"Music Student" vs. "Growing Musician." A Slight Mentality Shift Will Make All the Difference for Your Child.

"Music Student" vs. "Growing Musician." A Slight Mentality Shift Will Make All the Difference for Your Child.

I've had very smart, capable, naturally-gifted students quit private lessons after awhile because they refused to see their practice as anything but another homework assignment to check off the daily agenda. But I've also seen the opposite too. I've witnessed music students flourish who, frankly, I didn't initially think "had what it takes" to be a musician. And, after years of students of all ages, abilities, and commitment levels, I've noticed a trend...

Students who view themselves as musicians - at least in part - maintain a continual involvement in music. And students who don't...quit.

Try These 4 Methods to Nail the Art of Practicing Music.

Try These 4 Methods to Nail the Art of Practicing Music.

For most of my musical journey, I didn’t really know how to practice. I never really had a method, and I found myself spending a lot of time practicing with no direction. Throughout music history, music has been passed down through mentorship relationships. In a similar fashion, these four best-practices for nailing the art of practicing music were passed to me by jazz saxophonist and composer, and my mentor, Diego Rivera. Here they are...

10 Places Around Indianapolis to Hear Great Music This 4th of July Season.

10 Places Around Indianapolis to Hear Great Music This 4th of July Season.

Ah, the 4th of July season. Barbecue pot-lucks, family gatherings, warm weather (fingers crossed), and great music! Perhaps with the exception of Christmas time, there might not be a holiday season with better opportunities for you and your young musician to hear some quality live music. And this year in the Indianapolis area, you've got some good choices to pick from, spanning from the end of June to mid July! 

Music is its own language, and just like with any spoken language, the more exposure you have to it, the more fluent you become in it. That's why one of the best things you can do as a parent of a young musician is expose them to great live music. So here's 10 potentially awesome events with live performances that you can choose from during this music-saturated time of year...

Help! Should I Get My Student a Piano or a Keyboard?

Help! Should I Get My Student a Piano or a Keyboard?

A few weeks ago, I wrote a guide for parents interested in buying a guitar for their students (check out that blog post, here). I was pleased to hear some positive feedback from parents and students alike who were planning on using some of the information in the post to help inform their guitar purchase. I've since been chatting with some other parents about the comparisons between electronic keyboards and acoustic pianos, specifically in regards to the way they affect the musical development of their piano-playing students.

So, for this week's post, I decided to lay out some of the most educationally-relevant pros and cons for the keyboard and for the piano, as well as some shopping recommendations for those who are in the market. Here we go...

Should I Force My Kid to Perform Music?

Should I Force My Kid to Perform Music?

A few years ago, I started incorporating frequent recitals in to my teaching approach as a private music instructor. Several times a year, my students, young and old, hop up on stage and perform a couple of the pieces they've been working on in lessons. The overwhelming result is that students have a great time and find a great gratification in all the hard work they put in to their performance pieces. But that isn't always the case. So, I've often contemplated the question, "Should students be required to perform?"

Is Your Music Teacher Cheating You Out of Your Money? Here's 4 Questions to Ask.

Is Your Music Teacher Cheating You Out of Your Money? Here's 4 Questions to Ask.

One of the things I hate the most about moving is finding a good mechanic. I personally know nothing about cars; I've never even successfully performed an oil change. So I'm forced to put a ton of trust in my mechanic to honestly and expertly service my vehicle. Because, when it comes down to it, I don't have enough knowledge about cars to tell a good mechanic from a bad one until it's too late.

That's how a lot of parents are with their music teachers. They don't know enough about the subject to tell a good teacher from a bad one, so they stick with what they've got until their car (aka: student) quits. And that's sad to see. Lots of people have disqualified themselves as "not having what it takes to play music," when in reality it wasn't them but their teachers who failed. I've seen this too much in music education, so I've posed 4 questions for you to determine if your music teacher is worth your money...

Help! I Don't Know What Kind of Guitar to Get for My Student.

Help! I Don't Know What Kind of Guitar to Get for My Student.

1/2 size, 3/4 size, or full size? Acoustic, electric, or acoustic-electric? Dreadnought or Grand Auditorium?

May as well be speaking gibberish, right? Buying a guitar for your future rockstar can be a daunting task if you're not already an expert in all things related to guitars. The guitar is an extremely versatile instrument used in countless musical genres all over the world. And as a result, they come in all shapes, looks, sizes, and prices.

I've drawn from my own research on the topic as well as my experience as a guitar teacher to bring you 5 concise guidelines to aid you in your search. Shall we begin?

5 Benefits and 5 Problems of Playing Multiple Musical Instruments.

5 Benefits and 5 Problems of Playing Multiple Musical Instruments.

Paul McCartney, Prince, Beck – what do they all have in common? Yes, they’re all successful recording artists and GRAMMY winners, but they all share something a little deeper: They are all successful multi-­instrumentalists who have recorded at least one album where they played most, if not every instrument from start to finish. Prince, in particular, is said to have played 27 different instruments with proficiency.

Whoa.

While you, I, or your young musician may never reach the status of those three, learning multiple instruments can have profound effects on one’s musicianship. Being a multi-­instrumentalist myself, I can attest to this.

I believe I’m a much better musician because I play more than one instrument, but it doesn’t come without it’s hurdles. Let me explain...

Studies Show that Musical Rhythm Correlates to Intelligence.

Studies Show that Musical Rhythm Correlates to Intelligence.

A couple weeks ago, I heard about a mobile app that tests your ability to hold a steady beat by having you tap the screen along to a metronomic bell sound for 30 seconds. It measures how accurately you tap along, and when you're done it takes your average accuracy and categorizes your score. The top category is called "Elite," and it requires your taps to be within 20 milliseconds of the bell. The app is called the Neurotiming Project (download it here), and it's pretty fun. Being the (overly) confident musician that I am, I figured I could easily rank myself as Elite on my first try...

The Right Way to Learn a Drum Set Beat.

The Right Way to Learn a Drum Set Beat.

In his book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell convincingly asserts that, "Ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness." Many of us have heard this concept before: in order to reach a world-class level of expertise in a given field, you have to spend 10,000 hours working on it. There is one majorly overlooked caveat, though, that Gladwell writes about in his book: Not all practice time is created equal. This is huge for the growing musician. There are techniques, strategies, and thought processes that can help you learn what you are working on, faster. And who wouldn't want that?

So today we're going to focus on applying two of those efficient practicing techniques to the drum set. If your student doesn't play the drums, that's ok! These techniques can be applied to any instrument and can help you advance quickly during your practice time...

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