Conway Institute of Music Monthly - November 2019 Thank you Central Arkansas for voting us the Best for Music Lessons! Our students and their parents are what makes us great! Important Dates November 27-30: Fall Break - NO LESSONS Winter Recital - Saturday, 12/21/19 December 23-January 1, 2020: Winter Break - NO LESSONS The "One Teacher Trap" Did you know our Director Jim Skelton has written an Amazon #1 best selling book “The Ultimate Guide to Music Lessons”? Here’s an excerpt that can help you decide if your child is ready for music lessons. Enjoy and email us your feedback! Throughout my years in the field, I have found that parents of music students occasionally fall into what I call the “one-teacher trap.” A music student will often have a single music teacher when they first start their musical journey. Over time, illness and family demands may force the teacher to miss lessons here and there. It is also not uncommon for teachers to relocate at some later date, forcing you to find a new teacher.‍  When a parent realizes that their child’s regular teacher is temporarily or permanently unavailable, they may feel panic when their child is reassigned to a different teacher. While it is certainly normal for a student and their family to grow close to a teacher over time, I often tell parents that a new teacher can provide a fresh perspective on their child’s learning. The wonderful thing about changing music teachers over time is that students are given a new perspective, new advice, and recommendations for their performance. They also learn to communicate with different people of authority and they are better able to adapt to new teaching styles.  When the time comes to change music teachers, regardless of what the circumstance may be, I encourage you to view the situation as a potentially positive experience for your child. Think back to a moment in your past when a stable figure in your life that you were close and friendly with parted ways.  Perhaps you had a hairstylist or barber you quite liked who left the salon, or maybe you regularly enjoyed the sermons of a particular pastor who moved to another city, or perhaps you had a favorite sports coach who left your team. It is natural to become attached to people we are familiar with and have spent time with. Now, I urge you to think of the individual who replaced the person you were once attached to. Many times we become even closer and more connected with the replacement. New people in our lives provide a boost of motivation that can be conducive to our personal growth and development. Another pastor could have a different style that challenges and intrigues you. A new sports coach can view your skill with fresh eyes and make helpful recommendations on your form, speed, or training methods. When it comes to music, a new teacher will have a new perspective that could be a better match for your child’s skillset and practice methods. The new instructor could foster a new enthusiasm for their instrument. I once had an adult student whose teacher never missed a lesson. His teacher was not available one evening for their lesson so my staff arranged for the student to have a substitute teacher. When the student arrived and was notified in the lobby that he would have a substitute for the day, he became upset, began yelling, and stormed out of the school. He went home and wrote a lengthy email about how upset he was that his teacher was unavailable, and he eventually left the school. However, if that student had attended his lesson, he would have been pleasantly surprised. We had arranged for the student’s substitute to be the teacher who had mentored and taught his teacher many years ago. The substitute had more degrees than the student’s regular teacher had been teaching longer, and had more experience in the world of music. In the end, the student may have enjoyed his lesson and gained some valuable information. Had he been open to the idea of change, something positive probably would have come of it.  I believe students should have at least three or four teachers throughout their lives. Having the opinions of different people with different backgrounds will expose your child to a wider variety of information than if they were confined to the suggestions of a single teacher. Happy Thanksgiving Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at CIM! We are very thankful for our wonderful teachers, parents and students. We could not share our love for music without the help from all of you, so THANK YOU! Here at CIM, we want everyone to have a wonderful holiday and DON'T FORGET NO LESSONS during Fall Break, November 27-30! We will see you back on Monday 12/2/19! Pet of the Month Meet Dumplin'! Ukulele student Piper wanted us to meet her friend Dumplin' the Rooster! One lucky winner every month will be spotlighted in our newsletter! CIM will also donate $100 to a local animal rescue organization! Stay tuned to meet our next Pet of the Month! Please email us a picture of your pet at info@conwayinstituteofmusic.com Celebrating Student Achievement  The Musical Ladder System® The Conway Institute of Music is the only music school in the Arkansas that gives their students the opportunity to earn special color wristband bracelets (kids and teens love them!), trophies AND certificates for passing musical tests with the Musical Ladder System®. Do other schools offer trophies and certificates? A few. But none of them inspire their students with smiling faces by giving them full color, really cool “Musical Ladder System®” wristbands that they can show off to their friends. More importantly when our students have a test coming up, they practice more, their parents are proud, their teachers are proud, and everybody wins! Pictured: Drum student Brady earned his Master trophy! Pictured: Piano student Shelbi earned her Songbird trophy! Pictured: Drum student Preston earned his Prodigy trophy!  Pictured: Piano student Emma earned her Rockstar trophy!!  Pictured: Piano student Declan earned his Rockstar trophy! Pictured: Piano student Sydney earned her Master trophy! Pictured: Piano student Noah earned his Rockstar trophy! Pictured: Ukulele student Mia earned her Rockstar trophy! Pictured: Piano student Brody earned his Songbird trophy! Pictured: Guitar student Ava earned her Songbird trophy! Pictured: Piano student Gavin earned his Prima trophy! Pictured: Vocal student Keya earned her Champion trophy! Congratulations, everyone!! To learn more about how the system can help your child to get better grades, improved confidence, and self esteem and more, please email us at: info@conwayinstituteofmusic.com Halloween Contest Winners October brought our students some fun contests! They voted on their favorite spooky Halloween song AND they all got to participate in a CIM Costume Contest. The winner of the best spooky song was Thriller AND Ghostbusters! Check out some of the AWESOME participants and they all get $5 merch gift card! The CIM Halloween Costume Contest WINNER is RONIN! Want to see the rest of our contest participants, check out our Facebook page and look for #CIMHalloween! Ronin dressed as "Weird Al" Yankovic and we think he nailed it. He gets a $50 gift card, CONGRATS Ronin! New Referral Rewards Check out some photos from our last Hogwild Pizza Party! Refer your friends today and become a part of the fun! Thank You Central Arkansas! Please welcome the 45 new students who enrolled last month! Robert G Hayden A Gabriela W Caleb M Ishan P Kayley T Anna J Gentry J Lizzy W Kara E Raven J Alli O Luke T Emilee R Danielle F Lauren T Preston V Sophi L Keady A Jane F Brittany C William R Kayden K Bella L Mary S Junie J Haley M Tony C John R Jake B Aarna M Carter B Cohen E Jace H Joy S Christian S Colt H Katie C Katie S Genesis G Zain Y Allie M Madeline B Kristen S Anna G Corie B Is Your Teacher Sold Out? Can't make your lesson this week? No worries! Sign up for our free 1 hour group makeup lessons! Unlimited and you can try any instrument! Many of our teachers are almost sold out and some teachers are sold out. If you need a schedule change or would like to be added to a waiting list for a particular teacher, day, or time, please contact our office staff team and they can add you to the waiting list. If you are not a student yet there is still limited lesson spots available.  To inquire about openings for November send an e-mail to info@conwayinstituteofmusic.com , or you can call the office at 501-450-2931 DRUMS: Evan • Tuesday: FOUR SPOTS LEFT., Thursday: THREE SPOTS LEFT., Monday & Wednesday: SOLD OUT Addison • Monday: FIVE SPOTS LEFT., Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: THREE SPOTS LEFT., Friday: TWO SPOTS LEFT Jeremy • ALL TIMES SOLD OUT Israel •  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: THREE SPOTS LEFT., Thursday: TWO SPOTS LEFT., Friday: SOLD OUT GUITAR: Jeremy • ALL TIMES SOLD OUT Israel •  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: THREE SPOTS LEFT., Thursday: TWO SPOTS LEFT., Friday: SOLD OUT Tyler • Monday: FOUR SPOTS LEFT, Friday: SOLD OUT , Wednesday, Thursday: TWO SPOTS LEFT., Tuesday: ONE SPOT LEFT Jim • Mondays: ONE SPOT LEFT, Tuesdays & Wednesdays: TWO SPOTS LEFT., Fridays: ONE SPOT LEFT. Mike • ALL TIMES SOLD OUT Chelsea • ALL TIMES SOLD OUT VOICE/PIANO: Jeremy • ALL TIMES SOLD OUT Haley • Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays: ONE SPOT LEFT., Thursdays & Saturdays: SOLD OUT Blake • Mondays, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday: SOLD OUT., Tuesday: ONE SPOT LEFT Mark • Monday: TWO SPOTS LEFT., Wednesday & Thursday: TWO SPOTS LEFT., Tuesday, Friday: SOLD OUT Israel •  Tuesday, Wednesday: THREE SPOTS LEFT., Thursday: TWO SPOTS LEFT., Monday,Friday: SOLD OUT Celina • ALL TIMES SOLD OUT Chelsea • ALL TIMES SOLD OUT Heather • Monday: FIVE SPOTS LEFT., Tuesday, Wednesday: TWO SPOTS LEFT., Thursday: ONE SPOT LEFT., Friday: THREE SPOTS LEFT VIOLIN/VIOLA/CELLO: Lisa •  Monday: ONE SPOT LEFT., Tuesday, Friday: SOLD OUT., Wednesday: THREE SPOTS LEFT., Thursday: ONE SPOT LEFT. It's easy to take the next step: Lessons are first come, first serve  so contact us today to arrange your first lesson! (501) 450-2931 info@conwayinstituteofmusic.com 945 Carson Cove #103, Conway, Arkansas Offering quality Guitar, Vocal, Singing, Bass, Drums, Piano and Violin lessons in Conway, Greenbrier, Vilonia, Mayflower, and all of Central Arkansas.