With the new school year upon us, this is a month of renewal for lots of us.  Take time this month to renew your passion for music by branching out and exploring exciting musical opportunities -- check out the ideas below to get started! Check out a new artist or style of music: Your teacher can probably suggest some new artists or styles to listen to.  The more we listen to music, the stronger our musical ear becomes.  Mix it up to keep things fun and fresh! Join a school band, choir or orchestra.  These are a great way to practice your instrument, gain experience on stage, and meet other musically-minded people. Sign-up for 4/4 student concerts!  Our student concerts are a blast, and are wonderful in helping students achieve music goals, overcome performance anxiety, and share their talent with others.  Sign-up and get ready to rock! Check out a local concert or show.  There are so many great musical resources in our area.  Look for concert listings (lots of events are free! in local newspapers.  Seeing live music can be a great way to learn more about music, and can be a great source of motivation to improve our own musical skills! Pick out a few new songs or music books.  Your teacher can suggest some titles!  Sometimes having new material to work with can make a big difference towards renewing our motivation in lessons. Write down a few short-term and longer-term musical goals.  Taking the time to write down goals is a great step towards success.  Review your goals in a few months and see what you've accomplished! Keep rocking, 4/4 students! -- Jennifer Iovanne