BY DEB HEDLEY
ISSUE NO. 51 | MAY 2023
Modern Day Musings
Happy May, and May the Force be with You! This month we are celebrating many things including Star Wars Day, which lands on May 4th (May the Fourth be with You). The first ever organized Star Wars Day took place in Toronto back in 2011. In 2012, Disney purchased Lucasfilm and
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has since then officially observed the holiday at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. While celebrating Star Wars Day, we are also going to take time to honor the composer behind the magic — John Williams! John Williams was born on February 8th, 1932 in Flushing, New York. He is known for composing many film scores and between the years of 1977 and 2019, he single-handedly composed the original scores for all nine films in the Skywalker Saga.
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!
In total, it amounts to 18 hours of recorded music! His hard work on the franchise earned him an Oscar and six Grammys! Fun facts about John Williams: He served in the U.S. Air Force in 1951. He composed the Olympics Fanfare and Theme Song. He is the oldest person to be nominated for an Oscar at the age of 90. He still writes the old fashioned way with paper and pencil! He has composed music for over 75 films. His son, Joseph Williams, has also chosen a musical career. He is responsible for the highest-selling instrumental single of all time. He made a cameo in The Rise of Skywalker. Before he became a composer, he was an accomplished pianist. He went to Julliard School of Music.
CONT...
Famous John Williams Quotes: “So much of what we do is ephemeral and quickly forgotten, even by ourselves, so it is gratifying to have something you have done linger in people’s memories.” “To continue to work, to continue to love what you do, is certainly a contributing element to one’s longevity and health.” “Composing music is hard work.” “As a youngster, I never dreamed there could be a career actually earning a living writing music.” “I think of myself as a film composer” We hope this portion of the newsletter inspired you to some capacity. John Williams is living proof that hard work, dedication, and passion can take you far! To conclude this month's newsletter, we interviewed an ultimate Star Wars and John Williams fan, Ben Zoleski! Ben is an engineer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who has taught at MDM for over nine years! In addition to teaching piano lessons, Ben also runs the recording studio and teaches song-writing classes here at MDM!
Coach Spotlight- Ben Zoleski Ben was around the age of eight years old when he started playing music. Long before that, Ben had a love for music. From an early age, he was always listening to music. He started playing the organ by ear before formally taking piano lessons. From there he started taking guitar lessons and picked up several more instruments along the way! Throughout middle and high school, Ben became a well rounded musician playing multiple instruments in several different groups. He played both the flute and piccolo in his school band and also participated in the drum line in his school's marching band! He has also played trumpet, vibraphone, and sings as well! Although Ben has played several instruments throughout his life, he considers guitar his primary instrument. After graduating high school, Ben went on to study music at the
He would say that working with the groups has been a highlight working at MDM. One of Ben’s favorite things about teaching students is when a student has an “a-ha” moment. Ben says,“When you have been working with these students a long time, you watch these kids grow up to become adults." Ben also spends quite a bit of time in the recording studio at MDM. He says working in the studio is, “A lot of fun... it is some of my favorite work. Recording is being a part of a musical creation. It is recorded on a elevated level... not just an iPhone.”
Berklee College of Music in Boston and received a Bachelor’s degree in Professional Music. One takeaway that Ben would take from Berklee is that, “There is no substitute for working hard AND there is no substitute for being out in the world... Experience is key”. If you didn’t already know, Ben is a part of a band, Under the Den. Under the Den is an original band started by Ben himself! It is comprised of two twin brothers; the dummer and the bassist, a singer, and of course Ben who plays the guitar and writes original songs for the group. Later this month, Under the Den is excited to be playing in Queens for the very first time! Ben began teaching at Modern Day Music in June of 2012. In 2017, he left for a tour and has been back since August of 2020! Over the years, Ben has led multiple song-writing groups and the Rock School 101.
M: Which upcoming gig(s) are you most looking forward to and why? D: I have a monthly gig called “Psykick Dancehall” the first Saturday of every month at a little bar called Pint Sized in Saratoga from 8pm-12am. It’s a lot of fun DJing a mix of Soul, Reggae and even a little early Punk and Rock n roll. I think we can all assume that David is very involved in music outside of MDM, but that is not the only thing! He is also a loving husband and father and tries to spend as much time as possible with his wife and son when he is not at MDM. David’s shared that “I can say without a doubt I would not be where I am today without their love and support!” They have supported David in innumerable ways over the recent months as he took on this new role at MDM, and they were even a part of the MDM family long before that! David’s son was a member of our Little Rockers program for a number of sessions before testing out private lessons where he caught on to everything very quickly. Even back then, David and his family were thrilled to be a part of MDM, and the experience also gave David a look at what things are like from the student perspective. Now that his son is a little bit more mature at age 7, he plans to start private piano lessons in the fall! David’s son loves playing piano in his room and we can’t wait to see where he goes in his private lessons. He also takes after his dad and started his own record collection, which he spends much of his time listening to. David is so proud, and we can tell that music definitely does run in the family! We are all so excited to have David on board, are are looking forward to many great years to come. There are so many possible directions for the future of MDM, but we know that no matter what, that direction will be up!
Thank you so much for your time, Ben! We got to learn a lot more about you and your musical journey. Thank you for bringing your talent and positive energy to work everyday! Both students and staff are lucky to know you at MDM! Catch Ben at his next gig on May 5th at Katie O' Byrnes!
When asking Ben about advice he would give to students, he says, “PRACTICE. That’s the biggest thing. Practice learning and reading - it is not essential, but important. Learn all of the rules, then throw the book away”.He also encourages students to CREATE. With music, “If you know how, then you can make stuff from scratch. To conclude our interview, I quizzed Ben with a few Star Wars questions... keep reading to see how he did! Star Wars Trivia Questions: Han Solo was frozen in what? Ben’s answer - Carbonite (Answer - Carbonite) What was Finn’s stormtrooper number? Ben’s answer - FN-2186 (Correct Answer FN-2187) Luke lost which of his hands in a fight with Darth Vader? Ben’s answer - Right Hand (Answer - Right hand) Finish the sentence... This is the _____ ...Ben’s answer - Way(Answer - Way) Who killed Jabba? -Ben’s answer - Princess Leia( Answer - Princess Leia) On Tatooine, what name did Obi-Wan go by? Ben’s Answer - Ben (Answer - Ben) Ben missed question 2 by just ONE number. We will still give him the much deserved credit though!
David's Corner
4- Star Wars Day 5- Ben Zoleski and Gianna Robustiano at Katie O Byrnes 6pm-9pm 5- PsyKick Dancehall w/ Selector David Suede. Vinyl only punk, Reggae and 60’s junk. 8pm-12am at Pint Sized (Saratoga) 6- Ben Zoleski and Gianna Robustiano at Frog Alley 5pm-8pm 7- Under the Den (Ben) at Putnam Place 9- National Teacher’s Day 12- Under the Den at Spa City Tap and Barrel 13- Selector David Suede - Savoy Soul Club. 60’s Soul dance night 8pm-12am at the Copper Crow (Albany) 14- Mother's Day 15- Gianna Robustiano at Van Slyck’s at The Rivers Casino with The Refrigerators 19- Under the Den at Nanola 20- Armed Forces Day 21- Gianna Robustiano at Frog Alley Brewing with The Refrigerators 22- Gianna Robustiano at Centre St. Pub with The Wallie’s Band 23- Gianna Robustiano at MVP Arena for Albany Firewolves Block Party with The Refrigerators 26- Ben Zoleski and Gianna Robustiano at Peddlers 7pm-10pm 27- Ben Zoleski solo at Adirondack Winery 12:30pm-3:30pm 27- Solo at Spa City Tap and Barrel 6:30pm-9:30pm 28- Gianna Robustiano at Dock Brown's Lakeside Tavern with The Wallies Band 29- Memorial Day
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Hello everyone and Happy May! I wanted to reach out and ask for your help! Have you been enjoying your time with us and love what we are about and love our coaches? Could you please take a moment to show us some love and write us a positive review on Google? Of course, we always want to hear any negative feedback directly, so we can make it right! Thank you so much !
A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR NEW STUDENTS in april!
Quinn M Angel M Mruthul T Damon M Rosie N Nina P Brittany A Gabriel G Emma C Carylann B Roy F Scarlett P Claire Y Hayes P Danielle S Jeremiah G Yuwei C Ayaka I Brian V Ashley Elizabeth L Aadhya Y Jeffrey S Emery L
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