Mountainside Music
201 Tuscarora Heights NW T3L 2H3 Calgary, AB, Canada

Fall registration is now open! Both online and in-studio lessons are available. To register, got to mountainsidemusic.ca or send an email to [email protected]!

Good Good Father/How Deep the Father’s Love For Us - Happy Father’s Day!

La La Land medley by Constantino Carrara. I played this for Imagine Music’s year end Zoom recital!

Vivaldi, four seasons, the Summer (Covent Garden) - busking in the streets of London, UK.

Registration for Summer lessons is now open!Registration for Summer lessons is now open!

This is probably my favourite practice tip that I rely on constantly! It helps me focus on what I need to work on so I’m not overwhelmed and it is probably the number one reason I’m able to learn most songs. Slowing down... Yes slowing down is that important! And I don’t just mean slowing down to a random speed. What you should do is find a speed where you’re able to play your piece without mistakes or pausing. That might be extremely slow or close to your goal speed. This helps because now you won’t be practicing all those same mistakes over and over again! And once you feel confident in that speed, you can start to go faster little by little. And over time your goal speed won’t seem so fast! Good luck practicing everyone!

Cover of Great Are You Lord by All Sons and Daughters Violin/Piano performed by Hannah Mortensen

Happy Mother’s Day! Here is a duet my mom Lorraine Mortensen and I recorded of Amazing Grace. It’s her favourite hymn plus she’s playing her smallpipes which made it even more special to us!

May the 4th be with you! Let’s all play some Star Wars today!

Last week we set our practice goals, now this week it’s time to talk about the actual practicing! If you play a sport it is vital that you warm up before you go out to play. You don’t want your muscles to be too stiff or you could injure yourself. The same goes for any musician. Our hands, arms, and even backs are all involved in making our music and they need to be warmed up and treated with care just like an athlete. ... Warming up for me usually involves simple scales or other exercises that aren’t too strenuous on my hands. I like to increase the difficulty (harder key or faster tempo) as I begin to loosen up. For violin I like to play scales, arpeggios, and double stops. For piano I like to play scales, triads, and arpeggios. How do you like to warm up for your practice session?

Introducing online lessons. At first I thought this would be a temporary thing but now that I’ve been doing them for the past couple of weeks I’ve decided to offer them as part of my regular lessons from now on! I’ve actually taken two years of online violin lessons leading up to my grade 6 exam! My violin teacher lived in Toronto at the time and we thought this would be a great solution. They went extremely well and I would highly recommend them for anyone who is looking fo...r a different option. For anyone who is interested in trying out online lessons I offer free meet and greets Get in touch if you want more information! Email me at [email protected] Text or phone at 403-606-7537 Visit my website for pricing information at https://mountainsidemusic.ca/classes-rates-2020 Schedule a free meet & greet! https://mountainsidemusic.ca/contact

It’s important to set goals for yourself before you start practicing. Look through the pieces and exercises you have and decide how you’ll work through them! I always start with exercises and move on to one song. I’ll then break the song up into sections and work on one section at a time. If you have more then one piece and/or multiple exercises you can spread your practicing throughout the day. That way you won’t have to sit at the piano for hours at a time! What are your practice goals and routines?

Alas and Did My Savior Bleed A song about what Christ did for us on the cross. Perfect for Easter weekend!

No Lessons April 10, 11 Happy Easter!No Lessons April 10, 11 Happy Easter!

Oh my goodness

Go check out my blog on how to clean your violin!