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 4th
Francisco:
Scales: Practice with both hands, two octaves. Remember to put the thumb in C and F in the right hand, and C and G in the left hand.
Happy Birthday: Play the chords with the left hand and the melody in the right hand.
(C major –> C-E-G; G major –> G-B-D; F major –> F-A-C)
Make a list of videogames you like.
María Ines:
Dandelions: Practice the chorus, so you can reach the tempo of the rest of the song.
F Major Scale: Both hands as in the s book’s sequence.
Before you go: Search for the lyrics. Figure out where the first beat goes.
Noreet:
Put a rhythmic base and let her improvise in the keyboard. You can change between hands, white keys/black keys, etc.
Piano Adventures, p. 72-73 (“Oh, I love snack time”), with a metronome, or tapping the tempo.
October 19th
Gerardo:
Allegro in D major: Study the second page at a slow tempo. Pay special attention to the trasitions between bars 11-12 and 12-13. Play the repetitions.
Down by the Bay: Study with metronome. Start at 90 bpm and accelerate from there as much as you can up to the suggested tempo of the piece.
Elliam:
Study p. 54-55 ” Mary’s Rockin’ Pets” of the book. Pay attention to the fingers indicated and the hand. In the figures with the white dots (half notes) make sure you say 2 after playing the note.
Caedan:
Piano Adventures Book 1: “Firefly” (p. 8). Read as much as possible for next class.
Anaya:
Practice “A Friend like You” at a slightly faster tempo.
Do the written exercise in p. 21 (quarter, half and whole rests).
Start reading “My Robot” in p. 22. Pay attention to the C sharps in the piece.
Zoe:
Improvise over this chord sequence: C-G-Am-F. Play a melody in quarter notes. In the first beat, you must always fall in a note of the chord (i.e. In C major, on the first beat you must fall on either C, E or G).
Sonatina in C Major: Practice it at a slow tempo, but complete (including the repetitions).
Search for songs that have a piano arrangement.
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
