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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October 25th
Francisco:
The Entertainer:
Practice both hands separately.
The chords in the left and are:
C (C-E-G) / C/ F (F-A-C)/ Fm (F-Ab-C) /C/ G (G-B-D) /C
Maria Ines:
Practice D minor and G major scales with parallel and contrary motion.
Memorize Before You Go (chords, melody and lyrics). Pay special attention to remember where the chords fall with the lyrics.
Noreet:
How you like that: Practice up to where we left (I wrote the second phrase notes in her paper).
My Piano Adventures: pp. 80-81 (“Bed on a Boat”). P. 80 is with only the left hand, and p. 81 is only with the right hand. Remember to do the repetition.
November 9th
Gerardo:
“Ice Skaters”: Practice complete. Remember to start from the beginning after the last bar. Choose a tempo that is comfortable to you to play the eight notes in the second part of the piece, and start with that tempo.
“Allegro in D major”: Practice the dynamics. In the crescrendos, grow gradually. In bb. 7-8, the loudest note is the C sharp at the beginning of bar eight, think the melodic line up to that point and then decrease the volume.
Search for 4-5 songs (Jazz/Bossa Nova) that you would like to learn.
Eliam:
Jingle Bells: Practice the par seen in class. Memorize them as much as you can.
“Wish I Were a Fish”: Practice it from beginning to end (pp. 70-71). Make sure you keep you hands in the right position and in the keyboard at all times.
Caedan:
p. 12-13 “Ferris Wheel”: Play without stoping between the parts, even if it at a slow tempo. In the last line, play thrice in the middle C (C-E) then go up one octave, play three times again, and then go up another octave to finish the song.
Zoe:
“Snow on the beach”: Practice voice and piano separately. For the piano, try to keep the notes as even as possible in the arpeggios. For singing, try to put more air into it. Sing louder, specially when you reach high notes.
“Sonatina in C major”: start reading the first page of the 2nd movement. For now, don’t play the trill in the first line. Pay special attention to the fingering.
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
