Forte Student Of The Month - January 2008

Passion by Annika!

Music has always been a passion for eleven year-old Annika. Raised in Germany, she studied jazz before her family moved to Portland, Oregon. Last year she began taking violin lessons at Forte Music School, and she has since learned dozens of songs and has confidently performed in four music recitals in front of fellow students, family, and friends. Three months ago, she advanced from a 3/4-size violin to a full-size instrument: an accomplishment that Annika is very proud of. Her passion for music comes alive as soon as she picks up her violin: her feet dance and her hips sway along with the rhythm of each song. A student who enjoys practicing, she loves playing Christmas carols and considers Minuet II her favorite song of all time. Check out some recordings by Annika right now: Etude | Allegretto To Annika, being a musician is a lifelong commitment. When you ask her about her hopes for the future, her eyes light up and she enthusiastically replies, “I want to be a music teacher.” Dedicated to providing Annika with the one-of-a-kind music education she needs to realize this dream is Forte Music School. To learn more about how your child can begin an exciting musical journey, please click here.

Forte Student Of The Month - February 2008

Kian is off and running!

The family keyboard turned out to be much more that just a toy for Kian: it became a tool that has helped the ambitious seven-year old gain a powerful sense of self-confidence and dedication. Experimenting with the instrument at home just two months after enrolling in Forte Fundamentals, Kian had an unexpected surprise for his mother: through careful listening, he had independently taught himself how to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. One year later, Kian has graduated into private lessons where he is applying the skills he learned in the Forte Fundamentals series to not only have fun with music, but to read it well and play it correctly. “Being exposed to multiple different instruments in the Fundamental course was very helpful for Kian to decide that the piano is the instrument that he wants to play,” said his mother. “Learning musical notes and a variety of beats in a group setting was an essential beginning for Kian,” Now, when he encounters a complicated beat or difficult new song, the diligent student embraces the challenge: he looks to his instructor Ben for guidance and then devotes himself to practicing until he overcomes the problem. This hard work has paid off for Kian – his last two progress reports both yielded perfect scores! While Kian is busy performing in recitals and recording some of his favorite songs, such as Home on the Range, his younger sister is just beginning her musical journey at Forte Music School. She is following in his footsteps this semester by learning about melody and rhythm in Forte Fundamentals. To learn more about how your child can join in the fun, click here.

Forte Student Of The Month - May 2008

Young Oscar: Old School Guitar

“A great example of a hardworking and talented student,” says guitar instructor Sam about his young protégé Oscar. Oscar has been studying for a little over 1 1/2 years and has already come to have an insatiable appetite for learning...or perhaps more appropriately “shredding” as it’s known in guitar lingo. When asked about what type of music Oscar likes to play the most, he casually sits back and says, “I tend to like more of the 70’s and 80’s music. You know, stuff like Deep Purple and Queen.” For someone not even born until the late 90’s, that pretty impressive. Check out this song that Oscar recorded called "Fantasia" The Rock Band Class has been a favorite of Oscar's ever since he started here at Forte Music School. The teamwork, the tunes, the signing of the autographs...what is there not to like. Not only does Oscar enjoy playing the classic rock tunes of days past. He also enjoys it when the rock band composes a piece of music together. Usually a blues, always rockin! Oscar’s endeavors have led to other gigs outside of the teaching studio as well. He and his band have played at his 5th grade assembly, where they rocked out on a little “Smoke On The Water” in front of the whole school. And as if that wasn’t enough, he also sits in with his school’s concert band on the trombone. When asked if he’s planning on pursuing a career in music, Oscar doesn’t think that will be his main focus, however, he knows for a fact that music will always be a part of his life no matter what career he ends up choosing.

Forte Student Of The Month - October 2008

Stella is Hooked on Piano!

After only two years of study, Stella has proven to be quite the dedicated piano player. This seven year old not only practices very regularly at home, but also takes an hour long lesson to get as much as she can from her teacher Svetlana. Every chance she gets, she is performing in recitals and making CD’s of her music. The Halloween recital is her favorite since she gets to wear her costume. Stella is going through the Syllabus program. Only a handful of students at Forte are attempting this intense program which tests yearly on multiple musical skills. At the moment, she is preparing for her grade III exam. It’s very demanding of her, but very rewarding in the end. Not only is it musically rewarding, but the Webkinz she gets at the end of each level is pretty special too. One of Stella’s favorite songs is “Andantino“ by Kohler. This one took her many weeks to master, but now that she’s got it, it’s one of her favorites. Click here to listen to a recording of her performing it. Another favorite is Waltz in D Minor by Kabalevsky. She hopes to learn some more challenging pieces by Kabalevsky soon.