As a piano instructor, I have noticed that some of the most common problems students struggle with are rushing, missing notes or jumps, evenness, rapid position shifts, chords, and trills. The fixes below have helped many of my students, and I...
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The term music theory is something that’s often thrown around a lot, especially when it comes to music education. But what is it and why should you care about it? Music Theory is the study of the language of music to better communicate and...
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3 Reasons You Should Practice With a Drone A drone is a continuous pitch or stack of pitches that plays for most or all of a musical piece. It is what the bagpipes do for Scottish anthems or what the tanpura does for Indian ragas. I have found a...
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There is something special about watching an artist or band perform. The performance can transport the audience in time and give them the space to sit in a particular mood, feeling or energy. Making the music come alive takes many years of...
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During lessons, you’ve probably heard words like: intervals, and ear training. But what exactly do they mean? Interval: the distance between two notes. Always count your first note as 1. Ex: C to E is a 3rd because C is 1, D is 2, and E is 3. ...
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You want something new to listen to. Where do you go? For me, growing up, that meant turning on the radio or hitting up one of the local music stores. There are so many choices out there, and new music keeps coming out every day. Where do you...
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When taking music lessons, one may think it’s only for young students since most children enjoy extracurricular activities, but who says adults can’t enjoy lessons as well? There’s a journey that comes with learning music. Adults who take on music...
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Have you ever witnessed a baby learn to walk? You may even remember that very first step forward, preceded by concentration and anticipation, and followed by cheers of excitement from the witnesses. The baby’s first step, woohoo! Then what? A...
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During one-on-one lessons with a private instructor, it’s common for music students to get comfortable performing in front of their instructor after a short time. The confidence that students gain through sharing music with their instructor is one...
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Subdividing is one of the most valuable skills a musician can have and is the basis for a consistent, reliable sense of time. Keeping good time is crucial for making music with others - if everyone is just winging it, the collective group will...
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There are so many fun things to do now that school is out for the summer! However, one of those things is most likely not practicing your instrument. As a former student myself, I totally understand, so don’t feel guilty if this is you! Like most...
Read more As musicians we know what it means to prepare for a performance, memorizing, adding dynamics and effective phrasing. We focus intensely while we prepare to perform. However, what do we do with our time between performances? How can we find focus...
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