Category: Music Inspiration

  • Math in Music Series: Fibonacci Part 1

    Math in Music Series: Fibonacci Part 1

    I recently came across a video of a piano piece composed based on the Fibonacci sequence. I totally geeked out and decided to share it with a few of my private piano students. Turns out, some of them are as geeky as me and not only love math, but get fired up about seeing it…

  • Independence Day 2016 | A Patriotic A Cappella Playlist

    Independence Day 2016 | A Patriotic A Cappella Playlist

    Truth be told, Independence Day (July 4th in the U.S.) is one of my favorite holidays. Sure, there is the barbeque and the fireworks. But, it’s really the only major United States holiday that is about victory. Memorial Day celebrates our fallen warriors, Veteran’s Day celebrates everyone who has fought, and most other holidays celebrate…

  • U.S. Military Music Roundup | Memorial Day 2016

    U.S. Military Music Roundup | Memorial Day 2016

    It is often hard to comprehend the sacrifice that so many brave men and women make in order to protect the freedoms we have in our country. Not to mention the hardships their families endure along the way. Short of joining the soldiers on the battlefield, one of the best ways we can show our…

  • Man Makes Magic by Using a Marble Machine to Play Music

    Man Makes Magic by Using a Marble Machine to Play Music

    I used to love playing with marbles as a child. One of my favorite toys was a marble run, where you could fit pieces together in whichever way you wished and then placed the marbles in the top and watched them roll down. The marbles passed through a series of bridges, loops, swirls, and jumps.…

  • 5-Year-Old Shows How Easy It Is To Start Writing Music

    5-Year-Old Shows How Easy It Is To Start Writing Music

    I have previously mentioned the amazing music technology available to quickly and affordably get started writing music. But, if putting notes on paper still seems a bit too daunting for you, there is another option. A couple years ago, then 5-year-old Jordan Bijan recorded a video with the solution. He shows how simple it is…

  • Collection of “Little Big Shots” Musicians

    Collection of “Little Big Shots” Musicians

    Update: Season 2 is on now! Check out all new episodes Sundays at 8pm on NBC. Update 2: NBC has removed a number of episode clips from YouTube, so I can no longer claim to have the full collection. I will keep the below playlist up-to-date as best as possible with all available videos from…

  • A Lesson in Performance: Pianist Misses Notes, Envokes Tears of Joy

    A Lesson in Performance: Pianist Misses Notes, Envokes Tears of Joy

    In truth, I can’t say that I have ever heard a piece of music played flawlessly, exactly as it was written, without even the tiniest of error. However, I have heard many perfect performances. The music was played exactly as intended. I was overwhelmingly absorbed in the music. Any technical errors made were utterly and…

  • How A British Soccer Coach’s Practice Advice Will Quickly Improve Your Music Playing

    How A British Soccer Coach’s Practice Advice Will Quickly Improve Your Music Playing

    You have heard it said, “practice makes perfect”. It’s a saying that holds a lot of weight and engages our compelling, yet ultimately insatiable desire to be perfect. More simply put: we want to be perfect, so we practice. However, there are two dangerous myths lurking within this statement that consistently hold us back. Time…

  • 4-Year-Old Boy Starts Piano, Learns Flight of the Bumblebee in 6 Months

    As an instructor who teaches students of all ages, I have truly come to appreciate the value of learning music at any age. The beauty of music is that it is such a broad concept, beyond just learning an instrument. Anyone can learn music, regardless of talent, intellect, maturity, or attention span.

  • Taylor Swift – Safe and Sound

    It seems as though I’m a little late to the game on this song as it was part of the Hunger Games soundtrack (a movie I still have yet to see), but when I first heard this song I had to share it. “Safe and Sound” has a very delightful mix of Celtic-style tunes blended…