September 5, 2024
To meet the needs of young student musicians and their families, our rentals program offers outstanding flexibility. Here’s how we can help your child through their early music education. When we talk about your child joining their school band or orchestra as the start of a musical journey, we mean it! They’re embarking on a […]
September 4, 2024
Band and orchestra (B&O) programs offer a myriad of benefits, from fostering a love of music to nurturing essential life skills like teamwork, self-discipline and time management—all while providing a ton of fun. As a parent, B&O programs offer you a unique chance to connect with your child in a whole new way. By sharing […]
August 29, 2024
The New Jersey-based educator on helping kids fall in love with band and teaching them how to practice. For Brian Hunter, DMA, the music and movement teacher at Constable Elementary School in Kendall Park, N.J., helping young students discover a passion for band is more than a job—it’s a mission. With a deep-rooted love for […]
August 19, 2024
Lee Brice’s go-to drummer on Nashville, Neil Peart, Dave Weckl and the record-setting Stagecoach crowd that nearly made him cry. In many ways, Donnie Marple is the perfect drummer for the current state of country music, when old-school honky-tonk fare has given way to explosive, genre-spanning music built for sold-out amphitheaters. He’s been influenced not […]
August 15, 2024
Conquer All-County and All-State with these strategies from the eminent educator and saxophonist. Maryland-based saxophonist Paul Carr is one of those rare jazz educators who doesn’t need to bring in outside help when he wants his students to work with a respected professional jazz performer. He is that performer, with a steady schedule of festival […]
August 6, 2024
Linguistics researcher Naomi Baron, Ph.D., on the meaningful advantages of handwritten annotations and scores you can smudge In recent decades, as our avenues for information have been transformed by technology, music-education resources have followed suit. Books and play-along cassettes became books and play-along CDs and software; VHS lessons became DVDs and then online tutorials. The […]
July 23, 2024
Double-reed instruments are some of the most unique members of the woodwinds family. Unlike the clarinet and saxophone, which utilize a single reed mounted on a mouthpiece, double-reed instruments feature—you guessed it—two reeds vibrating against each other to create an unmistakable sound. The most popular double-reed instruments are the oboe and bassoon, but the category […]
January 3, 2024
Welcome to a new year of possibilities and musical exploration! As musicians, we know that growth and skill don’t just happen; they are cultivated through dedicated effort and clear objectives. Whether you’re picking up an instrument for the first time or fine-tuning your skills for a major performance, setting goals can transform your musical experience […]
December 27, 2023
Understanding Performance Anxiety Performance anxiety, also known as stage fright, is an anxious state some musicians experience before or during a public performance. It is a physiological response to the stress of being under pressure to perform well. Stage fright is incredibly common, even among professional musicians. Surveys indicate around 75% of musicians have experienced […]
September 22, 2023
By Dr. David W. Vandewalker For most of my childhood I had two passions: music and bikes. I would wake up excited to go to school because I enjoyed hanging out with my friends. I would jump on my bike riding to my friend’s house; together we would zoom off to school. It was always […]
