Fortissimo Award Winner
Mary Way is an adult piano student of Amy Conklin’s. With her strict practice schedule and eagerness to learn, Mary has been a very successful student these past two years. She studied piano as a child and has been enjoying reconnecting with music as an adult. Mary recently played Amy a Chopin Nocturne that she had been practicing, and her graceful yet passionate dynamics gave Amy full body chills!
Fortissimo Award Winner
Nate Miller, age 16, has been studying piano with Rick Buckley for about three years. Willing to take-on any musical challenge posed to him, Nate’s work ethic is second to none. Impressing his teacher yet again, Nate managed to finish a George Winston piece and a Chopin piece at the same time, and with equal enthusiasm.
Rising Star Award Winner
Daniel Jansen, a 12-year-old drum student of Brent Barnett’s has made exceptional progress in his first year of lessons. Daniel is very committed and serious about his music education; he always comes to class ready learn. It is obvious that Daniel practices at home and that he loves to play. Brent was very impressed when Daniel was able to simultaneously play quarter notes on the hi hat and eighth notes on the bass drum without any problems.
Rising Star Award Winner
Pablo Herman, age eight, is a piano student of Sharon Schwatka’s. Pablo approaches music with a gleam in his eye and an open mind for learning. He shows enthusiasm for new skills and music theory. Going beyond the usual practice assignments, Pablo also likes to pick fun rock songs to practice!
Rising Star Award Winner
Ten-year-old Decker Smith is a piano student of Sharon Schwatka’s. Decker has a bright intelligence for music and practices well. His fun-loving nature really comes out in his playing, and he is open to the challenges of skill building.
Rising Star Award Winner
Sharon Schwatka is the piano teacher of Emma Cerveny, age seven. Emma brings all her sparkle and charm to her lessons. This tiny dynamite has really accelerated her learning through dedicated practice and lots of great questions!
Rising Star Award Winner
Lincoln Hammond is a 16-year-old drum student of Brent Barnett’s. Lincoln always comes to class ready to learn and push her abilities. Her natural sense of rhythm makes her an excellent student who is destined for a lifetime of drumming. Practicing consistently at home and listening well during lessons are two traits that make Lincoln stand out as a student.
Rising Star Award Winner
Ten-year old Sam Schmid has been taking piano lessons from Amy Conklin for two years. Sam is always up for a fun, musical challenge! He likes to try pieces above his current skill level and works very diligently to master these tricky songs. His bright smile and ready-to-learn attitude make him a joy to teach.
Rising Star Award Winner
Ava West is a nine-year old piano student of Amy Conklin’s. In her two years of lessons, Ava has proven to be extremely self-motivated when it comes to piano practice. She even sets her own practice reminders on her iPad! Laughter throughout Ava’s lessons is common. Even when the music is challenging, Ava can laugh at her mistakes, learn from them, and progress with poise!
Rising Star Award Winner
Madison Maceira, nine years old, is a piano student of Becky Smith’s. Voracious intellect that asks about everything, combined with an intense focus for her musical studies fitly describes Madison. She combines an agreeable, cheerful temperament with fire in her playing. Madison never fails to come to a lesson with more questions than can be answered and more pieces prepared than can be listened to in just one lesson. Madison has also recently started composing her own music!
Rising Star Award Winner
Audrey Bolinger is a ten-year-old piano student of Michelle Van Handel’s. Audrey is a performer at heart and likes to connect with others through music, both through piano and ballet. Quick to follow directions and willing to try new things, Audrey practices well and is extremely focused during her lessons. Audrey recently opened a CSM recital with the first performance (after only taking a few months of lessons), she controlled her nerves and performed like a pro.
Rising Star Award Winner
Michelle Van Handel is the piano teacher of ten-year old Wolf Brown. Wolf has an incredible musical ear! After only a few months of formal lessons, Wolf is already picking out detailed melodies and chordal harmonies by ear — including Bach and Beethoven. He is wired for music and already composing complex music for a ten-year-old. When Michelle first met Wolf, he played a Bach Minuet for her by ear, Michelle was struck by his awesome potential!
Rising Star Award Winner
Dylan Raynak, age eight, is a piano student of Rick Buckley’s. They have been working together for less than one year, but Dylan has already begun to show great promise as a student. His sense of timing, and gentle touch on the keys is very impressive for a ten-year-old! Due to his diligent practice, Dylan was able to complete a duet in only one week, much faster than the typical four or five weeks of practice required.
Rising Star Award Winner
Fourteen-year-old Maeve Wilcox has been taking piano lessons from Rick Buckley for about two years. Maeve is very musical, patient, and hard-working. Her willingness to do whatever it takes to become a good musician really shows in her musical progress. One of Maeve’s most recent impressive accomplishments is having completed Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata after only two years of lessons!
Rising Star Award Winner
Simon Caldwell, age 11, is a piano student of Rick Buckley’s. Fearless and hardworking are two attributes that perfectly describe Simon. He always finds time to practice! Realizing that he learned two Bach pieces completely over Zoom lessons just amazed his teacher, Rick.
Rising Star Award Winner
Rick Buckley is the piano teacher of Aaden Eggert, age 13. Aidan has a deep love for music in any genre. Working hard and never giving up on anything, Aaden is very dedicated to his musical studies. Recently, Aaden has even begun composing his own music!
Rising Star Award Winner
Kaylee Dildine is 16 years old and has been studying voice with Michelle Van Handel for about three years. Kaylee has a lot of natural musical talent. Her unique voice type is riddled with delicate and emotional nuance. Drawing true connection to each song that she chooses to sing, Kaylee’s most recent performance of Billie Eilish’s song, I Love You, was so vulnerable and emotional that it brought tears to Michelle’s eyes.