by Jamey Mann, Catoctin School of Music With all disciplines there are many small/basic items that a student needs to utilize for success. These items are not the glamorous new instrument or sound effect, but the everyday, organizational office items that can make a huge difference in a students’ progress. These items include whole punches, tape, stapler, liquid paper, pencils, folder, sticky notes, etc. However, the most...
Read More
By Alyssa Cowell, Catoctin School of Music Let’s get to know CSM’s Folk Instruments! Today’s instrument is the Bowed Psaltery – a super cool stringed instrument dating back to the 12th Century! What is a bowed psaltery? The bowed psaltery is a hollow-bodied, triangle-shaped wooden instrument set with a series of metal strings threaded through metal string pins. Bowed psalteries come in a variety of sizes to accommodate...
Read More
Choosing a Better Recital Song Recital season is looming on the horizon, and it’s time to make song selections! In the name of fairness, I make a point to give students the opportunity to submit requests for recital songs before we make a final decision. This does not always go the way I would hope – some students need more guidance than “Pick a song you...
Read More
by Robert Fisher, Catoctin School of Music Ask any seasoned music teacher what they view as one of the most critical elements for success in music lesson and the words “motivation” and “practice” will move to the top of the list. As the old saying goes, “the teacher opens the door, but the student must walk through it”. In a time where attention spans are seemingly...
Read More
by Jamey Mann, Catoctin School of Music Injuries for musicians are common and something all teachers and students must take seriously. A student ignoring pain or a teacher not paying attention to a student’s technique may have dire consequences in the future. Most recently Steve Vai (one of world’s best and accomplished guitarist with over 4 decades of experience) suffered an injury in his left hand...
Read More