Lists & How To

7 Tips for Learning Music Online

Hey Gang! Not long ago we asked for you to share some things that make remote learning go smoothly for you! You stepped up and shared some great ideas. Here’s some of the best. 

  1. Ensure there are as few distractions as possible

  2. Keep a practice journal

  3. Set up your learning space to double as a practice space --- have your music stand and instrument ready and accessible

  4. Take advantage of natural lighting if possible, or have a well-lit learning space

  5. Get familiar with all the capabilities of the learning platform you are using. This ensures you'll receive the best online experience as possible

  6. Adjust your platform settings for best audio processing

  7. If you are having difficulty with video (it’s lagging or choppy) use the chat feature to let your instructor know. That way your instructor will know that you are missing some content and can circle back and get you caught up later, without disrupting others

If you have another tip or suggestion, please share them with us! Thank you Hive Mind!

6 Black Composers to Know

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Among a heavily populated list, here are six Black composers who have made history---from Pulitzers to Grammys---to add to your playlist today (if they aren't already present).

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges is remembered as the first classical composer of African ancestry. He was also a virtuoso violinist. Born in 1745, Saint-Georges composed over 50 pieces including operas, symphonies, sonatas, and concertos before passing away at the age of 53 in 1799.

Florence Price

Florence Price was a composer, pianist, organist and music teacher. She is the first African-American woman to be accepted as a symphony composer and to have a composition played by a major orchestra. In her lifetime, Price composed four symphonies and multiple concertos, orchestral works, choral and solo vocal pieces, instrumental chamber music, piano works, and spiritual arrangements—the list is VAST. 

William Grant Still

William Grant Still, composer, conductor and multi-instrumentalist. Over the span of his life, Still composed almost 200 works including five symphonies and nine operas, ballets, chamber music, pieces for solo instruments, and choral works.

Still was the first African American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra, and his well-known 1st symphony, Afro-American Symphony, was the first African American piece played by a leading orchestra.

Still left a wide and wonderful cultural legacy. 

George Walker

George Walker was an American composer, pianist, and organist. Walker began playing the piano at the age of five, was admitted to the Oberlin Conservatory at the age of 14 and graduated by the age of 18 with the highest honors in his Conservatory class. At the age of 23, Walker graduated from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music with diplomas in paint and composition. 

Walker had a full career in performing, studying, teaching and composing. He was the first African American to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his work Lilacs in 1996.

Quincy Jones

Quincy Jones is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film television producer. He’s had 80 Grammy Award nominations, and has been awarded 28 Grammys.

Jones honed his skills as a trumpet player and arranger in high school. He attended Seattle University as a music major before transferring to Berklee College of Music in Boston. During his time at Berklee, Jones performed at Izzy Ort’s Bar & Grille, and ultimately left school after receiving an offer to tour as a trumpeter, arranger, and pianist with bandleader, Lionel Hampton.

Jones would go on to play in big bands (including his own), compose music for nearly 40 major motion pictures, arrange music for popular musicians, produce singles and albums (including Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson), and produce movies—his debut, The Color Purple, received 11 Oscar nominations.

Aside from Jones’ amazing musical talent and accomplishments, he is a social activist helping to make change in the lives of students of color and takes part in a number of philanthropic endeavors to help develop Black youth from South Africa to Los Angeles.

Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Marsalis is an American virtuoso trumpeter, composer, teacher, and the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Wynton was born into a very musical family—his father was Ells Marsalis Jr., a pianist and music teacher, and three of his five brothers are jazz musicians.

At the age of six, Wynton was given his first trumpet by Al Hirt, an American trumpeter and bandleader. At 17, he was the youngest musician admitted to Tanglewood Music Center, and in 1997 he became the first jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his oratorio Blood on the Fields.

“Risk exposing your ears to the first notes of BLOOD ON THE FIELDS, hear the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra wail through “Calling the Indians Out,” the opening invocation to the spirit of the first people whose blood soaked American soil in the long, painful birth of the American republic, and you’ll sit spellbound to the echo of the last note of Wynton Marsalis’s epic oratorio on slavery and freedom. Telling the story of two slaves, Jesse and Leona, it carries us along on their difficult journey to freedom, a journey in which they, and by implication all of us, must move beyond a preoccupation with personal power and learn that true freedom is, and must be, shared.”

5 Ways To Stay Motivated Musically

Happy Monday! We're about a month into the new school year, the season is changing, and we're finding rhythm in our day to day routine---now's the perfect time to talk about motivation.

We asked our fellow musicians (you) to help us compile a list of ways to stay motivated musically. And so, without further ado, here are our top five ways to stay passionate about playing your instrument:

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Attend Live Performances

Seeing performances and concerts as a musician is not only an enjoyable experience, it's inspiring too! Becoming engaged in the musical community fosters passion and creativity. If you appreciate seeing and hearing musicians doing what they love, you're sure to pick up some motivation.

Josh, from Lamphere HS, finds motivation from seeing Drum Corp International performances---we agree 100%. Those shows are AMAZING.

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Create A Practice Space

It's important to feel comfortable where you're practicing. Take a step further from mere comfort and create a space where you can practice that gives you positive vibes. Whether it's the corner of your bedroom, or in your basement, or living room, find a space that you can decorate a little (or, a lot :D). Print out some inspiring photos or quotes, and purchase a music stand (we kind of find it's like going to the gym---it's much easier to be motivated when you're there. The same goes for instrument practice---if you're instrument is out, it calls to you).

Furthermore, create a habit. It's true inspiration won't always find you, but it's more likely to when you give it the opportunity.

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Set Goals

Create long and short term goals for yourself. What do you want to improve on in the next six months? What do you want to accomplish in tomorrow's practice? Write these goals down. Pin the long term goals next to the inspirational photos and quotes you hung up, and write down each practice session's goal ahead of time.

Record and track your progress. You'll be amazed at how far you come. Seeing and hearing how you've developed will provide great motivation.

And don't forget---reward yourself!

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Perform

Play for you friends and family, sign up for Solo & Ensemble, perform at local open mics. Scheduling performances will hold you accountable to practice---if you want to play well. And the feeling following a performance, well, that's pretty spectacular.

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Have Fun

No practice method is set in stone. Experiment and find what works best for you---what gives you your desired result? Do that. Play with other musicians, play music you enjoy. Cultivate your love and curiosity for music and motivation will be there.

Happy International Women's Day!

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Let's be real---women rock. Today is International Women's Day, and we're excited to highlight and share just a few (there are so many) of our favorite musical females.

Yoonshin Song

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Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19

Yoonshin Song currently holds the first violin and Concertmaster position with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. She was born in South Korea and began studying music at the age of five---piano and violin. She made her performance debut at the age of 11 with the Seoul Philharmonic. As Concertmaster, it's her responsibility to connect the orchestra to the conductor, after whom, she is the most important leader in the ensemble.

Marin Aslop

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Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

Marin Aslop is an American Conductor and violinist. Currently, she conducts the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Marin is the first woman to hold the position of music director with a major American orchestra. With both of her parents being professional musicians, and her mentor being Leonard Bernstein, it's no wonder Marin is destined for musical acclaim. 

Ella Fitzgerald

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Flying Away

Ella Fitzgerald was an American jazz singer---her voice was her instrument. She's often called Queen of Jazz. Ella experienced music in church, and through listening to jazz records. Her childhood wasn't easy, and singing became the way she supported herself during her late teens when she didn't have a home. Ella won a couple of singing contests and sang her way onto the stage with Chick Webb, drummer and bandleader. Ella's career soared. She won 13 grammy's, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and more.

Amy Beach

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Gaelic Symphony (Composed at age 29)

Amy Beach was another child prodigy. She started composing music at the age of 4---without a piano---she composed music in her mind. Agents sought after Amy at the age of six to preform concert tours, which her parents turned down. She trained with local Boston music teachers, and she taught herself theory, composition, and orchestration. Amy wrote "Gaelic Symphony," the first symphony composed and published by an American woman, at the age of 29. The piece premiered in October of 1896, and was performed by the Boston Symphony. Amy is one of the most distinguished and respected pianists and American composers of her time.

Clara Schumann

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Piano Concerto Op. 7 in A minor (Composed at age 16)

Clara Schumann began her mark on the world as early as 9, she was known as a child prodigy. She studied piano, violin, voice, theory, and composition. She toured Europe as a pianist beginning at the age of 11. Clara composed over 60 works. She is considered one of the most acclaimed composers and pianists of the Romantic Era.

Who are some of your favorite female musicians? Drop us a line!

5 Ways to Rock Your Preparation for Solo and Ensemble

District XVI Middle School Solo and Ensemble is only 5 days away! Consider these 5 tips for preparation this week.

1. Practice Performance

Who gifs from a pineapple under the sea?


Practicing your piece goes without saying, but practicing performance is an entirely different animal. Once you've nailed the music and rhythm in each measure and you're playing the piece through, it's time to practice the performance. Play through the piece in its entirety and if you mess up, don't stop--practice the recovery. Practice the piece as you will play it at solo and ensemble--if that means standing, then stand. Gather your family or some friends together and perform the piece for them. The more comfortable you are with performance the easier it will be to play your piece as you play it alone in your practice space.

2. Video Yourself

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Videoing yourself accomplishes two preparation exercises. First, videoing yourself can create a rise of nerves within you much like the nerves you have when performing for a group of people. Learning to push through those nerves will help you immensely. Second, after having captured your performance visually and audibly you can study it and see where you've made mistakes or can make improvements.

3. Know the Song

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Listen to the piece you'll be performing. Listen to multiple musicians playing it, watch them on YouTube. Listen to the piece so much you begin to anticipate certain passages and phrases. Know the song inside and out.

4. Be Prepared

Thousands of Films and TV Series Direct from the Studio's Vault


Have your music ready the night before, if you need music for your piano accompanist be sure that's in your folder as well along with any copies the judges may need. If it's your first year at Solo and Ensemble look up directions with your parents ahead time. Check your reeds, and your greases or oils.

5. Arrive Early

World-famous Electric Cyclery in Laguna Beach, California.


There's numerous benefits to arriving early at S&E aside from finding a parking space. You'll want time to find the room where you'll be performing, and then you'll want time in the practice room to warm up and prepare. Give yourself time to settle in and time for anything that may come up before you play.