Spring Newsletter 2025

Spring Newsletter 2025





     Spring Newsletter 2025

 



                                                        January 2025


Dear Parents & Students                     


Welcome Back to returning & new students!! I hope you have all had a restful and enjoyable winter break. I have been very busy planning what I hope will be an inspiring, stimulating, and fun musical semester. 


Our Spring Semester is chock full of a variety of performing opportunities, music festivals, and concerts to attend. Each of these 5 different events will have some wonderful listening and performing opportunities as well as chances for the studio to interact with professional musicians outside of the scope of the keyboard.  


We will open our semester with a meaningful opportunity for students to perform at an event designed to raise awareness of a talented pianists, Alon Ohel. Alon was unfortunately, one the hostages abducted on Oct. 7th from the Nova Music Festival in Israel. “You Are Not Alone” is a concept program that has already premiered in several other cities including Pittsburgh. By using the medium of music, the goal is to raise awareness of both Alon’s plight as well as the remaining hostages.


This event is scheduled to take place on Sunday, Feb. 23rd at 2:00pm at the Kaiserman JCC, 45 Haverford Rd, Wynnewood, PA 19096 and will feature students and professional musicians from around the Philadelphia area. This is an optional performance opportunity in which I hope many of your will be interested in participating.

 

Our March 2nd Musicianship Class will feature our spring ensemble groups as we “Just Duet”. Students will be assigned duet, trio, or quartet partners. We will come together on Sunday March 2nd to perform our ensemble pieces. This is a wonderful opportunity to practice our listening skills. There is nothing better than playing with another musician to hone and refine the way in which we hear our music.


There will be a unique concert at the Gratz College Bala Location (formerly known as the Levering Mill Tribute House, 182 Bala Avenue) on Sunday, March 16th at 2:00pm. The program will feature one of the hottest ensembles in the United State right now. Variant 6 and the Consort of Viols is truly an exceptional ensemble that explores the expressive potential of the human voice through vocal chamber music that is at once virtuosic, poignant, and approachable. The ensemble is comprised of artists with a diverse set of skills and a wide range of expertise. Their concerts are unique and intimate musical experiences that foster deep conversation between artists and audience.



Our “Repertoire List” program and culminating concert at Rosette Senior Living last semester was a HUGE success that we will continue with new lists for each student in preparation for a memorable concert on Sunday, April 6thh at 3:00pm.  


Our Spring Recital will take place on Sunday, June 8th, at 10:00am. This will be preceded by a dress rehearsal on Sunday, June 1st at 10am. Please mark your calendars for these important dates and times. I look forward to seeing friends and family at our recital! I know you will be all eager to see how much these talented musicians have grown.


The Bösendorfer Youth Music Festival is a wonderful opportunity for students interested in competing for the opportunity to receive a bronze, silver, or gold medal. Winners are invited to perform in a public concert at the German Society’s beautiful Albert & Hete Barthelmes Auditorium. Anyone who is interested in participating, please speak with me individually. The deadline for submission is Feb. 21The link for information is:  

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfuRSw5z5Hp-gbNw5UYqG2yEQkG20ZfH8P3S50-hSnEaP8PqA/viewform?usp=sf_link

Please be sure to return your signed tuition contracts along with the Media Release Form. This form can also be found under the “Newsletter & Forms” tab on my website: www.gilyahodos.com. You can conveniently download, sign and reupload the form directly to the website or you may email it to me. Either way, I will need both the form and the tuition contract signed and returned by the 1st lesson.


I am committing to in-person lessons throughout the semester, barring unforeseen circumstances. I would ask that you please be very mindful of sending your children to my home if you or they have come in contact with someone who is Covid positive. I am caring for my elderly father and need to be mindful of his health needs. I can switch to a zoom lesson with only a few minutes notice, so please err on the side of caution.

1.    Students must wash hands PRIOR to arriving for their lessons.

2.    Students will be given hand sanitizer when they arrive. This is NOT a substitute for hand washing!

3.    Piano keys will be sanitized in between each lesson.


I know we will have exciting, music-filled learning experience this semester! I have lots of different learning modalities that will help us explore our musical world and I am eager to dive into our musical explorations together!!


All the best,

Gilya


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