January 16, 2025
Elijah Wald, whose book Dylan Goes Electric! inspired the new biopic A Complete Unknown, talks about the musicianship of an American icon. Plus: Music & Arts Gear & Book Guide A funny thing began happening at multiplex movie theaters this past holiday season. Rock ’n’ roll experts and veteran musicians went to see a […]
January 13, 2025
When musicians of all stripes have gear-transportation problems, Gator has durable, smartly designed solutions. “Alligators are tough,” says Rob Garofala, director of U.S. Sales for Gator Cases, one of the world’s most popular instrument-accessory companies. He’s referring, first off, to the animals—the seemingly indestructible creatures that slither throughout our various wetlands, bearing a distinctive skin […]
January 7, 2025
Inside the history and industry-defining innovations of the world’s premier sheet-music publisher. Each and every Friday, at 12 a.m. Eastern time, thousands of new songs hit streaming platforms, pushing popular music forward and offering a new crop of contenders for Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. The staff at Hal Leonard—the world’s foremost publisher of sheet music, […]
January 3, 2025
Band directors and music teachers weigh in on how the almighty smartphone has affected music education—for better and for worse. When it comes to technology in schools, you can’t put the genie back in the bottle. Smartboards, Chromebooks, tablets and smartphones are inseparable from education. Over the past decade, and with rapid advancements since Covid, […]
December 23, 2024
Credits: Peter Freed (Patitucci), Robyn Twomey (Oh). Two of the greatest bass players on the planet, John Patitucci and Linda May Han Oh, share stories and strategies to help students and teachers navigate the electric-acoustic divide. Plus: Gear advice and accessories picks. For bassists, life typically begins in one of two ways: on upright, […]
December 18, 2024
Music & Arts teachers share best practices for building a successful teacher-parent rapport. When Andrew Kasab started taking piano lessons as a 5-year-old, his mother would sit in to follow along with Andrew’s progress and reinforce his lessons at home. Decades later, after Kasab became a guitar and bass teacher at Music & Arts, […]
December 11, 2024
William F. Ludwig and his son William Jr., both musicians as well as businessmen, represent the Ludwig brand, which bought Musser Mallet Percussion in 1966. Image courtesy of Conn Selmer. The history of Ludwig-Musser Percussion weaves together the stories of two pioneering companies and their visionary namesakes. From the beginning, music education has informed the […]
December 6, 2024
As Yamaha clinicians, the swing-revival aces take their fun-loving approach to schools across the country. Glen “The Kid” Marhevka, featured trumpet soloist and lead clinician, reflects on music education and how the retro-swing movement changed the perception of band kids. When trumpeter and educator Glen “The Kid” Marhevka looks back on all the shows […]
October 31, 2024
The legendary bassist on his school-band experiences, his greatest teachers and how his mustache led to the end of his tuba career. Plus: Inside Levin’s BEAT touring rig Around 2019, Tony Levin was deep into another tour with King Crimson, playing some of the most complex and intimidating prog-rock ever recorded. Warming up backstage after […]
October 30, 2024
The DIVA Jazz Orchestra leader on technique, teaching, gear and why stuffing a blanket inside your bass drum isn’t the answer. Plus: the 5 common pitfalls for developing big-band drummers For a young Sherrie Maricle, there was never any question about where to focus her efforts behind the kit. “It was definitely jazz, and it […]
