Author: csmusic

A student walked into her lesson a few weeks ago and the first words out of her mouth were: “Ms. Sarah, the metronome is an amazing thing”. I was so dumbfounded by the wisdom of what this student said (being so young, I was shocked she would ever admit it), that it nearly knocked me over. Unfortunately, most of my students do not share this sentiment....

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It’s that “most wonderful time” once again – and if your studio is anything like mine, you’ve been eyeing that stack of Christmas song books for the last few weeks wondering when the right time to start Christmas music. Here are a few ideas for incorporating Christmas songs into your lesson time to initiate thoughtful discussion with your students. Christmas songs are a great time to...

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  Are music colleges preparing you for the real world with a marketable degree? An article by Bill Zuckerman outlines a few characteristics that need to be changed or revitalized in music programs around the country. “Make Entrepreneur Initiative courses a Core Requirement over Super Advanced Music Theory Classes” While the fundamentals of music theory are necessary for the success for a great musician, I would...

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  The Toronto Symphony Orchestra recently debuted their comprehensive listening guides. The guides – colorful charts with pill-shaped reductions of beloved symphonic themes – seek to aid both the musical novice and musical expert. The stated purpose of these guides is to help listeners understand the most basic elements of each composition and see the way those elements are realized by the composer. Each guide includes...

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