Our music education
Blog
for parents and students.
Is it a good or bad decision to let a young music student switch instruments?
Pretty huge decision, right? Here's why it's so tricky: the answer completely depends on your student's specific circumstances. So, to help you decide what's best for your young music student, let's consider some of the factors...
There is no comparison more symbolic of the struggle between new and old than the one we're going to be tackling today: Classical vs. Contemporary music education.
I figure there are probably a lot of students and parents who currently wonder which is better when considering a route of music education for their young ones. So, to help you navigate your way better through the decision-making process, I put together a short comparison of what your student will truly experience in both the Classical and Contemporary approaches to music education, separated out in to six important categories. Enjoy!
Today I'm going to be talking about that aspect of music education that is far too often overlooked: Ear Training. If I'm being totally honest, I myself didn't really understand the profound value of ear training until I was studying music in college and was required to take three semesters of Ear Training class.
For me, musical ear training was a skill set that I didn't really realize the value of until I had it. So, I'm going try to help you see the value before I did by giving you 3 reasons why ear training matters for your music student and 3 suggestions on how you can help him/her develop their ear.
The learning curve of a beginner music student is generally different from one instrument to the next. So, if you and your student have a good idea about what to expect when starting out on each instrument, then you will be able to make a better, more informed decision on which instrument to play.
Let's take a look at the learning curves of four typical musical instruments that students start out on: piano, voice, guitar, and drums...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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?"
