Alison S. Barr Music

A new, exciting year is in store for all of us.  The themes we’ll explore this year are “Music and My World,” studying and playing music from your chosen country or region.  We’ll also continue “Music for Good,” thinking of ways that our playing can help people in our community.  Besides our regular studies, two projects for the fall are —  learning to play  “Happy Birthday” and learning a beautiful, lyrical piece we can memorize and share.

Please stay tuned on Monday, September 10, for the first “Creative Practicing Blog!”

I’m so excited for this new start and I know you all are, too!   …Mrs. Barr

I can now tell you without hesitation that piano students the world around are bright, funny, eager to learn and full of the same excuses!  It was a magical time for me, and I thank you all for the encouragement you gave me.  I taught students ages seven – 25.  Some were more-or-less beginners with very little music reading and some played huge, advanced 25-minute long pieces!  Everyone sight-read, tapped rhythms, played duets with one another, improvised.  Everyone polished a piece to perform.  It was just like at 663 Whiting St. in Hanover, Mass., except there were not enough rooms for private lessons – everyone learned in group classes for two weeks!  There were 29 students in all and I co-taught with two other pianists – Dr. Seba Ali from Beirut and Dr. Scott Donald from Austin, Texas.  The students started to call me “Dr. Alison” and I had to correct them, saying that would have been the most easily-earned Doctorate ever!  Thanks to all of you, my students at home, I had lots of tricks up my sleeve!  I introduced them to “Mr. Rich Tone,” who needed a bit of translation for the younger ones and I taught them the perfect bow -“Did I tie my shoes?  Yes, I tied my shoes.”  The photos below show all my students, my two colleagues, my amazing pianist-translators, Yorgo and Elie, and some lovely scenery.  I hope to go back again and again!!

Our Spring Recital will be held on Friday, June 8, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. at the James Library, 24 West St., Norwell Center.  Everyone will be playing on ONE program!

Please arrive sometime after 6:00 p.m. to warm up.  Please plan to stay for the entire recital.  It will end at about 8:15 p.m.

Senior bell presentations for Mike Porter, Diana Flynn and Jackson Rowland will be held at the end of the recital.  

Last Days of Lessons are as follows:

Mon., June 12

Tues., June 13

Wed., June 6

Thurs., June 7

Please bring all current books to your last lesson!  What a great year we’ve had!

Thanks so much to the Porters and everyone who played on April 27.  It was a perfect setting with lots of exciting playing!  Please enjoy the photos below – the Porter’s music room and gracious hospitality could’t have been better.  Nearly $100.00 was raised in a free will offering to benefit NPH USA, a charity that provides full services – a home environment, family-like support, education, job training –  to children who have been orphaned due to conflicts in their native countries.

On Friday, April 6, ten students played in our first Improvaganza, improvising in solos or duets.  We’ve been playing the “idea” of what we wanted to play, but not the specifics, so the music was truly fresh “on the spot.”  It was amazing.  Everyone was open, free and extremely spontaneous.  Participating were Sean Porter, Allie Ning, Jacqui O’Leary, Justin O’Leary, Skye Mitterando, David Won, Jr., Diana Won, Jack Rowland, Sam Rowland and Fiona Roy.

We’d all like to thank Jen Johnson and Stephen O’Leary for hosting in their beautiful home.  We were thrilled to play on their newly-refurbished Mason and Hamlin, Jen’s childhood piano!  Here are some photos: