by Alyssa Cowell Engaging students with new music is a great way to broaden their understanding of musical genres. Sometimes, students are resistant to devote time to styles of music that aren’t trendy or familiar. I like to assign listening assignments, and look for ways to make technically challenging, historically significant music more appealing to the new listener. One strategy is to find a way to...
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by Jordan Taylor Before I really get into what this topic means to me, let me give the caveat that there are many aspects to successful practicing. What I’m specifically talking about is what I believe to be the two broadest factors that foster successful student development: consistency and efficiency. Consistency of practice– on the surface, this is exactly what you think it means. How much time...
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March is “Music in Our Schools Month”! Celebrating the importance of music and education by Robert Fisher March 2019 marks the 34th anniversary of “Music In Our Schools Month” (MIOSM) - a program launched by the National Association for Music Education over 30 years ago with the goal of promoting the importance of music education. School music programs and private music lessons provide the backbone for fine arts...
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10 years ago, I would have said no to any parent wanting me to teach their 4 year old. How is that possible? Don't they wiggle around constantly? Aren't their brains merely capable of understanding shapes and some alphabet letters? Boy, was I wrong. I can't take much credit at all for this. The reason I feel so comfortable teaching such young students is because of the incredible...
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by Jamey Mann Often students and professionals find themselves at a plateau that can be difficult to work out of. Just like athletes need to change up their workouts to make gains in sports, musicians need to get out of comfort zones to make gains musically. At a certain point everyone’s routine begins to get stale which in turn, is mentally exhausting. Doing the same technical...
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