August 2, 2025: Saturday Remix
Teachers and Staff: Happy Saturday!
"Every note you teach plants a seed of joy, confidence, and expression in a student's life — never underestimate the quiet power you hold to change the world, one lesson at a time."
Reminder: Off-week!
Our summer off-week goes from Sunday, August 3, to Friday, August 8, 2025 (closed those days - no regular lessons). Note that lessons are ON for Friday and Saturday August 1 & 2, and Saturday, August 9 and going forward.
(Optional) Teacher Training on August 4
For the (optional) teacher training opportunity on August 4, here is the final schedule. You can attend one or two sessions (the first and third sessions are the same content).
3:00 to 4:00 pm Introductory Lessons, Student Rewards & Special Programs, Q&A
4:00 to 5:00 pm Guest Teacher Lessons, Guest Student Lessons, Healthy, Happy, & Productive Music Lessons according to our Music Studio Philosophies, Q&A
5:00 to 6:00 pm Introductory Lessons, Student Rewards & Special Programs, Q&A
NOTE: This is different from the morning teacher orientation session.
I will send more information/instructions before the date.
Teacher Orientation 2025
Thank you teachers who have completed the signup form so far!
Please use the form sent in the email and provided below to submit your responses. Please complete it as soon as possible.
Every teacher must attend one mandatory teacher orientation session between now and the end of the year. Sessions are 2 hours, and there are a variety of days and times offered between now and then. (See instructions in the form.)
Teacher Orientations and Trainings are PAID work time, and take place at the Laguna Niguel School of Music.
Here is the link:
https://forms.gle/2zyYJRFxN1AmFgvG6
I look forward to your responses!
Musical Ladder - Test Completion
Everyone should be completing their tests and marking them completed in the Musical Ladder portal.
If a student was absent for their scheduled test, please conduct the test at their next lesson. Please put the completion date accurately – the date they actually complete their test.
Remember – no student can ever fail their test (and not pass their level)! They can postpone their test, perhaps. They can do not as well as they hoped for and then retake the test, but ultimately, they must pass their test, in a reasonable timeframe according to when they are supposed to complete it.
When you log into the Musical Ladder portal you will see your students. Click on the + sign to open one student up. Then select Tests to open up a window to mark their test complete. You can add notes if desired, please keep everything positive and encouraging!
Let myself or Mr. Denny know if you have any questions or cannot figure anything out. Let myself or Office know if there is an error regarding students.
Theme Recital Coming in September
We have a theme recital coming up on September 26, 2025. The theme is Songs of America. Please encourage your students to learn one or more patriotic songs, folk songs, or other pieces of music that represent the breadth and depth of American culture.
These kinds of songs and pieces are often found in abundance in method books and music curriculum, and we can also provide others as needed. If you want some music that we don’t already have, please let us know, and we will strive to get it for you.
Start Selecting, Learning, & Practicing Holiday Music with your Students!
It’s easy to wait too long to start preparing for holiday music. We recommend that you start selecting, learning, and practicing holiday music now, in July & August. Holiday music includes everything from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas & Hanukkah to New Years and others that your students celebrate. It also includes seasonal music for the Fall and Winter seasons, not necessarily related to holidays.
If you think summer is too early to start holiday music, reconsider! Students should be learning a variety of music (not just holiday music), but they should definitely start learning and practicing very early, to be well-prepared for holiday recitals, soirees, and family times at home.
The holidays are a season, not one day or one single performance! And it’s a long season! Don’t fight against the several-months-long holiday season – embrace it!
We have holiday recitals in October (around Halloween) and December (between Thanksgiving and Christmas).
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I used this Q&A in the Friday Medley, too, and am posting it here in case you missed it there. (All teachers should ready all Friday Medleys, Saturday Remixes, and Monthly Newsletters in their entirety, every time.)
Q: What is a “Growth Mindset”?
A: A Growth Mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed with effort, persistence, and learning. A Growth Mindset reframes challenges not as signs of failure or fixed limitations, but as opportunities to grow.
Nothing is “easy” or “hard” — it’s all in how we frame it. What seems difficult at first often just needs time, attention, and patience. Remember how tying your shoes or riding a bike once felt impossible? Now you don’t think twice. Music, too, can feel tricky at the beginning, but every note learned, every moment of practice, reshapes what once seemed hard into something natural and rewarding. What matters most is your mindset. If you believe that you’re simply in the process of learning — not struggling — you’ll unlock the ability to grow with confidence. Hard becomes easy. You just have to begin.
When we say something is “hard,” we’re often labeling it based on how it feels right now, forgetting that with time and practice, today’s challenge can become tomorrow’s strength. A Growth Mindset embraces this truth. It says: Of course it feels hard — because you’re learning. And that’s exactly where you’re supposed to be. By understanding that difficulty is temporary and skill is flexible, students become more resilient, more curious, and more willing to keep going — just like in music, where one tricky passage at first becomes second nature later on.
Always remember: you’re not stuck where you are; you’re always becoming.
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Thank you, everyone, for all that you do!
Have a magical Saturday, a musical weekend, and a safe and healthy coming week. And a good old summertime!
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Thank you,
Dennis Frayne
"Dr. Dennis"
Laguna Niguel School of Music
Dennis Frayne Music Studios
30110 Crown Valley Pkwy, Suites 105/107/108
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 844-9051 (office cell)
(949) 468-8040 (personal cell)
www.lagunaniguelschoolofmusic.com
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