By Marc Powell Examinations for music students are becoming more popular each year. These tests can be great to build confidence and give structure for students in their studies. ABRSM, Trinity Guildhall, Piano Guild, NFMC are all examples of organizations who provide assessments for all levels of study. These examinations are also helpful for college bound students, especially those thinking of pursuing a degree in music. The...
Read Moreby Jamey Mann I am the newest member of The Catoctin School of Music family. I am a classical guitarist with years of playing and teaching experience. Through my years of teaching I found that one of the most important things I can teach my students is how to practice efficiently and correctly. This is sometimes more important than any riff or technical exercise I can...
Read MoreBy Wayne Estes Through this blog, I hope to remind every musician and teacher of the one of the biggest reasons we all love and enjoy music…the sound. I believe every sound, note and voice has its own tone and texture which can invoke a rich feeling in us because of our previous experiences and interpretations of this mechanical energy that travels through the air. We...
Read MoreBy Alyssa Cowell Today’s blog is meant as an introduction to a rather clever author with a complete lack of reverence for the subject of music history. If you’ve ever considered reading about the great composers but fear you don’t have the attention span for Grout’s History of Western Music (if the amount of times I fell asleep while reading this venerated tome in college is...
Read MoreBy Patrick Fritz At The Catoctin School of Music, we have a fairly large guitar studio. This means that recitals have to be well organized and run very smoothly to fit all of the students into a given timeframe. The combination of performance nerves and logistical concerns has the potential to make for a stressful experience for students, faculty, and parents. To alleviate some of the...
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