Welcome to Jerry Mader Online!!
As the title implies.....this is about me. This website will forever be under construction with news about my music studio and students, plus stuff for them to look at and......for the curious, odd bits about music and the arts in general here on beautiful Whidbey Island, WA. I invite your comments and offerings; poems, anecdotes, listening suggestions,........etc. Just go to the contact page and type it in.
My Blog, "Portrait of the Artist as an Old Dog", is variously a rant, a meditation on the vicissitudes aging, immortality and the creative demon who will not yield; who says "no! in thunder" till the bitter end.
Also, please note the links to pages on the title bar above; one to the blog, one to "The Viola Redemption" memoir. Follow either or both as you like (let me know what you think on the contact page).............Cheers!
me & my viola & my piano
This is the first news item about.........
New music studio opens on South Whidbey
Whidbey Life Magazine.org, Jan. 7, 2015
and.......
Jerry Mader, a new arrival in the South Whidbey community, has opened The South Whidbey Music
Studio at his home in Freeland. He is offering private lessons in classical violin, viola, piano, music theory and composition and has
openings for students of all ages. Applicants with prior training must audition before being accepted for
study. Adult beginners are welcome. However, he prefers beginners, especially pre-school. “Giving them a good start
when they are young is my most rewarding teaching experience,” he said.
Mader has forty years’ experience as a professional classical musician, composer and teacher. He taught music
composition and theory at the Cornish School of the Arts Preparatory program and was a chamber music coach in
their summer program for high school students. He taught music and Humanities at the Northwest School, was a
clinician for the Washington State Arts Commission’s Artist in the Schools program and a guest lecturer for the
Seattle Opera Art in Education program. He was also a Spectra Artist for the Santa Cruz County Cultural Council, Santa Cruz, CA where he designed multimedia creativity workshops for elementary schools. Through it all, he has always maintained a stable of private
students and looks forward to continuing his teaching here in South Whidbey.
As a pedagogue, Mader did extensive research in behavioral modeling and learning processes at the University of
California, Santa Cruz with Dr. John Grinder, linguistics professor and co-developer of Neuro-linguistic Programming
(NLP). NLP offers strategies that streamline skill acquisition and accelerate the general learning process. As a
companion to the Suzuki and traditional methods, Mader believes NLP is an invaluable tool for cultivating musical
excellence and artistry in students and professionals.
“When music education is a part of their curriculum,” Mader said, “children learn reading and writing, mathematics
and the liberal arts more readily and tend to be overall better students. Since music is an inherently social art, playing
in a symphony orchestra, concert band, or singing in a chorus improves students’ social skills and understanding of
human relationships. They become good citizens with beautiful hearts. To that end, I hope to bring some inspiration
and enthusiasm to my prospective students.”
As a composer Mader received commissions from the Northwest Chamber Orchestra, the Cascade Symphony, the
Musica Viva Chamber Players and the Munich Radio Wind Quintet and the University of Washington Contemporary
Music Group, among others. He composed scores for two documentary films on migrant workers’ children in
Montana, that was funded by the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare as well as two educational films
for Young Audiences Inc.
Mader founded the Kirkland Choral Society and was its director for the first seven years of its continuing tenure. He
also worked as a freelance violist in the greater Seattle area and was assistant Principal violist for the Cascade
Symphony.
“I am excited by the lively and diverse artistic activity in the South Whidbey community,” Mader said. “I’m looking
forward to making a contribution to the impressive musical life I’ve been delighted to discover here and I look forward
to meeting all the fine musicians on the Island.”
January 29. 2015
Last Thursday, I met with Scott Petit and his friend Danielle Klien to discuss the possibility of forming a Whidbey Girls' Choir. I had contacted Scott after he posted an ad last fall in Drew's List (an online service for the island a la Craig's list) announcing his search for a director for his proposed Island choir modeled after the Seattle Girls' Choir. Given my experience (see above & on the "About" page), we arranged to meet after the holidays. We did and it was a success. We are lining up a rehearsal space and an accompanist. When these are secured, we will call for auditions and the "Whidbey Girls' Choir" will be launched. If you are a singer, 5th through 10th grade, and are interested, you should keep an eye out for the call (if you are reading this and can't wait, use the contact page on this site and I will respond). Stay tuned for more news!
Cheers!
March 23, 2015
Well.....much has happened. The Whidbey Girl Choir now has an accompanist and a rehearsal space: Sheila Weidendorf is the accompanist and, thanks to director Chris Harshman, the South Whidbey HS Band room is available for our use. We will send out invitations after Spring break and begin the audition process on May 18. The choir will begin formally in September.
And, I have my first piano student; a 4 1/2 year old going on twenty who promises to be quite something. We shall see.
That's all for now.........
Cheers!
As the title implies.....this is about me. This website will forever be under construction with news about my music studio and students, plus stuff for them to look at and......for the curious, odd bits about music and the arts in general here on beautiful Whidbey Island, WA. I invite your comments and offerings; poems, anecdotes, listening suggestions,........etc. Just go to the contact page and type it in.
My Blog, "Portrait of the Artist as an Old Dog", is variously a rant, a meditation on the vicissitudes aging, immortality and the creative demon who will not yield; who says "no! in thunder" till the bitter end.
Also, please note the links to pages on the title bar above; one to the blog, one to "The Viola Redemption" memoir. Follow either or both as you like (let me know what you think on the contact page).............Cheers!
me & my viola & my piano
This is the first news item about.........
New music studio opens on South Whidbey
Whidbey Life Magazine.org, Jan. 7, 2015
and.......
Jerry Mader, a new arrival in the South Whidbey community, has opened The South Whidbey Music
Studio at his home in Freeland. He is offering private lessons in classical violin, viola, piano, music theory and composition and has
openings for students of all ages. Applicants with prior training must audition before being accepted for
study. Adult beginners are welcome. However, he prefers beginners, especially pre-school. “Giving them a good start
when they are young is my most rewarding teaching experience,” he said.
Mader has forty years’ experience as a professional classical musician, composer and teacher. He taught music
composition and theory at the Cornish School of the Arts Preparatory program and was a chamber music coach in
their summer program for high school students. He taught music and Humanities at the Northwest School, was a
clinician for the Washington State Arts Commission’s Artist in the Schools program and a guest lecturer for the
Seattle Opera Art in Education program. He was also a Spectra Artist for the Santa Cruz County Cultural Council, Santa Cruz, CA where he designed multimedia creativity workshops for elementary schools. Through it all, he has always maintained a stable of private
students and looks forward to continuing his teaching here in South Whidbey.
As a pedagogue, Mader did extensive research in behavioral modeling and learning processes at the University of
California, Santa Cruz with Dr. John Grinder, linguistics professor and co-developer of Neuro-linguistic Programming
(NLP). NLP offers strategies that streamline skill acquisition and accelerate the general learning process. As a
companion to the Suzuki and traditional methods, Mader believes NLP is an invaluable tool for cultivating musical
excellence and artistry in students and professionals.
“When music education is a part of their curriculum,” Mader said, “children learn reading and writing, mathematics
and the liberal arts more readily and tend to be overall better students. Since music is an inherently social art, playing
in a symphony orchestra, concert band, or singing in a chorus improves students’ social skills and understanding of
human relationships. They become good citizens with beautiful hearts. To that end, I hope to bring some inspiration
and enthusiasm to my prospective students.”
As a composer Mader received commissions from the Northwest Chamber Orchestra, the Cascade Symphony, the
Musica Viva Chamber Players and the Munich Radio Wind Quintet and the University of Washington Contemporary
Music Group, among others. He composed scores for two documentary films on migrant workers’ children in
Montana, that was funded by the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare as well as two educational films
for Young Audiences Inc.
Mader founded the Kirkland Choral Society and was its director for the first seven years of its continuing tenure. He
also worked as a freelance violist in the greater Seattle area and was assistant Principal violist for the Cascade
Symphony.
“I am excited by the lively and diverse artistic activity in the South Whidbey community,” Mader said. “I’m looking
forward to making a contribution to the impressive musical life I’ve been delighted to discover here and I look forward
to meeting all the fine musicians on the Island.”
January 29. 2015
Last Thursday, I met with Scott Petit and his friend Danielle Klien to discuss the possibility of forming a Whidbey Girls' Choir. I had contacted Scott after he posted an ad last fall in Drew's List (an online service for the island a la Craig's list) announcing his search for a director for his proposed Island choir modeled after the Seattle Girls' Choir. Given my experience (see above & on the "About" page), we arranged to meet after the holidays. We did and it was a success. We are lining up a rehearsal space and an accompanist. When these are secured, we will call for auditions and the "Whidbey Girls' Choir" will be launched. If you are a singer, 5th through 10th grade, and are interested, you should keep an eye out for the call (if you are reading this and can't wait, use the contact page on this site and I will respond). Stay tuned for more news!
Cheers!
March 23, 2015
Well.....much has happened. The Whidbey Girl Choir now has an accompanist and a rehearsal space: Sheila Weidendorf is the accompanist and, thanks to director Chris Harshman, the South Whidbey HS Band room is available for our use. We will send out invitations after Spring break and begin the audition process on May 18. The choir will begin formally in September.
And, I have my first piano student; a 4 1/2 year old going on twenty who promises to be quite something. We shall see.
That's all for now.........
Cheers!
