Star Gazers teachers get their Circus on!!

Posted on May 2, 2011 by

Well… we ARE  a performing arts school… and…. ANY excuse is good enough for me to go to the circus!!!  so………………   I organized for all our Star Gazers staff to hang out this past Saturday night, and I figured the Circus was as good a place as any for us to get to know each other, get inspired, release our inner children and get de-stressed before we start our serious concert work!!

It was a super fun evening, and not even the pouring rain and plummeting  temperatures could dampen our party spirits as we gasped, wondered and laughed at the amazing and hilarious performance by Circus Allegria.

Even our own Matt got to be a clown.. (yes, even more than usual.. hehe) when he got chosen to come and do a Michael Jackson impersonation on stage!!! We were so proud of him, and I must say, I can picture him doing this line of work… clowning around.. making a fool of himself.. hahaha…  BUT we prefer him right where he is.. at StAr GaZeRs, as our resident ROCK STAR!!

Check out our awesome pics from the night, thanks to Ina, who was the only one who remembered her camera!!  :)

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Birthday blog: 27 February 2011

Posted on February 27, 2011 by

On Thursday I got to go to the fire station with some Deaf children, who go to St Vincent School for the Deaf.

I really love fire people, and fire engines and fire stations, so I was SUPER excited, but the very cool thing was that I also got to learn CPR!!  It’s been on my mind for a while that I need to learn first aid for my Star Gazers students, and so I was very chuffed to be able to just quickly learn CPR while on such a fun outing!!!

Well, now you can rest easy, knowing that if you should stop breathing, or lose your pulse during your Star Gazers lesson with me, I might just be able to revive you!! :)

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Birthday blog: 25 & 26 February 2011

Posted on February 26, 2011 by

yes.. that’s right.. i forgot to blog yesterday….:’(  it’s tragic.. especially since i so nearly made it all the way to the 28th!!!!!!!  o well…

today i have some pretty quotes for you:

“Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose.” John F. Kennedy

“Nothing is predestined:  The obstacles of our past can become the gateways that lead to new beginnings.” Ralph Blum

“Every artist was first an amateur.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

happy saturday:)

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Birthday blog: 24 February 2011

Posted on February 24, 2011 by

wow.. have i been writing this blog every day for 24 days??

well, today was super fun!!  i had the opportunity to go to the fire station with some deaf children…  i’m a complete sucker for fire engines… the red shine, the amazing usefulness, the flashing lights, the friendly heroes riding in it.. and the beautiful noise!!!  :)

being so excited to be there today, and seeing the faces of these children beaming so hectically, reminded me of being a child… i felt it rise up inside of me…. a gurgling excitement for everything i was seeing, feeling, smelling, touching, hearing.. something i couldn’t hold back or suppress …….

as i sat in the driver’s seat of the fire engine, and got to sound the sirens, my toes curled and i giggled without caring, or seeing other adults laugh at me and my sudden regression into childhood…

it made me think of how we feel when we pick up our instruments…  it’s true.. when i get those moments between my hecticness, when i pick up that instrument, or get to sign my heart out, or have an amazing homework session with my homework boys… my toes do curl..  my energy spikes and i can’t help letting the smile take over my face… so it left me wondering.. if its so much fun for me.. how much MORE fun should it be for my students??

when you pick up your instrument, or come to your weekly fix of class, do you let the joy gurgle up inside you?  do you let go of societal bars and leap like a child into the grassy meadow of happiness that we all wish would surround our lessons and playing and learning?

let’s make that our promise to ourselves and to each other… for the next while.. every time we practice our craft.. whatever it is… let’s let go!!!  let’s be like children, free of barriers and cares and things that try to stop us….  let’s be like that child seeing the fire engine up close for the very first time.. and PLAY!! :)

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Birthday blog: 23 February 2011

Posted on February 23, 2011 by

ITS OUR BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

.. and I feel like we’re not doing nearly enough to celebrate it!!!

so.. your homework for this week…….

MAKE US A BIRTHDAY CARD!!! if you see us in person, then please send it along?  if not, please take a pic of it and post it to us here, or on facebook!!! :)

We will give a BIRTHDAY PRIZE to the most creative and amazing card!!!  :)

HOPE TO SEE YOURS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNN!!!!!!!! :D

here are some ideas to get your mind working…..

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Birthday blog: 22 February 2011

Posted on February 22, 2011 by

Today Paula had a lesson outside.. while the rain poured around us, we sheltered under the mustard seed roof, and reveled in the glory of nature!  We played music from memory, and from our hearts… we looked at the flowers and competed with the thunder.. we marched up and down to the tune of our own creations!!

Sometimes something as silly as not having space to play can unlock the enchanted doorway to a magical experience, fully immersed in  your instrument and your OWN music.

What will unlock your enchanted door today?

What will your music be?

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Birthday blog: 21 February 2011

Posted on February 21, 2011 by

Today was Matt’s first teaching day at Star Gazers!!!

It’s super exciting to have guitar lessons up and running again, and our first ever bass lesson….It was great to see happy little faces at the center as budding musicians got their fill of ROCK!!

We wish Matt and his students all the hard core rockingness in the world, as they take Star Gazers to the next level of LOUD!!  :D

Be a rockstar, and join Star Gazers today!!

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Birthday blog: 20 February 2011

Posted on February 20, 2011 by

I hope you’ve had an amazing and restful weekend!!  we’ve had such amazingly beautiful weather here, that it’s been a pleasure to forget about work and to just enjoy the feeling of the sun on our skin!!

It’s also important to take a break from homework and practicing every now and then.. rest and relaxation are very important and healthy, and we shouldn’t feel bad about having a break every now and then!!

Being in love with resting today, led me to this article about it…. read and enjoy:)

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Importance-of-Rest-and-Relaxation&id=111330

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Birthday blog: 19 February 2011

Posted on February 20, 2011 by

“  He who deliberates fully before taking a step will spend his entire life on one leg.”

Chinese Proverb

Jump into today like it was your last day… dance like no one is watching!!  love like you’ve never been hurt!!  participate.. this is your one chance.. your one shot at this life.. ….. …. ……………………………………………………………. ………………………………. ……………. ……………………

LIVE!!!

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Birthday blog: 18 February 2011

Posted on February 18, 2011 by

I have a question for you today…..

where does something go from being art.. to being a job?

another way of putting it is… what makes something an art..?

a martial art could be practiced for self defense, but if you were to view it like that, or even as a competitive sport, would it make it any less of an art?

is art something that takes time to learn.. technique… patience, practice, perseverance?

i know of at least two extraordinary people who, although not skilled in a regular art form, consider themselves, and are considered by others, to be artists...  does temperament dictate? lifestyle?  or simply the label…  of course, labeling something as art can definately pursuade a certain proportion of society that it is indeed .. art….  but for me, art is raw.. real… and not in need of any marketing to reinforce its existence…

writing computer code.. a job… when done with love, passion, interest, intelligence,concern, flair….  i believe this is art…

creating learning aides and activities, and caring for children no one else has the passion to teach.. learning a whole other language, and spending time on further developing skills in the needed areas…. i believe this is art...

using your entire body, skin, face, hands, feet, head, arms, legs and emotions to portray not only basic communication needs, but poetry, emotion and deepest of thoughts..

i believe this is art….

what do you think?  where does art begin?  where does it end?

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