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 […]
August 7, 2024
At a Music & Arts repair facility, a technician wipes down an acoustic guitar’s strings and fretboard using a microfiber cloth. Imagine you’ve just purchased your first guitar. You spent hours looking at all the available options and finally chose the instrument that’s right for you—the perfect model, in just the right color. How can […]
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 29, 2024
Photo credit: Michael Perry The revered shredder and dedicated Music & Arts instructor shares his favorite tips and techniques for aspiring rockers. A decade ago, Music & Arts guitar instructor Steve Bello toured Germany in a power trio led by the late T.M. Stevens. Stevens, a slap-bass god whose original music picks up where Funkadelic […]
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 […]
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 […]
