Phone 780-569-5010 • Text 780-915-8499 • info@keymobilemusic.com
Student Spotlight
Name: Anastasia
Teacher: Alicia Proudfood
Instrument: Harp
Years taking lessons: one year
What do you love most about music lessons?
Able to learn how to play the instrument properly and stickers!
What is the coolest thing you’ve learned in your lessons recently?
I can use the harp note and play on the piano!
What songs/pieces are you working on right now? Canon in D
What are you most excited about working on next?
Able to play the combination of the songs Beautiful in White and Canon in D.
Tell us anything else you'd like us to know about you.
I do cheerleading and synchronized swimming.
Thank you Anastasia!
Teacher Spotlight
Jonathan Maywood
What instrument do you teach? Piano
How long have you been teaching? Four years
How many students do you teach? Currently, I have six students.
What do you like most about teaching? I enjoy seeing the joy my students experience when they learn something new or perform, taking all those hours of practice and being able to play for a crowd. These are the main things I enjoy the most.
How old were you when you started music lessons?
I started piano lessons when I was around 13.
What was studying music like when you were learning to play piano? When I took lessons, I was initially frustrated because I didn't have any rhythm or sense of time. However, rhythm is a large core of music, and I had to force myself to learn how to keep time, using metronomes, etc. I tried the Royal Conservatory at first, but I didn't really like classical music too much. I always preferred the more contemporary pieces of music. One of my favourite composers was Christopher Nolan. I have always enjoyed his piano pieces. Some were really cool and didn't sound like anything I've heard before. He was one of my major introductions to jazz.
My piano teachers allowed me to explore composition and play those more contemporary pieces. I didn't take any exams or theory tests; it was very free, allowing me to learn at my own pace. After that, I auditioned for Grant MacEwan College and learned all about jazz, how to improvise, and how to play in a jazz band. That was a cool experience, but I didn't really like performing so much and focused more on composition. I learned all types of composition, blues, contemporary, serialism, minimalism, and even film scoring, which was very rewarding. Being able to put music to a cinematic scene was one of the coolest things I did at Grant MacEwan.
My pursuit of composition then went to the University of Alberta. There it was more focused on finding your voice in musical composition, which was interesting. I learned that composition could be more than just normal music with time signatures and staffs. One of the pieces I made was entirely graphical, with directions for each symbol on how to play. That was challenging to explore, but the music created was more of a soundscape rather than a straightforward song. Definitely challenging, but I learned a lot about how to convey musical composition in different ways to create really interesting colors of sound.
What is your favourite kind of music? My favorite kind of music includes various styles like electronica, classical, rock, jazz, pop, folk, and music in video games (for example, Hollow Knight).
What are your latest music projects? My latest musical project right now is making music for a video game I am creating. The game is a space shooter (sort of learning how to make it right now), and I have been exploring a retro gaming sound using Chiptune sounds (sawtooth waves or sine waves) to make the music. This is more of a hobby at the moment, as I'm learning how games work.
What tip would you give to our students for learning an instrument? The best tip I can give to someone learning an instrument is to keep consistent practice. Even if it is just playing random notes, it's always good to touch the instrument and experiment. You might create something you like!
Thank you, Jonathan!
New Students & Teachers
Join us in welcoming our new students and teachers who joined the Key Mobile Music family!
New Students:
Adelyde C, Adil K, Arlo D, Axel P, Cass J, Ellis D, Sloane K, Jasveer G, Lori A, Keith M, Quincy L, Ruth M, Sam M, Saumya B, Suraiya O, Tanissa K, Zidyeb B, Zishim B
New Dayhome Classes:
Marialuisa S. Dayhome
Valerie S. Dayhome
New Teachers:
Angela Urbano - Violin
Anna Kim - Piano, Ukulele, & Dayhome Classes
Chelsea Whitney - Piano
Jethro Flores - Piano
Justin Tang - Piano
Kennis Wan - Piano & Dayhome Classes
Nathan Wilson - Piano & Ukelele
Samuel Silva - Piano
Wenhao Guo - Guitar & Bass Guitar
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to our students and teachers who celebrate
January to April!
Students:
Annika B, Astrid I, Aviel K, Bonita N, Carter M, Claire R, Ella N, Kaylie Y.
Lucy S, Nashe M, Nathan E, Nathan N, Ruth M, Sam M, Scarlett D, Sophie P, Stella H., Sullivan G, Willow B, Zidyeb B, Zishim B.
Teachers:
Anna Kim, Benson Lai, Carina Wilde, Charlotte Campbell, Colin Deneka, Janice Green, Justin Tang, Klaus Fanta, Krista Palek, Loretta Orr, Michelle Eliason, Siaw Kin Lee, Tatiana Stanishich, Zoe Hawnt
referral program
Referral Program
We have started a great new referral program! Each time you refer friends or family to us, and they sign up for lessons, we'll give you a $25 gift card to Amazon as a special thank you! We'll also do the same for the friends or family that you referred. Thank you for your referrals!