M.Mus (York U) in-progress
B.Mus (Pontifical Catholic University of Chile)
B.Arts (Pontifical Catholic University of Chile)
Colomba is a Chilean Canadian pianist and musicologist. Born and raised in Chile, she has been a piano and music theory teacher for over six years. She is currently studying an M.A. in Music at York University with the York Graduate Scholarship.
Colomba completed her Bachelor of Music as well as her Bachelor of Arts (Major in History) at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. During her time there, she served as Teaching Assistant in Harmony, Analysis and Music Theory courses. She also had worked as private Piano Teacher from 2016 and at Schlotfeld’s Online Music Academy throughout the pandemic.
As a pianist, Colomba served in 2019 as keyboardist in the 2022 Pulsar Award Winner (Best Jazz & Fusion Album) “Ensamble Escondido”. She also has experience as a pianist for private events and weddings. Colomba seeks to encourage her students to discover their own music tastes and creativity by balancing traditional skills and innovative methods.
Get to know Colomba…Beyond the Bio!
Hobbies: Piano, music research on Classical and Latin American Popular Music, History, Drawing.
Music influences: Music from the Romantic and Impressionist era; Chopin, Satie and Debussy in particular. Popular Music genres such as Classical and Progressive rock. Folk-rooted Latin American genres (Peruvian Landó, Bossa-Nova, Cuban Son).
Favourite food: Any dessert will do the trick. I also like Italian food, Arepas, Asian food. I’m not a picky eater so I enjoy almost any food.
Least favourite food: Beet salad. It doesn’t have too much flavor.
Favorite music: Anything that has an interesting rhythm and melody. My favorite genres are Jazz, Rock, and Latin American Folk Music. Regarding Classical Music, I’ve always been a fan of the Romantic Era.
Favourite song: I like too many songs to choose just one! Negra Presuntuosa- Susana Baca
Time – Pink Floyd
Favourite movie: No Country for Old Men.
Favourite movie music: Pirates of the Caribbean, The Incredibles.
Favourite musical theatre/opera: Carmen – Georges Bizet.
Best quote from your teacher: “a hard-working student in the long term will surpass a prodigy”.
Favourite quote: “Fools who don’t respect history are doomed to repeat it.” “Traveller, the road is only your footprint, and no more; traveller, there’s no road, the road is your travelling.”
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel García Márquez.
Best thing about teaching at ABC: Helping people to develop a love for music.
Latest Homework from Colomba
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March 11th
Francisco:
Practice “Overworld” with separate hands. Be careful with your fingering. The idea is that you must be able to play with each hand almost without looking.
Read p. 41 (“Home of the Range”).
Maria Ines:
“In the Name of Love”: Practice adding rhythm to the chords in the chorus. Follow the song’s bass drum. Keep practicing the melodic breakdown with both hands to reinforce it.
Noreet:
Piano Adventures p. 64-65. Make sure she is using the correct fingers (each one of the fingers should be in one white key). Read it completely for the next class.
Keep in mind that in the dotted half note, you must count to 3.
Miabella:
Read as much as you can of the second piece in the book. If you have any doubts, bring them next class.
Play the chords of “Bad Guy” with the song. Also, start practicing them only with your left hand.
April 19th
Gerardo:
“The Girl from Ipanema”: practice playing the bass instead of the chords. Bossa Nova bass uses the root note and the fifth of each chords and plays them in half notes.
“Tchaikovsky’s theme”: Practice the pedal for the whole song. Start with 110 bpm, and slowly speed up the song until you reach 126 bpm.
Eliam:
Piano Adventures p. 47. ” Petite Minuet”. We read the first line in class, so he has to practice first the second line alone, and then the whole piece.
Caedan:
Piano Adventures p. 24 “Paper Airplane”. He has to be careful with the skips, (from G to E and from E to C). If he can read a little bit of the next page would be great as well.
Zoe:
“Little Piece”: Use a metronome to practice. If you need a refresher, divide the piece in sections like we did in the class. Play each section in a loop a few times until you feel confident about your playing, and then go to the next one. Keep adding parts until you get to the end of the piece.
“Paris Texas”: Take a few minutes to play the bit seen in class a few times. Make sure you are falling with the next chord in the beat 1 and not in the beat 3. Add the singing.
Preferred Books for Colomba’s Students
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Belting - A
Written for ages 5 and 6, My First Piano Adventure captures the child’s playful spirit. Fun-filled songs, rhythm games and technique activities develop beginning keyboard skills.
John Thompson's Modern Course for the Piano
Time-tested bestseller around the world! The legendary Modern Course series provides a clear and complete foundation in the study of the piano that enables the student to think and feel musically. It’s known as the method for quick, dedicated learners. It’s also well-regarded as a self-teaching method for the mature player. The First Grade may be preceded by Teaching Little Fingers to Play and/or Teaching Little Fingers to Play More .
Mikrokosmos
Béla Bartók wrote the first four volumes of the Mikrokosmos as a series of beginning piano exercises for his son Péter. The great Hungarian composer’s complete six-volume collection represents one of the most comprehensive anthologies of contemporary technique ever assembled. This edition, consisting of the first two volumes, presents more than 100 pieces of study material suitable for first- and second-year students.
Rational Principles of Pianoforte Technique
