Stay in Tune this February!

 
​Mark your Calendars-
Spring Break 


Tuesday, Mar 16- Sunday, Mar 21

Check out the 2020-2021 School Calendar here!

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Student of the month:
Hector Kircher

Hector is a 12 years old student who started learning the violin about 5 months ago!

He comes from a very musical family and is highly motivated! We had a quick chat with him about his musical journey and his experience at CSM:

1-What inspired you to learn the violin?
Hector: "I got motivated when I saw my (younger) sister playing my composition in her cello recital. I wanted to start learning an instrument. My mother said, "Good to hear that you want to learn to play something as for the choice of instrument. Do you want to learn violin, or violin, or violin?" I chose the second option."

2-Tell us more about your lessons at CSM!
"I like it, especially because I have the option of taking 15-minute lessons. Traditional 30-minute lessons are a bit too long for me. I like my teacher (Ms.Julie) because she is very patient with me."

3- What's your favorite song?
"Wisdom of Huwani, composed by me. This is what I played in the last CSM recital too."

4-How does music influence your life?
"Composing music has given me lots of happiness. I first sing what sounds good to me. Then my mother puts instrumentations to my songs and makes them sound impressive. Those songs are then used in the movies that my parents make. By the way, "Huwani" in my answer to question 3 is a wise-looking alligator who says many silly wise-sounding phrases."

5-What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
"I like to compose music. But I spend most of my free time programming. I also like to make comics. I have made many stories with my sister."

We are very proud of Hector's accomplishments in music and we can't wait to hear his next compositions at our recitals!!

Watch Hector's video Below:

​Teacher of the Month: 
Mr.Robert Diaz (Guitar/Drum instructor)
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The Champaign School of Music is fortunate to have amazing instructors who work hard to help students accomplish their musical goals!

Mr.Robert started teaching for us last fall, and we loved watching his students perform on the CSM online recital!

Do you want to learn more about his story and how he got to be a musician? Check out the interview below:

1- When did you first start learning an instrument?

My first instrument was actually the piano! Mrs. Coutts was my first music teacher back when I was 8 years old. From there, I started teaching myself guitar around the age of 11 or 12. The first two songs I learned were "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana and "Chop Suey!" by System Of A Down. Around the same time, I started taking lessons at a local music store for drumset and percussion. The guitar and drums have been my main focus since then! 

2- What music genre/style do you enjoy the most?

My favorite music varies quite a bit. I've found music I love in genres, from hip-hop and R&B to punk rock and metal, to even softer styles like jazz, classical, and folk music! I love playing loud music on the drumset and quieter music on the acoustic guitar. It all just depends on what I'm in the mood for!

3- Teaching philosophy - please share with us a little bit of your teaching experience:

Seeing my students grow and appreciate their instrument makes teaching such a rewarding experience for me. I get excited to see my students excited! It's been a pleasure to help my students progress through their musical journeys, moving from the most basic chords and melodies to eventually learning challenging songs from the radio. They're the ones putting in the work - I'm just lucky to be a part of it! I am also so thankful for Daniele and Holly at the Champaign School of Music for providing such a supportive and fun learning environment for my students and me. 

4- Favorite things to do in your free time?

Before the pandemic hit, I enjoyed going out with friends to see live concerts and comedy shows. Lately, though, I've been catching up on some TV shows and movies that I'd meant to watch forever! Bob's Burgers has been my new favorite show, and I highly recommend the new Pixar movie, Soul! I've also spent a lot of my newfound free time playing with my cat, Bean, and unwinding with my favorite video games, Sims 4 and Rocket League!

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​There is still time to enroll for lessons! 

Something as simple as learning to play a song can change your life forever. You learn to believe that you can do anything!

It doesn't matter if you are a child or an adult; the sense of accomplishment is awesome.

For your convenience, we are offering in-person and online lessons!

Lessons at CSM are first come-first serve, so contact us today to arrange your lessons with us! Lessons are offered online or in-person!

Email us at champaignschoolofmusic@gmail.com or call
us at 217-359-0541!!

Click here for more information about our in-person lessons safety procedures.

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