Upcoming Events:

Practice-a-Thon!!! 

November 1 - November 20, 2026

Students are tracking their minutes to purchase gifts for patients at MUSC Children's Health during the holidays. We would love for you to sponsor one of our Junior Club Members for this worthy activity! You may select a number from 1-10 to be a silent sponsor for a student who has that number, or you can give a one-time gift to help our young musicians reach their goal. 

Online Really Slow Irish Session Tune Class

Sunday, November 8, 2026 7:30pm

Anyone can sign up for these classes on our Patreon site, select Slow Irish Class. This class meets once a month on the second Sunday with a new tune every month. All instruments welcome.

Charleston Sonatina Festival 

Saturday, November 14, 2026 

We are excited to have so many students entering this event again this year. Times should be available soon. Parents are asked to wait in their cars, or outside of the building, while their children compete.

Online Writing Workshop

Sunday, November 15, 2026 Online 2:30pm

This is a student run virtual workshop for any junior club members who are in 7th-12th grade and who are working on their essay contest entries for National Music Week.

Christmas and Classics

November 21, 2026

Students prepare one Winter/Holiday selection and one memorized selection from the standard repertoire for assessments  in this non-competitive event. The event will be held at the Columbia International University. The Winter/Holiday selection does not have to be memorized.

Thanksgiving Break

Wednesday, November 25th through Sunday, November 29th, 2026

No lessons or classes. 

Video Holiday/Winter Recital

Miss Dolly will be collecting your performances on video beginning in November for our annual video Holiday/Winter Recital. Each studio adult or school age student may perform a holiday or winter selection, along with a selection from the standard repertoire. Memorization is encouraged but not necessary. 

Holiday Break Time

Tuesday, December 22, 2026 through Friday, January 1, 2027

No lessons scheduled. 

Piano Masterclass with Dr. Philip Bush

Saturday, February 20, 2027

Limited entries available for Intermediate and Advanced Piano Students

Louise Mathis Scholarship Auditions

Saturday, February 27, 2027

Junior Festival Day - Columbia

Achievement Day - Charleston

Saturday, March 6, 2027

District Audition Date TBD

SCMTA State Auditions

Saturday, April 17, 2026

Only those students receiving the highest scores are invited to attend. 

Welcome to our 2026-27 Junior Music Club Officers

President: Susannah Bell

Vice President: Benjamin Williams

Secretary: Yolanda Wu

We are looking forward to a fun year with great musical growth for every one of our studio members!

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Your 26-27 Practice Goals form is ready for download on the Student Resources page. 

Junior Keynote Cover Art and Magazine samples are in the Reading Room.  

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The 2026-2027 Studio Holiday Calendar is posted on the Student Resources page under General. This calendar only lists holidays when the studio is closed. (no events)

Rehearsal tips for 2026 

1. Have a clear goal for every practice session (examples would be: improving on, or memorizing, a section in a piece of music; focusing on a scale or a technique that needs work; sight-playing or musical analysis.)
2. Focus on the quality of your practice time, not the length of your practice time. Be sure you are leaving your practice time knowing you have accomplished a set goal.
3. Once you have determined your goal for your rehearsal session, approach challenging sections of a piece first, then play music that you are more comfortable with toward the end of your session.
4. Use your Metronome. A good rule of thumb is to start daily practice on a work 5 - 8 bpm slower than what you achieved the day before. 
5. Rehearse daily. Even a short session of 15 minutes on a busy day can lead to significant improvement. Parents this tip is very important for younger children. Do not wait to help your child rehearse the night before their lesson, or only have one or two days a week set aside for practice. Your child will not succeed as quickly as other students if you create this pattern. 
6. For older students, take short breaks during your rehearsal; Stand up and stretch, get a glass of water, or look out the window. This is a refresher for the mind and body.
7. Keep your lesson assignment notes on your piano where you can reference them in every practice session. Personal rehearsal journals can be a benefit for advanced students.

***Playlists for student listening work can be found on our listening site. ***

Ms. Paul offers private lessons in piano, ukulele, guitar, voice, and mountain dulcimer; locally and online.