Author: csmusic

by Jamey Mann, The Catoctin School of Music Performance anxiety is something that all performers, students, and teachers will have to deal with at some point. For many people anxiety is manageable and a normal part of performance. However, for others performance anxiety is near crippling and may keep a musician from reaching their full potential. There is a multitude of literature on performance anxiety and how...

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by Alyssa Cowell, The Catoctin School of Music While everyone is at home under quarantine, now is the time to get in some extra practice! Build practice into your new routine: As the days at home feel longer and longer, try creating a new schedule that incorporates scheduled practice time. See how many days in a row you can practice without missing any days. If you have trouble practicing daily, try...

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Hi everyone, We are all in the midst of a challenging season of life right now. With COVID-19 spreading across the globe, each of us have had to adjust to a new, temporary reality of mandated home sheltering, limits on supplies from grocery stores, and social distancing from friends and family. But, through all of that there has been one consistent factor all over the world that hasn’t changed - Music....

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by Jennene Estes, The Catoctin School of Music Improvisation is the act of accessing creativity in the moment and under pressure, to resolve or direct the resolution of a situation to meet objectives. It is the ability to converge composition, creativity and execution to achieve success. And the benefits of learning improvisation have been proven in both young people and adults to improve and promote communication, decision making,...

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By Jamey Mann, Catoctin School of Music Every instrument comes with its own set of fingerings and other notations. These unique notations go beyond notes on the staff and other common notations. These fingerings communicate to the performer exactly how the composer wants the music or study to be performed. If the performer is unaware of these notations, they could be missing the whole idea of...

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