Brass and Braces
Have you ever seen the James Bond film Moonraker? You know, the one with the giant ogre like villain with the hideous and scary looking mouth filled with jagged and piercing metal, Jaws they called him. That’s the image that comes to my mind when I think back to having braces. Extreme? Perhaps, but braces […]
Critical Components for Summer Shedding the Blues
Students in our new Eastside Elements ensemble are doing so great! They are just starting to click! And if you are a first year jazz student this may be helpful to you as well. Or maybe you’d like to get started. No time like the present! If you would, allow me to suggest a few […]
Summer Shedding: Three Reasons to keep your Children Shedding this Summer
Musicians often refer to music practice as shedding. Many children that study music in the U.S. will work on their instruments and play music at least once or twice a week in school, maybe even five days a week. Either way, that is some substantial consistency in music and on the instrument. Music is an […]
Intentional Listening: C Jam Blues
Intentional listening is an essential part of learning music. One of the first forms that we often teach to students when immersing them in jazz music is the 12 bar blues. C Jam Blues is a classic blues head that is simple yet beautiful. It develops uniquely over the 3 unique harmonic phrases, and it […]
Warm Up Tips from Lew Soloff, Part 2
This is part two of my post on highlights from the late great Lew Soloff on warm ups and practice. The first post, warming up on the mouthpiece, is here. So, after warming up on the mouthpiece, Lew Soloff recommended building up the range on the horn in the same way. Start at the bottom […]
Warm Up Tips from Lew Soloff
Last week we lost one of the greatest trumpet players ever. Lew Soloff passed away at the young age of 71. For those who may be unfamiliar with his work by name, see his discography here. I am not a huge fan of Wikipedia, but this discography seems put together more comprehensively than many I […]
Transcribing My Funny Valentine
It is that time of year. Just last week people all over America spent tons of money buying candy, going out on romantic dates, and doing all sorts of crazy things in the name of Valentine’s Day. It always seems odd to me in light of the rather enigmatic Roman Catholic martyr it is named […]
How Can We Motivate our Child to Practice?
A common question we get is, how can we motivate our child to practice? If they seem disinterested, should we allow them to drop out of music study and practice? Great question! Many students struggle with music in the beginning. Most students (adults and children) just don’t realize how complex the language/rhythm aspect of music […]
3 Practice Tips for Five Fun Minutes in Every 15
Music is a joy when it’s not all study, but includes free flowing creative time. Most babies and small children will sit at a piano, pick up a drum, or any instrument they can get their little hands on—even things that aren’t instruments. And they will begin to make music. They will bang on a […]