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 26, 2024
The harp-guitar master and Music & Arts instructor unpacks key concepts for players looking to lose the flatpick. The fingerstyle guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and veteran instructor Andrew Kasab, who teaches at the Music & Arts in Cary, North Carolina, doesn’t seem like the sort of guy who does anything half-heartedly—starting with choosing an instrument. As a […]
August 21, 2024
Imagine that a gifted drummer, guitarist or pianist just started their freshman year at your school. The student’s middle-school teacher even passed along a note praising their abilities. As the band director, you’d love to get them involved in the music program. But so far, they haven’t shown any interest in joining. Most band and […]
August 20, 2024
You might look at a trumpet and think, “It only has three valves—what could go wrong?” Despite the relative simplicity and durability of trumpets, trombones and other brass instruments, many issues can pop up and threaten to derail your ensemble’s rehearsal, concert or field performance. As the band director, you’re the first responder for any […]
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 14, 2024
Imagine you’re backstage, minutes before the curtain rises on your school’s biggest concert of the year. Amid the frenzied last-minute preparations, your clarinet player walks up to you in a near panic and utters the four words every music educator dreads most: “My instrument isn’t working.” You’ve probably been through similar situations before and know […]
August 9, 2024
It’s a question that confronts every parent of a band or orchestra student: Is it better to rent or buy an instrument? More questions follow: Will your child stick with it for a while? Will they want to switch instruments at some point? Will you need to start with a smaller instrument and upgrade as […]
July 25, 2024
The former principal trumpeter for the New Jersey Symphony and current Music & Arts instructor talks foundational techniques, embouchure problems, practice routines and that time Leonard Bernstein thanked him personally. Equally warm and wise, the veteran trumpeter Lawrence Clemens — Larry, to his friends and students — is the kind of educator who always has […]
