09.2021 763-432-9713 www.mnschoolofmusic.com
THE MONTHLY MUSICIAN
AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE SCHOOL BECOMING MNSOM’S FIRST PRINCIPAL
T he financial hardships of With all of the changes, I had to do everything in my power to keep us afloat. It felt like the high sea was raging and all of us at the school had our oars in the water paddling desperately. We managed not to sink, but there was no one commanding the ship. the pandemic meant that the school ended up saying goodbye to both employees and students during 2020. A commander is exactly what the school needs to grow and best serve the children we teach, which is why I’m retiring from teaching to become Minnesota School of Music’s first principal. If this is a shock, know that it was a little shocking to me at first, too. I’ve been teaching in classrooms for over 18 years, and it will be a bummer to not be working directly with the students anymore. The moment you help a child through a challenge and see a profound change in their functioning is something I’ve always cherished and will definitely miss. But I’m excited to take a break and have the opportunity to plan for the school’s future. For six months, I was teaching individualized, one-on-one lessons with 70 students every week. That’s the workload of three teachers,
we have the highest standards for our teachers — and those aren’t just empty words. Before we bring a new teacher on staff, they have to teach two lessons to my children. That’s the amount of care and preparation that goes into our school: I won’t put your child in a room with someone if I don’t feel comfortable putting my own child with them. After a hard year, the school is healthy, with enrollment up to around 400 students and new services being introduced (see Page 2). I couldn’t have done any of this without our first office manager, John, who picked up key tasks like admissions and scheduling; he’s the reason I’m not going back to the front desk. And we couldn’t have done it without those of you who stuck with us through tough times. Thank you for all of your support; MnSOM is about to get better than ever. “The moment you help a child through a challenge and see a profound change in their functioning is something I’ve always cherished and will definitely miss.”
and giving each student the same amount of energy while working seven days a week was extremely challenging. I have a duty both to my family and the school to know what my limits are and to make sure we have a team strong enough for us to all take care of ourselves and our students. Building that team is what I’ve been focused on. We’ve already hired new teachers and intend to hire more. We’re different from most private music schools (where the norm is for teachers to work as contractors without training, oversight, or mentorship). We’re proud that all of our teachers are employees, which allows us to have core values, training protocols, customer service expectations, and ongoing learning opportunities. Teaching is what I do best, and I still plan to use those skills in my new role as principal — this time, instructing the teachers. Like many music teachers, when I entered this field in 2003, I had no teaching experience or credentials. Since then, I’ve learned this industry very well, and I believe I’m uniquely gifted to lead this team and ensure that other teachers don’t struggle like I did through a decade of teaching without any guidance.
You may be nervous about your child getting a new music instructor, but
–Eric Nehring
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Organize your school lunch supplies. Making your kids’ lunches each morning can be exhausting, but if you put different lunch items (e.g., bags of chips, apples, juice pouches, etc.) in different, easy-to-reach containers, you can turn making school lunches into an assembly line process where your kids do most of the work themselves, teaching them responsibility and taking a load off of your shoulders every school morning. You can even consider making the lunches the night before to lighten up the morning routine! Plan your kids’ outfits for the next day … or the next week. If they had their way, you know your kiddos would wear the same Spider Man or Elsa T-shirt every day of the week. So, if you want to make sure they look respectable and ready to learn every day, plan out their outfits for the entire school week. This is especially easy if they have a set of hanging cubbies in their closets. Allow them to help choose outfits on a Saturday or Sunday before the new week; it will also help them learn how to dress themselves later in life.
Make school supply cubbies. If your child tends to throw their backpack and jackets all over the house, then school supply cubbies could be a game- changer. You could even just label different hooks in your mudroom or hallway if that’s all you have to work with. Whatever the case, when your kids have an established place to put their school stuff, it’s that much easier for them to find as they head out the door in the morning.
Back-to-school season shouldn’t be hectic — and with a few of these hacks in mind, it won’t be!
WE’RE NOW OFFERING DRUM LESSONS!
MEET NEW INSTRUCTOR WYATT MARTIN
Minnesota School of Music is offering drum lessons for the very first time, and we’re excited to welcome our drum instructor, Wyatt Martin. If you are interested in drum lessons, please give us a call today! Wyatt Martin has loved drums since he saw a taiko drum performance at school when he was 10 years old. Traditional Japanese drums are expensive, but the Martins are a musical family, so his parents got him a starter drum kit instead. With the help of lessons, he started playing old rock hits and 1980s music. Drums became more than just a hobby when he joined the marching band in ninth grade, a step Wyatt calls “a huge leap forward.” Wyatt says that participating in drumline taught him drum theory and “the discipline I needed to take it to the next level.” His passion for drumline continued through college, where he played with Minnesota Brass Drum and Bugle Corps. After graduating, Wyatt began offering online drum tutoring. It can be hard to teach a skill involving rhythm through shaky internet connections, so Wyatt is excited to teach in person. “I love meeting and working with new kids, and I love watching the moment when they discover that they love drums like I do.”
Explaining his passion for drums, Wyatt says, “Drums are such a uniquely visual instrument because they involve so much arm and leg movement. And I love the fact that getting better means there’s only more to learn. It’s a never-ending road, and every new thing I learn opens me up to dozens of other techniques.” When he’s not teaching, Wyatt can often be found reading a book or watching a movie, but drums are also a big part of his downtime. “I come from a musical family,” he explains, “Every single person in my family plays an instrument. Most of us play at our church, so any given week, the worship band might be made up of 60% Martins!” Wyatt is excited to help launch MnSOM’s new drum program, which he notes will be more sophisticated than the lessons he was giving at home. “Drums are one of the things I love most in the world,” he says, “So being able to teach drums in person at a school as great as MnSOM is something I’m really grateful for.”
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HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD SUCCEED IN SCHOOL AND MUSIC BACK-TO-SCHOOL JITTERS
Olivia H. Mia A. Maya T. Landon L. Sailor S. Isaac W.
Arielle C. Wyatt O.
Kaustubh P. Caroline J. Lucas J. Sebastian K.
Every parent wants their child to succeed, and back-to-school can cause anxiety. Some parents might worry that music lessons during the school year will cause too much pressure and wonder if it makes sense to put music on hold while their child acclimates to a new grade. It’s understandable to want your child to focus on school, and parents who end music lessons when school starts have their child’s best interests at heart. But in the end, this usually is not the right decision. Studying music is actually likely to help your child at school, not hurt them. Music lessons teach a discipline and practice that will carry over to academic achievement. At MnSOM, we aim to partner with parents academically as well as musically, and we view music education as part of overall scholastic success. If you’re concerned that music lessons will be too much for your child to handle along with the requirements of school, we’re here to help. Since we are an individualized music school, if your child is experiencing challenges, we can back off and take it at a slower pace. We’re happy to lighten the load so our students can succeed in both music and school — remember, we want them to have fun! Another common concern is scheduling. We understand that current lesson times might not work with your child’s school schedule. As a part of Eric’s retirement from teaching, MnSOM is bringing on new instructors to help with weekend and evening classes. We have the ability to move your child’s lesson, but space is limited. Contact the front desk today to inquire about rescheduling. MnSOM is proud to partner with parents to ensure that their children get the best education both inside and outside of school. If you have any concerns, let your instructor know so we can ensure we meet your child’s unique needs.
Q: Why are pirates such good singers? A: Because they always hit the high C
Do you consider yourself a budding comedian? Are you known for your sense of humor? Now Introducing CALEB’S COMEDY CLUB We will select a winner each month to have their joke printed in our newsletter! Winners will receive a Caleb’s Comedy Club T-shirt and sticker. For your chance to be featured in our monthly newsletter, send us your funniest kid-friendly joke to office@mnschoolofmusic.com.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Meet the New Principal!
Meet Our New Drum Instructor
Welcome New Students Continuing Music Education During the School Year
Hacks to Get Your Kids Organized for the School Year
FROM A SCATTERBRAINED SUMMER TO AN ORDERLY SCHOOL YEAR
HACKS TO GET YOUR KIDS ORGANIZED
Create a fun checklist for school to-do’s. Spelling out all the tasks your kids have to do before and after school will help them ease back into the routines of going to bed each night and getting up early for school. Plus, it will introduce them to the satisfaction of checking items off a list after completing them. When your kids know what to do and when to do it, it makes your day a little easier! Make a color-coded clock. Lots of kids are visual learners, which means an analog clock will be their best friend when it comes to keeping track of time. Color code different sections of the clock for different parts of the day to help them remember what they’re supposed to be doing, whether it’s blue for breakfast time, orange for homework hour, or purple for their bedtime routine.
Summer break (especially for young kiddos) is a lawless time with little meaning that’s punctuated by a vacation or trips to the park and pool. Transitioning children back to the calm, orderly world of the school year can be challenging for both teachers and parents. How can you make sure your kids trade in their summer hats for their school brains? Well, luckily, you can use a few hacks to make that transition brighter, seamless, and even fun.
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