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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January 24th
Francisco:
“The Entertainer”: Practice the last phrase with separate hands. Be particularly careful with the fingering in the left hand.
Practice the B section (rh: c-d-d#-e etc..) up to that point with both hands. Start moderately slow, and speed up progressively.
Maria Ines:
Practice the verse and pre-chorus of “In the Stars”. Remember to sing the lyrics in order to fall with the chords in the right beat.
For “Arcade”, practice the song up to the fifth page. Take 5 or 10 minutes of your practice session to go over the bridge and the No Chords chorus in loop, as we did in class, so you can match the tempo of the verses.
If possible, figure out the melodic lines of both singers (they are different).
Noreet:
My Piano Adventures p. 49 “Russian Folk Song”. Pay special attention to the dotted half notes in the second line (make sure she counts to 3 and follows with the C in the right hand). If she can, add the soft dynamic in bar 10.
February 1st
Gerardo:
“Snowflake Rag”: Before playing the complete piece, review and practice each one of the transitions between parts. Play them twice or thrice each. Think about the order of these transitions before playing. That way, you will tend to stop less between parts.
Start practicing the dynamics, and pay special attention to the crescendo in the coda.
Caedan:
Piano Adventures: Compose a song with the notes of “Skipping in Space” and write it. You can use other notes as well. Try to make two different parts (or melodies).
Read “Half Time Show”. This song is built on the same three notes (F-A-C).
“Super Mario Bros. 3 – Athletic”: Practice the bit seen in class and try to figure out what comes next in the song.
Zoe:
“The 1”: Use the separate tracks to study the playing and the singing separately. For the piano, make variations for both the bass line (left hand) and the chords (right hand). Once you feel confortable enough playing these variations, try to sing on top of them.
For the singing, put the backing track while you sing. Play the melody in the chorus and the bridge of the song, so you can practice getting to those particular notes in tune.
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
