Dana J. Tracy

Lessons Offered

Where are Lessons Offered

About Me

“I have been given one of the greatest gifts – the gift of music – truly a gift for life. I can think of no other mission in my life than to share that gift and my enthusiasm and love of music and performing with others.”

Dana Tracy began her piano training at the age of four, under the tutelage of Virginia Terry Dayton, well-known concert pianist in South Florida, and a graduate of the Julliard School of Music. She also studied with Peggy Neighbors Irwin, another graduate of the Julliard school of Music and anationally-known teacher in South Florida. A native of Miami, Florida, Dana received nine consecutive “superior” ratings at music festivals sponsored by the National Federation of Music Clubs during her student years, as well as repetitive state honors in Florida Piano Guild competitions. She also attained honors as Most Outstanding Student in various yearly piano competitions and recitals held through her teachers’ studios. In addition, Dana held the position of accompanist for her junior high school and high school concert choirs.

Dana is a member of MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) and CSMTA (Colorado State Music Teachers Association). She is also a member in two local associations, FMTA (Foothills Music Teachers Association), where she is past president and past Sonatina Festival chair, and CMTA (Columbine Music Teachers Association).

Prior to teaching piano, Dana taught various religion classes to children of all ages, including young adults. She also directed several children’s and youth choirs, as well as participated in adult choir and ensembles. Dana feels that this experience, along with her extensive music background, will be a great asset to her students.

Dana has been a freelance vocal accompanist and vocalist, performing in various ensembles, choirs and other music venues. She also plays guitar and flute. Dana has also played synthesizer in her church choir, where she used her gift of improvisational arranging. Dana is also an accomplished poet, writer, and lyricist.

Old Chinese proverb:

TEACHERS OPEN THE DOOR...YOU ENTER BY YOURSELF

My Musical Education Background

Mission Statement

I have been given one of the greatest gifts – the gift of music – truly a gift for life. I can think of no other mission in life than to share that gift and my enthusiasm, joy, and love of music and performing with others. In so doing, I am committed to:

* Providing a comprehensive music education to my students, thereby helping them establish a sense of musical understanding by creating an atmosphere of musicianship (learning, interpreting, and performing music – a new “language”), with an emphasis placed on note reading, rhythm comprehension, aural training, physical coordination and psychomotor development, while moving toward an advanced level of artistic playing.

* Fostering independent learning by adapting lessons to fit the individual needs of my students, by teaching them self-sufficiency skills, and by providing them the opportunity to experience progress, confidence and self-esteem through exercises in personal responsibility, ownership and accountability.

* Providing a safe and secure learning environment, where my students are valued and motivated to excel through realizing the importance of discipline and consistency in practicing for excellence, and where students can also celebrate their achievements.

* Respecting the needs of my students, challenging them to set realistic goals for themselves, while helping them build skills through an interaction of the elements of melody, harmony, and form, and empowering them to be creative and explore new realms in their music in order to further express themselves.

* Helping my students establish a sense of competence as musicians, whereby that readiness serves as the foundation or building blocks for improvisation, composing, and further interpretive artistry.

* Creating performance opportunities for my students, whereby they may learn and perfect their performance skills, ultimately sharing their gift of music with others.

* Cultivating in my students an appreciation of music outside the studio by encouraging their attendance at recitals, concerts, and in other music venues, thereby instilling a lasting love, joy, and enthusiasm for music.

* Furthering my own growth by practicing regularly and by continuing to enrich my teaching skills through workshops, lectures, seminars, attendance at conferences, and membership in music teacher organizations (national, state and local levels).

Genres and Subjects Taught

Classical, Blues, Pop, Rock, Jazz, Religious/Gospel, and of course Theory and Technique, the building blocks of learning to play any instrument.

Lesson Rates

Ages 3-12 to 5 - $35.00 per 1/2-hour; practice time is limited to 15 minute per day, which can be accomplished in various ways.*

Ages 5-8 - $35.00 per 1/2 hour; practice time is limited to 15-30 minutes per day, again which can be accomplished in various ways.*

Ages 8-late teen - $35 per 1/2 hour; some students can begin taking 45-minute lessons for $45.00 per 45 minutes; practice time is limited to 30-45 minutes per day, again which can be accomplished in various ways.*

Late teen to adult - $60.00 per hour; students can begin taking 45-minute lessons for $45.00 per 45 minutes or $60.00 per hour; again practice time is limited to either 45 minutes per day or 1 hours per day; practice time can be accomplished in darius ways.*

*Practice Time - All students will receive Student Assignment Book, which will detail their lessons assignment and give suggestions about practice time. Practice time can per be divided into smaller chunks of time, depending upon a student's attention span. For example, a younger student can do 3 5-minute sessions, whereas an older student can partition or split up their practice time into smaller segments to accommodate their scheduled. However, it is important that a student practice every day to help produce regales practice routines. Please note, if a student does not practice between lessons, that next lesson will consist in trying to implement good practice habits.

Ages / Skill Levels Taught

I teach all ages, from children through adult.

Children may begin lessons as early as age 3-1/2, with a few caveats: they must be able to count to 10, and they must know and recognize the alphabet from A through G and be able to recite it both forwards and backwards. Beginning lessons depend on a student's attention span and usually last for 30 minutes. As a student matures and progresses, they can be moved into a 45-minute or 1-hour lesson.

Parental support is absolutely necessary! They need to encourage their student(s) to practice. For those very young students who are not yet reading proficiently, the parent needs to read the weekly assignment in the Student Assignment Book to the child in order to help establish good practice habits.

Adult lessons usually last from 45 minutes to 1 hour. They can be taken at a leisurely pace, depending upon the student's schedule, either every week or every other week.

NO MATTER A STUDENT'S AGE OR ABILITY, all ARE EXPECTED TO PRACTICE ON A DAILY BASIS! PLEASE SEE DETAILS IN THE LESSON RATES SHOWN ABOVE RELATED TO "PRACTICE TIME."

My Musical Influences

As a young child, my parents introduced me to the magical world of classical music. As I listened for hours to the old LPs, I imagined myself as a world-renowned concert pianist playing Carnegie Hall or some other exotic venue in Europe. My imagination took me further as I pretended to conduct the sonatas and concertos I was hearing. Together, my parents and grandparents provided piano lessons for me when I was four, and I have been playing ever since. Over the years, my appreciation for various genres of music expanded as I developed a love for pop, rock, jazz, rags, blues and more.

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