I love music and singing because it relaxes me. Music makes me feel free, calm, and happy. Since I was a baby, I loved to sing! Also, music has become a very important part of my life. Best of all was joining Orpheus Academy of music and having the best singing teachers in the world! ( Ms. Chelsea and Ms. Jessica)! Thank you Orpheus Academy for helping me to achieve my goals! -Jena

I chose Jena for Student of the Month because of her infectiously positive attitude and eagerness to learn and make music.  She brings so much energy and enthusiasm to all her lessons and performances! Jena is incredibly open to feedback, always excited to try new challenges, and never shies away from putting in hard work!  It is such a delight to work with Jena - thank you for sharing your voice! -Ms. Chelsea
​

I love music—it makes me happy and I enjoy stretching my voice and learning new songs! -Krishna

I am thrilled to nominate Krishna for Student of the Month! Krishna comes to every lesson very well prepared and eager to jump right in. She brings a tremendous amount of energy and focus, and she takes great initiative in spotting areas where she'd like to make improvements and practices those areas thoughtfully. As a result, she has already grown so much in our short time together! You should be very proud of the work you are doing, Krishna! Thank you for sharing your voice with the Orpheus community. 
​-Ms. Chelsea​

Jesse: Pieter, how long have you been playing the guitar?

Pieter: At least three years. 


Jesse: What’s your favorite part of playing music?

Pieter: I suppose it’s performing.

​Jesse: Does it make you feel a certain way, or do you like preparing for a big special event?

Pieter: I suppose I like showing off.

Jesse: Fair enough. You acquire a skill, you want people to see you show that skill off, so I understand that completely.


Jesse: What is your favorite kind of music to play?

Pieter: Music that I’ve played over and over and over again. Because it’s really easy for me to play.

Jesse: Yeah! Well so that means just about any style of music is fun for you to play once you feel comfortable, confident playing it?

Pieter: Yeah.


Jesse: What first made you interested in composing music?

​Pieter: I suppose it was just… I was shown it one time and I wanted to try it. I was shown a tool to make music and I suppose I just liked it.


Jesse: ​Is there a particular style of music or instrumentation or instrument you like composing for?

Pieter: Well, I generally compose pieces that have multiple different instruments in them actually.

Jesse: Yeah, what is it you like about that?

Pieter: Seeing how they might fit together, I suppose.

Jesse: Why do you like composing your own original music?

Pieter: I suppose it’s art!


​Jesse: How do you come up with your new ideas for composition? Or maybe to phrase it in the way you just stated, how do you come up with the ideas for your art?

Pieter: I just throw stuff together!

Jesse: Can you think of any other artists in any idiom, like painting, visual, that do the same thing?

Pieter: Yeah! Just, the flicking of a brush onto a canvas. Or maybe just a jumble of ideas like… just cutting up pictures, like a collage.

Jesse: So how do you discern, like what is worth keeping when you have this idea of just like flicking or just putting notes down? What makes that process advance to the next level? How do you then from that moment go, “Oh I like that flick of notes!” Like what differentiates from one flick to another flick in your mind?

Pieter: I suppose it’s just personal preference of the notes.


Jesse: And then more specifically, what kind of software do you use? What’s the platform that you use?

Pieter: Noteflight. 

Jesse: What’s the most difficult part of working with the software?

Pieter: I suppose the fact that the notes aren’t completely accurate to what they would actually sound like.

Jesse: So like the instrument playback?

Pieter: Uh-huh.

Jesse: Yeah I agree, that’s so frustrating when you have this idea in your head of what it’s going to sound like, and then you press play and all of the sudden it’s like, “Ew. No, that’s not at all what the guitar sounds like.” So yeah, that is a pretty difficult part of the software usage.


Jesse: What is the most difficult part of composing for you?

Pieter: Honestly? Naming.

Jesse: Naming? Ah, interesting. I suppose that makes sense because your whole approach first is just to kind of experiment, and then after–

​Pieter: Yeah, my whole approach is: make the music! Um… Huh. Now what do I name it? What does it sound like?​


Jesse: ​Does composing help you learn or think about music in different ways?

Pieter: Well, yes!

Jesse: Well certainly I imagine, coming from your three years of guitar playing experience, you have been told what to play and you experience what to play through listening and through movement and through watching notes and pictures. Now you actually get to create that sound just by writing it down first. So you’re kind of experiencing music completely backwards from how you were taught it.

Pieter: Like everyone who has composed can think about music differently. You have to think about it differently from playing and composing.

Jesse: David, have you noticed a change in Pieter’s approach to music since he started creating his own original compositions?

David: Yes, in that he has spent some extra time thinking about his compositions versus just playing songs that he’s learning along the way. I think he’s also been willing to dig in and try to learn some new things in playing his compositions. Whereas before I think–  particularly given just a kind of a challenging song that he might not be able to get through, and to try to do it sight-reading… You know, he would have just, “No.”

And I think that he can play it on the composing software, then he’s willing to kind of just dive in and see, “I wonder what we can do on the guitar.”

Jesse: That is a pretty cool element of it, and I do see in his development, that when he begins to see music he can also have an inner ear and an inner idea of what that music sounds like. And that will certainly help in the future when he’s exposed to new, more challenging music. Although the fingers might not be able to do it, the eyes and the inner ear can understand pretty much what it’s going to sound like. I have noticed the same thing and it’s been pretty exciting. I have thought that was a new motivating factor, he can create the sound but then he can instantly get feedback with what it actually sounds like.


​Jesse: Does Pieter share his compositions with you?

David: He has. Not all of them, but yeah. And we have a weekly Zoom call with my family and we’ve been able to share the screen and play his compositions for them. And he’s much faster to do that than he has been to be willing to get on camera and play his guitar for us, although he’ll still do that every now and again too, but he was really keen to share his compositions.


​Jesse: Pieter, can you tell us about some of your compositions? Is there one that you’re particularly proud of?

Pieter: “The Streaking Fish.”


Jesse: ​David, are there any in particular that you enjoy or that he enjoys playing for you?

David: Yeah, we’ve been mostly thinking about “The Streaking Fish.” It’s been interesting to hear him try to play different pieces of it, because again, it’s very different than when the whole thing is kind of put together. It is very reminiscent– you know one of the things that Pieter really likes, as a lot kids do, he likes video games. But one thing he likes as well, is he really likes a lot of the little soundtracks. He, before, was always playing little loops and little pieces that were background music from some particular game. I am reminded of that with some of his compositions.

Jesse: Now that you say that, I do get a sense of like, Zelda. You know listening to it, it does sound like playing The Legend of Zelda when you hear it. 

David: Yeah. And I’ve been more interested to listen to his composition, than to listen to lots of video game snippets too, so [laughs].

Jesse: Maybe he’s training you to enjoy that.

David: Mm-hmm [laughs].

Jesse: Are there any specific struggles or challenges Pieter has faced in his Musical Journey? And how do you help Pieter through those?

David: I think the biggest is just kind of diving into practice. And, you know, he loves to be able to execute songs well. And he’s frustrated if he can’t. And he hasn’t quite made the connection that it’s the practice that actually gets him over the barrier, then it’s easy and just flows and goes. But again, I don’t know that that’s different than a lot of folks starting out. And I think Pieter’s really at a place where he’ll start to be able to play his own music and either his own music or music of his own choosing in some way, and then I just think that’s a real tipping point to where you want to hear how it sounds or you want to play something familiar to you. And then you’re willing to dive in and see if you can really get it to go. The other thing I’ve wondered too is whether he might want to explore playing keyboard or piano or something. I think his interest in music– he has a stronger interest in music than say in guitar, which I had not anticipated when he started learning guitar that actually what he would do is learn music.

Jesse: Hmm. That’s so funny that you say that.

David: I think it’s from my own experience... I mean I learned some music playing– I’m a poor piano player and I’m a really terrible saxophone player. And I learned a little bit of music when I learned piano. But it was always very technical and it was always about actually making the instrument do something, versus really learning a lot about the ideas behind music, and you know, I noticed that right when Pieter started. I had asked Pieter what he’d had to do at his lesson and he said, “Well we sang a song.” And I’m like, ”You were singing? Like this is a guitar lesson man.” And he was like, “No, that’s how I’m learning.” And it’s like, “Oh yeah, you are just learning music, and guitar happens to come along as something that you’re going to learn how to play.”

But you know what I wonder now is, especially with the composition pieces, would he enjoy learning to play piano or keyboard, where he could start to do other things.

Jesse: Well I’m sorry about your other music education as a child. Sorry we weren’t there [laughs].

David: [laughs] Yeah!

Jesse: I had the same experience as you, I’m like, “Well why wasn’t I taught music this way?” I would be more confident in singing in front of people, for one thing. But, you know, that is our job. When we discover a better way to do something, we share that with our kids, our next generation, and they learn to do it even better than us hopefully.

David: Yeah.

Jesse: As long as that’s what we’re seeing through the experience of our children, then I think we’re doing it right.

David: Absolutely, we really like it and you know, Pieter– obviously it’s been a great part of all that he’s doing now. And I think it’s something that he enjoys and ironically of course the composition piece is a good mix of music and still getting to mess around on the computer, so there’s a little extra bonus there in terms of motivation. But actually I thought he might be more interested in the just kind of playing around on the computer aspect, but when he’s doing his work kind of composing it’s not to sneak time on the computer or something like that, he really wants to.

Jesse: Oh yeah, he’s very serious. I’ve noticed that too. I can’t even really make a recommendation without him testing it and then simply saying, “No, that doesn’t work.” [laughs]​


Jesse: ​Pieter, what would your advice be for others interested in composing music?

Pieter: I suppose just try different things.

​“Amelia found music classes during a world wide pandemic and instantly became a fan. She thinks that the sound of  guitar and songs can make people feel happy and peaceful and she’s all for it. She also thinks playing guitar is just the coolest thing ever. She can’t wait for her classes with Mr. Wyatt and Ms. Jessica because she can learn more cool stuff, for an example she didn’t even know that people can actually read music! Being able to play guitar also makes Amelia feel very confident. She believes that everyone should learn how to play guitar.” -Amelia

​"Amelia comes to class ready to make and share music every week.  She has a smile ready for everyone in class. If one of her fellow classmates is struggling with a concept, she is their best cheerleader.  Amelia works hard on the concepts and the songs we are playing in class.  She is always ready to take the lead and play whatever song we’re working on.  Her enthusiasm at each activity radiates even through Zoom.  She is a delight to work with each week." -Ms. Jessica
​

“I feel happy when I play piano!” 
-Ethan

"Ethan is a joy to have in class! I perceive that he is an attentive listener and an avid learner. He often volunteers to perform excerpts of our ensemble songs, and I can hear improvement and musicality from week to week. He contributes to class activities with respect and accuracy that show me that he is learning and thriving. I look forward to seeing him grow as a musician!" 
-Ms. Megan

Kathy and Steve have been part of our community for over 17 years, with all seven of their children having taken lessons at Orpheus Academy!

While Kathy and Steve aren’t musicians themselves, they've been able to encourage their children’s musical development and provide unique forms of motivation. We spoke with Kathy and her youngest son, Nicholas, about how their family supports one another.

Kathy, considering you don’t play music yourself, what originally motivated you to get your children involved in learning music?

​I always wanted to learn to play music but never had the opportunity while growing up. I don’t even know how to read music.

​Many years ago, my sister-in-law suggested that it would be good for my son, who was five at the time, to take piano lessons. I jumped on the suggestion for several reasons. One being that my son enjoyed playing on our small keyboard and seemed to have an ear for music. Also, I wanted all my children to have the opportunity to learn how to play an instrument and read music since I never had the chance.

​
Nicholas, what motivated you to start learning and playing music? Were you inspired by your siblings?

I was motivated to start learning and playing music because all my older siblings before me played music and it seemed really fun. I also listened to music a lot.
​

Kathy, how many kids do you have and how old are they? Do they all still play music? Which instruments do they play?
​
I have seven children—ages 28, 25, 24, 22, 19, 16 and 12. They all took lessons from Wendy or another teacher at Orpheus Academy. In fact, my oldest children started with Wendy several years before she and Klondike started Orpheus Academy of Music. My kids really liked her (as well as my husband and me) so we decided to continue with her as their teacher and just make the drive to Far West Blvd when Orpheus Academy of Music opened.

My oldest children took piano lessons but when it came time for my now 22 year old son to take lessons, Wendy asked him if he wanted to try another instrument. He was super excited about the idea and chose to take classical guitar lessons. My 19 year old daughter chose to take violin lessons and the youngest two wanted to learn to play the piano.

​All of my children started lessons at either age 4 or 5 (most at 5) and all continued until the end of their freshman, sophomore or during their junior year of high school. Several of my kids still like to play. My oldest child still plays a lot and every time he comes over to our house, he’ll play a number of songs. Some of my other children play occasionally. My 19 year old daughter plays the violin at church with a college group and occasionally just for fun. She was able to apply her musical knowledge to the ukulele and easily learned how to play it. My 16 year old daughter plays the piano a lot and joined her high school symphony ensemble. The youngest is still taking piano lessons at Orpheus.


​Nicholas, how have your siblings supported you in your musical journey?
​
My siblings have supported me in my musical journey by providing me an example in which I should strive to reach.


Kathy, how do you support each of your kids’ individual musical journeys? Do they require different approaches?

​I try to support my kids’ musical journeys by encouraging them, actively listening to their practice and praising their efforts and improvements. I had to support my children sometimes in different ways and with varied approaches. They all, at times, didn’t want to practice or felt like giving up 'cause it was too hard or that they were tired of it. That’s when I realized that I needed to be more attentive and involved with their practice, especially in their younger years.

​With some of them, I asked them to show me how to play a piece or to teach me notes. When a child realizes they’re smarter in some areas than their mom, a sense of pride seems to take over and he/she wants to learn more. Actively watching and praising their progress is a huge motivator.

Nicholas, do you apply what you learn in music lessons to other parts of your life?

My lessons translate to my life by teaching me to have a routine and stick to it.

​
Kathy, what have you learned through the process of helping your children learn music?
​
I have learned through the process of helping my children learn music that I must be patient with them. Like all of us, we have good days and bad, days when we’re lazy and days when we’re fired up to learn. Music lessons have taught me to be more patient, more encouraging and also how to direct and motivate my children in music lessons as well as life.

​I truly enjoy hearing the music my kids play and I let them know that. It really is a big motivator and gives them a sense of pride and accomplishment.
​

I really love my musicianship class - every time the class ends, I realize how much fun I had. I love the games we play and how you learn music with them. Ms Ruth always gives us second chances on our homework and teaches us again if we don’t understand.
-Lyla

Lyla is always attentive, well-behaved and well-prepared for class.  She participates in class activities with enthusiasm and musical skill. Also, Lyla always goes the extra mile for video recording projects, with great attention to detail. Lyla is a pleasure to have in class!
-Ms. Ruth

Using music to redeem a social condition and leave the world a bit better is profoundly meaningful to me. I especially love composing music and expressing my heart’s feelings to bring social connections to my audience. Giving classical guitar concerts for nursing homes, I saw how music boosted the moods of elders by linking our souls and communicating profound feelings we couldn’t verbalize. I am very thankful to be part of the Orpheus community to do social good through music. My teacher, Dr. Klondike Steadman, has been particularly influential on my growth not only as a musician but also as a human being, as he has emphasized many times that “music is a form of social bonding, a gift we give not only ourselves, but also the world.” Over the past 12 years, he has inspired me to develop as a complete guitarist—excelling in technique, music theory, composition, heartfelt expression—and to share music with global communities. I will remain forever grateful to him and the Orpheus community for enabling me to experience life more deeply and spreading the gift of music to society.
-Aylin

Aylin has been a guitar student at Orpheus for twelve years, and during that time she has participated in private lessons, group musicianship, honors guitar quartet and trio, guitar ensemble, dozens of summer camps and so much more.  
But it was the arrival of our greatest challenge as a music school this past March that brought out the best in Aylin. Completely on her own, she came up with several powerful ideas that have become central to our mission at Orpheus during this pandemic. Aylin wrote to me and said, “I know that Orpheus values giving the gift of music to the community. Especially during this stressful time, I think retirement homes, for example, might need us most." And, since my entire staff was consumed with moving nearly 700 students from in-person to online instruction, Aylin took the lead in crafting what was to eventually become the Musical Postcards for Seniors initiative. This program has motivated our students to invest themselves deeply in practicing music because they know that they can submit a video that will make a difference in the lives of residents of over 750 retirement homes across the US, Canada and Australia. 
In addition to starting and running the Postcards program, Aylin also started our "Practice Buddies" system -- all this while applying to college (she already has early acceptance to the UT Neuroscience Department!), keeping straight A's, and helping out with the Orpheus Guitar Ensemble. Aylin truly exemplifies what it means to be a member of this community through her own learning and service to others!
-​Mr. Klondike

The Friendship Concert is a collaborative event where Orpheus friends and families team up to present ensemble performances! This year, we had to get creative to keep the tradition alive while remaining virtual. With a little patience, and a lot of hard work, our students were able to create special performances they can enjoy for years to come.

It was our biggest Friendship Concert ever, ​and we're pleased to say it was a resounding success! Of course this was only made possible by our amazing community, and with more than 75 groups and 100 individuals performing, the huge level of participation embodies the collaborative ideals that Orpheus Academy was founded on over 17 years ago.

Another reason this particular concert is unique is that we have more family performances than ever before! Family music making has always been an important aspect of the Friendship Concert, but with families spending more time together, many seized the opportunity to bond through making music. It really is wonderful to see the joy of the brothers, sisters, moms, dads, and cousins who were able to connect and create with each other.

Working and learning together are vital life skills, and huge components in playing music. That's why we emphasize group learning and music making in every part of our curriculum, including group Musicianship classes and events just like this. In fact, cooperatively making music is an incredibly joyful experiences for any musician, which is why students look forward to the Friendship Concert every year. 

As students couldn't gather in-person to rehearse and perform, we relied on our wonderful teachers and staff to create a space for students to collaborate and perform together virtually. Consequently, some performances are separate recordings that were edited together. In these, one student would record their performance part and send it to their partner, who then listened and played their own part along with it. Our amazing editors then edited the separate videos together to create one, final performance.

Through this process of recording separate videos, the students practiced important musicianship skills like keeping a steady beat, listening to each other, and understanding harmonies. Perhaps more importantly though, they practiced life skills like communication and problem-solving as they worked together to figure out performance details, practice their separate parts, and give each other encouragement and feedback along the way.

​Many students made multiple attempts and recordings before getting their performances just right, and they practiced for weeks before even getting to that step. So as we enjoy the music and celebrate the performers, know that every performance encapsulates weeks and months of hard work, trying, failing, and trying again. This is the process of learning, and the result is something truly special. Performers will remember not only their final performance, but the challenges they overcame to get there, and the togetherness and community that they shared to support them along the way.

We want to thank all of the students, teachers, editors, and parents who made this event possible! Something like this can only be pulled off with the help of an amazing community like you. Thank you and enjoy!

I love to play guitar because it is an activity that I strive to get better at and is very calming. I like the multitudes of ways you can play, and how every piece is a different challenge to play and perfect. I also really appreciate that Mr. Turner has taken on the challenge of teaching me fingerstyle, which is a very difficult style to teach correctly. It makes the lessons so much more enjoyable because he really knows what I want to achieve and learn.
-Tal

Tal came to me already a competent player, and I could very quickly see how I could help him become an even better all around musician. He is one of my hardest working students and I can really tell how much work he puts into practicing every single week. One of the great things about teaching Tal is that he has always had a vision of where he wants to be musically, but that does not get in the way of being open to anything I'd like for him to try to get him to where he wants to be and beyond. I look forward to every lesson with Tal not only because he comes so prepared and motivated, but also because his lessons truly challenge me to come extra prepared as both a teacher and performer to best aid him in attaining his goals.
-Mr. Wyatt