How Having Someone Can Make All the Difference: In our journey through life, we often find that having someone by our side can make a significant impact on our experiences and outcomes. Whether it's a workout partner refusing to let us skip a day, a study buddy helping us grasp complex concepts, or … Read More

The holiday season is upon us, bringing with it one of the hardest tasks: gift-giving. If you're like me, you agonize for weeks over whether a gift you give will be useful and enjoyable (and don't get me started on shopping for dads). Musicians seem easy to shop for, but when it comes down to it, us… Read More

Spotlight: Violet and Hazel both have practice streaks of over 1558 and 1685 days (as of April 23rd) - that’s over 4 years of practicing every day! Can you imagine practicing every single day for a year? (Yes, like that New Year’s resolution that you abandoned in the 2nd week of January.) Really pi… Read More

Is Better Practice for percussion students? We’ve gone over the ways band (and pep band, orchestra, etc.), guitar, and piano students use Better Practice, but what about drum students? Drum practice is different from practicing other instruments like guitar or piano. Instead of memorizing scales, fi… Read More

Here's a concise diagram to show you exactly what you should and shouldn't be doing when you practice: 1. Goals Practice smart! It doesn’t matter if you’re practicing 40 hours a week if you’re doing it aimlessly. Create measurable checkpoints that let you know if you’re moving in the right directio… Read More

Turning music into a sustaining career has always been seen as a challenge. From the stereotype of the “starving artist,” to the stigma of arts not being considered a “real job,” quite a bit of negative opinion exists with regards to the field. But that’s not to say it’s true! In fact, some artists … Read More

If you love music and have a passion for inspiring and motivating others, you might be looking into becoming a music teacher. After all, a music teacher was most likely the one that set you on this path! Whether you’re aiming to be a music teacher at a school or to own a private studio, here are som… Read More

It’s no secret - students today lead far more hectic lives than they did twenty or even ten years ago. More and more teenage students find themselves struggling to balance their schedules. There have always been academic pressures and extracurricular activities, but in recent years, the amount that … Read More

Making a comfortable living as a performing musician - can it be done? Sometimes the worry and doubt drive people out of this field, even when they are talented. Some parents worry that their child might not make a living at all if they pursue music, and in some extreme cases, will not allow a child… Read More

Several studies have shown that education in music has an incredible impact on the developing mind. There is a body of research that identifies a “window of opportunity” for children from the age 0 to 9 years to develop a musical sensibility. During this period, the mental mechanism and structures w… Read More

Parents, this one’s for you! One of the biggest struggles as music teachers is getting students to practice at home. We can really only help them when we meet for lessons (unless you have Better Practice). Luckily, there are a few easy ways you (the parent) can help! Support at home and the right pr… Read More

In my last post to parents, I discussed the role of the parent and your importance in your child’s music education. Here, I will go a little deeper and offer to you, as a parent, some suggestions on how you can take direct steps to support and help your child. It doesn’t matter if you have a music b… Read More