• 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 […]

  • Week 1 of 30 Weeks of Trumpet Scale Drills: C Major

    Week 1 of 30 Weeks of Trumpet Scale Drills: C Major

    Starting this week, I am beginning my first official, scheduled series of exercises on this site. Are you ready for some trumpet fun? This particular series starts with an exercise in C Major, but it is nothing to sneeze at. The beginning parts are nice and easy to get you warmed up. But, towards the […]

  • 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 […]

  • MuseScore in Minutes: Basic Steps to Begin Notating Music

    A couple weeks ago, I introduced to you to MuseScore, an excellent, and completely free, music notation software, which can be used on any computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux). If you are already familiar with music notation, here are some great videos that the MuseScore team has put together to get you started with using […]

  • 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 […]

  • Powerful, Entirely Free Music Notation Software for Your Computer Desktop

    Screenshot of MuseScore Music Notation Software Music notation software does not have a history of being affordable. When I was in high school (in the ’90s), I shelled out almost $1,000 for the software Finale. And, despite many exciting upgrades through the years, I have consistently refused to pay that same pricetag again for the […]

  • 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.

  • Free Scale Exercise for Any Instrument #1

    Here is a fun, simple scale exercise that is perfect for any level of player. (Note that I didn’t use the words ‘beginner’ or ‘easy’, as this sort of exercise can be good practice for even the most advanced players! Just try playing it really fast.) This sort of exercise is great to help you […]

  • 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 […]

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