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 7th
Francisco:
Piano Adventures p. 31 “Starlit Melody”. Read for next class. Pay attention to the skips on the staff.
Maria Ines:
“In the Stars”: Play the first four lines of the chorus. Be careful with the notes in the bass, and remember that Gm lasts only 3 beats in the chorus (the fourth beat is the Bb with D or F in the bass).
“Payphone”: Practice the melody while saying/singing the lyrics, so you can be accurate with the rhythms. Then play the chords separately. Use the left hand to play bass lines, and the right hand to play the chord.
Noreet:
Piano Adventures p. 53. Make Noreet read the notes. If she struggles to play the right hand and left hand together, we will work on that next class, so do not worry about that. The idea is that she can read the piece, slow but fluidly for next class.
Miabella:
Practice playing from C to G and back with both hands at the same time. Place each finger in one note, and go up (to G) and down (back to C). After that, play in “contrary motion”, with the same fingers but different notes as we did in class.
February 15th
Gerardo:
“The Girl from Ipanema”: Practice the chord sequence for the B section (left hand) for next class. Once you have that solved, practice the B section with the melody in the right hand. Pay attention to where the chords fall in relation to the melody.
Write in your notebook the chords that follow, as well as why they are made up of those notes.
Eliam:
My piano adventures p. 39-40. Make sure he’s using the right hand position, and that he is reading the notes correctly and with the correct hand (right hand is the top staff; left hand the bottom staff).
Caedan:
“Athletic” (Super Mario): Take a few minutes of your practice time to play mm. 7-8 so you get the right rhythm in the left hand. Then try mm. 7-11.
Practice the bit seen in class (mm. 12-15). Try slow first, so you can memorize the notes in succession. Once you feel confident playing this bit, start from the beginning.
Zoe:
The 1: Practice with metronome (anywhere between 70 and 75 bpm). Make sure that your piano playing always falls in the beat. Practice just the piano a few times before trying to sing.
Memorize the lyrics of the song.
Practice the following chord sequence:
||: Gm7-C7-Fmaj7-Bbmaj7-Em7(b5)-A7-Dm7-D7 :||
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
