B.Mus (Humber) in-progress
Adina is a singer-songwriter based in Toronto completing her Bachelor of Music degree at Humber College in vocal performance. Trained classically in piano since the age of 5, she has branched out into pop and jazz as well.
Vocally she is well-versed in many genres including jazz (she loves to scat!), musical theatre, pop, singer-songwriter, country, R&B, and acappella. She has 7 years of choir experience in both chamber and jazz styles. Adina has been writing and singing original songs since the age of 12, and has two singles as well as an EP out on all platforms under the artist name Adina V.
She has performed all across southern Ontario singing with the Toronto All-Star Big Band, as well as at various venues in the GTA with her own jazz duos and trios. As a member of the Cawthra Park Chamber Choir she performed at Roy Thompson Hall with the TSO for two years in a row. At Humber College she is part of the Vocal Jazz Ensemble led by Lisa Martinelli; this group performs advanced repertoire at events like the Ontario Vocal Jazz Festival.
Adina has been teaching music for the past 7 years and loves helping students meet their personal goals while fostering a love of music that lasts forever!
Get to know Adina…Beyond the Bio!
Hobbies: reading, puzzles, video games, painting
Musical Influences: Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Doris Day, Joni Mitchell, Taylor Swift, John Mayer
Favourite Food: Pad Thai
Least favourite food: eggplant
Favourite music: Indie rock and folk
Favourite song: All I Need by Jacob Collier ft. Mahalia & Ty Dolla $ign
Favourite movie: Matilda
Favourite movie music: The Pirates of the Caribbean theme
Favourite Musical: Dear Evan Hansen or The Last Five Years
Best Quote from your teacher: “It’s an amazing and wonderful experience to be able to be intentional about, in the moment, making music”
Favourite Quote: “Even as we are, we are becoming”
Favourite Book: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy – Stieg Larsson
Best thing about teaching at ABC: Sharing and fostering a love of music with students of all ages
Latest Homework from Adina
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Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Dvorah
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes a day
What to practice: A scavenger hunt, March on C-D-E-F-G, Men From Mars
How to practice it most effectively: When doing our scavenger hunt, switch over from LH to RH once you get to the middle of the piano. This way you’re not reaching across your body. For March on C-D-E-F-G, please include your dynamics (the f for loud and p for soft). Try playing the song one time saying the counts, then another time saying the letter names! In Men From Mars we introduced bar lines, which divide the notes up into equal bars of 4 beats. For this song, also say the counts while you play, and watch which direction the notes are moving in.
Marco
If you could have photos of the original composition and the couple of lesson book pages for me next class that would be awesome!
Your theory homework is page 38.
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes a day
What to practice: Original composition, Copycat, Grandmother
How to practice it most effectively: When playing your composition, please do your “1-2-3-4” counting so the rhythm can feel solid. In all your pieces be extra careful for moments when the melody moves in skips; this will be either line to line, or space to space. For Grandmother, use the sayings for bass clef (Good Birds Don’t Fly Away and All Cows Eat Grass) to help you with the reading. Please don’t sing the lyrics yet until the hands feel extra comfortable with the second line (where they play together).
Oliver
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes a day
What to practice: G position 5-finger warmup (one hand at a time), A Friend Like You (hands together)
How to practice it most effectively: For the warmup, please try your best to play legato – keeping your fingers more bent will help with this. In A Friend Like You, there are 2 main patterns: the first pattern happens at the beginning and the end, and the second pattern repeats in the middle of the song. For the spots where the hands play together, remember that RH’s note and LH’s bottom note are always the same (either G and G, or A and A). Take it nice and slow and think of your intervals as you play them!
Alice
Please brainstorm a few options for a new pop song to start working on – I will also bring some ideas to next week’s class.
Recommended minutes to practice: 20 minutes a day
What to practice: Petit Minuet, Rodeo, and Lose You to Love Me
How to practice it most effectively: For the piano pieces, remember that your sayings (Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge and FACE in the space) go bottom to top. So if you’re on the second line of treble clef the respective word is “good”. In Petit Minuet, try saying your letter names as you play to review them. In Rodeo we learned da new LH note: A is on the top line of the bass clef. Please remember that finger 3 is your middle finger, not your ring finger! For Lose You to Love Me, the final piece of the puzzle is practicing the 2nd verse lyrics a few times before singing the whole song (So from “I gave my all…” up until “In the thick of healing”). Still practice singing along to the original recording, but then try with the karaoke version we found (the YouTube channel is Sing King). Do your best to feel the pulse (where the strong beats land) to help keep you on track with the lyrics’ rhythm.
Linda
Recommended minutes to practice: 20 minutes a day or 30 minutes every other day.
What to practice: 4-note chords up a major scale (C major in LH, G major in RH), L-O-V-E, The Swing
How to practice it most effectively: For the 4-note chords in G major, there is now an F# to incorporate. Note how the quality of the chords (maj7, -7, or 7) stays the same even in this new key. For L-O-V-E, play through the chords slowly, noting what degree number they are (with G being our 1). A couple of new chords we spoke of are the D7sus4 (where the 3rd is replaced with the 4th), C#o7 (a stack of all minor 3rds – when coming from Cmaj7 the inner 2 notes stay the same and the outer 2 notes come 1 semitone inwards), and G6/D (which just means the LH will play a D bass note instead of a G). For The Swing, you’re definitely ready to put it hands together. Take it section by section and play a few bars hands separately to jog your muscle memory before starting hands together.
Preferred Books for Adina’s Students
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Alfred's Basic Piano Library Lesson Book 1A
This easy step-by-step method emphasizes correct playing habits and note reading through interval recognition. Lesson Book Level 1A begins by teaching basic keyboard topography and fluent recognition of white key names in relation to black keys. It focuses on simple rhythms and prepares students for intervallic reading with entertaining songs that focus on “same,” “stepping up” and “stepping down.” It then introduces lines and space notes in treble and bass clefs, melodic and harmonic intervals of 2nds, 3rds, 4ths and 5ths, and graduates to reading on the grand staff. It also introduces the flat and sharp signs. This course is most effective when used under the direction of a piano teacher or experienced musician. Songs Include: Balloons * Batter Up! * The Donkey * A Friend Like You * Hand-Bells * A Happy Song * Horse Sense * Totem Pole Song * It’s Halloween! * Jingle Bells! * Jolly Old Saint Nicholas * July the Fourth! * Just a Second! * Love Somebody * Merrily We Roll Along O’er the Deep Blue Sea * Mexican Hat Dance * My Clever Pup * My Fifth * My Robot * Old MacDonald * Old Uncle Bill * Play a Fourth * Raindrops * Rain, Rain! * Rockets * Rockin’ Tune * Rock Song * Sailing * Sea Divers * See-Saws * Skating * Who’s on Third? * Willie and Tillie * Wishing Well * The Zoo
Alfred's Adult Basic All-In-One
Alfred’s Basic Adult All-in-One Course is designed for use with a piano instructor for the beginning student looking for a truly complete piano course. It is a greatly expanded version of Alfred’s Basic Adult Piano Course that will include lesson, theory, and technique in a convenient, “all-in-one” format. This comprehensive course adds such features as isometric hand exercises, finger strengthening drills, and written assignments that reinforce each lesson’s concepts. There is a smooth, logical progression between each lesson, a thorough explanation of chord theory and playing styles, and outstanding extra songs, including folk, classical, and contemporary selections.
The Brown Scale Book
This essential resource includes all major and minor scales, triads, arpeggios, dominant sevenths, and chromatic scales organized by key. A favorite for decades, The Brown Scale Book belongs in every student’s library.
The Real Vocal Book
The Real Vocal Book has many of the selections from Volumes 1 and 2 of the instrumental Real Books, but now with complete lyrics added to the pre-existing melody line. This edition features 300 essential songs arranged for low voice, including: Alfie * All of Me * Autumn Leaves * Bewitched * Bluesette * Don’t Get Around Much Anymore * Fever * Georgia on My Mind * Misty * Moon River * My Funny Valentine * Satin Doll * and more. Looking for a particular song? Check out the Real Book Songfinder here.
