Shelley has recently graduated with a Master of Teaching from OISE. She is qualified to teach music and drama. Shelley did her undergrad at the UofT Faculty of Music where her main instrument was piano. She sang in the Women’s Chamber Choir, where she got the opportunity to perform Cherubini’s Requiem at the Lincoln Center. Shelley also studied multiple genres of voice, especially classical, musical theatre, and jazz. She has performed in multiple revue/cabaret shows and was a soloist in the Hart House Jazz Ensemble. Shelley has also taken courses in the UofT Drama department and directed two of her original plays on campus.
As an emerging music educator, Shelley would like to expose her students to a wide variety of different musical genres/styles including classical, jazz, pop, musical theatre, folk, and contemporary, and teach them techniques such as reading notation, reading degree numbers, and learning by ear. She aspires to create a space that students enjoy because they get to explore their own musical identity and interests by choosing the music style(s) they like. By encouraging and giving students opportunities to engage in and develop their own skills in an area of their choice, Shelley believes students will be more likely to want to continue with music in their lives beyond the studio.
Get to know Shelley…Beyond the Bio!
Hobbies: Singing, playing piano, guitar and ukelele, acting, dancing, songwriting, story writing, playwriting, screenwriting, choreographing, travelling
Musical influences: Chopin, Sondheim, Larson, ABBA
Favourite food: Pasta
Least favourite food: Salad dressing
Favourite song: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger by Kelly Clarkson
Favourite movie: The Sound of Music
Favourite movie music: The Lion King
Favourite musical theater/ opera: Wicked, Don Giovanni
Best quote from your teacher: “It’s not just about practicing, it’s the way you practice”
Favorite quote: “Don’t work hard, work smart”
Favourite book: Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer
Best thing about teaching at ABC: Passing my love of music to students
Latest Homework from Shelley
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Assignments for the Week of October 9th, 2024
Sara
Listening: Franz Schubert’s “Gute Nacht” from Winterreise (“Good Night” from Winter Journey)
Technical Exercises
Continuing in B Major – Review fingerings from attached page for scales (LH especially just to be confident!) and triads.
-Triads – watching out that we are always outlining each chord inversion with fingers 1 and 5 (which feels much different from our arpeggio fingerings in this key).
-Broken triads – practicing hands separately thinking about leading from our elbow! “Drawing circles” going down and out from the center with your elbows as you play each inversion.
Bartok
Focusing in on #20-24 – double checking details like strange key signatures, noticing when our patterns are broken, working through trying to keep your eyes an entire measure ahead of what you are playing!
Lesson Book – Sonatina in F Major
Working hands separately, watching for patterns and things that you recognize (like scales, triad shapes, etc.).
-Practicing slowly in small groups of measures, focusing in on places that may catch us off guard like measures 19-22 where our pattern changes.
-For LH, being careful to check in and relax our hand/wrist – use your arm to help stay relaxed like our broken triad exercises.
Schubert
Continue HS work – keeping your pencil handy to mark in any unfamiliar notes on ledger lines, any extra fingerings that you need reminders of, as well as circling/starring any new ideas that may catch you off guard (like the shift in harmony at the very end)
-for RH: focusing in and practicing sections where we have a lot of textures in one hand (like in measures 24-26 or so)
-for LH: playing LH jumps as a solid blocked chord (like we talked about in Pierrot and Pierrette) so that we are able to understand how much or little things change between chords.
Hakim
Technical Exercises
Practicing 5 finger major scale patterns, starting on C, G, D, A, and E
-finding chords/major triads in each position using fingers 1-3-5
Distant Chimes
Doubling checking starting notes for each new hand position, mark down the note names for your starting positions.
-Practice hands separately and hands together as solid chords in fingers 1 and 5 to get used to the changing hand positions.
Clara
Technical Exercises
5 finger scales starting on C, G, and D.
-Practicing stepping legato/smoothly, and staccato/bouncy; saying note names and finger numbers out loud. Practice hands separately and together, trying out in different registers of the keyboard.
Lesson Book – Pages 42-46, focusing on reading steps on the staff around Middle C and Treble G. Faber scans for Clara – 42-46
Assignments for the week of October 2, 2024
Sara
Pieces to Listen:
- Bela Bartok – Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celeste
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QElT9KD4uX8&ab_channel=invertedninthchord
- Franz Schubert – “Gute Nacht” from Winterreise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8I5Gn3bVN0&ab_channel=WarnerClassics
Technical Exercises – Review LH fingerings for E Major scale
- New Key – B Major (5 sharps!): Scales (parallel, HS and HT)
- Triads (solid HT, broken HS) – watching out for fingers 1 and 5 on black keys, moving further into the keys so that you are comfortable.
- Arpeggios (HS) – thinking of moving horizontally with your arm instead of crossing fingers over/under to stay relaxed and in control. Remember to try and keep finger 3 lined up with your elbow so we don’t get any “chicken wings” in the elbows!
Bartok – #20-21 (22 if time), starting HS and watching for when our patterns breaks! Bartok Mikrokosmos Book 1 20-36
- Trying to follow the shape of the line and being sure to look ahead as you read.
- Making sure we are practicing with a nice healthy forte! Think of playing deep into the keys instead of skating over the top of them, especially in Bartok and Technical Exercises.
Pierrot & Pierrette – focusing on dynamics:
– balance between hands (RH melody, LH supporting/accompaniment), watching for any marked dynamics.
Schubert: Moments Musicaux no.3 – Working entirely HS.
- RH: working through small sections RH alone, ignoring ornaments for now as we get comfortable with the structure of the piece.
- Have your pencil handy as you work to mark down any fingerings.
- Working through RH layers so that we are able to play and hear them separately.
- Circle any difficult/awkward feeling sections and isolate the most challenging part – focusing in and practicing these small sections/jumps until you are able to move through them without hesitating.
- LH: the “motor” of this piece, practicing repeated chords moving back and forth to get comfortable with the large jumps. Adding extra challenges to get it comfortable quickly (for example: repeating chords multiple times, adding an extra octave in between the jumps like we’ve tried together, playing only top or bottom notes of chords when you jump, etc.)
Clara
Lesson Book: Pages 36-41 – Reading on the staff, focusing on home notes (Bass F, Middle C, and Treble G). Faber scans for Clara – 36-41
- Watching for which finger is in charge of each home note, and if there are more than one note being played at a time vertically (either in one hand, like “Driving in the G Clef”, or in both hands at once, like “Best Friends”)
Exercises: Working through 5 finger scales starting in a C, G, and D hand position.
- Practicing hands separately, trying hands together if comfortable.
- Saying note names out loud while practicing.
Hakim
Exercises: Working through 5 finger scale hand positions around the keyboard, starting in C, G, D, A, and E 5 finger positions.
- Watching out for our pattern of half steps and whole steps in each position to find any sharps
- 5 finger scale pattern – Whole step, Whole step, Half Step, Whole Step
- Practicing hands separately and together slowly at first: be prepared to try legato, staccato, or detached. (Remember, when we play through things quickly before they’re comfortable it will take much longer to get comfortable!)
Distant Chimes – Working through all the way to the end hands together, keeping an eye on changing hand position and watching for repeating patterns (like measures 5 and 7, or 6 and 8)
- Watching out for hands crossing over all the way through, especially in measures 13 to the end.
Assignments for the week of September 18th, 2024
Sara
Technique – Scales, Triads, Arpeggios
-Continue with E Major, focusing on staying relaxed all exercises (checking in with the entire hand, the wrist, and the forearm)
-Especially with solid triads – thinking in a similar way to RH octaves in “The Entertainer” – not letting wrist get too high, or letting the hand “set” into position.
The Entertainer: Getting things overall more physically comfortable and automatic. Break into small chunks and work HS as we did in lesson.
-For RH, breaking octaves/chords apart into their pieces and playing through as an exercise (only finger 1/finger 5, repeating each chord before moving onto the next)
-For LH, focusing on jumps between hand positions: making sure you are able to jump back and forth quickly and comfortably (practicing repeating chords similar to RH, make the jumps more difficult by jumping an extra octave)
Pierrot & Pierrette: Breaking apart into small chunks (approximately 4 measure groups) and isolating any problem notes/tricky spots. Making sure that we can confidently and loudly play to the end of each small chunk.
-For LH, focusing on STRONG weak weak rhythm – emphasizing a STRONG beat 1 in each measure.
-For RH, not allowing for any shy playing! Ignore the “p” dynamic for now, playing confidently and strongly in the RH to get settled. When practicing HT, making sure that our RH is louder than LH (remember! RH is our melody in this case, LH is creating atmosphere and supporting)
Bartok: Continuing on with #9-10; focusing on reading ahead and looking at the entire shape of a musical phrase, not just looking a note ahead. Try to imagine how it will sound based on the shape before you play.
-Reviewing #1-8 throughout the week for your own purposes, focusing on reading the entire shape as we tried in lesson (don’t be afraid to draw out the shape into your score to help visually to “connect the dots”)
Clara
Lesson book pages 25-31, practicing speaking note names and finger numbers out loud.
Practicing 5 finger scales hands separately, ascending and descending in a C 5 finger position. Speaking finger numbers and note names out loud while playing detached, staccato (like popcorn), and legato (smooth and connected).
C-1, D2, E3, F4, G5
Assignments for the week of September 11th, 2024
Sara
Technical Exercises – Working through new key this week: E Major (4 sharps)
Overall thinking about larger groupings of notes/fingers and thinking ahead instead of thinking of what you are doing. E Major Technique Fingerings – Sara
- Scales: E Major hands separately 1 octave first, working towards hands together 2 octaves – thinking about hand position groupings as opposed to individual notes/steps. Thinking about what is under the fingers at any given moment, what is the highest/lowest notes in each position, how far do we need to move to get to the next position, etc.
- Practicing as solid blocked chords of each hand position, then moving on to stepping through the scale with a detached articulation, still thinking about the larger hand position.
- Triads: Focusing on HS solid triads, watching out for finger 2 in each position (see attached example). Holding each inversion and thinking ahead before moving, only moving to the next position when you are feeling prepared and confident you can go right to it.
Pierrot and Pierrette – Beginning to think about musical direction and dynamics! One of the most important parts of telling a story is communicating clearly – so making sure that we know what the beginning and ending of your ideas are in the piece is a good place to start (considering what they are to you right now, not what is the “correct” answer). and start to introduce dynamic markings.
- Think about your characters, shifting moods, or a narrative that makes sense for you within this piece – use it as inspiration musically as you are working. Consider the beginnings and endings of your musical ideas and how they might impact musical shapes/dynamics that are already on the page.
- Making sure that we are comfortable enough with “step 1” of notes/rhythms that we are able to at least play comfortably to the end of each idea without getting caught off guard.
- Begin introducing dynamic shapes that are on the page.
- Thinking about our waltz rhythm and how it can help us understand the flow of the music – STRONG weak weak STRONG weak weak (always going to the next strong beat 1!)
- Practicing pulsing solid chords in LH to get comfortable with changes (also a good way to introduce your dynamic shapes!)
The Entertainer – For octaves and large chords, making sure to not let our hand/wrist/forearm get tense. Opening up our fingers from our wrist instead of the base of our fingers, and not letting the wrist get too high (we want to keep as relaxed and open as possible). Practicing repeating chords/octaves and making sure you are able to stay loose especially in your wrist.
Bartok – New set of reading exercises: begin working through the first few exercises (1-6 should be enough for this week). Observing as much as you can about each new exercise before playing, see how much you are able to hear in your head before playing. Bartok Mikrokosmos Book 1 1-19
- Paying attention to rhythms, shapes/directions of notes in groupings instead of reading 1 note at a time, any patterns you notice.
Clara
Working through scanned pages, focusing on playing on the black keys and reading through each piece as opposed to practicing the same piece repeatedly. Saying all finger numbers out loud while playing through, and watching out for half notes vs. quarter notes.
Assignments for the week of September 4th, 2024
Hello everyone, it was great to meet you all and get started this week! Here are the notes from this week’s introductory lessons, I am looking forward to jumping into work next week.
-Trevor F.
Sara:
Review technical exercises (scales/triads) in your favourite key from June’s exam so we can jump into something new next week.
Continue working through “The Entertainer”, only allowing yourself to fully play it through once or twice before next week’s lesson; instead practice by breaking it apart into smaller chunks and focus on identifying and trying to solve problems (remember, you can’t eat a whole pizza in one bite!). Supporting the fingers by thinking about the arm and checking in to see if you are relaxed (for example, opening the hand from the wrists instead of at the fingers for octaves and chords to stay relaxed in the arm).
Start new piece in RCM book, “Pierrot and Pierrette” – working independently to see how much you are able to learn/get together in one week. Remember to break things into manageable chunks before trying to run anything this week! (looking for patterns, hands separate practice, considering how each hand might help or trip up the opposite hand when together, noting “tricky spots” and focusing on them)
Clara:
Focusing on hands separate 5 finger patterns at and away from the keyboard. Begin by having a parent/guardian demonstrate the pattern while speaking aloud and tapping fingers, then having her copy. If comfortable with this, moving on to have her read and attempt the patterns without demonstration or assistance. Tapping noted patterns and saying finger numbers out loud – can be done on the lap, on a closed keyboard lid/table, and then eventually moving to 5 finger positions starting on C and G. When comfortable saying finger numbers and playing on keyboard, begin saying lettered note names aloud while playing the same patterns in C and G 5 finger positions. Feel free to make up other patterns beyond those listed in the separate document!
Hakim:
Review/continue working on “Creator” so we can get started on it together next week.
Begin work on “Distant Chimes”. Before playing anything, have a look through the entire piece and look for patterns, hand positions changing, watch for any sharps or flats, and overall try to imagine how things will sound.
If you are struggling to figure things out and need to listen to the piece for guidance, a good recording is as follows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epEo07esc8I
Liam:
Technique exercises – bring back scales in C, G, and D major 1 octave hands separately. Blocking out groups of fingerings and hand positions as solid chords like we tried together in lesson (for example: CDE-123, FGABC-12345).
Review an older piece from your exam pieces that you enjoy and be prepared to play through it next week. Think about any challenges you might have had while learning this piece, as well as something about it that you particularly enjoy!
New Piece: Sonatina in A minor (movement 1) from RCM grade 3 book. Work through as much of this piece as you can this week (hands separate or hands together, however much you are able to get together is fine), observing patterns and things you recognize, watching for “tricky parts” and focusing in on them, thinking about how our hands work together or may confuse the opposite hand.
Assignments for the week of September 28th, 2024
Shakira
Practicing – Planning out short chunks of practice (5-10 minutes at a time) – choose 1 thing from our list of things to do and focus only on that.
-Practice reading through a small group of measures a few times, speak through note names, or practice finding 5 finger hand positions from scales, etc.
Technical Exercise – 5 finger scales (starting on C, G, D, A, and E)
-Finding starting hand position from the previous review sheet. Checking which notes are in the hands in this position and stepping up/down. Saying note names out loud as you go. 5 finger scale hand positions – Shakira
Bartok Exercises – Reading through the first page of exercises, double checking note names based on review sheet. (Remember, FACE in the space, and All Cows Eat Grass)
-All exercises in a 5 finger position, moving through only in steps.
-Play through while paying attention to the shape of each line when we “connect the dots” between notes – making sure you are watching which direction the musical line is moving (up/down)
Lunar Eclipse – Finding left hand notes and making sure you are comfortable moving between them separate from the right hand. Try adding both hands together, passing the musical line from left hand note to right hand pattern.
-Making sure right hand is outlining C-Eflat-G using only fingers 1-3-5.
Assignments for the week of September 14th, 2024
Shakira
Technique Exercises: working in C Major (no sharps/flats)
1 Octave C Major scale – Practicing as solid blocked groups of fingers within each hand position, bouncing back and forth between positions. Thinking ahead before moving. Once comfortable with shifting between hand positions fully, stepping through the scale slowly.
C Major solid triads – Practicing finding and moving between C major root position, first inversion, and second inversion triads. Following the fingerings on the attached page of notes. Review Note Page – Shakira
Bartok Exercises – Read through exercises 1-3 (all of page 1), focusing on following the shape and contour of the notes as you read instead of thinking one note at a time. Paying close attention and double checking starting notes for each exercises LH and RH (they will all be parallel motion on the same notes between hands) Bartok Mikrokosmos Book 1 1-19
Lunar Eclipse – Begin working through hands separately at first, until you notice the RH pattern, then working hands together. Watch out for any patterns you notice, double check any note names you aren’t 100% certain of (see attached page of review notes).Lunar Eclipse
The following link is to a reliable recording of Lunar Eclipse for you to listen to:
Preferred Books for Shelley Students
Click to buy them here, and they’ll come right to your house! What could be easier?
RCM Voice Repertoire
A Comprehensive Voice Series serves as the official resource for voice assessments of the Royal Conservatory Music Development Program. Featuring an outstanding selection of voice literature and supporting materials, this series offers a truly enriched learning experience to help ensure student success. As in previous editions, Resonance encompasses a rich and varied selection of Repertoire, Vocalises and Recitatives that students of all ages and voice types will find appropriate to their musical interests and level of technical ability.
Hal Leonard Vocal Method
The Complete Method for Singers
Kodály Approach
Belting - A Guide to Healthy Powerful Singing
Belting is a strong way of big singing that has become very popular in contemporary styles. It is heard in everything from rock to hip-hop to pop to musical theater to the plethora of award shows. However, not only is there much confusion and misinformation about how to belt well, if done poorly belting can actually damage the voice. Numerous famous singers have belted their way to injury or even lost their voices, sometimes permanently. Many voice teachers believe (incorrectly) that belting is simply bad, physically and aesthetically. So, singing students are getting mixed messages. They hear their favorite artists belt-singing throughout their favorite music, yet the resources teaching healthy belting techniques are few and far between. Belting for the Contemporary Singer seeks to remedy the situation. The fact is, belting can be done well and without causing injury. This book presents the facts about belting, what approaches work and which to avoid. Its online video and audio demonstrate good techniques and exercises.
15 First Lessons - Voice
The First 15 Lessons series provides a step-by-step lesson plan for the absolute beginner, complete with audio tracks, video lessons, and real songs! Designed for self-teaching or for use with an instructor, you’ll build a solid foundation as you work through each lesson, learning the basics of singing and music reading while practicing the many exercises, concepts and song excerpts within. Each book in the series features must-know instruction so you can start performing right away, with a free online metronome! The voice book features lessons on: full-body singing, breathing, finding your voice, vocal warmups, the vocal break, caring for your voice, diction, music literacy, building skills, working on a song, dealing with nerves and more.
Teach Yourself to Sing
Learn to sing and open up a brand new world of musical knowledge with this exciting method from Alfred Music. Beginning with the fundamentals, you will learn about equipment used by singers, vocal health, and getting acquainted with reading music. You will then move right along to breathing, vocalizing, proper warm-ups, and singing songs, lesson by lesson, all while continuing to increase your knowledge of reading and understanding music. You will learn to sing an array of musical styles including pop, jazz, classical, and musical theater. Near the end of the book, you will be introduced to the idea of individual interpretation, which will help you color your songs with your own unique style.
Folk Songs for Solo Singers vol. 2
A new high edition of our popular vocal collection, this volume of best-loved folk songs for solo voice and piano contains fourteen memorable works arranged by three of Alfred Music’s top writers: Jay Althouse, Mark Hayes, and Ruth Elaine Schram. The CD includes a piano accompaniment track for each song.
Elementary Rudiments of Music
This series organizes concepts into three progressive levels with an Answer Book. Designed for intermediate to late-intermediate level students, it teaches the basic elements of music theory and complements the study of all instruments.
The Brown Scale Book
This essential resource includes all major and minor scales, triads, arpeggios, dominant sevenths, and chromatic scales organized by key. A favorite for decades, The Brown Scale Book belongs in every student’s library.
Dozen A Day
The Dozen a Day books are universally recognized as one of the most remarkable technique series on the market for all ages! Each book in this series contains short warm-up exercises to be played at the beginning of each practice session, providing excellent day-to-day training for the student.
Faber Piano Adventures
The 2nd Edition Level 1 Lesson Book introduces all the notes of the grand staff, elementary chord playing, and the concept of tonic and dominant notes. Students play in varied positions, reinforcing reading skills and recognizing intervals through the 5th. Musicianship is built with the introduction of legato and staccato touches. This level continues the interval orientation to reading across the full range of the Grand Staff. The 5-finger approach is presented here in a fresh, musically appealing way.
