It’s About Time Week

Welcome to It’s About Time Week.

From December 25-31, we honor ideas, encourage creativity and dream up innovations.

No pressure. ;-)

I’m all about encouraging you to think outside the box to tap into your creativity. You discover the coolest notions out there.

Share Your Innovations

And once you’ve gotten all innovative, share it. For that, I’m suggesting you find your group, your peeps, your homies. Specifically as it relates to the musical instrument(s) you play.

I’m a member of OMEA and NAfME, the state and national chapters of music educators. After some years absence, I rejoined the North American Saxophone Alliance, NASA, to commune with other sax aficionados at the regional, national and world conferences.

Wind Instruments

There’s a group out there for every instrument. Here’s a list of member groups for wind instruments.

Flute/Piccolo – The National Flute Association

Oboe/Bassoon – The International Double Reed Association

Clarinet – The International Clarinet Association

Saxophone – The World Saxophone Congress, The North American Saxophone Alliance

French Horn – The International Horn Society

Trumpet – The International Trumpet Guild

Trombone – The International Trombone Association

Tuba/Euphonium – The International Tuba Euphonium Association

Remember to have fun and dream big this week in honor of It’s About Time Week and then share your brainstorms with your guild. What ensembles do you belong to?

 

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by on December 26, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Musical Events, Musician's Motivator ezine
Posted by Mary Ellen on December 26, 2011

http://gracenotesmusic.org/blog/2011/12/26/its-about-time-week/

B-I-N-G-O = M-U-S-I-C

bingo cardDecember is National Bingo Month. In honor of such a fine game, I’m sharing with you a little Musical Bingo that I whipped up.

I’ve generated a “call list” that includes:

  1. Musicians
  2. Instruments
  3. Styles/Genres
  4. Terms

But instead of calling the terms, listen for them. Read the full post »

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by on December 13, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Exercises, Lessons, Musician's Motivator ezine
Posted by Mary Ellen on December 13, 2011

http://gracenotesmusic.org/blog/2011/12/13/b-i-n-g-o-m-u-s-i-c/

Difference Between Classical and Jazz Musicians

When did you learn about the Circle of Fifths? I learned about it in a high school music theory class. You know – it’s the sequence of notes laid out in a circle. When you go clockwise through the circle, each note is separated an interval of a fifth.

And almost right away I realized that when go counter-clockwise around the circle, each note is separated by an interval of a fourth.

But in music classes and lessons, we spent all our time focused on the Circle of Fifths, going clockwise. We played arpeggios – 1-3-5 – and so the interval of a fifth became a very comfortable one.  And yes, the interval of a fourth, as in sol-do, was oft used. Still, we were taught to use the Circle of Fifths even though we learned that you could go the other direction just as easily.  Read the full post »

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by on November 16, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Lessons, Music Notation, Musician's Motivator ezine
Posted by Mary Ellen on November 16, 2011

http://gracenotesmusic.org/blog/2011/11/16/difference-between-classical-and-jazz-musicians/

A year of meditation

a saxophone meditationIt’s been one year, almost to the day since I first learned about Shamatha Meditation. When I signed up for an all-day writing workshop last November, little did I know how it would affect me and my daily life.

I’ve been meditating daily for a year.

Yes, we did writing exercises. We did movement exercises and word games to stimulate our writing selves. We also did a guided meditation led by Susan Piver.

It’s not like I had never done meditation before in my life. In my twenties,  or perhaps my thirties, I was exposed to meditation for the first time. I closed my eyes, sat cross-legged on the floor, palms up resting on my knees. I was the picture of peace and calm – externally.

Inside, I felt no different. No better. No worse. Just didn’t really connect with it.

So what was different this time?

One obvious difference is that in Shamatha Meditation, the practitioner keeps their eyes open. Another difference between then and now is that I am different. By virtue of being a few years older, I am a different person.

When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

Read the full post »

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by on November 7, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Exercises, Practice Tips
Posted by Mary Ellen on November 7, 2011

http://gracenotesmusic.org/blog/2011/11/07/a-year-of-meditation/

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