Category: Articles

Purchasing Cooperatives

Often your requisition needs may exceed District or State purchasing thresholds, even at Music & Arts everyday low prices or Educator Portal discounts. In such cases, your Business Office may require you to obtain several competitive quotes or they may be required to solicit a public bid offering. We may have the answer to avoid […]

Learn More

How Does Music Benefit the Health of Senior Citizens?

Did you know that, according to Johns Hopkins, music can be considered medicine for your mind? There are many health benefits associated with music, from improved memory to stress relief, motivation, and even decreased pain from chronic illness. It may come as a surprise to you that something as simple as listening to music can […]

Learn More

What is a Mandolin Guitar?

If you’ve ever seen a country music band perform live, you might have noticed someone playing what looks like a small guitar. That instrument is, in fact, a mandolin. The mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family. It generally has four courses of doubled metal strings, for a total of eight strings, that […]

Learn More

So, You Want to To Teach Guitar?

What’s the best type of guitar? No matter what grade levels you teach, the best guitar for classroom use is the classic or nylon-stringed guitar. The strings are much easier on the fingers than steel-stringed guitars. Note that three of the six nylon strings appear to be metal, but they have a nylon-filament core. What’s […]

Learn More

Common Repairs for the Clarinet

If you’re an aspiring musician, one of the most important lessons that you must learn is that proper care and maintenance of your instrument will help you maintain consistent sound quality and save money in the long run. If the instrument you’re learning to play is the clarinet, it’s good to know how to keep […]

Learn More

Building a Music Production Lab Will Lead to Great Music Education Engagement

Watching Steph Curry or LeBron James do amazing things on the basketball court inspires participation in the sport—just like hearing great artists motivates kids to channel their creative energy into making music. Young people know all the best artists in their favorite genre, but they don’t usually know the top bassoonist or harpist in their […]

Learn More

Drumstick Anatomy

A great drumstick is the perfect combination of balance, response, feel and sound properties. Each of these critical factors is a function of a stick’s design— and knowing a little about each of these components will help you determine which stick might be best for you and your situation. 1) THICKNESS The thickness of a […]

Learn More
Six Recording Studio Essentials

Teach Guitar? Do Your Best to Avoid These Six Mistakes

Becoming a good guitar teacher requires the perfect combination of education, intuition, and practice, and a big part of being a good teacher is knowing what NOT to do. When you avoid common guitar teaching mistakes, from overloading your students to not tracking progress, not only do you become a better teacher, but your students […]

Learn More

Six Common Mistakes Made By New Guitarists (& How to Avoid Them)

Whether it’s a brand new guitar or a hand-me-down, getting your very first guitar is a very exciting time in your life. As soon as you pick up your new guitar and start to play around with it you’ll want to learn everything–notes, chords, scales, and slides–as fast as you can. In your excitement to […]

Learn More

Important Life Lessons You’ll Learn While Playing the Guitar

What we choose to do in our spare time determines the lessons that inform our lives and values. For example, those who choose to invest their time in sports are bound to learn a thing or two about teamwork, trust in teammates, and how to handle pain, while those who choose to explore music expose […]

Learn More