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Affordable Excellence Inspired by Family Tradition

905.855.1030

info@pianoteam.com

forteacademy@pianoteam.com

Visit our new location: 2359 Royal Windsor Drive, Mississauga ON (South of QEW 1 km West of Southdown Road)

FORTE VOCAL PROGRAM:

• Lessons taught by bi-lingual, professional, enthusiastic teacher
• All Ages Welcome
• From Classical to Broadway, Disney & Pop
• Emphasis on BASICS & POPULAR repertoire
• Endless repertoire options
• Professional accompanist(s) on staff 
• Great musical training that is training for life!
• Have Fun!
• Our fast-growing vocal program is a hit - limited availability; reserve your spot today!

As well as Natalie’s musical experiences, she has ample experience and enjoys working with children. She was the children’s choir director at her church for several years. She has also spent summers working at children’s summer camps were her responsibilities included organizing and teaching the theater workshops as well as being the musical director for the camp plays.

Natalie is very excited to be part of the Forte Academy of Music Team and looks forward to meeting everyone.

Dear FORTE Academy members and friends,                                                                 

➣ School Year 2008-2009 registration:

There are no significant changes to the registration process planned for the new 2006/2007 School year registration. As many students and parents already contacted the teachers and us, we remind you that the best time to register for the new 2006-2007 school year and reserve the best day/time for lessons is- now. Currently, we are creating the 2008/2009 School Year Master-Schedule - therefore, please contact your teacher, Jean-Paul, Vesna or Boris ASAP and let us know about your plans for the new school year. We will make every effort to accommodate the requests such as lesson day/time to best fit your schedule.

To simplify the process and save time,  the new FORTE Invoice, Fees info sheet and the credit-card authorization form (Word Document format) - are all available for you. You may choose your payment option, prepare the payment and drop-off or send us back the info when convenient, even via e-mail. Please call 905-855-1030 or contact us by e-mail if needed. 

➣ Fees:

To all FORTE Academy members that register for the new 2008/2009 School year by the June 15^th 2006:  As our Thank You for your loyalty and patronage, and despite the significant increases in operating costs, we are pleased to let you know that there will be NO INCREASE in the FORTE Academy's fees to all currently registered students. Past this date, we will be making slight modifications to our fees schedule.

This is the opportunity to THANK YOU all for your support and prompt payment of the fees: By paying the correct amount, on time, you are contributing to the growth and ensuring the future of FORTE Academy of Music that grew from a small basement teaching studio into a respected, recognized (and growing) School of Music  – THANKS TO YOU! Please contact us for detailed info on fees and payment options for 2008/2009 School Year.

➣ Make-up lessons:

For the new 2008/2009 school year, we plan no changes to our make-up policies, however with the increased number of students and teachers, it is necessary to adhere firmly to our policies, as printed on the FORTE Invoice, presented in our “Payments, Fees and Make-up Policies” – ask for your copy!

➣ Monday Classes:

All students that take lessons on Mondays will be charged the same yearly fee as all the other students. We gladly offer the make-up option for all lessons that fall on Holiday Mondays. The lessons that fall on Holiday Mondays throughout the year will be made-up upon your request; teachers are advised about this policy – upon your request teachers will offer an alternative make-up time.

➣ Summer Recital:

The Summer Recital date is set for Saturday, June 3^rd 2008^. The Location is the Mississauga Living Arts Centre – Rogers Theatre. There will be three performances:

•  The first Recital will be starting at 12.15 p.m. featuring the students of Maria, Anne and Thomas.

•  The second Recital will be starting at 1.45 pm, featuring the students of Vesna, Gloria, and Natalie

•  The third Recital will be starting at 3.45 p.m. featuring the students of Irina, Maida and Lisa.  

As always, we look forward to the Summer Recital - another live-performance opportunity – educational, fun, family, FORTE event! We encourage and welcome all students (adults, too) to perform! Pre-shows, FORTE Certificates, Great guest-artist appearances - not to be missed! 

➣ Summer Program:

It is about getting a better level of skill, achieving more …or just having fun and enjoying playing and making music some day… But how one gets there? Continuous study of music/musical instrument is essential for improving and further developing skills and reaching the freedom and enjoyment of music. Continuous lessons in the summer: While many families like to “take a break in the summer”, it is the reality that all students that do “take a break’ will spend the first few months of the next year catching up the lost technique, reading skills; pieces learned do fade, etc. We suggest you consider our Summer Lesson Program since the summer months offer plenty of leisure time, it is the time of the year that makes students enjoy music without the worry and/or pressure of homework and other school activities.  

So, we encourage students to enroll in our Summer Program: Choose the affordable package that best suits you. We offer 4-, 6-, 8- or 16-lessons packages. All lessons are 45 min long, at cost starting from $120. 

➣ NEW: FORTE Musical Theatre Summer Camp:

The curtain is going up...on a summer filled with the excitement and magic of theatre! Songs, Songs and more great songs! 

Forte Academy of Music is proud to present another Musical Theatre Summer Camp program! This program is designed for children of all ages who love to act, dance and most of all sing! Here, young people interested in learning the basics of theatre have an opportunity to learn by doing!

The summer will be focused on learning excerpts from a musical to then perform the songs with choreography at the end of the summer. Class sizes range from small group classes to semi-private and private lessons. 

Forte Academy of Music’s Vocal Program Director, Natalie, will be teaching the program. She has spent many summers working at children’s summer camps were she was a musical director and assistant director with such plays as Chicago, Joseph And The Amazing Techno Color Dream Coat, Cats, Fiddler On The Roof, Beauty And The Beast and more.

Enrol your children now – this is a great opportunity to gain new skills, learn attractive songs, make new friends and above all have FUN!

➣ Staff:

To Jean-Paul, Boris K., Gabie, Maida, Irina S., Thomas, Natalia, Gloria, Irina D., Anne, Nalalie, Ruby, Andrea and last but not least to Vesna – it is a delight to work with all of you and your hard work, commitment and dedication are appreciated more then I can say! Aren’t we a great “Piano (or Music) Team”?

➣ FORTE Academy WELCOMES…

• Bob “Bozidar” will join the Academy’s Guitar Program from September 2006. Bozidar is a FORTE Academy’s friend and teacher-to-come on board. He is an accomplished musician that performed with artists like Oscar Peterson, maestro Liberace, Sir Peter Ustinov (to name a few) and at many prestigious venues, recording & TV studio. We are proud and impressed with his abilities to communicate the music with others and are pleased to share the same beliefs in the power and importance of music. For those that were surprised by Bozidar’s educational background – once again this world-class artist…”just happens” to hold physics, engineering and computer science degrees. Bozidar is truly another brilliant example of how concentrated effort, training and success in music translate into success in…everything else. WELCOME aboard, Bozidar.

• Natalie  who joined us in January of 2006 and is already running a fast-growing vocal/piano class and very popular vocal program. Natalie’s vocal abilities, musical and educational background are very impressive, her experience in working with children simply great. But it is her enthusiasm, infectious love for music and outgoing, caring personality what makes her a fantastic addition to FORTE Academy’s growing teaching staff.

• Ruby who joined us in the late 2005 is doing a fantastic job in assisting at and caring for our Royal Windsor location. We are proud of the long-lasting relationship with Ruby and her family. Her daughters, Gabie and Gloria are FORTE instructors for several great years now; we first met while we run the Music studio in Port Credit, back in 1995, and the wonderful relationship lasts to date. Music is great – and is about making friends, meeting soul-mates and having great time! (We just need to find the way to hire dad, Mr. Ong …one never knows.)

• Andrea  joined us in February of 2006 – and is offering assistance in several areas – from customer service to administration, book-keeping and sales. With her family business background, Andrea has a very strong sense for a small-business environment and customer care. Being on the “first line” in dealing with various situations and enquiries, she has shown great problem solving abilities and exceptional people skills. Her dedication, work ethics and commitment are very impressive. We feel very lucky to have met Andrea who is in Canada for just about a year now, and are looking forward to a long-term relationship and her growing responsibilities.

➣ SECOND LOCATION:

We wish to Thank everyone for a great feedback on the FORTE Academy’s new home at 2359 B/C  Royal Windsor Drive. This challenging move is a serious step forward for our business and family and would never be possible without your support. But, we don’t want to stop there: As of December 2006 FORTE Academy is set to expand and take the possession of the remaining space (2359 RWD unit A); meaning that the entire main floor – the 2359 RWD (A/B/C) corner unit with the main entrance and some 4000 sq. feet of space will serve FORTE Academy of Music. We are very excited about this newest addition; stay tuned for more news on this latest expansion!

In closing... 

...FORTE Academy of Music stays focused on providing quality private music lessons in a friendly, fun, supportive teaching environment. We will continue to share our goals, beliefs and positive values with you through our quality, personalized FORTE program that focuses on the Internationally acclaimed RCM curriculum and, most importantly on the numerous musical and non-musical benefits of study of music. Music is a special, powerful, universal language that is great to know…and needs no translation! We are here to help you learn and enjoy music!

Your continued patronage and support are much appreciated and we look forward to many years of music, fun and growth together!

Musically Yours,  

Boris and Vesna

We hope that everyone enjoyed the summer that is almost over? The new school year is just around the corner and to bring you up-to-date here are some notes on:  

➣ The Summer Program: Great to see that the number of students taking our Summer Program grows each year, making the summer of 2005 the busiest on record. Summer Program remains an important part of training in music and training in life that, among evident benefits of continuous study further strengthens the working habits, learning strategies, time management skills to name a few. We are already working on new exciting additions for our SUMMER 2006 Program – stay tuned! 

➣ School Year 2005-2006: We wish to WELCOME you all back to classes (and the routine). The challenging process of creating the master-schedule and making sure that students receive the best day/time is in progress. To simplify the process, we created new FORTE Invoice and Fees-info that can be picked-up or even e-mailed to- you and returned back to us. 

We will make every attempt to accommodate the requests such as lesson day/time to best fit your schedule – please direct any requests to us ASAP – by calling 905-855-1030 or e-mail: forteacadamy@pianoteam.com  

➣ The Second Location – 2359 Royal Windsor Drive –additional space acquired: While our original 1739 Lakeshore Rd. location remains our primary piano-retail location, we are delighted to report overwhelmingly positive and exciting feedback following the opening of the 2359 Royal Windsor Location, back in May 2005.  

Since we opened our first basement studio in May of 1994 the desire to offer a better teaching environment to our students, parents and teachers was our priority; today we are proud of making that step and acquiring the new facility. And since your response to that new, added, modern, neat and comfortable teaching space was so …fantastic – we decide to go step further and add – even MORE teaching space: As of August 1^st, FORTE Academy of Music acquired 6 additional studios, 10 studios and nearly 4000 sq. feet of teaching and display space in total. The new facility is easily accessible, air-conditioned, studios are very spacious, well-lit and the recent upgrades include the sound-proofing (using the sound-proofing and fire-resistant materials); new carpets installed; the entire space has been freshly painted, 24/7 monitored security system installed - with some work and final decorating still ongoing. We also have the access to the Building’s main entrance – please stay tuned for the full updates on this exciting FORTE Academy’s addition! 

➣ Piano Department: The selection of our popular used pianos (also displayed on our web-site www.pianoteam.com)  now includes upright and grand models made by Steinway & Sons, Heintzman, Baldwin, Wm. Knabe, Mason & Risch, Yamaha, Kawai ( and more!). Additionally, our selection of new makes expanded and now includes new acoustic upright and grand pianos made by SUZUKI, Young Chang, Bergmann, Samick, August Hoffman and Rieger-Kloss as well as a selection of Digital Pianos made by KURZWEIL, SUZUKI and KOHLER (Korg). As we start the new school year and some of you may be looking for that first piano, or an upgrade, we have many options available for you.  Please take a note of piano sale events that are listed in our calendar – the first event “We Pay Tax” is starting now! ALL FORTE Academy of Music families purchasing a new or used piano will receive a special service package with 3 tunings included free of charge! All Digital pianos come with BONUS hi-quality headphones. 

➣ Bring-a-friend: Many new student registrations came from you – and this is the opportunity to Thank You all for recommending the FORTE Academy of Music. As small token of our appreciation, every new piano student registration that is a result of your recommendation now brings you a PIANO TUNING service voucher (gift-certificate). Your friend also receives our lowest rate – and the first lesson is – FREE! This way – everyone wins with you and FORTE Academy of Music! 

➣ NEW Scholarship Opportunities: In past years, our family has searched for ways to bring the affordable, reliable and quality music program to the community. We have always been open to and accommodated numerous special requests. FORTE Academy’s priority was and remains in promoting the multiple benefits of the study of music for everyone – child to adult, family and community. We are all in agreement that SUCCESS in MUSIC translates in SUCCESS in Academics and it all translates in SUCCESS in – LIFE. In order to further contribute and reward the perseverance, dedication and the achievement in the study of Music with FORTE Academy of Music, we are pleased to announce the following scholarship opportunities: 

·          FORTE Academy of Music Scholarship: This scholarship is in the amount of $500 towards the FORTE Academy of Music ‘s tuition fees. For full details, please contact the Academy – FIRST RECIPIENT TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY!

·          In partnership with SUZUKI MUSIC International, our principal piano supplier, we are proud to offer FORTE – SUZUKI Scholarship opportunity: Two FORTE Academy of Music students will be awarded annually the amount of $250 (each) towards the yearly tuition fees. The first recipients will be announced on December 03, 2005!      

In closing, one more time we wish to WELCOME you all back to classes and with all the events planned for this school year we look forward to another fun and successful year of music, learning, friendship, and growth - with you and your family, 

Musically Yours,  

Boris and Vesna

Dear FORTE students, parents, colleagues and friends,

Just like the images illustrate, it has become quite crowded in our original 1739 Lakeshore Rd. W. location. We like it here…but …with new students approaching us on a daily basis and numerous piano inquiries, the need for more teaching and display space is evident. We need more space! How to go about it?

Briefly… About the upcoming Second Location, work done and plans:

The 2359 Royal Windsor Drive building is prominently and conveniently located to the left (West) of the 2355/2359 entrance off Royal Windsor Drive. Our unit is highly visible, easy to find and has great parking available just feet from the building. The entrance to the facility is facing East – With easy access/no stairs or other obstacles.

The space is just under 2000 sq feet in size, and consists of: Parents’/families’ waiting area with kitchenette; washroom; piano workshop; 4 teaching studios, sizable piano-display area.

The second location, in addition to our hallmark 1739 Lakeshore Rd. W. original location will help us in a few particular areas:

• First and foremost - added quality teaching studios

• All-on-one-level , easy access, friendly,  modern, space

• Additional display space for expanding our acoustic and digital piano selection
• The piano workshop (finally on the main-level!)

Official Opening Day is soon to be set in May 2005 – stay tuned! We are preparing for a GREAT PARTY - another fun, family, community event with great line-up of musicians performing a wide repertoire – from classical to modern, POP and JAZZ. Surprise guest-artist appearance!

We aim for full use of the 2359 R. W. location from August/September 2005; with some teaching starting as early as late April 2005!

See you all in May; 

With a reminder on the upcoming Special Presentation/Master-Class (April 16^th, 2004 4 PM @ the LAC) we remain 

Musically Yours, in Harmony, 

Boris & Vesna     

Invitation

February, 2005

Dear site visitors, FORTE students, parents and friends,

➣ IMPORTANT DATES:

• March 14 to March 20  - March Break 
• Saturday April 16th, 2005, 4 PM - Master Class & Special Presentation with Dr. Frank Yerka
• NEW LOCATION GRAND OPENING & PARTY - MAY 2005 (date to be announced)
• Saturday June 04, 2005 12 Noon - 6 PM - Summer Student Recitals
• Tuesday June 07, 2005 RCM Examination Application Deadline
• Saturday June 25, 2005 Last Day of Study
• Monday July 04, 2005 Summer Lessons and Make-up weeks start
• August 6 & 7, 2005 RCM Examinations, Theory Exams
• August 08 - 20, 2005 RCM Examinations - Practical Exams
• Monday September 05, 2005 - First Day of study, School year 2005/2006 
• Saturday October 15, 2005, 4 PM - Master-Class & Special Presentation with Prof. Irina Kiyaschenko
• Saturday December 03, 2005 - Winter Student Recitals

➣ SECOND LOCATION:

We took possession of our new location @ 2359 Royal Windsor Drive in December with renovations ongoing since. This is the latest and very important step for the FORTE Academy of Music and our family! The 2359 Royal Windsor facility is the addition to our present Lakeshore Rd. location that features:

• 1800 sq. feet of additional space
• attractive location close to Royal Windsor drive
• easy access, street-level, no stairs
• convenient parking
• modern, air-conditioned,
• just renovated, clean and neat
• sound-proofed, spacious studios
• comfortable waiting area
• used piano workshop
• additional space for pianos
• potential for acquiring additional space (if needed) & more 

GRAND OPENING PARTY COMING SPRING 2005! The date is to be announced! And we'll make it be A BIG PARTY with a great line-up of musicians performing! Not to be missed! EVERYONE WELCOME! 

➣ NEW STAFF:

• We are pleased to announce that Gloria Ong has joined our teaching staff as a piano instructor, and is teaching students at levels Early Beginner to Gr. 4 RCM. It is a great pleasure to have the former students of our school now teach for us - I first met with Gloria and Gabie, (Gloria's sister, now "veteran" FORTE teacher) back in 1994 when they joined our first Port Credit Piano Studio. I am convinced that Gloria's talent, excitement about music and teaching, excellent background and wonderful personality will be a great addition to our FORTE staff! WELCOME Gloria!

• How lucky I am to have all these fine people with us: Virtuoso pianist, and composer, Graduate of the famous Gnesin Russian State Conservatory, Moscow, Irina Kiyaschemko is the very latest addition to our staff. She will be teaching HARMONY,THEORY, COUNTERPOINT, RUDIMENTS & PIANO. Irena is also an accomplished Jazz pianist, with performances for the White House; Finest venues in: Las Vegas, Dubai, New York, Riyadh, Munich, to name the few. We are preparing for another great master-Class/Special Presentation with Irina (October 2005) - NOT TO BE MISSED!

➣ UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Saturday, April 16 2005 - Master Class with Dr.Frank Yerka (Mus. PhD) - guest artist from Prague, Czech Republic: J.S.Bach -The Master of Baroque. Finest performances of Bach's masterpieces by the expert on his music! fantastic and unique!

• Saturday, June 04, 2005 12Noon - 6PM Student Recitals (details to be announced)

• Saturday, October 15th - Special Presentation featuring Jazz standards, Pop selections !!! Prof. Irina Kiyaschemko performing! NOT to be missed!

➣ BRING A FRIEND:

Students presently enrolled wishing to introduce us to a friend will receive a $50 reduction in fees for the next 2005/2006 School Year AND your friend's first class will be FREE! Why not? Great win-win-win proposal!    

➣ OUR WEB-SITE:

...running since 1999 www.hrovatmusic.com underwent several major changes and can now be accessed from: www.pianoteam.com; www.pianoteam.ca, www.clarksonpianocentre.com; www.pianopros.com and www.newandusedpianos.ca. On a daily basis the informative content of the site is being praised by visitors - many of them becoming new customers! The web-site generates interest in services, FORTE program and products we offer - we are very encouraged by the results! Take a moment and visit us...on the Net!

Please remember that we are available for you 7 days a week. It is our pleasure to have you all with us and we'll continue exploring ways of further improving and making music learning with us the most valuable and enjoyable educational experience out there!

Musically Yours,

September 2004

FORTE students, parents, teachers and friends,

Our Program features One-on-one, Private lessons, therefore the program is ongoing and new students may join us at any time. The New School started on Tuesday, September 08^th, 2004. This is to confirm that all registrations completed in full have secured the chosen day and time for lesson. To all families that didn’t register as of yet we suggest that you contact us as soon as possible. Our Master-Schedule is in progress and all the attractive time-slots are going quickly. To book the time/day that best suits you, please don’t delay – contact us now and complete the registration. 

With our extended incentive for pre-payment option and monthly payment option we are convinced that Forte Academy of Music is The Solution for quality music instructions, great program all at an affordable rate! Feel free to contact us if you need detailed info on fees and payment options!

• Vocal Course – For adults and children - Our enthusiastic, skilled and dedicated instructor just loves teaching, and singing. With Masters Degree in Classical and Theatrical Performance she knows it all! Classical, technique (breathing, control & more), the wide repertoire accompanied on a piano or guitar (!!) and gentle yet confident approach is nothing but a hit! Reserve your spot now!

• Adult piano classes: Always wanted to play the piano? Now is the time to do it! Our skilled instructors just love to teach! Join us now, and start the happier, healthier life filled with music that heals, soothes and relaxes.

• Guitar/vocal classes: For students of all ages – great fun! Classical to blues, jazz and pop (Rock "n" Roll, too). Our instructors have years and years of teaching and performing and bringing the music (and their great skill) to audiences! We also teach all levels of RCM -Guitar Program! For more info or to take our trial package - contact us now!

 All thought up by experienced, professional teachers that know how to make it FUN!

• Drums/percussion lessons in-home! Thought up by fantastic Prof. Boris Kvint, formerly St. Petersburg Russian State Symphony Orchestra Percussionist, currently with Planet Music Band highly experienced teacher, performer and recording artist/musician.

• Supervised Practice Sessions – Not sure about your child’s practice? Want to get the most from your investment in learning music? These are specially formulated piano classes where an expert instructor not only helps practice but also teaches HOW TO PRACTICE as well as planning and learning strategies.

Saturday, September 25^th, 2004 1 – 4 PM OPEN HOUSE & WELCOME PARTY:

At 1739 Lakeshore Road West. Indoor and Outdoor performance (Weather Permitting!)

Clarkson Piano Centre & Forte Academy of Music, our second home, is a family and family-oriented business where we truly enjoy sharing the joy of music making with you and your family. Music is about communication, making friends and having a good and fun time - so this semi-annual event is our attempt to get to know each other better and spend some quality, music- (and refreshments-) filled time together.

• Planet Music Trio presenting the wonderful selections from their wide repertoire of Classical, Popular, Jazz, Latin selections and more! These are International recording artists NOT TO BE MISSED!
• Live Acoustic Guitar performances by fantastic Thomas Nagy, Forte Academy’s guitar instructor
• Vocal/Guitar Performance by Nadja – Our Vocal, Guitar and Piano Instructor and fabulous musician!  
• Check our line-up of interesting new acoustic and digital pianos plus fine, restored used pianos
• SUZUKI MUSIC INTERNATIONAL (one of the largest in the Industry) Presenting  Acoustic and Digital Pianos 
• BOOK FAIR NEW and USED MUSIC BOOKS and CDs! Music Books from $1! Something for everyone!Bring a friend!
• Meet our “Partner in developing well-balanced children” Academy of Yoshukan Karate – Canada and learn how music and martial arts training complement each other!
• Tour our studios and facility; meet our teachers and staff
• Your family members, friends, associates are welcome
• New students welcome: Both you and your friend, if registered at this event, will receive a special $25 Gift Certificate

• Refreshments will be served

Saturday, November 13th, 2004 at 4.00 PM - @ The Living Arts Centre, Mississauga, Rogers Theatre: Frederic Chopin and Frantz Liszt: Masterpieces.

2004-2005 RCM Examinations Dates:

At the end, we thank you for participating in Forte Academy of Music’s Program and invite you to join us for any or all exciting events this semester.

As always, your patronage is much appreciated!

Musically Yours - Boris, Vesna & Staff

2005/2006 Academy holidays: