Natalie Blanch's Piano Studio

Friday, January 26, 2024 by Natalie Blanch | Uncategorized

Welcome to 2024! I hope everyone had a refreshing holiday, ready for the new school year. Please login to natalieblanch.mymusicstaff to view this week’s lesson time, and times for the rest of term. 

Term 1 lesson at Scots PGC, Warwick Christian College and my home studio begin from Monday 29 January. 

I am adding in calendar dates for music days such as the eisteddfod, and also some sports carnivals. It is then the responsibility of each individual student and family to let me know about events such as camps, excursions, school exam blocks and any appointments or family holidays are that may impact a music lesson. Please continue to let me know when your child is unwell and will not be at school, and I appreciate your thoughtfulness in not attending lessons when sick. I do not have availability in my timetable for make up lessons, however when I receive advance notice of absences, I am able to use that time effectively, and thank you for your organisation and notifications which make this possible.

I have updated sms and email lesson notifications, and natalieblanch.mymusicstaff portal access for all students and parents. Contact me if you would like me to send a password reset email for you to login. 24 hour reminder emails and sms notifications have been activated, and please let me know if you would like text times to be adjusted. They are automatically set to 2 hours before lessons, however for Scots and WCC students, I try to set these for the term to be sent in the morning of the lesson before students leave home, to ensure books are packed and students know their lesson time. If there are any updated details, such as students having their own mobile phone and wanting lesson times sent to them too, these can be updated in your login, or sent to me for manually adding. 

All Term 1 invoices have been sent, and thank you for the payments that have been made. Please let me know if you have not received your invoice.

I look forward to another year full of creating music in lessons, as well as for each student at home where they can play and practice and consolidate what they’ve learnt 🎶

Wednesday, January 18, 2023 by Natalie Blanch | Exams

Entries open 22 January and close 22 March, for the Border District Eisteddfod. This is held in Stanthorpe, with the instrumental dates likely to be May 21-24th.The programme will be released 15 April 2024, pieces need to be finalised by the end of Term 1, so I can post copies of the music to the committee by the end of April. 

Encore Star Competition - recording from May 

Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB) exam dates:

Video Repertoire Exams, for both Piano and Piano for Leisure. 

Session 74 - enrolments close on 15 May (please enrol by May 12). Video submissions can be recorded from May 18, finalised and uploaded by June 7 for submission to be then completed by teacher.  

Session 78 - enrolments close 28 October, video submission can be recorded from 3 to 25 October, finalised to then be completed by teacher.

In person exams

DARLING DOWNS - Session 11 Toowoomba - Enrolments close 27 March, examinations May/June session

DARLING DOWNS - Session 12 Warwick - Enrolments close 28 August, examinations from 12 October to 3 November

Further dates available in Brisbane and Ipswich, for examinations from March to December.

St Cecilia’s School of Music

• March (14-25 March) Closing Date for Entries:  February 22nd
• June (1-30 June) Closing Date for Entries:  April 22nd 
• August/September (19 Aug - 27 Sept) Closing Date for Entries:  June 22nd
• November (1-30) Closing Date for Entries:   August 22nd
• December (1-15 December) Closing Date for Entries:   September 22nd

In 2024 I am hoping to host online St Cecilia exams in the March and November sessions. 

Australian Guild of Music & Speech

Recording Artist exams available year round.

International Virtual Festival - entries close June 25

Monday, January 17, 2022 by Natalie Blanch | Uncategorized

Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB) exam dates:

Video Repertoire Exams, for both Piano and Piano for Leisure. 

Session 71 - open for enrolments on Wednesday 19th January, closing on 28 February. Video submission date of 21 March 2022.

Session 74 - enrolments close on 16 May, video submission by 6 June

Session 78 - enrolments close 3 October, video submission by 24 October

In person exams, 

In person exams, subject to government restrictions and health orders.

DARLING DOWNS - Session 11 Toowoomba - Enrolments close 30 March, examinations 21 May to 12 June

DARLING DOWNS - Session 12 Warwick - Enrolments close 31 August, examinations from 15 October to 6 November

Further dates available in Brisbane and Ipswich, for examinations from March to December.

AMEB Examination Calendar 2022

St Cecilia’s School of Music

SCSM Examination Calendar 2022

• April (1st - 9th April)
• June (1st - 30th June)
• September (1st - 24th Sept)
• November (1st - 30th)
• Early December (1st - 17th December)
• Late December (18th - 23rd December) - Tasmania only

April 1st - 9th             Closing Date for Entries:  February 22nd, 2022 

June 1st - 30th           Closing Date for Entries:  April 22nd, 2022       

September 1st - 24th Closing Date for Entries:  July 22nd, 2022   

November 1st - 30th  Closing Date for Entries:   August 22nd, 2022    

December 1st - 17th  Closing Date for Entries:   September 22nd, 2022

Saturday, May 1, 2021 by Natalie Blanch | Uncategorized

Competition time! Choose your favourite Supersonics piece (or the one with the best title) and decorate, draw or colour around the title or music score creatively. Let your colouring inspire you to play the piece with more expression, dynamics and feeling as a result of your artistic interpretations.

Decorate your chosen piece this week so I can see them in Week 4, from the 10th of May, to choose a winner for the pen set ♫

Thursday, December 3, 2020 by Natalie Blanch | Exams

The end of 2020 is nearly here, and what a year it's been! It has been a privilege to teach piano to an amazing group of students at Scots PGC, Warwick Christian College, and at my home this year. I've enjoyed working with new beginner piano students through to more experienced pianists who started the year already working on pieces for their next exams. Some students only had one or two lessons in person with me before the challenges of online video calls began, and I was impressed by the commitment to practice and continuing their studies. Students and myself learnt a lot from video call lessons and practising at home, and while I hope we can teach in person from now on, it opened up options for when a student or myself has a cold, or even if the Condamine River floods again one day and we can't get to schools or each other. This has been a year of learning and embracing technology for me, and my teaching feels richer as a result. 

The Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB) and St Cecilia's School of Music both extended their options for exams, and students adapted and excelled with the new offerings. Four students completed video repertoire exams for the AMEB, which involved recording their exams in their entirety, to submit to the examining board. The four students sat Grades 4, 6 and 7, and excelled themselves, receiving Distinctions and High Distinctions. Five primary age students also sat their first St Cecilia's exams, via a live video with the examiner from Tasmania. All students received A+/High Distinctions as well!! The results reflects their efforts and commitment to practice and lessons. Congratulations!!

Thank you to all my amazing students for sharing your love of music this year. I look forward to working with those doing holiday lessons over coming weeks, and to the remainder when school resumes in 2021, including new students!

Have a wonderful Christmas and holiday!