2025-26 HERE WE COME
I am very much looking forward to the things we can do together this year. Voices are growing wonderfully. I think we shall be heard and enjoyed widely.
I wish to put forward a few thoughts for the coming fall/winter/spring. As always, there are a few things that could stand some tidying up. I hope you will find it in yourself to assist with making things easier.
COMMUNICATION - Pet Peeves
Telegram -- Please use the app ... or miss out on important lesson/studio communication. I keep having to herd people over to the app for their messages with an SMS nudge. If you don't want to be left out or miss something, check Telegram daily. No more nudges. Please and thank you.
Please do not send me incomplete communications. The following are actual examples.
"I'm running late." (How long?)
"I can't make my lesson." (Which one?) (Are you giving adequate notice or bailing?) If you are bailing, tell me why, and I might be able to help you. If adequate notice is given (one week), provide some insight on what times might work alternatively.
"I'll be away." (When?) (For how long?) (Is there a why you care to share?) Etc.
"I need some help." (With what?) Yes, that happens.
Of course, we eventually get to the information needed to advance. Still, the problem for me is that it sometimes takes multiple messages to bring the information to the surface, so I have enough information to act. Please, please and please send complete communications and not a snippet at a time.
Thank you for understanding!
LESSON FORMAT
For 2025, the studio lesson format will be the same, but in January of 2026, I'm going to shift to two 90-minute sessions per month, which, on a yearly calendar, is 1.5 hours more time together.
As voices grow, they need to sing longer, and I need to hear the effects of more extended sessions to help with stamina and potential issues that might arise within the context of a half-concert format. Of course, that's assuming a professional 3-hour concert. It's also true that with newer students, or when someone encounters a problem, the extra time helps with my tendency to mansplain (LOL).
If you have any thoughts about this, please chat with me. Life is so busy these days. I think more time between sessions will be helpful. You will have more opportunities to practice between sessions and more time in sessions to show me what you've got going on. It will, however, not bode well if you don't make a session, as it will then be a long time between sessions.
Fees will remain the same. We'll start planning lesson times at the beginning of November. It's quite a shift to move to a new framework ... so it will require some work to provide for everyone.
KAFFA & VOLUNTEERING
Going forward, we will be shifting our major focus toward Kaffa and the Kaffa Music & Art Society. Performances will likely all be done under the Society banner starting early in 2026. Perhaps before, depending how things evolve.
If you want to be involved, there are two things you need to know:
1. Performances will be based on merit.
2. The Society will include performers who are not a part of the studio.
3. If you meet the merit standard, be aware that opportunities will more likely be provided to individuals who invest time by supporting the Society with their time.
So, the more invested you are, the greater the likelihood that you will have some fantastic opportunities. Be aware that in a studio setting, it's not unusual for a student to learn a song and sing it a few weeks later at a performance. If you continue to work that way, you have to think about how your work is going to stack up against artists who have been doing the same covers for years or singing songs they created for themselves months before. In short, you have an opportunity to bump up your game. Choose wisely and work the long game.
We'll be looking for volunteers soon. See you at Kaffa?
JTM
