Learning Both Ways: By Ear and By Staff
We are not advocates of teaching music solely by ear, or even primarily by ear. That is not to say that if you learned that way or teach that way that we would have you stop, nor would we judge you. Some of the most amazing musicians ever to grace the streets, stage, or studio […]
Living Bread: Giving the Gift of Music in Brazil
Artenio serves as a leader of a local community organization in Brazil, and here he is teaching guitar lessons in Torres. Artenio teaches lessons to local youth for free, and has developed relationships with many this way. Many of the students Artenio has taught have gained the skills necessary to serve in their community as […]
Shifting Gears
Our friends and family know that we just moved here about two months ago. I’m a Northwest native born and raised, but we’ve been around the world a bit for the better part of the last ten years. In moving here, we made a decision to leave our car in Arkansas with a friend. We […]
Searching for Something More
So I was on the phone with AT&T today for about an hour (for some reason AT&T subscribers have been having trouble reaching our 1-800 #, but we will have a local 360# very soon). I know what you’re thinking, wow, bet that was fun. Actually, while the circumstances of the call were less than […]
Validity Shaped by Value
When we speak of good music, two of the essential elements of what makes that music good are the intellectual content and validity of the music. Intellectual content isn’t always lyrical by the way. Some of the most profound statements have been made with instrumental music; just as a silent movie or art with no […]
If We Value People, We Should Value Good Music
Today I seek to address another excellent question from my friend Andrew, an important one for those of us who value people (as we all should). “Is there a true way to evaluate what makes music good or bad? Or is all purely subjective?” Absolutely, there is a way to evaluate what makes music good […]
The “S” Factor is Inescapable: Music Reflects Morals
In my last post, I responded to an important question my friend Andrew asked. In continuing discussion around thoughts provoked by his questions, I thought this one equally important, especially as it is in concert with our values here at the academy. Andrew asked, “Should/does music reflect ethics or morals?” All art reflects ethics, values, […]
Essentials as Extra-curricular?
My new friend Andrew Gibson of Freedom Arts Education Center recently asked me some thought provoking questions that I had never really sat down and thought about before. I am thankful for Andrew’s questions (he had several), and I appreciate the purpose behind his thesis. So here’s one that I thought important to address for […]
The History of America’s Greatest Art Form
At Tuned In, we don’t just teach canned classes over and over. As musician-educators, we are committed to creating courses to meet the needs of our students and community, always learning, always growing, and always stretching. I was recently asked by a local co-op for home-school students to teach a course on Music Appreciation or […]
The Power of the Voice in Meeting the Needs of Others
How will we use the awesome power* of our voice in response to tragedy, great evil, or injustice? Yesterday was a difficult day for most of America I am sure, unfathomably worse surely for the parents, educators, staff, and community members involved in and around the terrifying events at Sandy Hook. I had intended to […]