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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September 20th
Maria Ines:
Dandelions. Put both hands together (melody in the right hand and chords in the left hand) for the pre-chorus and chorus. You can use the video as reference for where the chords fall in relation to the melody. For the chorus, remember to count 3 beats and then wait 3 beats before the next chord.
Noreet:
My first piano adventure, p. 70-71. “Wish I Were a Fish”.
Practice counting out loud page 70 and the first line of 71. Start reading the second line of that same page.
October 5th
Elliam:
My first piano adventures pp. 44-45. Use a metromome or tap slowly at an even tempo, so you can follow it. Play each note with the beat. Remember to keep both hands in the keyboard as shown in the diagram of page 44.
Emilia:
Get the book Faber Piano Adventures LESSON BOOK-PRIMER LEVEL (it is NOT the level 1!).
P. 7 “finger flashcards”: She has to play starting from any key on the keyboard with the fingers indicated.
Fingers: 1-thumb; 2-index; 3-middle finger; 4-ring finger; 5-pinky (for both hands).
Also practice finding the notes in the keyboard, as well as recognizing hands and fingers.
The parent can tell her a hand, a note, and a finger, and she has to play it. I.e: Right hand, 2, C (that means that she must play a C with her right index).
Caedan:
Play “Bells of the Great Britain” (p. 67) with the damper pedal.
Read p. 68 “Come On, Tigers!”
Anaya:
“Willie and Tillie”: Practice from beginning to end and with the repetition. Pay special attention to the A in the left hand in bar 8, and to the C in the right hand in bar 14.
Start reading “A friend like you” in p. 19. Remember to start in G position.
Zoe:
Practice Sonatina in C major with metronome at 70 bpm. If you make a mistake, try as much as possible to keep going without stopping in between the piece.
Summertime Sadness: Start arranging the left hand. Use root notes for the bass, add different rhythms and arpeggios. Try to use different chord positions for the right hand as well.
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
