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 4th
Francisco:
Read “Home on the Range” (Piano Adventures pp. 40-41). Always have the tempo on your head while playing, so you can follow up with the half notes and eight notes. If you count out loud, remember to star in “3” (the upbeat). Try to read to the end.
Maria Ines:
“City of Stars”: Practice the A section (the first part of the song). Remember to play the eight notes with swing (the jumpy feeling) all the time, even at a slow tempo. Practice the repetition as well.
Noreet:
“Grandmother” (Piano Adventures pp. 62). Read from beginning to end. If she has trouble with the last bar, stop before that and we will see that specific bar next class. Make sure she plays bars 1 and 2 with both hands at the same time, and not the right hand after the left hand.
Miabella:
“Siamese Cats”: Play from beginning to end. Remember the tempo and the fact that the half notes last two beats (count two before keeping going).
Practice the chords from Bad Guy with the song. Remember to change every 8 beats and that the fist chord (G minor) is repeated.
March 12th
Gerardo:
“The Girl from Ipanema”: Start practicing the Bossa Nova bass. For the A section, play half notes, changing between the root note and the fifth of each chord (i.e. Fmaj7 = F and C).
“Thcaikovsky’s theme”: Play section A and its variant with the metronome (around 90 bpm). Make sure you practice the chord sequence first with the left hand before trying with both.
Caedan:
Read “Gravity Falls Opening”. Make sure he is reading the notes since he tends to try to play melodies by ear (which is great, but we also need to make sure he is making progress with his sight reading).
Zoe:
“Paris Texas”: Practice the bit of the melody seen in class with different rhythms in a loop. Go at a slower tempo, and increase it only when you feel comfortable playing the melody in a pp dynamic.
Practice singing the melody of the bridge with the piano first, and then without it but playing the chord. Pay special attention to the jumps toward the high notes and back.
Practice the song, piano solo, as soft as you can. Make sure the volume of your keyboard is max or almost max.
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
