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Back to School

Welcome to the Fall Semester

We hope you all had a wonderful, eventful, and fun summer! Let's make this coming semester something to remember through dedication and hard work! 

 
Register Lessons
To celebrate new branch grand opening, we offer $60 off tuition discount for the first 30 enrolled students! 
Stay Updated for Flushing Location
Flushing Location Grand Opening Party and Recital on 9/15/2018
Further Music School Flushing location is inviting you to join our brand new location grand opening party and recital. Get to know more about our new location and classes. Free trial lesson will be offered. Come check out our new facility, join us for a recital, and learn about our music classes! 

Sep 15, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Further Music School Flushing Location, 140-75 Ash Ave Suite 2B, Flushing, NY 11355, USA
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Refer a Friend and Get a FREE Lesson


If you have a friend who is interested in taking music lessons, refer them to Further Music School and if they register for 16 lessons we will give you a 30 minutes lesson for FREE! Your friend will also receive $10 class discount and a $30 registration fee waiver for their first package! 
Student of the Month

                              Angela Zhou

Instructor Comments (Ms. Stav): My choice for student of the month is Angela. Angela always arrives on time with good spirit and willingness to learn. She is exploring different ways of singing and gaining confidence and virtuosity with every lesson she takes. Her maturity and sense of humor keep astonishing me and I am sure will continue to serve her as she becomes a young musician. 

                           Katarina Martinello
 
Instructor Comments (Ms. Alice): I select Katarina for student of the month. She has not been playing long but she was still determined to perform on the second recital and be evaluated by the other teachers. That takes courage and a desire to use her performance as a way to learn more. So I applaud you, Katarina! 
 
Madeline Lim

Instructor Comments (Ms. Kalina): I would like to announce Madeline as a Student of the Month because of her dedication to music. She comes very well prepared every time( her mom helps her immensely at home) and  the entire piano lesson feels like time well spent!
Congratulations Madeline!

Brandon Suarez
Instructor Comments (Ms. Carrie )My pick for student of the month would be BRANDON S. He works extremely hard in the past summer and keeps at least 1.5 hour practice daily. With outstanding quality, he improves his fingering, scales, and range of sounds. Other than that, he challenges himself by setting the competition goal for him. I believe he deserves this reorganization. 

Alex Kong

Instructor Comments (Ms. Viann) My student of the month would be Alex! He’s always fully prepared for lesson. And I can see that he’s working very hard recently to prepare for his ABRSM exam! I’m very proud of him.

Lily Watanabe

Instructor Comments (Mr. Justin): Lily is a student of the Month because she prcticed very hard all the times and made it great progression. Also, she always prepares more than my expectation with good quality. I am happy to see her improvement every week.

Neel Vivek

Instructor Comments (Mr. Matthew): I’m choosing Neel for my student of the month. Neel is becoming a great guitar player! He has almost finished his guitar book one! Every week, I give him at least six songs to work on and he always practices! Keep it up the good work Neel!

Rio Hayes-Diaz

Instructor Comments (Mr. Burak): Rio has made some good progress for the last few weeks

Ruby Abohalima

Instructor Comments (Ms. Anne): I would like to recommend my student Ruby for the month’s student. Because in this summer, she has shown noticeable improvement in her performance. She finished her current textbook in a very short period. She worked hard on the piano 
Instructor of the Month-Meet Mr. Burak Bedikyan 
Who or what motivated you to choose a career in music? How?
My musical journey followed a very natural flow through the years. Grew up in an amateur musician family; my father playing mostly classical guitar and my mother singing along with him some folk songs, French Chansons, Christmas carols and country music among others. 

At first I didn't have a particular interest in music but in a short while I became a quiet picky listener, always curious about discovering new genres and styles. Even at a very early age I remember the enthusiasm I've had from listening to classical music. With age and environmental influence, I first got interested in Rock & Roll, Doo-Wop, progressing to Hard Rock, Progressive Rock and finally Jazz, always keeping my connection with classical music alive. Somehow I've never been interested in daily "popular" music.

The basis of music creation and its fundamental tools and principles always fascinated me more than the piano itself. Joined the music band during high school at Lycee Saint Benoit d'Istanbul, passing the auditions and got the first taste of making music in an ensemble. I guess at that time I knew that I would follow a professional career in music. I learned music theory and Jazz harmony mostly by myself, listening to records and reading every possible book or article about music and/or Jazz despite my broken English. 


The turning point in my early music life was my meeting with the renowned Turkish pianist / composer Aydin Esen who had and still have a huge influence on my musical development. He has been my primary role model to pursue a dedicated career in music with a serious attitude on art and aesthetics.

The following years I received a merit-based scholarship from Berklee College of Music and a full-tuition from Istanbul Bilgi University where I studied piano and music performance while continuing to explore improvisation and composition with my mentor Aydin Esen.

During my formal training years I've already begun to perform on stage with the top musicians of my native country Turkey as well as many respected musicians from Europe and the USA. Since 2002 I am mostly focused on performing and recording as a Jazz Pianist/Composer on the international music scene while trying to pass the torch to the younger generation by sharing my knowledge and professional experience.


What instruments do you play?
I essentially play the piano and the keyboard instruments according to the genre I perform on stage. I've experimented the guitar, the flute, the chromatic harmonica and the trumpet for a while just for fun and by curiosity. Frankly, my abilities and time only permit to focus on my main instrument.


What age did you start playing?
I've began playing piano around 6 or 7 years old. I was not so much interested in music at that time but took classical piano lessons for about eight years.  Also I was kind of unlucky regarding the teachers I've had back then; very strict and over - disciplined instructors lacking pedagogy and suppleness. So my initial relation with the piano was not built on a healthy foundation. Music has to be about love and dedication, not despotism and obligation. Hopefully I was lucky about my parents and my surrounding who were always very selective about listening to good music whatever the genre is. 


What do you enjoy most about being a music instructor? 
Teaching is a huge part of my life since the last 15 years. It is much more than teaching an instrument. Although necessary, the mechanical or even the theoretical side of music education is merely the tip of the iceberg. What I essentially try to transmit to my students is the depth beyond these technicalities. Each and every piece of music contains some unique (hi)story in itself and reflects human feelings as well as impressions from a common consciousness. If or when I observe that a student connects with this intellectual and spiritual heritage, even unintentionally (which is mostly the case), I feel a deep a satisfaction as a mentor more than an instructor. With kids this is mainly about seeing their proud and happy face of accomplishing a task or overcoming a certain challenge by sharing their unique gifts with their loved ones.


How do you inspire students to practice more?
It depends on the student's age, level and character. But there are various techniques I often use. Setting short term goals is one of them. Also, I always enjoy playing for those who are weaker on motivation to show them the variety of ways they could come up with a particular piece or technique. My main focus is to observe each character attentively in order to discover their weak and strong sides. Therefore I can easily work on a custom made approach for each pupil. Again depending on the student's interest and likes, I always spice up the study repertoire by adding their favorite pieces/songs regardless the music genre. Unlike the majority of classical teachers I strongly recommend to make a habit of spending a quality time to listen to different interpretations of a studied piece or explore different works of the same composer/interpreter. I believe music is an aural tradition as much as it is a written heritage; we have to become a part of this culture. With more advanced students, it's always very interesting to explore harmony, composition and improvisation in order to cultivate a more creative mind, which generally leads the pupil to spend more time time with his/her instrument.


What do you find piano students struggle with the most and why? How do you help them with overcoming this?
The most difficult aspect of any kind of practice is self-discipline, concentration and time management. For the piano, the technical difficulties of the instrument such as finger independence, hand coordination, weak fingers, passing of the thumb etc. may easily become a challenge. I aim to assign to each student some custom made studies and preparatory exercises related to any piece or technique they struggle with. I never stress them to overcome the so called "obstacle" but try to encourage them to be more persistent and patient with it. There's nothing in music or life you can't overcome by giving yourself to the flow with a spirit of dedication. When it comes to concentration, time management and self-discipline; they are mostly about setting a goal and building the right habits.


What was one of your biggest challenges while learning to play?
I had a lot of trouble on concentration during the early stages of learning the piano. My technique was quiet sloppy too because of my impatience and my lack of detailed study. Hopefully thanks to the guidance of my mentors and to the various methodical approaches used both in classical and jazz pedagogy I managed to break through some of my personal barriers with a dedicated heart and mind.


What's been your favorite performance experience?
I've been and still am blessed to share the stage with so many great musicians, so I really can not discriminate any of my musical experiences on or off the stage. Either it is a solo, trio, quartet or any other instrumental combination, each performance has its unique magic created in collaboration between the musicians and the audience as well as the effect of the repertoire and ambiance.

 

Why did you choose the piano out of all other instruments?
The piano was not my personal choice but a direction encouraged by my parents when I was a kid. But in time I definitely felt and discovered the bridge between my soul, my imagination and the piano which offers a multitude of universes hidden in its 88 keys.. I guess it's been a perfect fit since I've never thought of switching to any other instrument.


What advice would you give to students who are new to an instrument? 
Be patient, take your time, enjoy the ride, listen to yourself, create and most of all have fun!


You are classically trained and are trained in jazz. What drew you to jazz music? 
I still study classical repertoire and composition by my own while working on a solo piano project to combine different influences on my musical personality. My primary musical goal was never to become a classical "concert" pianist. With most respect for the great classical masters of the piano, I found my way to express myself through the more liberal ways of jazz improvisation. The urge to improvise, to compose my own melodies, to experiment with the rhythm and the harmony have always been a pivotal motivational force way before I learned the language of jazz. I believe the meaning of my existence lies in catching the spirit of the moment. 
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ABRSM Exam Workshop 
Is your first ABRSM exam? Is this your fifth ABRSM exam?

Many of you may have several questions about the examination process. You might want to know more information about what to study, how to study, what the examiners look for, and how to best use your instrument on exam day. 

 
Our workshop will cover everything you need to know so you can feel and perform your best on exam day!Seats are limited, register today! 

Come join us at our Flushing Location:

Saturday, October 6th, 2018
from 12:00pm to 2:00pm 
140-75 Ash Ave Suite 2B
Flushing, NY 11355

FREE Workshop to ALL Further Music Students
Register Now

Back to School

Music Practice Lists!

Set up a scheduled time every day for practice.

 If several days go by after the lesson, it will be much harder to remember the details and tips that the teacher gave to help with practice.  With every passing day of zero practice, it gets more and more difficult to break back into it and practice becomes more of a struggle.

Music Practice Lists!

Don’t miss lessons. 

Momentum and consistency will help drive a student forward and feel good about the process.  Frequent missed lessons (for any reason) diminish the student’s feeling that music is fun and important and slows down their progress..
 Express any concerns you have to your teacher.

 
A good teacher is able to address issues of lost interest, slow progress, or being to strict or too relaxed for you and your student. An experienced teacher has many tricks up his or her sleeve to help you and your student keep moving forward with music.
2018 Summer Recital
Temulun performed "Burn” by Hamilton.
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Forest Hills Queens Location​

110-06 72nd Ave, Suite MD2,

Forest Hills, NY 11375
 

Flushing Queens Location​

140-75 Ash Ave, Suite 2B

Flushing,  NY 11355

 

Upper East Side Manhattan Location​

19 E 79th Street 

New York, NY 10075


Empire State Manhattan Location
349 5th Ave, 
New York, NY 10016


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Further Music Studio · 110-06 72nd Ave, Suite MD2, · Forest Hills, NY 11375 · USA

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