Hollywood Academy of Music Opens in West LA

    

                                                   School Director Kirk Nebel joined by students and faculty at the new West

                                                              LA Hollywood Academy of Music.

                                                                          by Christine Terrisse

Music education has the ability to empower anyone to pursue their dreams of playing music or singing. For nearly ten years, the dedicated staff at Hollywood Academy of Music have been working hard to help make those musical dreams come true for people in the greater Los Angeles area.

On Saturday, April 20th, in a ribbon cutting ceremony and Open House, Hollywood Academy of Music welcomed its newest studio, located in West Los Angeles at 12111 Santa Monica Blvd. The latest school offers the same quality instruction as the North Hollywood and Melrose locations. I spoke with Kirk Nebel, Director of all three schools, about what inspired him to open the new studio and about how important music education is to him.

“Getting involved in the local arts community and helping to ignite the passion for music in students of all ages is so much fun and really rewarding. My first child was recently born and I’m really happy she can take lessons from our great teachers.”  

When asked how the location for the new school was chosen he says, “My wife and I have been living in Santa Monica for about four years now, and we really love it.  I wanted our new location to be close to home so that Hollywood Academy of Music has a presence in our local community. Expanding the school and developing new local talent is such an exciting prospect.”

Prior to becoming School Director, Kirk spent many years teaching guitar and bass and now says that his favorite thing about running three music schools is the challenge involved. “I’ve found that life is more fulfilling when I take on projects that push me to do more than I think I’m able. It’s a lot more rewarding to make something happen when it’s a challenge.”

Maintaining and running three music schools in three different locations, while staying connected to each individual neighborhood and community can certainly be a daunting task. Kirk says the payoff is even greater because of that challenge.

“Each one of us at Hollywood Academy of Music gets to be involved in the growth of many wonderful people and their families, on both a musical and personal level.  At our recitals we get to see amazing performances from our students and it's just awesome for parents and friends to witness their progress and growth. I really do believe that musical skills can be such an important and valuable thing in life because they are transferable to other areas such as emotional intelligence.”

Located in a shopping center with convenient parking at the corner of Santa Monica and Bundy, the new studio features bright and cheery practice rooms, a comfortable light filled waiting room, and has an overall clean modern look. The Open House featured giveaways, refreshments and some free classes taught by the new staff of talented instructors. The Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce was on hand to help with the ribbon cutting ceremony and welcome the new school to the community. When asked what he hopes that anyone who comes to any of the Hollywood Academy of Music schools will take away from their lessons, Kirk said:

“Our goal is for everyone to take away from their experience here the fun and joy that comes from playing and performing music! We are an education based organization and its a given that learning is crucial for our students, but ultimately, we are trying to inspire passion for playing music.”

...And, no doubt, inspire some of those dreams to come true.

For more information about the Hollywood Academy of Music- West Los Angeles Grand Opening and Open House just click on the link below: : http://press.gistcloud.com/grand-opening-of-hollywood-academy-of-musics-new-west-los-angeles-location/

5 Guilt-Free Ways Busy Adult Students Can Make Time for Their Music

By Christine Terrisse


Most adult students are enthusiastic to start taking lessons and to begin a new hobby.  It’s exciting to dive into the new world of music.  If you are doing this primarily for fun, in essence you have the best of both worlds – you can practice when you want and no one is forcing you to go to your piano lessons with a scary task-master or practice your guitar under threat of becoming grounded!  Of course the downside is that it can be frustrating and create a lot of guilt when you find yourself making excuses for why you didn't get a chance to practice this week (or for the last two weeks!!!).

Many of the adult students that take lessons at Hollywood Academy of Music do so because they need to work on something for a role they are learning, for the band they are in, or simply because they are fulfilling a lifelong dream of always playing a certain instrument.  The one thing they all have in common is that they want to take lessons for a specific reason.

Giving yourself the gift of music is a great way to enrich and enhance your life.  However, you won't get better unless you practice.


Practice you say?  The word itself gives us flashbacks of sitting in math class in elementary school.  Here are four ways to incorporate practicing into your busy schedule when you don't have mom or dad over your shoulder making you do it:

1)            Integrate practice into your daily routine.

This is something we recommend parents to do for their children, but it works for adults as well. Try incorporating your practice into your morning or evening routine around your work schedule.  Are you a morning person? Try waking up a little earlier than usual, before you have to get your kids up for school, or get yourself ready for work. It can be a great way to start your day. I know I'm wiped out in the evening and would rather watch Dancing With the Stars so I never schedule my practice time after work.

2)            Don't beat yourself up for not practicing. 

While it is a very important part of learning anything, remember you are going at your own pace. You are taking these lessons for you and for no one else. Emily Carlstrom, my voice teacher has always told me that while practicing everyday is ideal, you will learn and improve by coming to your weekly lesson...it will just take longer!

3)            Find creative ways to incorporate practice. 

If you are a voice student, you can record your lessons with your teacher playing the accompaniment for songs, or download a karaoke track for the song you are working on and work on it in the car. If you sing every day on your morning commute think how much better you would get. You have to be willing to support some stares from other drivers, but it is well worth it. While this won't work for the trombone, there are other ways to get creative. If your child is taking music lessons, try working on your instruments at the same time or sharing what you are learning with each other.  Practice during commercial breaks for your favorite show; bring your guitar to a family picnic, or the beach.   You are an adult now, so you can control where, when and how you practice!

4)            Balance between "work" and "play" practice sessions.

Learning a new or difficult concept with your instrument can be difficult, there are some practice sessions which will be challenging for that reason.  There will always be peaks and valleys on the road to your goal, so reward yourself after working on a difficult area by having the next practice session be a "fun" one.  Sing with abandon, create a family "jam session" night, sign up for an open mic... don't worry about how "good" you are doing in these sessions just experience the joy of what you have already learned.

5)            Reassess Goals   

The most important thing for the adult student is motivation. What are you practicing for? Do you want to learn for learning's sake? Then you should choose an instrument you have a fascination or love for. If you are learning because you want to turn into the next John Mayer or Lady Gaga in one month, you might want to scale it down a notch.  Start simple or you might find your enthusiasm waning.
                                                                        
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Remember practice makes perfect and perfect isn't the same for everybody!  This is supposed to fun, so do your best to enjoy your time playing your instrument or singing, and you’ll get the best results.