I had to share this precious photo sent to me by a “music mom”. I am sure this little student was overcome with exhaustion after a particularly productive practice session. I wonder if she was dreaming of playing at Carnegie Hall?
My community had a scare recently. One of its’ children, one of my students – age 10- suffered a cardiac arrest while on the playground at school. She had a pre-existing heart condition and the arrest had been a looming possiblity, but having it actually happen was frightening for all who were connected to her in some way….
How do you know when you are an exceptional student? When your teacher is always asking you for something new! You work hard at the shaping of a phrase so now your teacher requests that you add more rubato. You finally reach the metronome speed in your lesson book and your teacher comes up with…
My Nana wasn’t a famous musician. She didn’t perform in front of a crowd. Her works were never published…in fact, she never wrote one song. She wasn’t acknowledged in music periodicals or mentioned in entertainment news. My Nana’s music has reached many, none the less, and will live on indefinitely. It will spread like wild flowers…
Want to be a great musician? “Play” music every day! Between baseball, soccer, art class, dance class, doctor appointments, school work, laundry and dishes, shopping, visiting family and all the other goings on of the busy families of today…when are we supposed to fit practicing in? Ideally students need to be spending time every day working on…
Watch this video and see how the human brain just “gets” music. World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale from World Science Festival on Vimeo.
I love the following words from Haim Ginott. I first read it when I was an undergrad in university. It was in the “Ask Ada” column of the city paper and I cut it out. I still have that worn piece of newsprint and the passage has been my own personal teaching guideline ever since….
