For one night only, our very own Studio B will be transformed into a cabaret theater. The evening begins at 7:30 p.m. (on Nov. 19), and will be complete with stage lighting, food, drink and songs from the 20’s, 30’s and today.

This is an evening you definitely do not want to miss, so mark your calendar and join us for a night of great entertainment.* Let’s turn this into a night we won’t soon forget!

And on Friday, Nov. 18, you’ll have the chance to attend a FREE concert by SMQ Percussion Quartet. The fun starts at 7:30 p.m.!

*Suggested donation of $15 at the door (for Cabaret Night). All proceeds will benefit Music Works’ education programs, so tell your friends!

We are located at:
14360 SE Eastgate Way, Suite 102
Bellevue, WA 98007

Freddy Pink, the Northwest’s funkiest R & B band, returns with great covers of favorite funk and R & B hits from the last four decades, so you’re sure to know a tune! Every hit is performed with the power, soul and groove that only 5 horns and 4 rhythm players can deliver.

You won’t want to miss this one. Plan on gettin’ down because you won’t be able to hold still!

14360 SE Eastgate Way Suite 102
Bellevue, WA 98007
425-644-0988

Find out more about the band here: www.freddypink.com

Have you signed up for music lessons yet?

We just posted our new fall classes to our website and would like to feature just a few of our amazing offerings:

• Rock Guitar: Exploring rock guitar from the classic to the contemporary. This Saturday class for 8- to 18-year-olds will get feet tapping and heads bopping to keep those school blues away!
• O’Connor Method violin for children: In our last blog post, we talked about the Mark O’Connor violin teaching method. In addition to our violin teacher training workshop in September, we’re offering lessons for 3- to 8-year-olds, to really get a hand for the violin and bow.
• Percussion Band: It’s back! In addition to our other percussion group classes, we’re offering a way for students in grades 4 through 8 to play together… It’s time to make those rock band dreams a reality!

And for adults, in addition to an array of private lessons, we offer a Guitar for Adults group lesson on Saturdays. No matter what instrument you’re interested in, you won’t be disappointed. There really is something for everyone!

Well we’d like to tell you about a new blog, where Mark O’Connor himself posts about music history, which he found during his research for the O’Connor Method. Take a look at the New American School of String Playing to read and comment on these stories about the rich history of music!

And come by our website to find out about the fantastic workshop we’re planning in September: the Mark O’Connor Method violin teacher training workshop!

Find out more about the workshop, scheduled for Sept. 22-25, by going to the Mark O’Connor Method section on our website!

This July, we’re looking for musicians who want to learn what it takes to start a band. For those who have always wondered how musicians go about recording CDs or playing concerts, the answer is at Rock Shop!

Instructor: Brendan Bosworth
Date: July 18-22, 2011
Time: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Place: Music Works Northwest (map)
Ages: 8 – 18 years (for exceptions please call)
Price: $300 (sign up for additional camps and ask about saving 5%)

Rock Shop is open to all singers, guitarists, drummers, woodwinds, brass, keyboardists and bassists! The camp is designed to be a first ensemble experience for young musicians who either aspire to form their own band or wish to participate in the school jazz band.

When the session comes to a close, students will have a better understanding of basic chords, improvisation and playing popular songs. Activities during the session include guest artists, clinics and Friday concert/raffle/pizza party.

As written on our website, here is what young musicians will do during Rock Shop:

• During the week campers will be instructed on how to approach popular music with a healthy singing technique!
• Campers will have the opportunity to select songs from a pre-selected current pop repertoire. They will receive one-on-one vocal and performance tips for their songs and learn how to perform them on a microphone and with a professional band.
• The week will finish with a performance with a live band at Music Works NW, giving singers a chance to share all they’ve learned with friends and family.  A live recording will be provided.
• Singers that play guitar or piano and wish to accompany themselves should notify the Camp Director.

Register now and join us for this year’s Rock Shop! Fill out the Summer Programs registration form.

Music Works Northwest
14360 SE Eastgate Way, Suite 102
Bellevue, Washington 98007
P: 425.644.0988 | F: 425.644.0989
www.musicworksnw.org

Music Works Northwest offers numerous summer camps for children of all ages, but we’re now presenting our newest and most fun camp! The 2011 Musical Theatre Summer Camp is a two-week session for children from Kindergarten through 4th grade, where they’ll prepare a performance of Pele and Hi’iaka. The musical play Pele and Hi’iaka is adapted from the story of Pele, the goddess of fire who lives in a volcano, and her little sister, Hi’iaka, who brought hula to Hawaii.

Camp activities include:
Acting, singing, dancing, playing instruments, and making simple props, sets and costumes. Children will have the opportunity to choose their own roles and learn a variety of new skills in a fun-filled environment. MWNW will provide a daily snack and time for outside play.

Date: July 11-22 (no camp on July 16-17)
Time: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Ages: K- 4 (as of June 2011)
Tuition: $250

The performance will be in the afternoon on the last day of class, for an audience of family and friends.

About Pam Gerke, Director
Pamela Gerke comes to MWNW with an extensive background in children’s drama and musical theatre.  She is a composer, playwright and educator, who has worked with children in arts education for more than 20 years, in various school, after-school and summer camp settings.  Pamela is the author of several books in the field of children’s drama and is currently conductor of the Pine Cone Children’s Choir in Marysville.  She is a Washington State Teaching Artist and has recently written a musical about Florence Nightingale.  Pam says, “I just love doing plays with kids – it’s so much fun!”

Register for the Musical Theatre Summer Camp using the Summer Programs registration form!

Who is this Camp For?…..

• Music students who would like to “take a break” from traditional study and do something fun that still moves their music forward.
• Students who are curious about modern music-making tools and how to find their own musical voice.
• Anyone who wants to learn how to turn their home computer into a personal recording studio.

Section One
Date: July 25 – 29,2011
Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Instructors: Clark Grogan and Rob Frain
Location: Music Works Northwest
Age: 12 – 18 (for exceptions please call us at 425-644-0988)
Price: $350

Section Two
Date: August 1 – 5,2011
Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Instructors: Clark Grogan and Rob Frain
Location: Music Works Northwest
Age: 12 – 18 (for exceptions please call us at 425-644-0988)
Price: $350

History of the Camp
Clark Grogan and Rob Frain created the Audio Recording Summer Camp in Issaquah in the summer of 2007. Attendees were mostly students involved in private lessons who had demonstrated an interest in writing their own music and assembling a home recording environment that suited their purposes. The camp consisted of two six-hour sessions over the course of two days. Two camps were held: one for beginning students and one for intermediate and advanced students. The camp for beginners focused on loop-based composition and becoming familiar with composition software such as Garage Band, Ableton Live and Reason. The camp for intermediate and advanced students used the same software, but emphasized more advanced concepts such as programming, composition and sound design.

About the Instructors

Clark Grogan
As a private music instructor in Issaquah, Wash., Clark Grogan has earned a reputation as a masterful and dedicated guitar teacher. Since October 2000 he has taught, on average, 40 lessons per week to students of all ages and abilities. The lessons have been in all styles ranging from Rock, Pop, Folk, Jazz, Classical, and individual audio recording lessons. Clark’s results-oriented teaching philosophy encourages long term growth. Many of Clark’s current students have been students for more than five years and several of his former students are in bands that perform regularly as part of the Seattle music scene.

Rob Frain
Robert Frain is a teacher, producer, and composer in the Seattle area who integrates technology into his piano studio. Merging the artistic skills his students learn at the keyboard with the technology of a modern recording studio has allowed many of his students to expand the possibilities of their creativity, and find an outlet to apply their years of practice. In 2006 Robert co-created and launched “Rock-n-Roll Boot Camp” (RRBC) at the Overlake School in Redmond, Wash.

Legendary 6 time Grammy award winning violinist and composer Mark O’Conner has developed a new method for strings, “A New American School of String Playing,” based on the American songbook.  The method incorporates the pedagogy that familiarizes students with fingering, bowing, harmony, and improvisation that will apply in any musical situation using traditional pieces and arrangements that are at the root of American Jazz, Bluegrass and Classical styles. Mr. O’Connor will present a lecture, demonstration and performance at this seminar.

For registration information and to reserve your spot contact Music Works Northwest at 425-644-0988, or you may download a registration form at www.musicworksnw.org.  The seminar is $275 and includes books and cds as well as 15 hours of training.  For attendees that are visiting from out of town Music Works Northwest is located within walking distance of two very nice hotels.  The Silver Cloud Inn, Bellevue- Eastgate , and the Hotel Sierra Bellevue.

The Schedule is as follows:

Thursday September 22, 7:00 to 9:30
Friday September 23, 7:00 to 9:30
Saturday September 24, 9:00 to 12:00, 1:00-4:00
Sunday September 25, 1:00-4:00

“Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you got till it’s gone…” laments the old Joni Mitchell song. When I moved to Washington in 1980 the Kent school district was the jewel of the northwest. They had highly rated schools and outstanding, nationally acclaimed music programs that have gradually been eroding away over the last two decades. Now to “save money they are talking about eliminating music, art and PE classes altogether in spite of the reams of research that concludes that student success can be tied directly to school music and private lesson participation. This pattern can happen here. Kent is the 4th largest district in the state of Washington!

Bellevue has outstanding schools. They remind me of the Kent district programs in the early 1990s with strong band, orchestra, choir and jazz programs district wide as well as comprehensive elementary music programs. These programs are in danger everywhere in Washington!

Senate-House Bill 1329 offers a self perpetuating source of funding for music programs state wide by creating a “Music Matters” special license plate. The bill is basically ready to pass if we can collect the 30,000 signatures needed to provide the state assurance that people will purchase these plates. The bill is endorsed by Washington Music Educators Association, by Music Works Northwest, Gerard Schwartz and many other community based music organizations.

On May 6 there is a special event produced by Synergia Northwest to support this bill as well as community music organizations including Music Works Northwest. This is a concert at Seattle’s Moore Theatre Featuring Alan White, Shawn Smith of Brad, Tennis Pro, Heart by Heart with Heart founder Steve Fossen, Somar Macek, Brendan Hill of Blues Traveler, Geoffrey Castle (a Music Works supporter), Michael McMorrow, Seattle Blue thunder, Queensryche and the Synergia Northwest Orchestra conducted by Dr. Nikolas Cole. Tickets are available at www.stgpresents.org or by calling 877-784-4849.

Please support this event and save our music programs before they are gone!