​February though April is the time of year when middle & high school bane students perform at Solo & Ensemble festival. Whether it's your first time participating, or you've played many times in a row, this post goes over what to expect and how to prepare for a positive experience as a band student or parent.

During my early years of piano lessons, I looked forward to playing in recitals but would always wonder where my teacher would place me in the program. It’d be a surprise to find out how long I'd have to wait! The situation was usually simple enough: all I had to do was play the one piece I’ve been working on for months...

In my last *blog article, I wrote about how your mindset can help you do well or lead you to worry and doubting yourself. One key takeaway in developing your personal mindset was to, “Try and see what happens!” Treating new situations like experiments can develop your curiosity, which can lead to surprising outcomes.

Last month, I attended a traditional Chinese Tea ceremony at the local House of Leaf & Bean organic cafe. The presenter told us he learned the ceremony from his Chinese and Asian colleagues while teaching English in Japan. Sitting among the other attendees and after tasting three cups of black tea he carefully prepared, he said, “Would anyone like to try making this tea?”