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for parents and students.
Today we have the opportunity to share another installment in our “Instructor Features” blog series! This week we have Andy Greenwell to celebrate! Andy is a piano, voice, and French horn instructor with a wide variety of musical interests. He is passionate about all styles of music, and his excitement is what drives him and his students to continuously educate, create, and innovate.
No Fourth of July is complete without the inspiring sounds of patriotic music. Although pieces like the National Anthem and “Stars and Stripes Forever” are obvious favorites for the season, there is a whole wealth of other patriotic repertoire that is sure to give your Fourth of July cookout some extra flair. This post highlights five of these lesser-known patriotic pieces that will make the perfect addition to your Independence Day playlist.
Although the tried-and-true technique of “practice, practice, practice” is essential to promoting musical growth, sometimes a small dose of variety can bring new vitality to your practice routine. If you’re interested in finding some new ways to mix up your routine check out these 3 music apps and get practicing!
In this age of a multitude of course options, musicians are often forced to choose between vocal and instrumental music. Although this abundance of choices presents students with wonderful opportunities, being forced to choose between vocal and instrumental music can be a difficult decision. Vocal and instrumental training each has unique strengths that help students develop in different ways. But perhaps the better question is if we should choose at all?
As time goes on, more and more research proves that playing music is beneficial to your brain in more than one way. According to studies done by Harvard Health, music has “major effects on many aspects of health, ranging from memory and mood to cardiovascular function and athletic performance.”
Music has a profound way of bringing people together. Whether it’s through performing in school choir or band, singing together in religious services, or jamming with a few friends, music has the power to form bonds between people who are otherwise very different from one another—people of different ages, genders, and sometimes, even people from different cultures.
I have been asked many times by various students different versions of the same question: “How do I even start writing music?” This question is difficult to answer and varies for everyone, but I would like to talk to you about how I personally write music! This isn’t intended to be a theory breakdown about how to put different harmonies together or song forms but rather as a way to expand on your own ideas.
