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 🎶

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 ♫

Tuesday, May 5, 2020 by Natalie Blanch | Uncategorized

Recorded first in 1968 by John Fogerty's band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, it was covered twice in 1969—by Solomon Burke as well as the Checkmates Ltd. —and in 1970 by Ike and Tina Turner, whose hit version became a frenzied classic. The song peaked at No 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1969 in the United States. A cover version by Ike and Tina Turner, released two years later in 1971, did nearly as well, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and winning a Grammy Award. 

Proud Mary's singer, a low-wage earner, leaves what he considers a "good job", or steady work, even though it is long hours under a dictatorial boss. He decides to follow his imagination and hitch a ride on a riverboat queen, farewelling the city. Only when the boat pulls out does he see "the good side of the city" - which for him, is one in the distance, far removed from his life. 

The song is a seamless mix of black and white roots music, with the "Proud Mary" steamboat, and the picture of the singer finding his niche in a community of outsiders, alluding to Mark Twain's story of the rambling man and life along the Mississippi. 

In Tina Tuner's covers, the song starts off with a slow, sultry soulful tone in which she introduces the song and warns the audience that she and the band are going to start it off "nice and easy" but will finish it "rough". After the lyrics are first sung softly by the Turners, the song is then turned into a funk rock vamp with Tina and the Ikettes delivering gospel-influenced vocals. 

(From Wikipedia)