Before I began my guitar lessons, I was very shy, awkward, and I wasn't sure of myself. I didn't know how I could become confident or even just more outgoing. It was hard for me to fit in anywhere because I felt like I didn't have anything to...
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Have you ever been to a live concert by your favorite artist and then returned home, only to have the strongest desire to practice your instrument or voice? I call that being “Inspired to Achieve.” Often times in our daily lives, we get bogged...
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Developing practice skills are of paramount importance in our personal and musical growth. However, there is another level of practice that is often overlooked in the studio. That is: practicing performing. I have spent many years practicing and...
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Being able to read music is one of the most essential elements in early musical development. We often hear different approaches in introducing music to students. It is believed that learning music is like learning a new language and should be...
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No instruments make music by themselves. Their value is revealed when someone has the audacity to pick them up and try to make them sing. Our capacity as humans to act upon the world and our ability to breathe life into inanimate objects...
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Having been welcomed into SAMA so pleasantly made quite the impression on me. Though the changes have been new, many of the experiences I’ve been through before many times and have learned many things from them. As a young person myself, I highly...
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Absolutely everything. I would say they are good for absolutely everything. Now that I’ve gotten that reference out of the way, I would like to address the topic of music itself very briefly. Unfortunately, we are living in a time where the...
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What makes you study music? What makes you practice daily (I hope you do) for your lesson? Is it your parents that encourage you to do it? Is it fear of your professor? Of course this is not applicable for SAMA professors, ha! Or is it watching...
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Often, at the beginning of a lesson, I like to recap the last week’s lesson and ask my students to recall what we discussed in the last lesson and what goals we had set for the coming week. I try to encourage students to set more concrete weekly...
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We are in the swing of summer now, and we are not focused on daily routines like we are when we are in school. Our summer vacations put our focus on fun and relaxation, and our practicing tends to slip. That's okay. Do your best to stick to your...
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Summer is a great time - a time for fun with family and friends, a time to relax, a break from school. While these are all good things, it's important not to forget about your instrument during this relaxing season. Learning an instrument is about...
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Electric guitarists, when learning a new song or piece of music from a method book, it's important to focus not only on mastering the rhythm, note reading, and dynamics of the music, but also on achieving the correct tone needed to make the music...
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