1485 S. COLORADO BLVD. SUITE 130
720-708-3251
admin@denverama.org
APRIL 2024
NEWSLETTER
Happy Spring!
Welcome our newest student: Benjamin Campbell
Student of the Month February/March 2024
DAMA did not award the Exceptional Student of the Month in February because Miss Michele was out of town. Therefore, February/March Student of the Month was chosen based on students' behavior and accomplishments in both February and March.
You will probably recognize him because he also won this award in October 2021. Eli Lintzenich has consistently practiced every week since his first lesson when he was only 4 years old! He's come a long way since he used to play with only 2 fingers! This month he mastered a very challenging Mozart piece that he has been working on for a couple of months. Check out the video to see what he's been up to and his advice for new piano students.
CONGRATULATIONS ELI !
How to Win Student of the Month
• Focus during lessons
• Follow directions
• Have a good attitude
• Practice and come to lessons prepared
• Show initiative to learn and improve
• Attend at least 4 lessons in one month
• Be ready to perform the song you are working on
Are you doing everything right but you didn't get chosen for Student of the Month? Keep in mind there are over 50 students enrolled in DAMA and students who are chosen have worked exceptionally hard or have showed exceptional initiative. It's a difficult decision to make and sometimes it comes down to whether students who have been working on a piece are ready to perform it yet or if they had to cancel lessons during the month. It is not about who is the most talented or who has the most potential. It is about honoring the student who stood out because of their work ethic, attitude and initiative. Be sure to talk with your teacher if you have questions or concerns.
1ST PLACE: Helen Alexander
2ND PLACE: Simon Woods
3RD PLACE: Brendan Kwong
WAY TO GO!!
FEBRUARY/MARCH
PRACTICE DERBY WINNERS:
PRACTICE TICKET RAFFLE WINNERS
1st ticket = $25
Max Hoffman
2nd ticket= $15
Jasper Sassi
3rd ticket = $5
Lila Helffenstein
Thank you to Kaya for picking the raffle
tickets this month.
Miss Rose Das
Earned 96 tickets in Feb/Mar 24 which is 48 hours. That is 24 hours per month!
Nice work Rose! Keep up the great work!!
1st ticket = $25
Elea Grant
2nd ticket= $15
Brendan Kwong
3rd ticket = $5
Eli Lintzenich
Thank you to Lukas for picking the raffle
tickets this month.
We picked 6 tickets this month because there was no raffle last month.
Win the Pin!
A New Weekly Incentive
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Students will be given a music worksheet to take home each week based on their level of understanding.
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The worksheets are designed so that students may need to research the answers or get help from parents.
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Topics include: Music Theory, Music History, Composers and Music Trivia.
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The worksheets are not mandatory but those who choose to complete them will be entered into a weekly drawing.
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Students who get more than 2 answers wrong on the worksheet will not be eligible for that week's drawing. Blank answers = an incorrect answer.)
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The winner will get to choose a pin of their choice to keep.
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Check out all the new pins!
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Fun to wear on your jacket or put them on your book bag or music bag.
March Birthdays
Isla Bachman 3/2
Matthew Goodman 3/6
Quinn Luscia 3/13
Mikayla Johnson 3/15
Leo Cole 4/1
Leo Jasper 4/11
Rose Das 4/24
Rowen Flood 4/24
Sadie Helffenstein 4/24
Gwenn Hegel 4/27
April
Birthdays
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
Spring Recital
Sunday, May 19th
Time TBD
Recital Rehearsal
Friday, May 17th 6pm
Saturday, May 18th 1pm
Memorial Day
May 27th
Closed- No lessons
Summer Session Begins
June 1 - August 18th
There are no raffles or awards until September.
Students may cancel 2 lessons at no charge.
(Please let your child's teacher know the dates as soon as possible.)
End of Summer Pizza Party/Concert
August 11
Time TBD
From Miss Michele's Bench
It's SO good to be back into my routine! I want to thank you all for being so understanding when I had to cancel lessons these last few months. It has been a difficult journey and, although I'm still working through the grief from my mom's passing, you and your child's presence in my life has been such a blessing!
The circle of life is in full force in my family. I'm expecting my third grandchild any second now! I picture my mom at heaven's gate handing the baton to the next little one joining our family. :)
Our Spring Recital is coming up in May so there's only 7 more lessons until then. We will be deciding this week which songs students will perform. Students get to choose up to 2 songs that they are comfortable performing so if you hear them practicing a song they finished a while back, it's probably because they chose that song to perform. Even if they choose a song they learned a while back, we will still be working on other material as well. Performing in the recital isn't mandatory but highly encouraged. As always, we will be having 2 rehearsals beforehand to get practice performing.
You may be wondering what the heck is going on with invoicing. Okay, you probably weren't but... Invoices will be going out the first week of the month again. I held off sending them out because I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to teach in February and March due to being in Missouri taking care of my mom. I apologize for any confusion and/or inconvenience. This month's invoice will include March and April.
Summer session will be starting June first which means that students may cancel 2 lessons at no charge between June 1 - August 18th. Please let us know the dates as soon as possible if you already have your vacations booked. If you want to cancel a month or more during the summer but still hold your child's lesson day/time for the Fall, there is a fee to reserve it. Check out our Policies and Procedures on our website for details.
On a side note, how many people do you know who have the same birthday as you? I only know 2 other people with the same birthday as me. One of my student's mom (shout out to Catherine Cole) and the other is a friend in Canada. What are the chances that 3 DAMA students would have the same birthday?! WOW!
I hope you all had a fantastic Spring Break! I'm looking forward to hearing about your adventures!
Best,
