Center Stage

Opera for new or amateur listeners seems to always be a final frontier. For most uninformed people, opera can seem like a bunch of people wearing huge wigs, squallering in some undecipherable language (sometimes even our own!) This article will serve as an introduction and hopefully a jumping off point into the fantastic world of…

If you haven’t already, you or your teacher will decide whether or not to participate in the NYSSMA festival. NYSSMA stands for New York State Schools Music Association. It is an annual music festival held in the springtime and consists of different components. Here are a few steps to guide you through the process: 1….

For those that take private voice lessons, many will, and are encouraged to, sing with their school choir. Not only is it a forum for where students may get the opportunity to perform, but it’s essentially a free voice/music lesson! Your director will (hopefully) go over these points more in depth, but here are a…

The human voice is an exquisite instrument that the majority of us inherit from birth. It is one of the most expressive instruments and because we all posses one, it makes learning and experiencing music very accessible. Here are a few guidelines into understanding how your voice works, and how you can begin to develop…

Thanks to technology becoming more accessible, the art of music recording has been put into the amateur’s hands more than ever before. More people now can enjoy composing and recording music. Here are a few tips to get you started with a home recording studio. 1. DAW: This stands for “digital audio workstation”. This is…

Music education, unlike other academic fields of study, has always had to fight to stay afloat in many schools’ curriculums. Here are a few points to hopefully solidify, if not encourage you as to why music is necessary in every child’s education 1. Studies show that students who study music receive higher SAT test scores…

The piano has been perhaps the most popular instrument since it’s inception. This serves as a brief history and hopefully will enlighten you on the progression of this great instrument. Before the piano, the existing keyboard instruments were the harpsichord, clavichord and organ. These instruments could not change dynamic level; no matter how hard you…

Music is at the very least a small part of many people’s lives. Whether you are an amateur listener or a seasoned performer, knowing how to listen to music will benefit you on many levels. Here are a few ideas to help you along the listening process: 1. Listen to the ENTIRE work: Whether this…

One of today’s most dominant musical genres is EDM, or electronic dance music. This genre covers a large span of sub-genres that may be discussed. It should not be perceived that this is a negative article against EDM, but simply a clarification of the styles found, and their effects in our musical world. Since the…

Since the beginning of the 20th century, jazz music has been an influential genre and a definitive representation of American culture. It has spanned many eras and evolved throughout the years. Here is a brief overview of those eras and their progressions. Jazz arguably originated in New Orleans, Louisiana. Essentially, jazz’s roots come from the…