Residency Weekend schedule

It’s finally here! Residency Weekend 2007 kicks off with the arrival of our visiting students on Wednesday evening, March 28.

Thursday morning: Shadowing Dr. Chu teaching at Cubberley

Thursday afternoon: Tours of Stanford University campus

Thursday evening: Rehearsal for our concert

Friday morning: One-on-one meetings with Stanford professors and company tours

Lunch at Google!

Friday at 5:00PM: Private concert for The Music Within Us families, Portola Valley

Saturday at 9:30AM: COMBINED repertoire class in Room H-1, followed by “talk show” Q&A session and picnic reception

Saturday afternoon: hiking and sightseeing excursion with Dr. Chu and Mr. Mah

Sunday morning flights depart for Chicago

Visit us to learn about Fall 2007 enrollment

This Saturday, March 17, in Room H-1, will be another opportunity for parents and their children to learn more about enrollment in The Music Within Us program. You can observe our repertoire class, where students at all levels receive ensemble training together. Parents who are interested in enrolling their children in Fall 2007 are required to attend an informational presentation, given by Dr. Chu, following the class. Detailed information on the philosophy, expectations of the program, and commitment from parents will be discussed, and enrollment information will be provided.

9:45AM – 11:30AM Repertoire class

11:45AM – 12:15PM Parent seminar

NOTE: The FINAL opportunity to attend a seminar for Fall 2007 enrollment will be on Saturday, May 5, 2007, in Room H-1.

Applications will not be processed unless a parent has attended one of the informational seminars.

All applications must be received by May 15 for consideration for the Fall 2007 enrollment cycle. Trial lessons for all applicants will be scheduled for the week of May 28, 2007. Parent interviews will be scheduled following the completion of trial lessons.

Year-end review process

Year-end review meetings, conducted one-on-one with each set of parents of currently enrolled students, will be held during the following weeks:

April 23-27, April 30-May 4, May 7-10, May 22-25

A written review of each student will be provided by the Director, and a written self-evaluation requested from each parent. At the meeting, we will review progress and discuss mutual goals for the next year of enrollment.

A complete schedule of appointment times and locations will be provided by e-mail.

Practicing for Peak Performance

It’s now more widely discussed and beginning to be scientifically validated that “talent” is a product at least as much of the right kind of training as of genetic or innate ability. Making practice time effective is one of the greatest challenges in attaining high levels of skills in anything – whether it’s tennis, basketball, chess, violin, or golf. However, an investment of time devoted to “cracking the code” of effective practice is a wise goal to pursue if you have any desire to reach your highest potential in one of these pursuits. More practically, making the most out of limited practice time is a valuable exercise in time management.

What does effective practice time require?

The role of myelin in training “super athletes”

Further fueling my fascination with the notion of “innate” versus “trained” ability across a spectrum of disciplines, here is a New York Times magazine article on the science and art of training “super athletes”. The author describes the emerging science of skill development: “You have to understand that every skill exists as a circuit, and that circuit has to be formed and optimized.” The idea of deliberate practice – that is, not just repetitions, but repetitions coupled with constant critical feedback and focus on improving – is also mentioned in this article as the single process shared in the development of any talent.

Golfing solo

I have this irrepressible habit of composing blog entries in my head while I golf. Today instead of going to the driving range I decided to play a quick round of 9 holes at a par-3 course. It was a spontaneous decision, made in the car on my way to the driving range, so I didn’t make arrangements to include any of my usual golfing friends. It seemed like a nice way to check up on my short game, and enjoy a beautiful March day (thank you, California!). OK, another reason I did it was to test how “hard core” I really am into the game. Am I so serious and so Zen about it that I could actually enjoy playing a whole round of golf by myself?

Whose bed is it anyway?

This was the most e-mailed article in today’s New York Times:

Four years after the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development published a survey in which 12 percent of respondents reported sleeping with their babies, those babies have grown into children, and those children are still in their parents’ bed. Many parents are reluctant co-sleepers, too tired to disrupt a practice that may irritate one or both adults, but, in the end, seems to promise the most amount of sleep for the most people in the house.

When is it time to reclaim your bed from your kids?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/01/garden/01bed.html?ex=1173502800&en=5a1c6ed1469c266a&ei=5070

Here are some notable excerpts: