Archive for the ‘competitions’ Category
Updates for March 2012
Spring is almost here, and we have some updates for you.
First of all, we would like to congratulate the winners of the 2012 Fullerton College Piano Ensemble Festival Competition:
Grand Prize Winners:
Jessica Nguyen and Jade Hoang
Circle of Winners Intermediate Category:
Megan Pham and Nicole Phan
Karen Vuong and Lynda Bui
Circle of Winners Late Intermediate Category:
Mayvera Doaran and Maggie Bui
Winning Teachers: Hieu Nguyen, Ruby Shih, Pheobe Lee, Hisako Michishita, and Melody Chiang.
Great job everybody! Now it’s time to resume our workshops and continue building those competition skills. Performance and Evaluation for March will be held on Saturday the 24th and Sunday the 25th. Please visit our workshop sign-up form to reserve your seat.
Did you miss our portrait picture day? We will be having a Make-Up Picture day on March 12th at 3:30PM – 4:00PM. We will also be filming for a new T.V. Show on March 12th at 4:00PM.
In other news, we’ve updated our media library. You’ll find 125 new photos in the 2011 Christmas Recital album, and 12 new videos in the 2012 Television Show and 2012 HD Videos albums.
by Tedman Nguyen, Little Chopin writer
Tedman is currently studying piano at Little Chopin. He is a highschool senior and working on level 10 CM.
We don’t know how many years each of you have been here, some years, some just a few months, but we have no doubt that almost all of you guys have laid your eyes on some cute girl playing the piano. That’s right, we can tell. Maybe it’s that shy look on her face before while she’s doing theory in a corner, or maybe it’s the way that she tickles the piano keys during the workshop. And you think to yourself, “Wow. What’s her Facebook account?”
Or maybe you’re a girl and you’ve met some really funny guy, dresses nicely, who actually has nice hair, and whose smiles are such a charmer! But when he gets on that piano, you see the way his fingers just roll up and down and your heart just melts. You think to yourself, “If only I could play a duet with him, a DUET; we’d have to get to know each other, understand each other so much maybe he’ll be my boyfriend—!”
Wait a second there! A duet did you say? Listen, a duet is two people playing on the same piano, but a duo! That’s when two people are playing on two different pianos!
“Oh! What do I choose? Decisions, decisions…”
Don’t despair! Wait till I tell you that regardless of whether it’s a duet or a duo, these ensemble competitions are usually easier to win! That’s right! He’ll be your boyfriend, and you’ll get the money!
“Money? I like money! I love shopping!
Oh tell us something we don’t know! Here’s another tidbit! It’ll look good for college! If you win an ENSEMBLE competition, you can put that in your record and you’ll stand out amongst the crowd.
“OH! Where do I start? I’ve never been in a competition!!”
Then this is your lucky day! There are actually not one, but TWO coming up: the Annual Piano Ensemble competition sponsored by Fullerton College and MTAC Orange Branch (in late January or early February) and Southwestern Youth Music Festival (SYMF) in late July – early August at Cal State Long Beach.
“This is like, SO COOL, oh, there must be a catch!”
You’re right, there is! Quite perceptive for a shopaholic! This is the catch: for the competition sponsored by Fullerton College and MTAC, you have to do two pieces. One of your choice and another from a list! For SYMF, you have to choose both from the list!!! But, all levels and ages are welcome. Quite the easy one, actually.
“I’m going to faint! Hold me!”
Oh goodness, are duets really that awesome? Of course they are! Come with me, we must tell your teacher or Molly at once, so eager you are!
We did it again…Congratulations to our competition winners and their teachers:
Students of Ruby Shih:
Carolyn Tran:
First Place Winner Qualified Duet Category 4
Fourth Place Winner Qualified Solo Category 7B for 7 year-old
Kacie Ta:
First Place Winner Qualified Duet Category 4
Linda Bui:
Third Place Winner Qualified Duet Category 13 for 14 year-old
Fourth Place Winner Qualified Solo Category 45
Students of Molly Nguyen:
Aldric Gozon:
First Place Winner Korean Cultural Young Musician 2011 Competition
First Place Winner SYMF 2011 Open Chopin Waltz 2011 Category 17
Fourth Place Winner SYMF 2011 Open Solo Category 5
Thinh Le:
First Place SYMF 2011 Qualified Category 45 for 14 year old
Helena Nguyen:
Fourth Place Winner Qualified Category 52 for 15 year-old
Francis Le:
Fourth Place Winner Qualified Chopin Impromtu Category 2
Student of Pheobe Lee:
Karen Vuong:
Third Place Winner Qualified Duet Category for 14 year-old
Congratulations to our teacher of the Month: Ruby Shih for having the most Competition Winners!
Our next workshop will be on August 21st. This workshop is to choose candidates for our next TV show. You must be at least level 4 for this audition. Competition winners are automatically qualified. Your best audition piece will be a good choice for TV. If you would like to be in our next TV show, please sign up online.
We did it again.. Congratulations to our 2011 Fullerton College and MTAC Orange Branch Piano Ensemble Festival Winners:
Eric Phan and Carolyn Tran: Circle of Winners – Early Intermediate category
Helena Nguyen and Ashli Phan: Circle of Winners – Late Intermediate category
Winning teachers: Hisako Michishita, Ruby Shih, Molly Nguyen, Phoebe Lee
We had a wonderful and successful year with many winners….
FULLERTON COLLEGE AND MTAC ORANGE COUNTY PIANO ENSEMBLE COMPETION 2010
Aldric Gozon and Megan Pham – Grand Prize Winners- Early Intermediate Category
Bernice Dinh and Mayvera Doaran – Grand Prize Winners- Intermediate Category
Katie Nguyenhoag and Minh-Thi Nguyen – Circle of Winners -Early Intermediate Category
Alex Huynh and Jennifer Dao- Circle of Winners – Intermediate Category
MUSICAL ARTS OF ORANGE COUNTY ANNUAL COMPETITION 2010
Susan Le – First Place Winner- Category II
Aldric Gozon- First Place Winner- – Category III
SOUTHWESTERN YOUTH MUSIC FESTIVAL COMPETITION (SYMF) 2010
Carolyn Tran and Eric Phan – First Place Winners- Duet Category 1 for 6-year-old
Kassandra Tran and Katrina Tran – First Place Winners- Duet Category 8 for 12-year-old
Susan Le – First Place Winner- Qualified Solo Category 10 for 8-year-old
Caitlin Nguyen – First Place Winner – Qualified Solo Category 47 for 14-year-old
Emily Tran – First Place Winner – Concerto Category 5 for 15-year-old
Amanda Nguyen – 1st place – Chopin’s Impromptu Category 3 for 16-year-old
Helena Nguyen and Caitlin Nguyen – Second Place Winners – Duet Category 14 for 14-year-old
Emily Tran – Chopin’s Etude Category 15 for 15-year-old
Katrina Tran – Third Place Winner- Qualified Solo Category 31 for 12-year-old
Aldric Gozon – Fourth Place Winner – Chopin’s Mazurka Category 4 for 12-year-old
Aldric Gozon – Fourth Place Winner – Baroque Category 1 for 8-year-old
Nicole Phan – Fourth Place Winner – Qualified Solo Category 11 for 8-year-olds
Courtney Nghiem – Fourth Place Winner – Qualified Solo Category 36 for 13-year-olds
Alex Huynh – Fourth Place Winner – Qualified Solo Category 45 for 14-year-olds
Sean Pham – Fourth Place Winner – Chopin Impromptu Category 3 for 16-year-olds
Congratulations to our national guild participants. All of our performers have received grades of Excellent Plus or higher!
Here’s the breakdown:
Superior Plus : 31% ( A+ equivalent )
Superior : 55% ( A equivalent)
Superior Minus: 10% ( A- equivalent)
Excellent Plus: 4% ( B+ equivalent)
Please follow this link to view the full list.
Congratulations everybody!
How To Calculate Your Pupils Current Rating in Guild Auditions
The numbers of C and A Checks on a pupil’s report card will determine his/her current years rating in the National Piano Playing Auditions, as follows:
Family Circle Current Rating
means the pupil’s preparation shows he/she is not yet ready to appear in public, but that they should find pleasure in playing the piano daily, trying always to improve their technical facilities as the golfer does his/her stroke so as to be able to please a wider audience, outside his/her family group; More A than C Checks. Fair.
Room Circle Current Rating
means the pupil’s preparation shows he/she is prepared to appear before his fellows in his room at school, who, being held for the most part, unaccomplished in music, are therefore not critical; 1 to 6 more C’s than A’s. Good to Good Plus.
School Circle Current Rating
means the pupil’s preparation shows he is prepared to the extent that he could creditably represent his school or club in a musical program at his school. 7 to 10 more C’s than A’s. Excellent to Excellent Plus.
Citywide Circle Current Rating
means the pupil’s preparation shows his/her playing sufficiently polished or outstanding to make him a possible selectee to represent his school in a citywide or countywide concert. 11 to 27 more C’s than A’s. Excellent Plus to Superior.
Top-Talent Circle Current Rating
means the pupil’s preparation shows he/she is adequately equipped musically and technically to appear before any audience anywhere, even though newspaper critics may be in the audience to herald his/her faults and virtues to the world. 28 (or more) more C’s than A’s. Superior Plus.
Piano Hobbyist Certificates
Students entering the auditions as piano hobbyists are graded on an A, B, C, D, and F basis. Letter grades are as follows:
A—Superior
B—Excellent
C—Good
D—Fair
F—Failing
Circle ratings do not apply to these students.
Explanation
Every Piano hobbyist or professional can be included in one of the above Circle Ratings. Judges are asked to express an opinion of each pupil’s preparation and his fitness to appear without discouraging results before groups that range from friendly to hostile. The Family, Room and School Circles are friendly groups before whom anyone can play without devastating results, but the City-Wide and Top-Talent Circle demand piano-playing of a higher order. Judges are therefore instructed neither to underrate or overrate any hobbyist or professional appearing before him for adjudication. The number of C and A Checks on the pupil’s report card will automatically indicate the Judge’s estimate, as explained above. Six more C’s than A’s will permit the pupil to enter for National NFSM membership in the next classification next year.
Our staff , students and parents are very proud to congratulate the following students who have won the Southwestern Youth Music Festival Competitions in August 2009
Aldric Gozon -1st Place Winner category 7 (7 years old) – student of Pheobe Lee
Megan Pham -2nd Place Winner catgory 7 (7 years old) – student of Binh-An Nguyen
Francis Le – 1st Place Winner category 27 (11 years old) – student of Molly Nguyen
Emily Tran – 4th Place Winner category 48 (14 years old) – student of Molly Nguyen
Sean Pham – 3rd Place Winner category 54 (15 years old) – student of Molly Nguyen
