Winter 2021 Newsletter

Dear Students,

I hope you are having a bright start to 2021! While we continue to navigate the challenges presented by COVID-19, we are proud of how our community has come together to make the best of things and find silver linings.

Some exciting winter updates:

• We have started rolling out the Musical Ladder System® and couldn’t be more excited! Many students received their first Achievement Awards as the holiday season kicked off, and shared your excitement with us in pictures and messages. We loved seeing you and your families celebrating your musical accomplishments together, and look forward to continuing the journey with you.

• We have instituted a new system to schedule make-ups and cancellations! We hope this will streamline the communications between teacher, office administration, and owners by having one place where it can all be communicated. You can find the form under our new “Student Resources” tab on our website located here: https://chevychaseartsacademy.com/student-resources. Also included on this tab are direct links to MyMusicStaff.com, our online portal for schedules and invoices, as well as the Musical Ladder System®, where you can exchange messages and files with our instructors and office. You should have already received a welcome email to access your MLS account, but if not, please reach out to our office at info@chevychaseartsacademy.com and we can assist you.

As the new year rolls along, we know most folks are still spending more time at home. If you know of anyone who may be interested in learning how to play an instrument, please feel free to send along our info and/or connect us directly! We are still offering a bonus for existing students who refer new students to us. You will receive 1 free lesson (up to an $80 value) for each new student you refer to CCAA.

There are so many benefits to embarking upon a musical journey, (including stress relief, brain stimulation, increased memory capacity, and JOY!) which we have been sharing on our Facebook page (make sure to like us to catch some great musical clips, memes, and informative and educational articles).

Here Are Our New Enrolled Students For Winter 2020/2021 —
Welcome To The CCAA Family!

Sammy Brown
Liam Bryce
Sabrina Bryce
Mariam Hassan
Christian Jones
Brianne Majestic
Zen Suzuki
Franco Tamola
Andrei Zaretskiy

We are delighted to have you as a part of the CCAA family!

Special Promotion For February/Valentine’s Day: Get 50% off one month of lessons!

Nurturing your personal development is an act of self care, which is greatly beneficial during these challenging times. Give yourself the gift of music lessons, or surprise your loved one(s) with lessons! We will help you register them, as well as email a printable gift certificate to present to them (or yourself!) for Valentine’s Day. Offer ends March 1st, so reach out ASAP to info@chevychaseartsacademy.com.

Community Spotlight

We’re excited to launch our Community Spotlight feature to showcase our students and instructors! We hope this will provide the opportunity for you to get to know your community members a little more in depth. This month please meet Haik Kotanjyan and Priyant Sundas.

Name of student: Haik Kotanjyan
Age: 9 years old
Instrument: Piano

· Who is your favorite composer?
Actually, I have two favorite composers: Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

· What do you like most about playing music?
My favorite thing about playing music is listening to it and seeing the keys while I play the tune. It makes me feel wonderful. Usually, when I listen to music, it makes me feel the way the song is played, when the music is happy, I’m happy, if it’s sad, I’m sad. I can see in my mind images of animals; places I love… I think of my friends, relatives and the things I love in life.

· Do you have a favorite song? If so, what is it?
Yes, I do have a favorite song. It’s called “Sky is Over” by Serj Tankian, an American-Armenian singer.

· How often/what inspires you to practice?
When I listen to music, images come to my mind and remember things I love- that encourages me to play. Usually, I play every day and when I’m done learning a new piece, I feel happy.

· What else do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time I like to play with my brother. We play with cars, make pillow castles, we dance under all kinds of music recorded on my piano. I also write, which is one of my passions, and I enjoy baking. Another passion that I have is soccer – I play soccer every day.

Name: Priyant Sundas
Age: 29
Instrument: Guitar & Vocals (Principal), Keys & Drums (Ancillary)
Started Musical Journey: I started playing guitar at the age of 4 in the year 1995

- What are you currently listening to?
I am currently listening to mainly Jazz Fusion, and also some Rock, Pop, Singer-Songwriter, and Funk, on the side.

- How often/what inspires you to practice?
I try to practice everyday as much as I can, sometimes it can be as short as 2 hours, going up to 10-12 hours. So I would say on an average I practice 5 hours per day starting early in the mornings at 4 am. The inspiration for me to practice comes from a deep feeling within to learn and grow not only as a musician but also as a living being. I try to balance the following three self-aspects of mine: intellectual, emotional, and physical well-being. Practicing my instrument serves more as a cleansing process for my growth, gives me immense joy, and helps me fully live content in the moment. And, of course, there are so many musical heroes and talented people out there who inspire me to practice more and more.

- What do you do in your free time?
In my free time, I read books on Personal Growth, Emotional Intelligence, Sci-fi, Biographies, Mysteries, Romance, and am also currently working on writing a book. Apart from reading and writing, I also love to cook, watch action movies, play wordscapes, hike, run, and play tennis.