May Pet of the Month

Meet Sammy (right) and Toby (left). These pals belong to the Holding family, whose two daughters take piano lessons at Harris.

April Student of the Month

Violet Kirk

When she was younger, Violet Kirk wanted to be a nun or an opera singer, aspirations she attributes to The Sound of Music. While neither dream has been realized today, she has found her niche in Lincoln area community theatre, and voice lessons at Harris Academy of the Arts with instructor Jeff Kuhl.

"Violet has that natural instinct in bringing her beautiful characters to life, enhancing them with her rich voice,” shares Jeff.  “It's a joy to listen and be part of her discovery. Bravo!" Together, the student teacher duo has been working to add the elements to each song that make them come alive. You can watch the video below for just a snippet of the creativity and detail that goes into telling a story with a song.

In addition to her musical endeavors, Violet is a wife, mom to two little girls, and an employee of the Nebraska Press Association. We’re privileged to be a place that she makes time to visit weekly, even with her busy schedule. Learn more about this impressive Student of the Month below!

More About Violet:

What other instrument(s) do you play?
Piano, French horn

How long have you taken lessons?
1.5 years

What are your goals with music lessons?
I spent high school and college focusing on instrumental music, but singing always seemed so natural and fun. When I decided to start auditioning for community theater here in Lincoln, I started taking voice lessons to become a more confident and polished singer.

What are your favorite songs to sing?
I’m a terrible person to invite to karaoke night, because the only things I sing are a) show tunes and b) hymns — neither of which are popular choices for standard karaoke. It would be impossible to choose my favorite show tune, but my favorite hymn is “The Old Rugged Cross”.

What is something new and exciting you have learned in lessons lately?
I’ve been learning how to tell stories with songs and I love the ability to give each piece its own flavor and style.

What is one of your favorite recital or performance memories?
I really enjoyed singing “I Don’t Know What I’d Do Without You” from A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (fall 2014). It was such a fun, bouncy piece to sing!
I’ve found a cozy little theater home at The Stage Theater in Hickman, and some of my favorite roles there were Meg in Little Women and Jacqueline in Don’t Dress For Dinner.

What is your occupation? Tell us a little bit about what you do.
I work for the Nebraska Press Association, which is the trade organization for Nebraska’s newspapers. I work with advertisers to coordinate ad buys in newspapers, both statewide and nationally.

What other hobbies do you have besides music?
I’m a mother to two little girls, so lately my favorite hobby has been playing “princess superhero”. When I’m not doing that, I like to thrift shop, refinish old furniture and read as much as I can.

What is your favorite food?
Spaghetti from Valentino’s  — I’d eat it every day!
Coffee (not technically a food, but it’s definitely my favorite!)

What do you think is the best movie of all time? 
Ooo … tough question! A few of my favorites are Waiting for Guffman, Strictly Ballroom and Inception.

What is a book everyone should read? 
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
All the Money in the World by Laura Vanderkam
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
(I know it’s not one book … but trust me when I say this is the abbreviated list. I love to read!)

What is your favorite quote?
“As long as we live, there is never enough singing”
-Martin Luther

What is a little known fact about you?
When I was little, I wanted to be either a nun or an opera singer, maybe both. I’m guessing watching “The Sound of Music” had something to do with that …

Instructor Spotlight

Christine Collins

Growing up in Houston, Texas in an English family in a neighborhood rich in Latin American traditions, Christine Collins developed a love for Latin culture, including music, Salsa dancing, and Latin food. In fact, she’s been playing Mariachi music for several years and had the memorable opportunity of opening for the world-renowned group Mariachi Sol de Mexico with her local mariachi group Mariachi Aguilas. Contrast that with the children’s songs you’ll hear almost any day of the week outside a Children’s Music Academy class and you’ll discover one of the many things we love about Christine. She loves music – teaching music, discovering music, performing music, and appreciating music.

In addition to her more than 20 students in Children’s Music Academy classes, Christine teaches private lessons in violin, viola, voice, and piano, as well as the Treble Maker Show Choir group class. She lives for those light bulb moments when a student understands a concept they had been struggling with. “It happens with every student I’ve ever had,” says Christine, “and it never gets old.”

Read on to learn more about Christine. Another “note”-able member of the Harris team, we’re pleased to showcase her this month!

More About Christine:

What is your main instrument?
Violin

How long have you played your instrument?
Since I was 6 years old

How did you get started playing your instrument?
The daughter of my mom’s best friend would always bring her violin to every holiday gathering we had since I was born. Around age 3, after listening to her perform, I began begging my mom to let me play violin and didn’t stop begging until she finally gave in 3 years later.

Do you play any other instruments?
Yes. I sing and play piano and played viola, oboe, and saxophone through middle school, high school, and part of college.

What is your favorite kind of music?
I am very into folk type music including bluegrass and Irish fiddle and Latin pop.

Do you have any good stories about where you grew up?
I grew up in a mostly Hispanic area in southeast Houston and so grew up speaking a little Spanish and to this day I love Latin food and music of all sorts. (That’s probably the reason I became super interested in Mariachi music later on.)

What other hobbies do you have besides music?
I love to dance, Salsa, swim, read, and binge on Netflix

What is your favorite food?
Pizza and cookies

Do you have a fun or inspiring story to share about teaching lessons?
I don’t have a specific story, but in general, I feel so inspired whenever I have a student finally understand a concept that they had previously been struggling with. It happens with every student I’ve ever had and it never gets old.

What is one of your favorite recital or performance memories?
My favorite performance was playing at the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival with the Mariachi group Mariachi Aguilas. I had a solo on a piece based on a Tango and got to play in front of my friends, family, students, and 300 people.

What is your favorite quote? 
“Let us take our children seriously! Everything else follows from this…only the best is good enough for a child.” –Zoltan Kodály

What do you think is the best movie of all time? 
Anastasia

What is a book everyone should read? 
The Harry Potter series. I know it’s actually seven books, but you can’t just read one book in a series.

What is a little known fact about you? 
Everybody in my family is English, so my upbringing was a mix of very English traditions and Latin American traditions from families that lived around us.

April Pet of the Month

Meet Gatsby, who belongs to violin student Cadi Wilbeck. Gatsby enjoys being serenaded by Cadi!

Instructor Spotlight

Garrett Hope

Dr. Garrett Hope would rather be golfing. Okay, not really (maybe). He’d rather be able to enjoy the moments when his students “get” something in a lesson –that sure sign that they are developing a genuine love and enjoyment of what they’re doing.

Garrett teaches guitar, upright and electric bass, beginning piano, and composition at Harris. Prior to joining the Harris teaching staff, he taught composition, music theory, music technology and ear training at the collegiate level. A lover of all types of music, Garrett offers his students knowledge and training in a wide variety of styles—rock, pop, alternative, blues, jazz, religious, and much more.

While his main instruments are guitar and bass, Garrett’s musical path was anything but straight forward. As many musicians experience, young and old, sometimes it takes some trial and error, and the right inspiration at the right time, to find that perfect bond between a musician and their instrument. Read Garrett’s story of choosing an instrument in his own words below, and get to know a little more about this fantastic member of the Harris team!

(But before you do, be sure to watch Garrett’s collaboration with other Lincoln musicians in the making of an entry for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Contest.)

More About Garrett:

What is your main instrument?
Bass, both upright and electric. I started university as a guitar major, but switched to bass halfway through my freshman year. I started studying piano when I was five and began studying clarinet when I was nine. I performed on clarinet in wind ensemble and marching band through university. I began studying guitar in middle school. I’ve also been singing my entire life. I’m not much of a soloist, but I love choral ensembles!

How long have you played your instrument?
Bass for 16 years, guitar for 23 years

How did you get started playing your instrument?
This question is so complex to answer! I was not given a choice about studying piano as a five-year-old. My parents just had me and my siblings do it. My parents also tried putting me in Suzuki violin at that age, but I absolutely hated it. In third grade, when children in my school district choose an instrument and join band or orchestra, I wanted to play saxophone. However, my mother, who is a classically trained musician, elementary school music teacher, choir director, and worship leader, wanted me to learn a “real orchestral instrument,” so I went with clarinet. I cringe at those words now. Oh well. In middle school my church hired a new worship pastor who had a classical guitar degree from USC, but was really into blues and jazz. This was the first instrument I really chose for myself and instantly fell in love with it. I would spend hours playing. At university there was a need for good bass players and I was able to meet that need. I quickly became an in-demand player and found I enjoyed playing the bass even more than the guitar. I realize now that part of the attraction was that I could absolutely control the music as a bass player—my compositional mindset was very active even then.

Do you play any other instruments?
I can get around and figure out most instruments, but I would never perform on them. I do a lot of sequencing and composition in the computer, so I could say the computer as well.

What is your favorite kind of music?
Don’t have one. I’m really a musical pluralist. If the music is done well I can enjoy it.

Do you have a fun or inspiring story to share about teaching lessons?
My favorite moments as a teacher are when a student finally “gets” a concept or skill. At those moments the eyes go wide and the face beams. These moments are joy for me because the student begins to enjoy what they are doing even more.

What is your hometown?
Arvada, CO

Do you have any good stories about where you grew up?
From my parent’s front door you can see most of the Front Range (the first set of Rocky Mountains). Four 14,000ft peaks are visible as well as Boulder’s Flatirons. I find the mountains extremely inspiring and have a lifetime’s worth of good memories hiking, skiing, exploring, and camping in the mountains. I love Lincoln, but I miss the mountains.

What other hobbies do you have besides music?
I love to golf. If I could, I would play 18 holes a day.

What is your favorite food?
One can’t go wrong with pizza and burritos.

What do you think is the best movie of all time?
It’s hard to choose one, but here’s a short list:
The Godfather, Part II
The Matrix
The Princess Bride
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

What is a book everyone should read?
Such as with movies, here’s a short list. I’ve read so many books, and average 2–3 month it’s really hard to say.
William Goldman, The Princess Bride (This is the funniest book I have EVER read)
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia
Annie Proulx, The Shipping News

What is a little known fact about you?
I can clap with one hand.

March Student of the Month

Noah Kohl

She may be small, but she’s got it all! Nine year old Noah Kohl, a piano and violin student at Harris, is our March Student of the Month. Noah’s goals with piano lessons are to “become great” at piano and note reading. She’s making terrific progress! Her piano teacher, Mai Butler says, “Noah is such a motivated student who always impresses me by preparing for her lesson very well. Her dream is to be a concert pianist and she is working so hard to make her dream come true. Her upcoming debut solo piano recital will be a great first step for her journey.”

Yes, you read that correctly—Noah is preparing for a solo piano recital to be held this April. She’ll play about 25 minutes of her favorite music from lesson books, mostly from memory. That’s quite an accomplishment and we can’t wait to hear the result of her hard work!

Besides her dedication to music, Noah is also a fan of math and…chicken! Read more about our newest Student of the Month, and be sure to congratulate Noah when you see her around the studio.

More About Noah:

How long have you taken lessons?
Piano: 3 years
Violin: 6 months

What other instrument(s) do you play?
Vocal (chorus)

What are your favorite songs?
Just Give Me a Reason and Fur Elise

What other hobbies do you have besides music?
Petting cats, math, and shopping

What is your favorite food?
Chicken

What are your favorite classes in school?
Math, reading, P.E., art

What are your goals with music lessons?
To become great at piano and note reading

What is something new and exciting you have learned in lessons lately?
Lots of classical songs

What is one of your favorite recital or performance memories?
My first recital with my friend

What is your favorite quote?
I may be small, but I’ve got it all!

What do you think is the best movie of all time?
Mr. Peabody and Sherman

What is a book everyone should read?
Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

What is a little known fact about you?
That I’m half Albanian

Do you know any good jokes?
How do basketball players cool off at games?
By all their fans!

March Pet of the Month

Meet Maddie, a yellow lab who belongs to David and Andrew Swanson, piano students at Harris. Their mom, Amy, says, “Maddie is as sweet as they come and a very smart girl!  Maddie has a March birthday (she will turn 3) and we feel so "lucky" to have her.”