Last week when 7th grader Zach arrived for his sax lesson, he found me watching a live feed performance of the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra. Juilliard is in New York City and I am in Portland, Oregon. Yay, Interwebs! I invited him…
Ah! You’ve reached the fourth mini-lesson in my four-part series on how to play clarinet. These 4 mini-lessons cover the following important information: Parts of the clarinet, the reed, playing on the mouthpiece and barrel combo, the embouchure, breath support,…
Learn how to hold the clarinet properly and strengthen right hand muscles in part 3 of How To Play Clarinet. This is the third mini-lesson in a four-part series on how to play the clarinet. These 4 mini-lessons cover the…
Learn how to separate pitches with articulation and learn some strengthening exercises for your mouth muscles in part 2 of How To Play Clarinet. This is the second mini-lessons in a four-part series on how to play the clarinet. These…
Play your first note in this simple yet often overlooked way to begin learning how to play clarinet. This is the first in a four-part series on how to play the clarinet. These 4 mini-lessons cover the following important information:…
On May 29, my intrepid students and I performed transcribed jazz solos in the Spring recital for an appreciative audience at the Courtyard at Mt Tabor in Portland. During March, April, and some of May, we each listened to a…
Those insinuating riffs that get stuck in your head. Usually people have a negative connotation with musical earworms, but I propose they can be enjoyable if it’s a song you like. And even if it is not a song you…
Accelerando; Italian word meaning to accelerate. Used in the musical world as a reference to tempo, which by the way is another Italian word meaning time. I immediately thought of Dukas’ Sorcerer’s Apprentice as a great example of accelerando. This…
Day 19 was yesterday. Dolly Parton. I chose 9 to 5. Today is day 20. Choral. There is so much beautiful music to choose from. One of the things I love about choral music is the sound of human voices…
I’m not a real fan of Country music. But I included Loretta Lynn, one of the giants of Country singers, in my list for balance. This list has, I hope, something for everyone. We got a little educational thing happening…
He’s one of my favorite composers; Leonard Bernstein. West Side Story. Candide. 3 Symphonies. Choral works. And so many more. I invite you to visit Bernstein’s YouTube channel. You’ll find many videos of him discussing various composers and their works. Like…
The 30 Day Music Challenge gets personal with a request for each participant to compose on day 12. Compose Music for Music Challenge You can write music without knowing a stitch about notation or harmony or instruments. Here are some…