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The value of video lessons has become apparent, but could the experience be even better? Yes. My initial setup has morphed significantly, to match the specific needs that come up in virtual music lessons. The layout of my studio, as well as minor improvements in both audio and video elements allow me to much more … Continue reading The A to Z of A/V for online lessons

...and why should I learn it if I only want to play an instrument and have no interest in becoming a vocalist? Solfège is something you likely learned in elementary school music class, but didn’t know what it was called. Does do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do sound familiar? Solfège consists of small, Italian … Continue reading What is Solfège?

I mentioned a lot of great artists in my last blog post, but one of them reminded me of a story I hadn’t thought of in a while.  The person at the center of the story is Mr. Leonard Bernstein. I didn’t grow up around classical music, but by the time I was in my … Continue reading Great American composer and conductor, or “Master of the obvious”?

It’s movie night. Do you have any music related films or videos to recommend? Thank you for asking, yes I do! I’ll break them down into a few categories for you. Documentaries and Series It Might Get Loud - (Rated PG) – I read a New York Times review of this documentary a few years ago and … Continue reading Movie Night

            If you go searching for a definition on Wikipedia, you’ll find the following – "Circular breathing is a technique used by players of some wind instruments to produce a continuous tone without interruption.  This is accomplished by breathing in through the nose while simultaneously pushing air out through the mouth using air stored in … Continue reading What is circular breathing?

Matt discusses what happens when you "over play" a piece.

If you’re new to music, and don’t have any previous experience to guide you, the number of instruments to choose from and decisions about where to start can be overwhelming enough to give you that dreaded disease – “paralysis through analysis”, especially if you’re a parent of a young child without any musical experience of … Continue reading What instrument should I (or my child) play?