Things Are Warming Up
May is here and we are celebrating by sharing with you our favorite warm up techniques for you and your instrument. This month on our site as well as on Facebook and Youtube, we’ll be sharing with you free tips on how to properly warmup before playing. If you haven’t already, be sure to follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/MkeLessons.
Student of the Month
Our student of the month is Kyle. Kyle is a guitar player and has been taking lessons here for about a year. Kyle was chosen as the student of the month for his dedication to a particularly tough song. There were frustrations and times where it seemed we might move on to a new song before we finished this one. But Kyle stuck through it and after a grueling six weeks, his hard work paid off and we were able iron out the wrinkles and complete this tune. I think that the problems he overcame will help him a lot going forward and will be well worth the hard work he put in.
Name: Kyle Rasmussen
Instrument: Electric/Acoustic Guitar
Time Playing: 8 Years
Favorite Song We’ve Learned So Far: Peace of Mind – Boston
Dream Song To Learn: Famous Last Words – My Chemical Romance
Favorite Activity Outside of Music: Going to the Indianapolis 500
A Huge Congratulations
Sometimes someone accomplishes something so cool that I just have to give them a shout out. One of our students Alex (not to be confused with me) is going off to medical school starting this summer. Not only did he get in, but after weeks of hard work he managed to get himself a full ride scholarship through all four years of medical school! That is a huge accomplishment and we wish him all the best as he continues down the tough and challenging road that is medical school. He’s already off to a great start so I’m sure he will do amazing!
We also have a wedding at the end of the month. One of our newer students Samantha just got married. A big congratulations to her and her partner. We wish you all the success in your marriage going forward!
Alex’s Cool Music Gear of the Month
Tama Iron Cobra Kick Pedal
When I was first starting to drum, the double kick was sort of this mythical creature to me. When I would hear drummers use it, it would absolutely blow my mind. But if I ever tried one at a store, it was like starting over day one on a drums set. I didn’t know it right away, but some of my troubles came from using bad equipment. I was a broke high school student with not a lot of money to spend. I couldn’t afford the top tier $500+ items. Then I came across the Iron Cobra.
I got one used at a local music store for around $120 at the time and it just blew me away. Many people swear by them. They aren’t the most expensive kick pedals you’ll find on the market. But for the money, they are an absolute steal when it comes to the overall quality and feel of a kick drum pedal. You’ll feel an instant increased connection and responsiveness with your kick drum. Whether you’re interested in a double kick or even just a single, this can be a great upgrade from whatever default kick pedal comes with your drum set.
Upcoming Music Gigs
This section promotes not just teacher music shows but also student shows as well!
5/4 – The Station @ Foxtown – Sons of Sconnie
5/11 – Maloney’s @ Kaukauana – Broken Arrow Band
5/12 – Phil’s Philling Station @ Townsend – Broken Arrow Band
5/17 – Nuthaus @ Kaukauana – Broken Arrow Band
5/24 – The Bridge Bar @ Freemont – Hold’em High
5/25 – Phil’s Philling Station @ Townsend – Broken Arrow Band
6/1 – 18 Hands Ale Haus @ Fond Du Lac – Hold’em High
How Bout Dem Packers?
It’s been a crazy offseason so far in the NFL. The packers let go of Aaron Jones, resigned AJ Dillon, and acquired Josh Jacobs at running back. The Packers also have a three way kicking competition for kicker happening right now. Unfortunately (although not surprisingly) we released veteran lineman David Bakhtiari. We resigned a lot of defensive players and also added Xavier McKinney which was a huge play! We continue to be the youngest team in the NFL.
Then we got to the NFL draft. The Packers entered into the 2024 draft with 11 total picks including 5 within the top 100 picks. For their first pick they grabbed Jordan Morgan, an offensive lineman from Arizona. While it’s not a flashy pick, I think it’s the right one. We’re invested in Jordan Love as our new QB and protecting him should be a priority. Four of our next five picks when to bulking up our defense. We have a new defensive coordinator who is switching up our defensive scheme so I’m glad we’re giving him the tools he needs to be effective. The only other pick as of the writing of this newsletter went to another RB. While Josh Jacobs has signed a 4 year deal, it seems the packers want a backup option should he not prove to be a good fit.
Overall, I think the Packers front office is making some great moves this offseason and I’ll be excited to see how things turn out come the new season.
Welcome To Our New Students!
Evelyn
Jacob
Paige
Alexander
Ashe
Anna
