Saturday, August 5, 2023 by Averil Spence-Clarke | Uncategorized

Hi Everyone:

Hope that you are all enjoying your summer vacation!!  I understand that the weather has been variable but for the most part seasonal with not too much rain.  I guess I'll be looking forward to lots of tanned faces come September. ☺

As for me, I am flying high - I had a wonderful trip to England, spent an awesome amount of time visiting with Christopher and attending as many of his concerts as possible.  When I wasn't doing that, I walked, tubed, boated (if there is such a word) and trained to such lovely communities such as Watford, Teddington, Penge, Homerton, Stratford and many more.  Spent acres of time at the Victoria and Albert Museum, National Gallery, Sherlock Holmes Museum, Charles Dickens House and on and on.  To say the least, it was even better than last year as it now is feeling very comfortable, and I have made many friends along the way.  

I am pleased to say that Christopher has completed all the credentials for his Masters in Harp Performance and has been offered a Fellowship at Guildhall for this upcoming year. Very happy to see that he is successfully moving towards his goals.  Guess next year this time, I'll be off to visit him again!!  

SUMMER LESSONS:  In the meantime, here we are in August with September just around the corner.  Yes, thinking ahead to schedules and lessons etc.  For anyone who would like a lesson or two in August, please give me a call. 

FALL SCHEDULE:  Lessons will recommence on Tuesday, September 5th.  

Available Days and times: 

• Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
• Fridays 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
• Saturdays 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Within the next few days, I will be posting the available times for September on the portal. Feel free to book your first day/time on the portal and I will ensure that the others are entered for the rest of the season.  Otherwise, email or text me with your preference and I can enter it on the calendar.   Once I have received that information, I will confirm with a text/email to you.

Do know that there may have to be a few changes along the way but there will be a lot of lead time notification.  As always, if your schedules change, please give me a call and we will work around any changes. 

Lessons will still be offered in hybrid mode.  Preference is for in-person lessons.  Zoom lessons are available anytime for those who are out of town or have other challenges such as weather, colds/flu etc. that may occur from time to time.  Just email/text me and we can switch quickly and easily.  

Looking forward to seeing you all and to an exciting and fun year of music!

Take care, enjoy the rest of this lovely summer weather and "see you in September".

Cheers

Mrs. A.

Tuesday, May 2, 2023 by Averil Spence-Clarke | Uncategorized

Hi everyone:

Even though the weather is trying to disprove it, SUMMER is definitely on its way!!

I have been receiving some information regarding summer job opportunities.  Rather than trying to email to students and potentially other interested parties, I have created a page on the website where I will post the information as it is received. Please check it out and I hope you find helpful.

Wishing all of you job seekers success in finding interesting and rewarding summer jobs!

Cheers

Mrs. A.

Thursday, January 12, 2023 by Averil Spence-Clarke | Uncategorized

Hi Everyone:

Happy New Year & hoping that is has been a positive and enjoyable start to the year for everyone!!

First, you will notice a "new look" to the portal.  The techs have been working for a while to ensure that the portal works well, is up to date and meets both the needs of teachers and students/parents.  Hope you like the new outlay and that it makes it easier to navigate.  If you experience any problems or have any suggestions. please do not hesitate to contact me.

Next, you will not see any "available timeslots" posted for this week and part of f next week.  I, happily, will have some family and friends visiting, so am hoping to keep as much time for them as possible.  Please know that if you need to schedule a different time for lessons during that period, do give me a call or send a text with a couple of preferred times and I will ensure that I meet your requests.

Lastly, I know that at the end of January, many schedules change as students change school and recreational activities.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need to change your regular lesson timeslot.  I will do my best to reschedule to a more sustainable time if necessary.

We often make many New Year's resolutions and then find that within a few weeks, they have fallen by the wayside.  We then castigate ourselves, make or renew the resolutions and repeat the process.  New Year's Resolutions have created the most frustrating experiences of my life and I daresay many of yours.  So, over the past few years, I have not created them.  Instead, I have been kind to myself and worked on a different formula.

Each month, I focus on one aspect of "mindfulness" and try to maintain it for the month. I know that I will not always meet the goal, but I remind myself that it is a day-by-day process and that seems to help me get back on track. 

This month, it is about "engagement and listening".  Oftentimes when busy, my mind slides to other areas of concern even in the midst of a conversation.  So, this month, I am practicing my "mindful listening" and am happy to say that so far, I have been reasonably successful.  I mention this because, if you have any concerns about lessons, your child's progress, or the teaching process, this would be a great month to contact me and dialogue.  I promise to listen mindfully and work together to find solutions to the challenge whatever it may be. Even if there are no problems and you would just like to play catch-up, please feel free to give me a call or arrange a face-to-face get together.

Looking forward to hearing from you or seeing you in the near future.

Sincerely, Mrs. A.