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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February 21st
Francisco:
Athletic (Mario Theme): put left and right hands together, and practice the rest of the melody.
Piano Adventures p. 34-35, and read 37 if you can.
Maria Ines:
“In the Stars”: Practice the whole chorus. Be careful with how much each chord lasts. For practice, play the chorus in a loop. Then, try the complete song.
“Payphone”: Keep improving your arrangement. Remember that you can play the chord as a block only in the verse. For the rest of the sections, try to introduce rhythmic variants (arpeggios for example).
Noreet:
“Yankee Doodle” (p. 55): Play from beginning to end. Try to make sure Noreet is using the correct fingering at all times.
Miabella:
“Midnight Ride”: Play from beginning to end, and try to memorize the piece for the next class. Add the dynamics (f, p). Play as fast as you can while keeping the rhythm even.
March 1st
Gerardo:
“Tchaikovsky’s Theme”: Practice section A of the piece. Count at all times the six beats. start with the left hand, changing chords every three beats (in 1 and 4). Once you have that, put both hands together.
Eliam:
Piano Adventures p. 39, “Best Friends”. Make sure he’s using the proper fingering. He must start with his middle fingers in C (left hand) and G (right hand).
Caedan:
Finish writing your song.
Compose another song with the blues scale (all the black keys + A).
“Overworld”: practice the first part of the song.
Start reading Piano adventures p. 21. “Li’l Liza Jane”.
Zoe:
“August”: Hear the song a couple of times and identify the changes in dynamics. Which verses/choruses are played softer and/or louder?
For the verses, add a second note from the chord in your right hand, below the melody. For the choruses, play just the melody in your right hand, but make sure to do something else with your left hand.
Sonatina, 2nd mov.: Memorize for next week. Take 5 minutes to practice the transitions between mm. 12-13 and mm. 22-23. If you can use a metronome to practice them, all the better.
Preferred Books for Colomba’s Students
Click to buy them here, and they’ll come right to your house! What could be easier?
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
