T.,  Leo  X.,  James  L.,  Arthur  T.,  Sara  C.,  Enaara  V.,  Georgie  Y.,  Ishaan  R.,  Angelina  W.,  Joy  W.,  Kaden  J.,  Vithushan  J.,  Angelique  E.,  John  C.,  Alena  P.,  Leala  C.,  Ria  K.,  Jackie  X.,  Kishan  B.,  Patricia  K.    

HAPPY  BIRTHDAY!      IMPORTANT  DAYS  IN  AUGUST  

 

August  5.  Toronto  Youth  Symphony  Orchestra  auditions          applications  deadline  

August  5-­‐6.  RCM  theory  examinations  August  8-­‐20.  RCM  practical  examinations    NEWS    IMA  OPENS  A  NEW  CAMPUS  50  Innovator  Rd.,  Stouffville  ON  L4A  0Y2  Tel.  905.640.6363    In  September,  the  International  Music  Academy  will  be  opening  a  new  campus  in  Stouffville.    The  new  state-­‐of-­‐the-­‐art  facility  will  offer  private  lessons  in  piano,  violin,  voice,  guitar,  flute,  clarinet,  saxophone,  French  horn,  Trombone,  Euphonium,  Tuba,  drums,  theory,  history,  harmony,  counterpoint,  orchestral  and  choir  conducting    In  addition,  the  school  will  offer  group  lessons  in  Suzuki  violin,  chamber  music  ensembles,  jazz  ensembles,  choir,  theory,  history,  harmony,  and  counterpoint.    The  IMA  –Stouffville  is  located  within  5  minutes  walking  distance  from  Oscar  Peterson  Public  School,  Stouffville  District  Secondary  

School,  St.  Brendan  Catholic  School,  and  Royal  Cachet  Montessori  School.  It  is  only  15  km  (10  min  drive)  north  of  the  International  Music  Academy  Markham  campus  and  10  km  east  from  HWY  404  (Stouffville  Rd  exit).      The  school  has  7  large  purpose-­‐built  studios;  each  studio  has  an  area  of  63  sq  ft  (9’  x  7’)  and  is  equipped  with  new  acoustic  upright  pianos.  One  additional  large  purpose-­‐built  studio  with  an  area  of  90  sq  ft  (9’  x  10’)  is  equipped  with  a  high-­‐end  drum  kit,  electronic  keyboard  and  recording  hardware.  Each  studio  has  a  TV  screen  with  an  Internet  connection,  surround  sound  system,  multi-­‐access  HDMI  ports,  music  stand  and  ergonomic  chairs.  Each  studio  is  also  wheelchair  accessible  and  is  acoustically  engineered  and  furnished  with  a  double  entrance  door  and  a  1’-­‐thick  partition  walls  packed  with  a  high-­‐density  sound-­‐proofing  material  .    Future  development  also  includes  a  100-­‐seat  recital  hall  with  a  grand  piano,  large  (10’  x  16’)  movie  screen,  3D  projector,  high  end  surround  sound  system,  blue-­‐ray  player,  dedicated  fiber-­‐optic  ultra-­‐high  speed  Internet  line  for  live  video  streaming.    The  reception  area  is  equipped  with  a  fireplace,  comfortable  leather  seats,  large  screen  TV,  complimentary  magazines,  and  a  WiFi;  a  fully-­‐equipped  kitchenette  with  complimentary  coffee,  tea  beverages  and  water  for  clients  and  staff    There  is  plenty  of  free  public  parking  and  like  its  Markham  counterpart,  the  school  will  be  open  7  days  a  week.    

             

International Music Academy

4981 Highway 7, Suite 1

Markham ON L3R 1N1 Canada M1K 3K1

Phone: 905.489.4620 Fax: 905.489.4621

www.internationalmusicacademy.ca info@internationalmusicacademy.ca

GET  A  $30  CREDIT  ON  YOUR  NEXT  MONTH  TUITION    We  have  been  very  pleased  with  the  continued  success  of  our  students.  They  have  improved  a  great  deal  and  we  share  their  excitement  with  their  families,  friends,  neighbors,  and  schoolmates.  We  appreciate  your  interest  towards  our  programs  and  services.  We  are  always  very  happy  to  welcome  new  students  of  all  ages,  levels,  and  instruments  to  the  iMA.  Please  tell  your  friends  about  your  experience  with  the  International  Music  Academy.      Do  you  know  someone  who  is  thinking  of  taking  music  lessons  or  who  has  children  who  may  be  interested  in  getting  their  hands  on  a  musical  instrument  or  singing?  Do  you  know  a  teenager  who  needs  a  high  school  OAC  credit?  Do  you  know  an  adult  who  has  wanted  for  a  long  time  to  learn  how  to  play  a  musical  instrument  but  has  never  had  the  time  or  inclination?  Please  tell  them  about  the  IMA.    As  an  appreciation  for  your  referral,  we  will  give  you  a  $30  credit  for  each  new  student  who  registers  at  the  International  Music  Academy  as  a  result  of  your  referral.  As  we  value  your  friends  as  much  as  we  value  you,  we  will  offer  to  each  referred  student  a  $30  credit  as  well.      

FOLLOW  US  ON      Stay  in  touch  and  follow  the  IMA  latest  news  on  Facebook.  Visit  https://www.facebook.com/International-­‐Music-­‐Academy-­‐33444769758/  and  become  a  friend  of  the  International  Music  Academy.      PERSONALIZED  IMA  GIFT  CARD    The  IMA  offers  personalized  Gift  Cards  that  could  be  used  as  thoughtful  birthday,  holiday,  bar/bat  Mitzvah,  graduation  gift  or  for  any  other  occasions  as  well  as  to  encourage  someone  to  start  learning  a  musical  instrument  or  singing.  The  card  can  be  used  for  any  products  or  services.      

The  gift  card  is  available  for  any  amount.  As  cards  are  personalized  with  the  name  of  the  person  who  will  receive  it  as  well  as  with  the  name  of  the  person  who  purchase  it,  requests  have  to  be  made  1  day  

in  advance.  Cards  can  be  ordered  in  person,  by  phone  at  905.489.4620  or  by  e-­‐mail  at  info@InternationalMusicAcademy.ca.  At  the  time  the  card  is  ordered,  a  non-­‐refundable  $5  deposit  is  required.  The  full  value  of  the  card  is  paid  upon  pick-­‐up  (and  the  deposit  is  credited  towards  the  purchase  price).  Payments  can  be  made  by  any  major  credit  card,  cheque  or  cash  as  well  as  through  the  accounts  of  the  IMA  Clients.  

 COMPOSERS’  ANNIVERSARIES  IN  AUGUST  

 2/08/1945   Mascagni  died  8/08/1975   Shostakovich  died  09/08/1919   Leoncavallo  died  10/08/1928   Janacek  died  12/08/1992   John  Cage  died  13/08/1912   Massenet  died  22/08/1928   Stockhausen  was  born  22/08/1862   Debussy  was  born  25/08/1918   Bernstein  was  born  26/08/1958   Vaughan  Williams  died  28/08/1959   Martinu  died    Where  you  born  or  do  you  know  someone  who  was  born  on  the  same  day  as  these  famous  composers?  Drop  us  e-­‐mail  at  info@InternationalMusicAcademy.ca  to  let  us  know.     FEATURED  TEACHER  OF  THE  MONTH    

Suzanne  Marfise,  M.Mus.,  B.Mus.    Piano  Studies,  Music  Theory  

Ms.  Suzanne  Marfise  has  graduated  with  honours  from  the  University  of  Toronto,  after  earning  an  ARCT  in  piano  performance  and  music  theory  from  the  Royal  Conservatory  of  Music.  She  has  taught  piano  and  theory  in  the  Greater  Chicagoland  in  the  Illinois  (USA)  where  she  was  also  an  Accredited  member  of  the  Chicago  North  Shore  Music  Teacher's  Association.  After  moving  to  Toronto  in  2004,  Ms.  

Marfise  has  established  herself  as  an  expert  in  teaching  piano  to  all  ages.  She  strives  to  develop  and  interpret  teaching  concepts  as  required,  in  order  to  maintain  the  student's  interest  while,  at  the  same  time,  keeping  the  required  curriculum  at  the  forefront.  She  has  taught  piano  of  different  genres  including,  classical,  jazz,  blues  and  pop/Broadway,  as  well  as  music  history,  harmony,  and  voice.  She  provides  a  well-­‐balanced  learning  experience  that  focuses  on  building  strong  technical  background  and  flourishing  self-­‐expression.  Her  students  are  consistently  prepared  to  graduate  with  1st  Class  Honours  and  Honours  with  Distinction  from  the  Royal  Conservatory  of  Music,  from  the  early  beginners  to  the  Associates  of  the  RCM  (ARCT).  

Mrs.  Marfise  was  happy  to  answer  a  few  questions  for  our  students  and  parents:      1.  What  do  you  like  most  about  teaching?  Teaching  is  exploring  the  true  inner  values  of  the  student,  as  well  as  sharing  in  valuable  

times  together  learning  through  a  window  of  colour  and  being  inspired.    It's  a  wonderful  and  exciting  experience  as  an  instructor  to  help  the  student  set  long  and  short-­‐term  goals,  while  flourishing  in  areas  of  creativity,  critical  thinking  and  self-­‐discovery.    I  enjoy  helping  students  to  learn  and  understand  their  most  complex  of  tasks  by  communicating  very  clearly  on  the  different  ways  of  learning  and  believe  we  all  learn  from  different  angles  according  to  ones  personality.    When  we  share  and  observe  growth  expansion  together,  my  students  experience  excellence  and  joy  in  class,  thus  driving  a  more  upward  spiral  that  won't  quit.    2.  How  do  you  inspire  students  to  practice  more?  As  a  role  model  and  instructor,  it's  valuable  to  develop  a  great  relationship  with  my  students.    This  naturally  puts  them  in  a  position  in  wanting  to  please  such  as  a  more  desired  feeling  about  practicing.    A  very  important  point  I  will  say  here  is,  teach  the  student  how  to  practice.    I  go  through  teaching  a  piece  the  same  way  that  I  would  expect  them  to  practice.    Duplication  of  the  minds.    It's  quite  specific  with  each  and  every  student.    Offer  to  them  a  piece  to  practise  ..of  choice..  as  long  as  all  other  materials  are  practiced  as  expected.  I  truly  believe  in  the  reward  system,  as  it's  human  nature  to  feel  you  are  the  best  and  on  top  of  things.    I  offer  the  point  system  and  stickers,  which  initiates  the  student  to  excel  in  practice  time  and  build  solid  habits.    Another  motive  that  I  truly  find  challenges  the  student  are  practice  logs,  given  to  them  either  on  a  weekly  or  monthly  basis.    This  is  an  inspiration  in  keeping  track  of  their  progress,  plus  it's  brought  to  class  each  week,  usually  with  confidence.    A  reward  is  in  place.  Music  students  have  great  imaginations,  so  why  not  put  it  to  good  use  by  preparing  there  own  little  composition  or  write  a  musical  story  each  week.    More  pats  on  the  back!    3.  What  roles  does  performance  play  in  student’s  development?  When  the  student  performs,  it's  a  great  opportunity  for  them  to  be  noticed  by  as  many  people  as  possible.  After  all,  we  have  studied  our  pieces  so  much  and  are  so  proud  of  our  accomplishments  and  limitations.    This  is  an  opportunity  to  be  appreciated  by  friends  and  family.    Given  to  their  success,  confidence  now  leads  the  way  from  that  final  applause.    4.  Who  are  your  favourite  composers?    J.S.  Bach,  J.  Brahms,  Christopher  Norton,  Claude  Debussy  and  Elton  John.  Each  composer  is  quite  different  and  lends  itself  to  interesting  colours  and  depths  of  listening,  playing  and  learning.    5.  What  was  the  last  piece  of  music  (sheet  music  or  a  recording)  you  purchased  for  yourself?    It  is  called  "Jeux  d'eau"  (Water  Games),  by  Maurice  Ravel,  known  as  "Fountains",  describing  a  scene  of  water  games.    It  was  introduced  in  the  mid  16th  c.    It  was  composed  in  the  form  of  a  joke,  as  the  Italian  water  garden  jets  would  turn  on  suddenly.  By  playing  this  composition,  it  hinges  onto  this  surf  of  water  using  colourful  chords,  arpeggios  and  cadenzi  on  the  very  high  notes.    I  love  the  sound  and  the  feeling  of  water  moving,  through  the  progressing  trail  of  harmonic  passages.            

FEATURED  STUDENTS  OF  THE  MONTH     Daniel  Garabedian  Matteus  Garabedian  

 What  instrument  do  you  play?    Daniel:  I  play  the  piano.  Matteus:  I  play  the  piano.    How  long  have  you  taken  lessons?    Daniel:  I  have  been  taking  lessons  at  the  International  Music  Academy  for  almost  4  years.  Matteus:  I  have  been  taking  lessons  at  the  International  Music  Academy  for  about  3  years.    Who  are  your  favourite  musical  artists?    Daniel:  My  favourite  music  artists  are  Michael  Jackson  and  Justin  Timberlake.  Matteus:  My  favourite  music  artists  are  Michael  Jackson  and  Bruno  Mars.    What  are  your  other  hobbies,  besides  music?    Daniel:  In  my  spare  time,  my  other  hobbies  include  playing  chess  and  

participating  in  a  variety  of  sports  especially  basketball  and  soccer.  Matteus:  Besides  Music,  my  other  hobbies  include  building  structures  out  of  Lego  and  swimming.    Favorite  food?    Daniel:  My  favorite  food  is  a  good  hamburger!  Matteus:  My  favorite  food  is  definitely  spaghetti!    What  is  the  coolest  thing  you’ve  learnt  in  your  lessons  in  the  past  three  months?    Daniel:  The  coolest  thing  I’ve  recently  learned  in  my  lessons  is  how  to  play  scales.  Matteus:  One  of  the  coolest  thing  I’ve  recently    learned  in  my  lessons  is  learning  to  play  chords  and  have  now  started  to  play  music  I  hear  on  the  radio  by  ear.    Do  you  have  any  performance  coming  up?  Daniel  and  Matteus:    We  don’t  have  any  performances  coming  up  but  we  recently  participated  in  the  academy’s  summer  concert  and  performed  at  our  school’s  talent  show  impressing  our  family  and  friends.    E-­‐mail  to  info@InternationalMusicAcademy.ca  a  photo  of  yourself  (or  your  child)  together  with  the  answers  of  the  questions  above.  The  deadline  for  submissions  is  the  15th  of  every  month.  We  will  feature  you  in  one  of  the  next  issues  of  the  newsletter.    

PET  OF  THE  MONTH    Send  a  photo  of  your  pet  together  with  following  information  and  we  will  publish  it  in  one  of  the  next  issues  of  the  IMA  newsletter.  What  is  the  name  of  your  pet?  How  old  is  he/she?  What  kind  of  breed  our  pet  is  (if  applicable)?  How  long  have  you  had  him/her  for?  Any  special  circumstances  around  getting  the  pet  (i.e.  a  gift,  foster  pet,  etc.)?  The  funniest  story  about  you  pet?  Any  special  skills  or  abilities.    FEATURED  ARTICLE    

   Study  after  study  proves  that  regardless  of  socioeconomic  background,  music-­‐  making  students  do  better  in  school  than  those  who  have  no  music  involvement.  Whether  it  is  improved  spatial-­‐temporal  reasoning,  which  is  integral  to  math,  or  repetition  of  tunes  and  melodies,  which  is  integral  to  verbal  memory,  learning,  playing  and  creating  music  benefits  children  in  a  myriad  of  ways.    A  comprehensive  series  of  skill  tests  run  on  5,154  fifth-­‐graders  found  that  kids  who  were  learning  to  play  an  instrument  received  higher  marks  than  their  classmates  who  were  not.  The  longer  the  children  had  been  in  the  instrumental  programs,  the  higher  they  scored.  (The  American  Music  Conference)    Regardless  of  socioeconomic  background,  according  to  a  ten-­‐year  study  that  tracked  more  than  25,000  students,  music-­‐making  students  get  higher  marks  on  standardized  tests  than  those  who  have  no  music  involvement.  (Catterall,  2002)    The  College  Entrance  Examination  board  found  that  students  in  music  programs  scored  63  points  higher  on  the  verbal  and  44  points  higher  on  the  math  sections  of  the  SATs  than  students  with  no  music  participation.  ("College  Bound  Seniors  National  Report  Profile  of  SAT  Program  Test  Takers,"  Princeton,  NJ:  The  College  Entrance  Examination  Board,  2001)    U.S.  Department  of  Education  data  showed  that  students  involved  in  band  or  orchestra  during  their  middle  and  high  school  years  demonstrated  significantly  higher  levels  of  math  proficiency  by  grade  twelve.  The  results  were  even  more  pronounced  when  comparing  students  from  low-­‐income  families.  (Catterall,  1999)    A  year-­‐long  study  on  162  sixth-­‐graders  found  that  students  with  two  or  three  years  of  instrumental  musical  experience  performed  siginificantly  higher  on  a  standardized  test  exploring  reading  and  verbal  skills  than  the  students  with  no  instrumental  music  instruction.  (Butzlaff.  2000)    

A  study  using  six  to  fifteen  year-­‐old  boys  found  that  music  training  significantly  increased  verbal  memory.  And  as  expected,  the  longer  the  training,  the  better  the  verbal  memory.  (Ho,  Cheung,  &  Chan,  2003)    A  Columbia  University  study  revealed  that  students  in  the  arts  are  found  to  be  more  cooperative  with  teachers  and  peers,  more  self-­‐confident  and  better  able  to  express  their  ideas.  (Burton,  1999)    Students  who  participate  in  school  band  or  orchestra  have  the  lowest  levels  of  current  and  lifelong  use  of  alcohol,  tobacco,  and  illicit  drugs  among  any  group  in  our  society.  (U.S.  House  of  Representatives,  2000)    In  several  national  studies  over  the  past  decade,  students  at  risk  of  dropping  out  of  school  cite  participation  in  the  arts  as  their  reason  for  staying.  These  students  also  reported  watching  fewer  hours  of  television,  participating  more  in  community  service  and  having  less  feelings  of  boredom  in  school.  (Catterall,  2002)  

 To  comment  on  this  story  or  anything  else  you  have  read  in  the  Newsletter,  head  over  to  the  IMA  Facebook  page  or  message  us  on  Twitter.    

   

 

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