Finally an In-Person Music  Studio Party!  Ye Saints be Praised!

It’s been a year since we had to close our in-person music studio due to Covid-19. Last March we took the studio online. We had thought that it would be temporary. We planned to have our in-person recital at the Community Church Barn, as we had for many years in May. But everyone in our state was in lockdown and the schools were shuttered closed. We ended up having our first-ever online video recital in May.

We had great participation from many of our families through the end of May and the video recital. However, as Summer approached- we had a mass exodus from our studio. Our numbers went from 75 students down to 25 online students. We didn’t despair because we had been secretly hoping to move back to the mountain town my husband had grown up in.

Now, that we were working remotely, we had our chance! We remodeled our house, packed up or sold or gave away a large number of our accumulated belongings, and we left for the mountains. We sold the house and started a hybrid music studio. We were away with the fairies. Permanently.

In September, we reopened our in-person studio half-time in the mountain town. We continued teaching online to our former students who wanted that instruction. I had hoped to have a Christmas recital, but it was much too soon. Then I hoped to have a Winter themed recital, but it was also too soon. I love doing fun events with my students, I’m itching to do something special for them, and St. Patrick’s Day is going to be the golden ticket! It’s soon enough!

The Musical Rainbow Emerging after the COVID 19 Storm

It’s March-a whole year later. This last year cost us an arm and a leg. But, we are still fighting. The mask mandate has been dropped in our state, and we currently have zero cases of Covid-19 in our town. I only have one family that still wants to me to wear a mask. We are feeling more blessed than lucky. It feels like the clouds are parting and a rainbow is emerging from this storm. I’m determined to have a small St. Patrick’s gathering for my in-person students just before we break for a week for Spring Break. This class is a bonus hour-long party at no cost to them. My goal is to create a  sense of community within the studio, and gently get them ready for our Spring recital in May.

Mixed Ages Music Studio Irish Party-Start the Jigs!

The party will be a mixed-ages class with Level One First Graders all the way up to my one College-age student. How will I integrate all the ages? I am strategically giving the older students jobs at the party and performance opportunities to share their talents with the youngers. I started learning how to play Celtic Harp this year, so I will play something simple (since that’s all I can do) and let the kiddos try it out a little. A Harp Petting Zoo!

For the younger students, I have written a St. Patrick’s Day mystery for them to solve involving a leprechaun trap and some song games. (If you would like to find out what the cat, kids, and the Irish Washer Woman discovered-  You can get this resource here. Everyone gets to wear green and share some treats. It’s going to fun.

When I have talked to the students about the party, their faces have lit up. Everyone is ready to have some merriment and shenanigans after the trying year we have all had. The preschool level students will have their own gathering at a different time so that I can give them more age-appropriate activities. That is my next lesson plan to write.

Here is the One-hour Golden Irish Music Party Class Schedule:

  • Preset: Leprechaun Trap  &  The Mystery of the Leprechaun Trap Powerpoint Slides
  • Group Dance Today is St. Patrick’s Day  Circle Dance with  Hand Drum Steady Beat
  • Start the Slides.
  • Examine the evidence of the Leprechaun Trap
  • Do the activities in the PowerPoint presentation.
  • Piano Students will Play the Irish Washerwoman keyboard duet by Carol Matz.  We will split into two groups and play it on multiple digital pianos with different sounds.
  • Student Performances of Irish Tunes by older students. The voice students will sing some traditional Irish Songs.
  • Harp Petting Zoo
  • Treats!

Does that seem like a tremendous amount of things to do in an hour? It is very ambitious. I hope to shock and awe in a good way. I’ll throw out anything we don’t actually have time for as we go… I’ll let you know how it turns out! For teachers that still need to teach music online– these slides could be shared in Zoom for a virtual party. I will probably scale it down for my online students in their private lessons that week.

Unless your area has a large number of Covid Cases and is in lockdown, have a small party with your students and be as happy as Larry. It is sure to be a soft old day. Find your musical rainbow, friends. Life is too short to stay locked up forever.