I PASSED!!!!

Well, I did it! I passed my piano exam. I have ordered my Grade 7, so I can get on with it. I am taking a couple of weeks off just to recuperate. I also had my last session of the year with Nottingham Community Music. Tomorrow's session with Drake will also be the last one this year. I have some work lined up for next year, funding permitted. So I will be a very busy lady!

Piano Exam

I sat my Grade 6 piano exam last Friday...what can I say the nerves got the better of me. It was an awful experience. I feel I have messed up big time. I won't find out until Friday. I cant move on or stop thinking about it until I know the outcome. In the meantime, I am still teaching and have another two possible students. So its all looking up that end, but I need to find a way of overcoming my nerves, as this is something i will have to pass on to my students. I have also been approached by Music Leader to feature in a DVD in correspondence to the article I wrote. I jumped at the chance, this will most certainly raise my profile and hopefully gain more confidence and work!

Teaching Piano

Well, I now have two students and two starting next week! Everything is going well so far, and I am continuously trying to find interactive ways to teach, so it can be fun! I am enjoying it so much, so far the feedback has been good.

Piano pieces

I have uploaded my 3 grade 6 pieces to You Tube, to get some comments and critical feedback. So far I have had feedback from my director who was a concert pianist. I was so happy to hear he had listened to them, and was happy to criticise my flaws. He gave me some great tips, which I will adhere to. Why not check them out, and any feedback negative or positive is very welcome. The link is http://www.youtube.com/user/MrsCherieEvans

My Article

I have now finished my article, attached a photo and sent it off to Music Leader. I will find out this week when it will be published...its all very exciting. I am hoping this will lead onto an online blog with them. It is just what I need. I am also preparing for next week, as I start back with the project work..its all happening in Cherie's world.

Advert

I have now finished designing my advert for piano students which will go out in the local rag Groby & Field head Spotlight next month. Hopefully this will help drum up some local business for me, and lead onto further things. I have also been in discussion with a friend regarding my website, which I have just started to plan. He had some really good tips which I shall now put into practice!

Music Leader meeting

Last Wednesday I met up with the Music Leader director, (www.musicleader.net) for a general catch up. He has requested an article based on my journey so far, and will publish it on the website and in one of the magazines associated to Music Leader. I am very excited about this, as it will raise my profile no end. I will be meeting up with a close friend and VA (www.rrva.co.uk) to discuss the best way to structure it.

Drake Music

Met up with one of the music leaders from Drake Music. We planned the forthcoming sessions, which will be based on podcasting and composing using the Sound beam. I am also distributing lots of postcards, advertising my music tuition services. Hopefully I will get some interest soon. September is gonna be a very busy month!

Get Creative Day!

Drake Music contracted me to facilitate/demonstrate the Soundbeam 2 at a school in Mansfield on Saturday. They had organised a 'Creative Day' for all the students and their families. It was really good fun! I got to work with the guy who is heading the project in September, so I was full of questions. He ran me through how it all worked and what the possibilities where with it. It was a bit of a way to travel, but worth it! Can't wait until September now.

More job opportunities

I have now signed up to a teaching agency , in the hope to get some TA or cover supervisor work on a Thursday and Friday.It's looking good, I have had interest from about 5 schools, and have applied for one of the posts. So hopefully I will hear this week! Also Drake music have contacted me and offered me work with the sound beam on a one off. I am really looking forward to that, it will give me good heads up for the project which starts in September. So things are looking up for a change!

More responsibility

The music leader for 'storytime' has now given me more responsibility. I deliver 1 to 2 activities throughout the sessions. It is a little nerve wrecking, but once I get in to it, its brilliant. I am really enjoying it, its a shame I have to travel so far though. I am about half way through the contract at the moment. Where has the time gone!

Piano teaching

I have now ordered some postcards advertising piano lessons. They should arrive in a couple of weeks, so hopefully I will get some keen piano students. I could do with the extra few bob to help finance my own tuition...it ain't cheap! Its a worthwhile investment though, and loving it!

Day off!

Thanks to DMU, I have an extra day off this bank hols, meaning I can get some proper work done without my son and hubby distracting me. I plan to do some gardening, but most importantly piano practice and piano lesson planning. Just hope I don't get distracted by the amount of housework that needs doing!

I have a plan!

I have decided that I will target the children when they are on school hols! I will design some flyers to draw in some piano students in my area...I just need to make enough to cover my son's childcare. Lots of designing and good marketing techniques to think about!

one month on...

Well, one month as a trainee music leader, and I am loving it!! We will be moving on to the next group, where I will be given more of a lead role, singing the 'dig dig' song, and warm up exercises. I am really looking forward to it. The traveling is most certainly tiring me out, but I know it will be worth it. Drake music have been in touch and their project is starting in September, so its all go! I have started back at piano lessons, so I can continue my exams, I am not putting in much practice...so I really need to get my finger out!

First day on the job!

Today I start the 'storytime' project at Nottingham, nervous about getting there. Just hope it all goes as well as the training day did. I am not on my own, so it will be lots of fun if nothing else. Hopefully Mat will ease me into it ok.

I now have two piano students lined up, so hopefully that will happen in the next couple of weeks or so. Really need to get more focused, been busy with the little one and cleaning, husband has been away a lot which really doesn't help me. I had to cancel an event this week because I have no babysitter....it really is tough sometimes!

Storytime Training day

I have now had all my training for the 'storytime' project starting on 21st April. It was so much fun, I can't wait to see how the children will take to it. Lots of singing, story telling and creating sound effects using a sampler and keyboard. Can't wait !!!

Drake Music-Bluewater Studios

I meet up with Shirley from Drake Music at Bluewater studios, Ollerton, Notts. She has offered some more work to me, which starts within the next month or so. It will be working with Special Needs in the studio, doing lots of composing and recording. Woohoo! Can't wait. She has also put my name forward for a trainee position on another project. So things are happening...so quickly!

Observation day at school

Observation day at Beauchamp college was fab! I learnt so much and what it really is like to be a teacher...tough! but rewarding! No day is ever the same. My plan is now to get lots more experience and boost my subject knowledge. I think I will apply for a PGCE in the hope they refer me to a SKE course. Giving me hopefully another year to gain the confidence I need and explore other options...being a Music Leader!

Teacher Taster Course

Yesterday I went on 1 of 3 days of the teacher taster course at Beauchamp college. It was really good! It gave a real reflection of what teaching is all about. I meet lots of different people, believe it or not, the majority where people older than me(26). It goes to show you, you can change your career path at any age. The general consensus was that they wanted a job that was rewarding and enjoyable! Just like me. I am in the classroom tomorrow observing all day. I am anxious, excited and nervous. I hope iot goes well for me, and it helps me make a final decision on the route I will take.

Another job opportunity!

Well, to my surprise I have been put forward for another project. This time its working with Drake Music. It will be working with Special Needs and the technologies they use to create wonderful music. How cool is that? It is summertime based and not bad pay. I am just hoping I can fit it all in, if I get it.

Volunteering

I had a great time volunteering yesterday, it was with an after school club with about 20 children. We played a giant snakes and ladders game, and my team won!!! well, what can I say? I wanted to stay and play lots more, felt like a big kid. Hopefully, they will ask us back soon. I need as much experience as I can get, and believe it or not its good for de-stressing.

Interview with the Music Leader

I had an informal interview with the music leader, who offered me the contract to work as his trainee facilitator on the storytime project. It went really well, seen a dvd of the work we will be doing! It is very exciting. I have to draw up my first invoice for my fuel expenses as well. I feel I will be asking my friend who is a 'soontobeVA' for a helping hand. Thanks to her creativity and expertise I am blogging and tweeting in style. Tomorrow will be good as I am volunteering on the Enigma project at DMU.

Success!

The music leader emailed with great interest in working with me...yippee!!! I meet up with him tomorrow, so I am really looking forward to it. I have also been contacted by Drake Music to arrange a meeting. Along side all this, I am trying to prepare some piano sessions with a twist, I have a couple of students lined up...all being well it will go to plan. I also have after school volunteering at a primary school. Don't know how I am fitting it all in!

Day of Song and Movement

Through Music Leader, I attended a 1 day course on 'Day of Song and Movement' (beginners guide to music with the under fives). It was a practical workshop with lots of singing, rhymes, movement games, which help develop children's musical skills in the early year's settings. Throughout the day we covered: musical concepts, development of speech and vocabulary, communication and much more. I gained so much from it, and was a great opportunity to network.

Job opportunity!

Ok, so a couple of days have passed, and I finally got an email from Steve wanting to meet up at the LCB Depot. In the meantime I updated my CV and so on in preparation for this, and so happened to be strolling through the jobsboard on Music Leader, and spotted a great job opportunity for a Trainee Facilitator!!! The project is called 'Storytime' and is based at different children centres in Nottingham. It involves working with 3 to 5 year olds and delivering music technology based sessions. Too good to be true I thought!!!!! So I spoke with the Music Leader to see if I could negiotiate certain sessions, as they would interfere with my current job. He said this could be possible, so I filled out an application and awaited for a reply. In the meantime I met up with Steve and had a good talk about where I was and where I wanted to be! He sent me a list of contacts, which I am still ploughing through. I have made a start...but one step at a time.

Where do I start?

Well, I have decided now I want to further my career as a musician either through teaching or just more education. I found a great website called MusicLeader who offer lots of opportunities for amateurs like myself to get training and network! They offer 1-2-1 DNA sessions, to try and establish what you want and where to start! Its brilliant! So, I complied a lengthy email to Steve Wenham the East Midlands contact to discuss my options, that was a few weeks ago now. Whilst I was waiting for a reply, I got in contact with volunteer groups within the university, so I could get some experience with working with children. Things where starting to take shape! I also started back practicing the piano to prepare for grade 6...ah but I need a piano teacher to coach me,and how do I fund all this??????