As young musicians, our tendency for practicing is to pick up our instrument and just go, essentially just hoping for the best. There is some progress you’ll see over a long period of that style of practicing but, ultimately, it is just shy of a waste of time. When you put a little time into organizing your practice session and understanding what you want to achieve, you’ll get more done...
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by Robert Fisher: The Catoctin School of Music I will never forget one terrifying Sunday morning as I began accompanying the church choir in a hymn on the piano. I was in high school at the time and through some fortunate circumstances was given the opportunity to serve as a part-time pianist and musician at my local church. Though I had taken private piano lessons...
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By Jamey Mann, Catoctin School of Music This is the time of year where college bound students are getting ready for college auditions. Students not far behind them are making the decision to peruse music or not. Something I try to do with all my students making these decisions is to be as realistic as possible with them. Too often I find that most students have...
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by Jamey Mann, Catoctin School of Music “David Grohl Proves You Don’t Need Lessons to Rock” While surfing YouTube for new music and educational videos for my students I was dismayed to find the titled video above. I was hoping that the title sarcasm and the video would offer some insight in the work it takes to be a part of successful bands like Nirvana and the Foo Fighters. This...
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When it comes to music lessons parental involvement is imperative. The younger a student is, the more important parental oversight becomes. When a student is high school aged, parents may not need to be a part of every lesson, but should be aware of how lessons are going, the direction the teacher is taking the student, and if that student is practicing enough at home....
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