Well, the 2021-2022 year has come to a close with a wonderful May Awards Recital on May 20th.
With the close of the school year, the current location of Nina Belle’s Music Academy is also changing. It is official now that my studio will be moving back to my home location on West Main Street in Georgetown. I will still have multiple keyboards but you will just come to a new location. I hope you will look at my new information that will be forthcoming in the next few days.
Happy Summer!
Nina Belle’s Music Academy will have a summer session of 6 weeks from June 7- July 20. Currently I have scheduled students on Tuesdays and Wednesday afternoons. If you are interested in trying out lessons, this would be a good time for you. Check my studio policy for 2021-2022 for basic information. I will be updating my info soon and when that is available I will include it on the website. Tuition fees for the 2022 summer session which is for six 45-minutes lessons is $270. I will waive the annual registration fee for summer students. In addition you will be required to purchase the necessary materials (lesson books, etc.) and you will need to have an instrument on which you can practice between lessons. Contact me by email: ninabdurr@gmail.com or you can register on my website and be sure you state in the comments of the registration form that you are interested in the summer session.
Thanks so much!
September 8th and 10th were the first ensemble classes for students at Nina Belle’s Music Academy in the new academic year. Our first time together since COVID came for its unwelcome visit will make things a bit different. 
I have installed plastic dividers between the larger pianos in the front room where we will most likely do all of our classes. In the case that we use the smaller keyboards in the back room, they have been spaced apart and no one will have to share a keyboard.
Our first class will be a get to know each other again class and each will share a solo they worked on at last week’s lesson. We will also talk about our composer of the month- J.S. Bach and listen to some of his music. I will be assigning ensemble music and festival solos within the next couple of weeks.
See you later this week!
As a reminder: Ensemble classes this year are scheduled for the following weeks
September 8,10; November 3,5; January 19, 21; February 23,25; April 27, 29
TUESDAYS Group 3- 6:30-7:15 (High School Students)
THURSDAYS Group 1- 4:30-5:15 (Early Elementary Students )
THURSDAYS Group 2- 5:30-6:15 (Late Elementary/Middle School Students)
The 2011 Festival of the Horse Colt and Filly Parade was held on September 30, 2011. This year there was definitely music in the parade…thanks to 4 of my students who rode the Music Academy “float”! My husband designed two wooden shelves to anchor to each side of our truck bed where we anchored 4 of my smaller portable keyboards. Traveling down Main Street and Broadway onlookers were entertained by music played by my students and occasionally myself. Sometimes the keyboards just did it all by themselves! It was a great evening and I want to thank the students and parents (especially the parents who brought their children and then WALKED the entire parade route passing out flyers!) Hope you enjoy the pictures!
Today, several of my students and their parents came to my studio to help make a TV commercial for the academy.
Rachel, Kayla, Tyler, Zach, and Elizabeth and their parents….thanks! I was a bit flustered since the camera crew arrived 30 minutes before I was expecting him, but all went well.
I believe the commercials will run the week of the festival of the horse, but I don’t know exactly what times. They will be on WKYT-TV. I’ll try to find out the info before they air so you can set your recorders!
Thanks for coming by!
My name is Nina Belle Durr and I have been teaching piano as an independent music teacher in my home studio for over 30 years. A dream of mine has always been to open a music academy where I can teach more students and especially offer group lessons as well as other kinds of music lessons.
Nina Belle Durr, NCTM
2011 is the year for new beginnings! While attending the KETS 10 (Keyboard Ensemble and Technology Seminar) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, I made the decision to seriously pursue this new venture. Upon my return I immediately began looking for property and decided to lease space, re-name my business, join the local chamber of commerce and start building on my dream.
My new business is called “Nina Belle’s Music Academy” (has a nice “ring” to it, doesn’t it!) It is located on the corner of East Main Street and South Broadway in Georgetown, Kentucky. I taught my first lesson in the new location on July 26, 2011 and I am currently working on signage, marketing, advertising, and setting up the space. Currently I have 11 pianos/keyboards and am purchasing 4 more.
I will be offering piano lessons for individuals, piano lessons for small groups (maximum size-4), and general music classes for home school students (class size range 4-10). In addition I will offering online computer theory lessons provided by musiclearningcommunity.com and ensemble classes. As the academy grows, I may offer lessons in other instruments.
Come check out Nina Belle’s Music Academy!
Hey everyone! It seems that more and more people are going cashless and no checks, including myself.
For payments, I have always accepted cash and checks, but sometimes it is just easier to pay online. I’ve avoided it because of fees incurred to either or both parties. However, some of my music teacher friends say the VENMO is a great option with no fees. I’ve only used it a few times to pay someone, but not to be paid, but I thought I would give it a try. It looks like my user name is Nina Belle Durr@NinaBelle-Durr.
Maybe you can give it try and see how it works. If it is easier and doesn’t charge you or me, then I’m fine with it. Thanks!
Due to the pandemic, certain precautions will be in place upon opening the studio to “in person” teaching.
A lot has been happening since I last wrote a post in NBMA! The year 2013-2014 has been an eventful one to say the least…from joy to tragedy from good times to bad times…it has had it all. There have been Conferences, family gatherings, weddings, recitals, concerts, graduations and there have been floods, pain, and surgery. The year began with pain and has ended in pain.
After returning from the 2013 KETS-12 conference in OKC, I began having discomfort in my left shoulder and arm. By August it had become more than discomfort and was actual pain. After a trip to my chiropractor didn’t help, I proceeded to go to my MD and he automatically said it was in my cervical spine–I doubted him vehemently because I had no neck pain! My pain was in my shoulder and left arm. However, after the MRI result, it definitely was my neck. Two vertebrae were the culprits, both were bulging and herniated, and in one of them, the disk was pushing on my spinal cord. Surgery was recommend although I might have some success with physical therapy.
After visiting two surgeons who both told me I was in a dangerous situation with the spine I decided to put off surgery as long as I could by participating in physical therapy including cervical traction. I needed to give myself some time for some of the good things that were planned: KMTA conference in Murray, Kentucky, traveling to Orlando to make wedding plans for my daughter, and then the January 4, 2014 wedding in Orlando. My teaching continued as scheduled as did my playing at church but with pain almost all of the time. However, I was able to participating in the conference, have some good times with my daughter in Orlando, have a family get together for Thanksgiving and continued to rehearse with my choir. Therapy seemed to be helping some so I was encouraged. We presented our Christmas music on the 2nd Sunday in December and the Friday before that there was NO PAIN! I was so encouraged; however, that afternoon while resting, the pain returned and this time it was worse than before.
Visits to Physical Therapy were excruciating and I had no pain medication other than tylenol. My daughter’s wedding was in 3 weeks and I couldn’t imagine enduring the pain it was so bad. I saw my surgeon again who prescribed me hydrocodone and gaberpentin for the pain. I really never saw much relief but I continued playing, going to jazzercise, and living my life. The drive to Orlando was over 15 hours. We did it in two days, but it was still very painful. There was so much last minute stuff to do before the wedding and I wanted so badly to enjoy the time with my daughter and family but at times the pain was almost unbearable. I took my medication as regularly as I could, spent time lying down with a heating pad and my tens machine and also did cervical traction with the portable device my PT had loaned me. However, nothing really helped for long. The day I went to the spa with my daughter for a pedicure and massage was excruciating. The massage had only begun and I was in such pain that I was nauseous and about to pass out. All I could do was cry.
The day of the rehearsal was filled with lots of things including cold weather for Florida and I didn’t feel well at all but I had to get through it and I did. The wedding day arrived and all of its craziness and it began early with getting hair done, makeup, pictures, etc. I took my pills with me and made sure I had taken them. I was a little woozy because of them and the pain, but over all it was a very good day. Weather was great and my daughter was beautiful! I couldn’t stand for long and there were lots of people around me who understood and helped me but the day was draining since it began at around 7 am and didn’t finish until around midnight when we had gotten back to the condo to unwind and go to bed.
Most of the next day (Sunday), I rested and tried to begin packing because we were heading out Monday for the two day drive home. It was almost impossible for me to pack my things because of the pain, but I did the best I could and my husband and son did more than their part. After a quick last visit with my daughter and new son we headed north. (to be continued)
Piano Camp 2013 is completed. Check the pictures below to see how much fun we had!
Please click 2013 piano camp flyer for full information
Please click 2013 Piano camp registration form to download and complete the registration form.
The first semester of lessons at NBMA are now “music history”! We had wonderful Christmas Celebrations on December 17 and 18 and I’m looking forward to a new semester with new goals, new music and some new students!
I hope you have had a great break with Christmas and other things since we last saw each other. Lessons will resume on Monday, January 7th. Please note that in January there will be NO LESSONS on MLK Day, Monday, January 21st.
Remember to check your emails and reminders that I send out to keep up with announcements.
See you NEXT YEAR!!
Today started for me with my usual jazzercise class at 9 am. Then it was home to drink my 2nd cup of coffee and get ready for lunch. And then…….it was off to my studio to prepare for my first day of the new year. Lots of folders to put together and check on music and keyboards, etc. My 2 hours of prep time today was filled to the last second. Then the classes began: My adult student, Brenda came first at 2:30, then a new student, Cailey came with all smiles. Next was my first group of the week with three smiling young ladies, Ava, Emma, and Olivia. Elizabeth arrived before I had finished the group so we got started right away. Then after Elizabeth came Abby and finally Briana! All of the students were ready to start and had great attitudes for the year. Most were given new pieces to begin work on for the fall recital. After my last student left, I had paperwork to complete and clean up so I didn’t leave the studio until after 8:30! Fava’s never tasted so good! Now on to day two!
Nina Belle's Music Academy 