April 21, 2021
How To Talk To Parents About Step Up Instruments
Tips and resources for how to talk to parents about stepping up from a beginner instrument to an intermediate or advanced one.
Category: Articles
April 16, 2021
When Is It Time to Upgrade Your Trombone?
As the parent of a trombone student, you’ve probably been to your fair share of student performances and had plenty of exposure to the pleasant (and not so pleasant) sounds of your child practicing. While you might think you know your way around your child’s instrument, there’s probably a lot you don’t know. The quality […]
When Is It Time to Upgrade Your Clarinet?
Learning the clarinet isn’t easy! If your child is playing on an instrument that doesn’t fit their needs, succeeding in music becomes far more challenging. Everything from finding the motivation to play to mastering clarinet fundamentals becomes more difficult when they outgrow their current instrument. Stepping up to a more advanced instrument will inspire your clarinet […]
April 15, 2021
Is It Time to Upgrade Your Trumpet?
Whether your child has been playing the trumpet now for only a few months or quite a few years, you may be asking yourself the questions ‘Should I upgrade their trumpet?’ and “When is the right time to upgrade a trumpet?” When a child first starts learning the trumpet they generally begin with lessons on […]
When Is It Time to Upgrade Your Saxophone?
If you’re a parent with limited experience in music, it can be hard to tell the difference between a student model saxophone and an intermediate or professional instrument. The truth is, details that seem small or insignificant actually make a difference in the sound quality and playability of these instruments. This means that your child’s […]
April 11, 2021
Three Tips for Introducing Improvisation to Your Students
Introducing improvisation is one of the most important exercises a music educator can share with their students. Whereas drills, sight-reading exercises, and playing through sheet music develops a budding music student’s discipline and technique, improvisation is vital because it prioritizes and celebrates their creativity. When music educators don’t take improvisation seriously, students miss out on […]
April 7, 2021
Going the Social Distance: Our Commitment to Health and Safety
The Covid-19 pandemic has upended most aspects of everyday lives, from the way we work to our children’s summer vacations. The good news is that Music & Arts is proud to resume safe in-person instruction for most instruments at a store near you. As much as we love music, we value health and safety even […]
April 6, 2021
3 Big Reasons You Should Regularly Clean Your Instrument
Compared to hitting a crescendo with a band or orchestra, the topic of instrument cleaning is decidedly less thrilling. But the truth is that the best moments in music can’t happen without regular instrument maintenance, and cleaning is a huge part of that. Frequent instrument cleaning needs to be a part of your life as […]
April 5, 2021
How to Upgrade the Sound of Your Orchestral String Instrument
To a musician, sound couldn’t be more important. Countless hours are put into learning, playing, and practicing, all with the goal of improving the quality of sound that’s produced. To be sure, you can’t properly express yourself with a musical instrument unless you have the ability to produce the best sound. For musicians who play […]
April 4, 2021
Jazz Improvisation with Creative Essential Elements
by John Kuzmich, Jr., Ph.D. Computers, tablets, smartphones, DVDs. CDs are all great learning tools. Let’s look at how our students can maximize learning and fun in their jazz playing experience. Perhaps the most user-friendly, interactive practice experience is with new and improved play-along recordings. Digital innovations have lifted old drill-n-practice play-alongs into great improvisation […]