This August we celebrate the birthdays of two of the great jazz legends, saxophonist, Charlie Parker (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955) and pianist, Bill Evans (August 16, 1929, September 15, 1980). Both instrumentalists were virtuosos and pioneers of their respective styles, forever changing the jazz soundscape. Charlie Parker, commonly known as “Bird”, was…
From having a lot of experience as a music teacher, there are a couple of things I’ve noticed that separate the successful music students from the not so successful. Here are a couple of ways on how you can make the most of you music lessons. 1. Practice: This could go without saying, but despite…
Synesthesia is a rare neurological occurrence that associates colors with other senses. For example, when a person with synesthesia hears or sees the number “6” they may associate that number with the color blue, for no apparent reason. When a person associates musical pitches with specific colors; this is known as chromesthesia or sound-to-color synesthesia.(1)…
Depending on where you study music, you will come across different solfege systems. Each system has its advantages and disadvantages, as further explained. Moveable “Do”: This type of solfege assigns the note “do” to the 1st scale degree of whatever key you are playing in. In other words, if your piece is in A major,…
This July seems to have a dearth of what would be considered the more popular of classical composers. We’re going to switch gears a little bit and discuss a great musician of another genre, Beck Hansen (better known by just his first name). Born July 8, 1970, Beck has permeated genres such as pop, rock,…
It’s already July! Time to get out in the sun and hear some great music. New York has some awesome summer festivals, some that are even free. Go to as many as you can – these festivals aren’t all year round! 1. Central Park Summerstage: Each summer Central Park, located in Manhattan, has a concert…
Quite often we regard instruments such as the piano, violin and guitar with having a high virtuosic potential. While this is true, we also view other instruments in a light where we may think they are “easy” or sub-par to their more popular companions. Here’s a list of a few instruments that you would never…
This June we celebrate two fantastic pianists and composers from vastly different time periods. Edvard Grieg (b. June 15, 1843) and Chick Corea (June 12, 1941) were and are virtuosos of their time, respectively. Both composed music that was technically demanding, yet very popular to the general public. Edvard Grieg was born in Bergen, Norway….
After this past weeks’ NYSSMA it’s a good idea to recap on things we did well, and the things we could do better for next time. In addition, many students are participating in our upcoming recital, so this information is invaluable for the next performance! 1. Decipher your paper: While this is more of a…
These days almost everyone accesses their music via the internet. Whether it’s from Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, iTunes or other music radio/streaming sites, music has become more easily available than ever. Here we explore how this effects the music industry, the artist and the consumer. To understand the effects of music streaming, it would be wise…