I usually do a NYSSMA prep blog around this time each year, but this one in particular comes with a somewhat larger sense of urgency. Upon doing a master class last week with some students preparing for NYSSMA, it dawned on me that there were certain aspects of preparation that were being neglected. Here are…

Did you know that when your piano tuner comes to tune your piano, he or she purposefully puts it out of tune?! While this might sound odd, a look back through history will reveal the logical reason. Before the 1500s, musicians used what is known as “Pythagorean” tuning. This refers to the famous Greek mathematician…

Stephen Sondheim (March 22, 1930) is one of the most influential and popular composers of musical theater. His songwriting ability has garnished him 8 Tony awards (an unprecedented amount for a composer), 8 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Pulitzer Prize, among other accolades. Sondheim continues his legacy by remaining an active composer and collaborator…

March seemingly has a plethora of famous and influential composers, so I will try to cover a few in small detail. This month we celebrate Frédéric Chopin (March 1, 1810), Johann Sebastian Bach (March 31, 1685) and Franz Joseph Haydn (March 31, 1732). I could easily write an entire book of these composers’ lives and…

From the start of the 21st century, music as we know it has undergone a great change. Not only are there drastic differences in the actual sound, but also in the instruments used, and creation process. Due to these differences, we as listeners and consumers must be informed about these processes and how they affect…

Jazz music, while some may not realize, is a staple of American culture. It’s musical impact as a style has forever changed the world, as we know, creating a wave of different genres that we enjoy today. To say this is even a brief overview wouldn’t do the genre justice, but let us examine its…

To this date The Beatles remain an influential force over pop music. Their groundbreaking songwriting and production techniques paved the way for virtually every musician that followed them. Their own evolution is also quite remarkable, changing from traditional 1960s pop to rock, psychedelia and everything in between. The Beatles formed in the early 1960s in…

The Beatles were groundbreaking with their compositions, and were innovators of certain recording techniques. While they may not have necessarily invented all of these ideas, they certainly were champions of these processes. Take a look and see if you can incorporate them next time you write a song! 1. The Middle Eight: The middle eight…

It is often asked if artistry can be taught/learned as opposed to being an innate skill one is seemingly gifted with. Usually a question without answer, we will examine a few examples in an attempt to understand this mysterious side of performing. Artistry is the ability to take good technique (execution of the notes) and…

This month we celebrate one of the most famous Baroque era composers’ birthdays, George Frideric Handel. Born February 23, 1685 and died April 14, 1759, Handel was German in origin, but made his living predominantly in England. During his life, he was well known throughout Europe, even more so than other Baroque composers, whom of…