Check out the latest edition of our newsletter!
AS SEEN ON:
THE MONTHLY MUSICIAN
763-432-9713 www.mnschoolofmusic.com DECEMBER 2023
MY CLASSROOM RETIREMENT AND NEW FOCUS A FAREWELL TO TEACHING
A new year always feels like the perfect time for big changes, and as 2024 rapidly approaches, I’m making some of my own. After 20 years of providing music lessons directly to students, I am officially retiring from teaching to focus on my duties as Minnesota School of Music’s principal. It’s a bittersweet moment because I love working with my students, but it’s the best course forward for the school and our many pupils. If this announcement sounds familiar, it’s not just deja vu — I made the same declaration in September 2021. I firmly believed that we needed a ship commander for the business to move ahead at full speed. I thought I had all the right people in place to row the boat so I could take over as captain. Unfortunately, I found the oars back in my hands within a month. Like many, I vastly underestimated COVID-19’s continued impact on our world two years ago. The pandemic caused the business to face financial challenges, health concerns, and inflationary pressure. Then, the Great Resignation came, and suddenly, our team wasn’t strong enough to carry itself. We were in the middle of a storm and needed all hands on deck. It was a necessary but unsustainable move. For the past two years, I’ve worked the front desk Monday–Thursday and taught Friday– Sunday. As a result, we could serve more families, but I also had a seven-day workweek. Worse than lacking a break, I didn’t have enough time for my primary duties as principal. With so much time spent on teaching and customer service, there was a limit to how much I could work on recruiting and training new educators. Still, this decision hasn’t been easy. My students don’t see me as Principal Nehring; I’m their teacher. Those relationships matter, and I enjoy them and feel reluctant to walk away. But I’ve realized that I can’t be an effective teacher to 20 students while giving our team the support it needs to instruct our other 380 customers properly. I learned several lessons from my first attempt at retirement, and I now believe we have the strongest team in our 10-year history. The time is right for me to return to a full-time principal role. The job’s
most crucial aspect is recruiting, hiring, training, and retaining our teachers. Finding the best people is not enough; I must also make them want to stay. My focus is now on ensuring we have the ideal systems to support our teachers for the long haul. Every entrepreneur begins their business by doing everything. Continuing to do it all often feels easier than hiring the people you need to take over. A business owner who hopes to be successful must know when to let go and trust others. This is my moment to recognize the skills of the team I’ve assembled and pass the baton. Teaching will always be my first love, but only by stepping back from that role can the school achieve its full potential.
–Eric Nehring
763-432-9713 • 1
Published by Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com
DECK THE HALLS WITH HANDMADE CARDS 3 Easy Ideas You Can Make With Kids!
HANDPRINT CARDS This Christmas card variation is a favorite for kids to make and family members to receive. Have your child place their hand on the blank card stock and trace their hand with a pencil. Then, cut out the shape of their hand using scissors. Finally, with the cut-out hand facing down (fingers to the ground), have your child decorate it as if it were a tree, drawing ornaments, lights, candy canes, or other decorations. PIPE CLEANER CARDS For this card, you need green pipe cleaners and gold stars (like the ones you’d earn in school). Simply twist a pipe cleaner into a tree shape using a zig-zag pattern to form the widest branches at the bottom to the smallest boughs at the top. Glue the pipe cleaner to the card. Finish with a gold star as a tree topper!
Sending Christmas cards is a great way to tell people you’re thinking of them during the holiday season. However, like everything lately, buying enough Christmas cards for your loved ones is expensive. Store-
Don’t believe us? Check out these three easy Christmas cards you and your family can make at home. Each card idea is built upon plain white cards!
WASHI TAPE CARDS
All you need for this card is a roll of washi tape with any design you wish.
bought cards can also feel too stiff and formal for our friends and family.
Simply cut strips of the washi tape, starting with a longer piece (about 2—3 inches), and place it horizontally across the card near the bottom. Then, build upward using gradually smaller pieces of tape to make a triangle — and that’s it! You’ve successfully created a washi tape tree! You can also draw a tree stump under the longest strip or a star on top.
That’s why you should consider making Christmas cards this
holiday season! It is more cost-effective and a great way to give your cards a personal touch that lets friends and family know you care. The best part is that making holiday cards doesn’t have to be laborious or stressful — it’s quick, easy, and fun!
HOW LAURA MORRIS BRINGS MUSIC TO LIFE FOR HER STUDENTS ‘A LIFELONG HOBBY’
When she was a child, Laura Morris was enraptured by her aunt’s playing. “Whenever I had access to the piano, I’d try to play songs by ear,” she remembers. “At the age of 10, we inherited my great- grandmother’s piano, and I was able to take more formal lessons.” It was the beginning of a lifelong passion. Laura attended the University of Minnesota as a music education major and began teaching band before shifting to private lessons at home. She has now been a music teacher for 25 years, four of which she has spent at Minnesota School of Music. “I knew I wanted to find a job helping people,” she says, “and I really enjoy sharing music.” Many years later, teaching remains interesting. “There are so many different personalities, and I enjoy the challenge of helping various children learn in their
own unique ways,” Laura says. “The most rewarding part of my job is helping a student work on a piece that seems completely unstable at first, then sharing their success at mastering it.” Laura explains that working for Minnesota School of Music has been a joy. “Eric runs a really well-organized operation,” she says. “I really admire the company he created. It’s such a welcoming environment with great staff. He holds us to high standards and has built a business with a great reputation.” Music is also a big part of Laura’s life outside of school. “I play the piano while my one daughter plays the violin and the other plays clarinet,” she says. “And my sister and I like to do piano duets.” Some of Laura’s other favorite activities include gardening, reading, and spending time with her friends and pet corgi.
We’re glad to have Laura as one of the most tenured teachers on the MnSOM team; her love of music shines through in everything she does. When asked what keeps her passionate after all these years, she simply answers, “I love working with the kids, and I love helping them build a fun, lifelong hobby.”
2 • www.mnschoolofmusic.com
HOW TO UNLOCK YOUR CHILD’S MUSICAL POTENTIAL
3 Tips for Parents to Create Successful Students
Emmy H. Ada P. Avery H. Eira S. Peter N. Annareine N.
I’ve learned much over 20 years of teaching, and I can now predict a student’s chances of long-term success in music pretty accurately. The metric isn’t natural skill or hours practiced — it’s the child’s parents. Time and again, I’ve seen that kids get out of music lessons what their parents are willing to put in. Below are the three most crucial steps you can take to ensure your child remains engaged with music for life. GET INVOLVED. During postgraduate child psychology training, I learned about the student-teacher-parent triangle. In short, a child’s interest in music will mirror their parents’ involvement. For that reason, we’ve created a family-friendly space where parents are encouraged to sit in on lessons. Think of it as the musical version of cheering your kid on from the sidelines at a sports game. Children crave that same kind of enthusiasm for all of their hobbies. It’s very tempting to drop your kids off for their lessons and run errands, but those students tend to lose interest quickly.
Jude N. Kylie C. Eda T. Ellie G.
INVEST IN A SUITABLE INSTRUMENT. Some people are shocked by the price of a
IS YOUR TEACHER SOLD OUT?
quality musical instrument. As a
result, many families decide they’ll buy an inexpensive version to gauge their child’s commitment before investing in something
better. But subpar instruments are more difficult to play and don’t sound as good. A student whose guitar won’t stay in tune will usually get frustrated and want to quit — not because they don’t like music, but because they weren’t set up for success. A good instrument costs a few hundred dollars, but it’s worth every penny (and no more expensive than equipment for a sports season). REMEMBER THE LONG-TERM VISION. It takes years to become highly skilled at anything. I’ve shared before that many parents wonder how long it will take for their child to be “good” at music. But instead of focusing on how long the journey will be, parents should ask themselves how much support they’re willing to provide along the way. There will be peaks and valleys in a child’s interest, and many parents pull the plug too soon because their child lacks passion for music. But passion isn’t always loving something — it’s being willing to stick with it for the long haul. The best students have parents and teachers who grant them the space and grace they need to slack off and make mistakes in the short term in service of a larger goal.
Mr. Barrett: SOLD OUT Mrs. Bunish: SOLD OUT Ms. Ferbuyt: 1 SPOT LEFT Ms. French: 2 SPOTS LEFT Ms. Hsu: 1 SPOT LEFT Mrs. Lehner: SOLD OUT
Mr. Martin: 2 SPOTS LEFT
Ms. Possert: SOLD OUT Ms. Rotvold:
Mrs. Morris: SOLD OUT Mr. Nelson: 1 SPOT LEFT Mrs. Nemirova:
SOLD OUT Mr. Spears: 1 SPOT LEFT Mrs. Tomlinson: SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT Mr. Nistler: SOLD OUT Mr. Popken: 1 SPOT LEFT
–Eric Nehring
763-432-9713 • 3
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
3533 88th Ave. NE, Blaine, MN 55014 763-432-9713 www.mnschoolofmusic.com
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Principal Nehring’s New Priorities for the Future From Your Heart to Theirs: Handcrafted Christmas Cards for Loved Ones Laura Morris and Her 25-Year Journey in Music Education Why Your Child’s Music Success Hinges on You Discover the Most Enchanting Christmas Towns in the US
EXPLORE AMERICA’S MOST MAGICAL CHRISTMAS TOWNS FROM SNOWY VILLAGES TO YEAR-ROUND HOLIDAY CHEER
It may be too late for less spontaneous travelers to start planning a Christmas vacation. But that shouldn’t stop you from planning next year’s holiday journey! The good news is you don’t need to venture to another continent
miles, where you can find reindeer farms, carolers, gingerbread competitions, and Christmas markets. Every step of the way offers an Instagram-worthy photo opportunity!
mode, where you can experience parades, horse-drawn carriages, carolers, and the Billings Farm, a local favorite of the season. Stroll down Main Street to witness an idyllic Christmas spot filled with cozy small-town shops and restaurants. NORTH POLE, ALASKA If you ever feel like celebrating Christmas in the middle of summer, we know the perfect destination. North Pole, Alaska, offers Christmas decor and festivities year-round! Here, you can get up close and personal with Santa’s reindeer, meet the man himself, and enjoy the snow that covers the entire town. Be sure to check out their ice sculpture competition, which features artists from all over the world! Ready for the Christmas celebration of your dreams? Start planning your next holiday vacation at any of these destinations, and we promise your dreams will most definitely come true!
SOLVANG, CALIFORNIA A slice of Denmark right in sunny California, Solvang brings endless holiday cheer, especially with their annual Julefest. Pronounced “Yule-fest,” this month-long festival takes place every December and features picturesque events, including a ballerina-filled tree lighting ceremony, visits from Santa, culinary delights, traditional Danish celebrations, and much more! WOODSTOCK, VERMONT During Woodstock’s Wassail Weekend, you’ll find the town in peak Christmas
to find a Christmas wonderland. There are countless picture-perfect Christmas towns across the country. Make your next Christmas trip feel like a Hallmark movie at one of these festive towns! LEAVENWORTH, WASHINGTON Many have dubbed Leavenworth the most Christmas-centric in the U.S., and it’s easy to see why. This Bavarian-style village experiences nearly 96 inches of snowfall every year, and they certainly don’t hold back when it comes to the holidays. The town lights up and decorates almost 21
4 • www.mnschoolofmusic.com
Published by Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator