Unfortunately, there is no evidence to support the widely-held idea that exposing infants and children to classical music can lead to an increase in their intelligence. However, research does indicate that listening to classical music can have a positive effect on many other areas of children's development. Recent studies have suggested that young children who are exposed to classical music find it easier to concentrate, develop a stronger sense of self-discipline, are better listeners, and ultimately have a wider range of interest in music as they grow into young adults. If you’re interested in introducing your child to classical music, these five popular and powerful pieces written by some of the greatest composers in history are an excellent place to get started. 1. Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
2. The Flight of the Bumblebee, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
3. Fur Elise, Ludwig von Beethoven
4. The Nutcracker Suite Op. 71a, Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky
5. Clair de Lune, Claude Debussy
For musicians, buying an instrument is an exciting—if slightly stressful—process. While many people choose to shop for instruments at brick-and-mortar stores, modern technology provides musicians the alternative of buying online, which offers the benefit of a wider variety of choices and more competitive pricing. Musicians who are thinking about using an online retailer to purchase their next musical instrument should take the following steps to enjoy the best possible experience. Set a budget and choose a style Similar to what one would do when buying an instrument from a physical store, individuals should begin the process of buying an instrument online by establishing a budget. Great gear can be found at all price ranges, and one of the best aspects of buying online is that musicians are likely to get more value for their money. Strong competition between online retailers typically creates lower prices than those found in brick-and-mortar stores, so musicians’ budgets are likely to get them better-quality instruments online. Once a budget is established, it’s important for shoppers to conduct thorough research before settling on a specific brand, style, and model within their price range. Specific preferences will make the process of finding the right instrument at the right price online easier, as the Internet offers significantly more options than one would find when buying from a physical store. When deciding on an instrument to buy online, it’s important for musicians to pay attention to the small details that may not have occurred to them if they were purchasing the instrument in person. For example, when buying an item such as a digital piano, one should make sure to research specific characteristics such as key action, which will dictate the degree to which playing a digital piano feels like playing a standard instrument. Alternatively, when purchasing an instrument such as an electric guitar, it’s important to research features like neck shape and fret size, which will affect how a musician plays. Find the right retailerOne of the most important things for musicians to consider when purchasing an instrument online is the reputation of the company that they buy from. While there are a variety of reputable online music marketplaces to meet the needs of musicians at all levels of experience, the following are among the three most popular options, with each one offering its own distinctive benefits. 1. SweetwaterIn operation since 1979, this company is known for its customer service. People who choose to buy their instruments from Sweetwater are set up to work with a specific sales engineer for all of their music gear needs, and every employee at the company is trained to handle any questions that customers may have about their instruments. Sweetwater is a great option for musicians who want the same level of support that they would receive when shopping at a brick-and-mortar store. The company also offers free shipping in one to five days throughout the contiguous United States, depending on where the buyer is located, along with a wide range of financing options. 2. Musician’s FriendThe company, which began operating out of garage in 1983, now ships between 9,000 and 10,000 orders per day from its distribution center in Kansas City, Missouri. The company offers free ground shipping to 48 states plus Washington, D.C., and boasts a catalog of over 1.7 million music items. As an additional bonus, Musician’s Friend offers price matching for new instruments bought from authorized American dealers for up to 45 days after an instrument is purchased, which makes the company a great choice for musicians looking to purchase on a tight budget. 3. Guitar CenterWhile Guitar Center is more widely recognized as a brick-and-mortar retailer, the company also operates as an online marketplace and offers its customers an array of benefits. Guitar Center’s online services include international shipping options, a pro coverage policy that protect instruments in the event of damage, and the ability to ship to stores. In some cases, items that musicians are looking to buy can be picked up from a local Guitar Center storefront on the same day, making the retailer a great option for those who want the immediate gratification of purchasing from a physical store along with the ability to compare prices online prior to purchase. Review your retailer’s policiesBefore finalizing an online instrument purchase, musicians should ensure that they have a thorough understanding of the retailer’s return policy. Musicians should avoid buying online from a business that has strict or conditional return policies. In the event that you receive an instrument and find that it does not suit you, then you should be able to return it for a refund within a reasonable amount of time. A quality online retailer will typically allow at least 30 days for a return without restrictions or complicated procedures. Musicians can avoid getting stuck with an instrument that they don’t like by thoroughly reading the fine print of the retailers’ return policies before making a payment. Don’t rushA simple yet important thing that musicians can do to ensure that their online buying experience is positive is to take their time during the shopping process. They should carefully consider their options, compare prices within different online marketplaces, and avoid impulse purchases. An instrument is a long-term investment that you will likely to rely on for years, and the time that you take when purchasing gear should reflect that, especially when buying over the Internet.
When parents encourage their children to take music lessons from a young age, the piano is one of the most popular instrument choices. There is no definitive age at which experts suggest children begin music lessons; young musicians only need to be large enough to reach the keys and have enough hand dexterity to manipulate them. If you are a parent who is thinking about introducing your young child to music through piano lessons for the first time, there are certain things you will need to do in order to prepare your child and your home for the experience before the first class. Listed below are six things to do before your child attends his or her first piano lesson. 1. Invest in a piano for your home.The first step that you can take to benefit your future music student is to purchase a piano for him or her to use. Ideally, this should be done months or years ahead of time so that your child can grow up around the instrument and develop a familiarity with it prior to learning to play. At the very least, make sure to invest in a piano right before he or she begins lessons. While there are ways to obtain free access to a piano outside of the home, nothing will be as accessible or as beneficial to your child’s learning experience as having a piano to practice on in his or her immediate environment. While a new piano can be a significant investment, there are many websites where you can find gently-used pianos for affordable prices. Once you’ve found a piano that suits your budget, make sure to get it tuned by a professional so that the notes your child plays as he or she learns are in key. 2. Create the ideal practice space around the piano.Where you place the piano in your home will affect how your young music student feels about the act of practicing. Professionals in music education suggest situating your piano in an area of the home that is neither too isolated nor too close to distractions like a television or computer. The area should be warm and welcoming with adequate lighting. It must also include all the equipment that your child will need for practice sessions, including music sheets, pencils, and a comfortable piano bench. The more positive the physical practice area is, the more likely your child will feel enthusiastic about practicing when the time comes. 3. Listen to music together.Spending quality time listening to music with your child can help him or her to develop a positive relationship with it as they grow up. While they listen, try to introduce them to basic musical concepts like rhythm by having them clap along to the beat of a song with you. It can also be helpful to look up exciting videos of piano performances on YouTube, such as those made by the Piano Guys, to give your child a visual of what it’s like to play the instrument. Having this kind of familiarity may help children feel more comfortable with the instrument when they begin their first lessons. 4. Help your child learn the ABCs. If your child understands the alphabet by the time that he or she takes up piano lessons, that ability will help them to identify and understand the names of notes. The musical alphabet spans notes with names from A to G, and a child who can remember the order and recognize letters when written on a music sheet will be in a better position to learn. It can also be helpful to teach your child how to distinguish between his or her right and left sides as way to improve his or her ability to interact with a piano’s keyboard. Helping your child become aware that he or she can mirror the action of one hand on a side of their body with the other will facilitate the development of better spatial awareness. Additionally, it will help him or her better understand directions given during lessons. 5. Have a discussion about lessons and expectations.While your child may be excited about the prospect of learning to play the piano, it’s important that you as the parent communicate your expectations for him or her at the outset. Make sure that your child knows that learning an instrument will be a fun experience, but that it requires practice and dedication. Talk to your child about the importance of daily practice, and make a verbal agreement on how often, when, and for what minimum amount of time your child will dedicate him- or herself to the practice of the piano each day. 6. Have a meet-and-greet with the instructor.When choosing a music instructor for your child, try to schedule a meeting with prospective teachers before you make a decision. Once you find the right instructor, make sure to discuss the goals that you would like your child to accomplish through lessons and get feedback on the best ways that you can foster your child’s musical development at home.
The guitar has captured the interest of both young aspiring musicians and older learners alike since it first gained popularity in its electric form during the mid-20th century. Arguably one of the most popular instruments in the world, some people choose to take up the guitar as a form of relaxation or creative expression, while others choose it because it allows them to entertain both solo and with other musicians. Still another reason that people choose to play the guitar over other instruments is because the guitar allows musicians the freedom to play and sing at the same time. There are few better instruments to learn to play for a musician who wants to sing along to music, but doing both at the same time can be difficult for beginners. Listed below are seven useful tips that can help new learners develop the ability to play the guitar and sing along. 1. Focus on your guitar-playing first. Before you attempt to play and sing at the same time, you must first focus on developing the ability to play basic chords. As a new guitarist, your ability to recall the fingering for standard chord structures without much thought and to change quickly between these chords are the first steps in singing along to a song on the guitar. 2. Work with a metronome.Keeping rhythm while performing a song is crucial to sounding natural—and it also makes singing along to the guitar easier. One way that guitarists can work on this form of timing during a song is to strum an easy pattern along to a metronome for about 10 minutes each day. If you’re committed to this practice, you’ll see a gradual improvement in your ability to play a song on beat over time—sometimes in as little as a few weeks. 3. Start simple. If you’re just starting out, don’t choose a song that requires you to play advanced chords or sing complicated lyrics. Instead, you should look for songs with simpler chords and a basic rhythm that is well-suited to the beginning learner. Of course, you can develop the ability to sing and play any song with enough dedication and practice, but choosing a song that is overly complicated from the start can lead to frustration, which may take the enjoyment out of the experience. 4. Memorize the music and lyrics separately.You should know the chords and the chord changes by heart before you sit down to sing along to a song. You can gauge your familiarity with a song by how well you’re able to play the chords while you’re distracted, such as when you’re carrying on a conversation or watching a TV show. Likewise, you should be able to sing the lyrics and the tune of the song from memory. The more that both elements of a song are second nature to you, the easier it will be to combine them. 5. Take it slow.The excitement of learning to sing and play at the same time can cause some beginners to try and perform the song as quickly as possible at the start, but this actually does more harm than good. Start out slowly, learning to play and sing the correct parts one measure and lyric at a time—performing with speed will naturally come with time. People who rush through chords, rhythms, and lyrics to try and learn extremely quickly risk developing bad habits that can be difficult to break. It may even be a good idea to start out humming the song along with the chords instead of attempting to sing right away. Humming can help you figure out where the chord changes are in a song, since they don’t always line up with the syllables of the lyrics. 6. Change the key if you need to.Though you can learn how to play a song in its original form, the notes may not suit the range of your voice. In this case, it’s important to remember that you can always change the key of the song to suit your range. This can be done by transposing the chord structure to a higher or lower octave using a transposition chart. Alternatively, you can use a capo, which allows you to play the original chords further up the neck of the guitar while changing the vocal register. Both ways of altering a song’s key have their advantages, so choose the method that you are most comfortable with on a case-by-case basis. 7. Put in a lot of practice. As with any musical goal, learning how to sing and play the guitar simultaneously requires practice and patience. Don’t expect to be able to accomplish this feat right away, and try not to feel discouraged if you can’t master this new ability as quickly as you had hoped. It’s important to avoid rushing the process. In addition, recognize that even the most talented guitar-playing singers did not develop their abilities immediately. As a beginner, you should consider this goal a long-term project, and remember to take pride in your accomplishments when you master a song.
Research proves the incredible effects that music education can have on the minds of children. Apart from aiding skill development in areas like language, test-taking, and spatial intelligence, learning music can also help children develop socially and emotionally, and allow them to explore their creativity in a way that is both fun and cathartic. Today, it seems more imperative than ever for all children to have access to an education in music, but not all parents or schools can afford to connect kids to these programs. To help promote music education, consider donating to nonprofits and foundations dedicated to this cause. The following organizations are some of the most visible in this field, but many other groups exist as well. VH1 Save the Music FoundationEstablished in 1997 by the eponymous music television network, the VH1 Save the Music Foundation has since raised $50 million to buy new instruments for music programs at over 2,000 public schools. Altogether, this work has directly impacted the lives of roughly 2 million American children. The foundation believes that music is a key part of kids’ healthy development, and suggests that lessons in the subject can boost children’s interest in attending school, promote valuable life skills, and help kids grow into well-rounded adults. The group’s ultimate goal is to make sure every child in the United States has the ability to play an instrument if they want to. VH1 Save the Music Foundation encourages people to support its work by donating directly to the cause or by hosting a fundraiser on the organization’s behalf. Details about hosting or giving to a fundraiser can be found here. Fender Music FoundationAnother nonprofit sponsored by a major music industry corporation, the Fender Music Foundation is a charitable organization established by musical instrument maker Fender in 2005. This grantmaking organization guarantees that 100 percent of all donations from supporters go directly to paying for instruments used in music classrooms around the country. To date, the foundation has helped more than 187,000 students by donating a wide range of instruments, including guitars, drums, keyboards, brass instruments, pianos, woodwind instruments, amps, and recorders. Supporters can donate funds and, in some circumstances, instruments to the organization. Monetary donations can be made online via the Fender Music Foundation website. Donors who give $30 or more receive a collectable metal keychain in the shape of a pick or a Stratocaster guitar. National Association of Music Merchants Foundation (NAMM Foundation) The NAMM Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the National Association of Music Merchants, which brings together professionals from the music, sound, and event technology industries around the world. The foundation was created in 2006 with a three-part mission: to advocate for music education, to fund and promote research on the effects of music, and to make music instruction accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds, including veterans and the elderly. The NAMM Foundation awards grants to a wide range of music-based organizations in need of support every year, and partners with groups such as The Kennedy Center, Americans for the Arts, the Music Achievement Council, and the aforementioned VH1 Save the Music Foundation. The group’s online donation portal can be found here. The Roots of MusicA regional nonprofit focused specifically on the needs of students in New Orleans, Louisiana, The Roots of Music promotes the idea that music education can make a significant difference in the life of a child. Through the organization, kids between the ages of nine and 14 from disadvantaged backgrounds in New Orleans gain access to education in music history, theory, and instrumentation. Lessons provided by the group have a special focus on New Orleans’ rich musical heritage and its history as the birthplace of jazz. The most unique aspect of The Roots of Music, however, is that the group goes beyond music lessons to also provide participants with hot meals and transportation to and from classes—two things that could otherwise bar some children from participating in a music education program. To help the work of The Roots of Music, supporters can donate, check the website for volunteer opportunities, or attend charitable events throughout the year that benefit the organization. Little Kids RockLittle Kids Rock was formed by elementary school educator David Wish in 1996 as a response to a severe lack of funding for music education at the school where he worked. It began with Wish offering free after-school guitar lessons to students and has since evolved into a nationwide organization that provides 650,000 students from underserved communities with access to instruments and modern band classes. The nonprofit accomplishes this primarily through financial support for schools that have seen their music programs shut down and by training volunteer teachers to conduct the modern band lessons developed by Little Kids Rock. The program currently operates in 37 states and serves more than 200 school districts. Many celebrity musicians are public supporters of Little Kids Rock, including Carlos Santana, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, Joan Jett, and Gene Simmons, among many others. Interested parties can donate via the organization’s website at www.littlekidsrock.org or learn more about becoming a Little Kids Rock volunteer teacher on the organization’s FAQ page.
Though most music fans have a favorite genre of music, there are many benefits to listening to music styles from cultures unlike your own. Listening to music from different countries, even when performed in a language that you don’t understand, can help expand your perception of the world, bridge gaps between cultures, and even introduce you to a new favorite music style that you may not have otherwise discovered. For those interested in learning about music outside of the western world, check out the following five international music styles that are widely enjoyed on other continents. K-PopAlready massively popular in its home country of South Korea, K-pop music has steadily gained a dedicated international fan base in recent years, including in parts of Europe, the Middle East, South America, and the United States. This upbeat music style is a blend of hip-hop, pop, and electronic music and is characterized by family-friendly lyrics with song hooks written to be blatantly catchy. K-pop music is almost always performed by all-female or all-male-fronted bands who release exciting, big budget music videos featuring extensive choreography and colorful, fashion-forward costumes. One of the first K-pop songs to receive widespread radio play in western countries was the song “Gangnam Style” by the artist PSY, who released the hit tune in 2012. CalypsoCalypso music is native to the Caribbean islands and most prominently performed in Trinidad. First developed in the early years of the 20th century, Calypso is influenced by both West African rhythm and European folk music. It relies heavily on stringed instruments like the guitar and banjo combined with steady percussion from instruments such as maracas or tamboo-bamboos. The lyrics of Calypso songs originally served as a way of spreading current events throughout the island of Trinidad in the early 1900s, especially news that was political in nature. However, the political climate at the time that Calypso music was first established required musicians to deliver the divisive subject matter through carefully-constructed lyrics that were typically witty and rooted in satire. This lyrical tradition continues in the genre today. Though not technically a Calypso musician, the singer Harry Belafonte helped popularize the genre through the release of “Banana Boat Song (Day-O)” in 1956. QawwaliThe origins of qawwali date back more than 700 years to India and the south of Pakistan. Usually performed by Sufi Muslim men, the music is a tool through which the musicians, known as qawwals, can inspire congregations. It is a powerful form of music that incorporates poetic lyrics and percussive instruments like the harmonium, tabla, and dholak to move its listeners to a state of heightened spiritual union with God, or Allah. The typical qawwali ensembles includes one singer or pair of lead singers accompanied by a chorus of individuals who sing the song’s refrains and support the percussion with rhythmic hand-clapping. Though it remains predominantly religious in nature, the style has expanded beyond the devout Sufi demographic, in a manner similar to Gospel music in the United States. The late musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is considered to be the individual responsible for expanding the popularity of qawwali outside of its traditional roots. RaïA style developed in the northern African country of Algeria, raï combines popular western-style music with that of the nomadic desert-dwelling people known as the Bedouins. While early versions of this musical style incorporated flutes and hand drums, the modern iteration of the genre is heavily influenced by pop and dance music and features a wide range of instruments, from saxophones and trumpets to drum synthesizers and electric guitars. One thing that has remained unchanged about raï music from its inception through modern day is the blunt nature of its lyrics, which are sung in Arabic or French. Song lyrics address the ups and downs of everyday life in a direct and occasionally vulgar fashion, and singers sometimes improvise during performances in the way of American blues musicians. The most famous raï singer of today is a performer named Khaled, who is commonly known as “the King of Raï.” Funk CariocaKnown alternatively as baile funk, funk carioca is a beat-heavy music style that developed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the 1980s. By bringing American funk music, hip-hop, and freestyle rap music together and combining them with older Brazilian songs, DJs in Rio de Janeiro created a new genre that became ideal for dancing and popular among the country’s youth. Lyrics in funk carioca music are known for addressing taboo subjects, including poverty, social injustice, sex, and the violence occurring within Rio de Janeiro’s favelas, or shantytowns. The melody of funk carioca songs is typically sampled from an older tune, and may be instrumental or feature rapping and/or singing, often in Portuguese. One of the more popular funk carioca-inspired artists to find success outside of the original fan base in Rio is the rapper M.I.A., who is not Brazilian but is heavily influenced by the style, as evidenced by many songs on her 2005 album Arular. The guitar has captured the interest of both young aspiring musicians and older learners alike since it first gained popularity in its electric form during the mid-20th century. Arguably one of the most popular instruments in the world, some people choose to take up the guitar as a form of relaxation or creative expression, while others choose it because it allows them to entertain both solo and with other musicians. Still another reason that people choose to play the guitar over other instruments is because the guitar allows musicians the freedom to play and sing at the same time. There are few better instruments to learn to play for a musician who wants to sing along to music, but doing both at the same time can be difficult for beginners. Listed below are seven useful tips that can help new learners develop the ability to play the guitar and sing along. 1. Focus on your guitar-playing first.Before you attempt to play and sing at the same time, you must first focus on developing the ability to play basic chords. As a new guitarist, your ability to recall the fingering for standard chord structures without much thought and to change quickly between these chords are the first steps in singing along to a song on the guitar. 2. Work with a metronome.Keeping rhythm while performing a song is crucial to sounding natural—and it also makes singing along to the guitar easier. One way that guitarists can work on this form of timing during a song is to strum an easy pattern along to a metronome for about 10 minutes each day. If you’re committed to this practice, you’ll see a gradual improvement in your ability to play a song on beat over time—sometimes in as little as a few weeks. 3. Start simple.If you’re just starting out, don’t choose a song that requires you to play advanced chords or sing complicated lyrics. Instead, you should look for songs with simpler chords and a basic rhythm that is well-suited to the beginning learner. Of course, you can develop the ability to sing and play any song with enough dedication and practice, but choosing a song that is overly complicated from the start can lead to frustration, which may take the enjoyment out of the experience. 4. Memorize the music and lyrics separately. You should know the chords and the chord changes by heart before you sit down to sing along to a song. You can gauge your familiarity with a song by how well you’re able to play the chords while you’re distracted, such as when you’re carrying on a conversation or watching a TV show. Likewise, you should be able to sing the lyrics and the tune of the song from memory. The more that both elements of a song are second nature to you, the easier it will be to combine them. 5. Take it slow.The excitement of learning to sing and play at the same time can cause some beginners to try and perform the song as quickly as possible at the start, but this actually does more harm than good. Start out slowly, learning to play and sing the correct parts one measure and lyric at a time—performing with speed will naturally come with time. People who rush through chords, rhythms, and lyrics to try and learn extremely quickly risk developing bad habits that can be difficult to break. It may even be a good idea to start out humming the song along with the chords instead of attempting to sing right away. Humming can help you figure out where the chord changes are in a song, since they don’t always line up with the syllables of the lyrics. 6. Change the key if you need to.Though you can learn how to play a song in its original form, the notes may not suit the range of your voice. In this case, it’s important to remember that you can always change the key of the song to suit your range. This can be done by transposing the chord structure to a higher or lower octave using a transposition chart. Alternatively, you can use a capo, which allows you to play the original chords further up the neck of the guitar while changing the vocal register. Both ways of altering a song’s key have their advantages, so choose the method that you are most comfortable with on a case-by-case basis. 7. Put in a lot of practice.As with any musical goal, learning how to sing and play the guitar simultaneously requires practice and patience. Don’t expect to be able to accomplish this feat right away, and try not to feel discouraged if you can’t master this new ability as quickly as you had hoped. It’s important to avoid rushing the process. In addition, recognize that even the most talented guitar-playing singers did not develop their abilities immediately. As a beginner, you should consider this goal a long-term project, and remember to take pride in your accomplishments when you master a song.
The piano is a much-beloved instrument that has been at the center of many family homes for generations. Though it has declined in popularity in recent years, having a piano in your home can be an effective way to encourage children’s musical interests and bond with loved ones during social gatherings. If you already own a piano or are thinking about bringing one into your home, make sure to familiarize yourself with the following care and maintenance tips to keep your instrument in prime condition. Keep your piano in the right kind of physical environment.Like most instruments, your piano is sensitive to environmental factors like temperature and humidity level. It’s important that to situate the instrument in a room with an even temperature, ideally between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit with 42 to 50 percent humidity. If a piano is exposed to extreme temperatures or climate fluctuations, its parts may shift, swelling in the heat and shrinking in the cold. This can cause the glue to come undone and the soundboard to crack. Intense moisture can rust and corrode the instrument’s metal components as well. To further protect the piano from extreme environmental factors, make sure that you place it in a part of your home away from direct sunlight, out of the way of air currents, and backed up to an inner wall of the house so as not to allow it to absorb too much heat or cold from the outside. Invest in regular piano tuning services.Experts recommend that all pianos be tuned at least once - if not twice - per year. Strings naturally fall out of tune over time, but seasonal weather changes or moving a piano can accelerate the process. Regular tunings allow your instrument to sound the way it was meant to sound when you play it. Tunings also offers an important benefit for a piano’s long-term health. Keeping your piano in tune can prevent damage caused by uneven string tension when the keys of the instrument go flat at different rates. Additionally, a well-qualified piano tuner will be able to detect many small signs of damage that could later cause much more expensive problems. This allows you to seek out repair services while the problem is still affordable to fix. Cover your piano keys.For the most part, it is a good idea to keep your piano key lid closed whenever you aren’t using the instrument. This helps prevent dust and residue from settling between the keys, which can cause problems with their mobility. Keeping the lid closed can also help prevent plastic keys from turning yellow over time. However, it’s important to also leave the key lid open for a few hours during the day once or twice a week. This allows warm to air circulate, discouraging the growth of mold within the piano. Find a qualified piano technician.In the event that your instrument needs repair, make sure to choose a dependable piano technician to service it. The Piano Technicians Guild (PTG) website has a search function that can help you find registered professionals nearby who can provide a quality level of service. Professionals in this field can provide routine maintenance such as voicing, which helps maintain the instrument’s tone, and regulation, which maintains the piano’s action. These services do not necessarily need to be performed as regularly as tuning, but are an important part of helping your piano maintain its responsiveness and sound. Keep the exterior of your piano clean.Your piano’s cabinet should be regularly dusted and polished with a lacquer or polymer finish to prevent cosmetic damage. Make sure that when applying polish, you never spray a product directly on the piano. Instead, spray the polish first on a soft, lint-free cloth that you can use to wipe down the instrument’s surfaces. Likewise, clean your piano’s keys with a damp cloth on a weekly basis to help keep dust, grime, and oil from impacting the playability of the instrument. To avoid potentially damaging messes, do not allow any drinks or liquids near the piano, and don’t use the instrument as a shelf to place personal items upon. If you must place an item such as a lamp on top of the piano to help you see the music that you play, make sure that it has a base covered with a soft material, like felt, to prevent scratches. Never touch the inside of your piano.While routine cleaning of your piano’s exterior is important, remember to leave any necessary interior cleaning to a professional. Parts like the soundboard, strings, action, and other internal components are delicate, and need to be cleaned using special equipment so as not to cause damage. In general, consider paying for this service about once every two to five years to keep the piano in excellent condition. Enlist the help of a professional if you need to move your piano.If you are in the position of needing to transport your piano to another location outside of your home, don’t attempt to move it yourself. Always hire a professional to get the job done. Experienced piano movers have the correct tools to move the instrument to a new location while keeping both you and your piano safe from harm during the process.
Though film is primarily thought of as a medium for telling a story through acting, music plays a significant role in the way that movies affect their viewers. One gratifying music industry profession is that of a film composer - a professional responsible for captivating audiences through sound and adding a deeper element to the emotions that viewers experience as they watch a story unfold on screen. Listed below are five modern film composers who stand out by doing exactly that. 1. John WilliamsJohn Williams’ work as a composer has included some of the most iconic scores in the history of film. Born in New York City in 1932, Williams is a Julliard-trained jazz pianist who worked as a movie studio musician before pursuing a career as a film composer. Over the course of 50 years, he has written music for over 100 movies, with some of the most notable being Jaws, the Indiana Jones films, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jurassic Park, Home Alone, and the Star Wars films. He has been nominated for 50 Academy Awards, of which he won five, for the movies Fiddler on the Roof, Jaws, Star Wars, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Schindler’s List. Arguably the most famous modern American film composer today, Williams’ style is identifiable by his loyalty to full-bodied symphonic music in an age when synthesizers and electronic elements are more popular than ever. 2. Danny ElfmanA musician who never received formal musical training, Danny Elfman began his career by composing the score for his brother Richard’s film, The Forbidden Zone. Prior to embarking on his career in music composition, Elfman studied the musical styles of African countries, particularly Mali and Ghana. His exuberant melodies and quirky style caught the attention of eccentric director Tim Burton in the mid-1980s, with whom he first collaborated when he developed the score for the movie Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, which starred Paul Reubens. This led to further work writing music for all but two of Burton’s films, including Beetlejuice, Batman, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Sleepy Hollow, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. His composition style is influenced by an early exposure to jazz, classical, blues, pop, and international music. Though he’s known for his unconventionality, he also has shown himself to be adept at developing more classical scores. His more classically-influenced scores can be seen in his contributions to Academy Award-winning movies like Good Will Hunting, Silver Linings Playbook, and Milk. 3. Hans ZimmerLike the aforementioned Danny Elfman, legendary German-born composer Hans Zimmer did not receive any early formal instruction in music. The self-taught musician was particularly drawn to the electronic synthesizer and piano as a young man. He began his career in music as keyboardist for a band named The Buggles, famously known as the group behind the first music video ever featured on MTV, “Video Killed the Radio Star.” His first work in film was with the director Stanley Myers, with whom he founded a recording studio in London in the 1980s. After working on various critically-acclaimed movie scores, he received his first Academy Award nomination in 1988 for composing the score to Rain Man, starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. Since this first nomination, Zimmer has received an additional eight Academy Award nods, with one win for his work as composer of The Lion King soundtrack. He has also written the score for blockbuster films such as Interstellar, Inception, Sherlock Holmes, The Last Samurai, and Gladiator. Most experts in the industry describe his style as an innovative hybrid of musical genres, with a heavy rock and roll influence. 4. Thomas NewmanFor Thomas Newman, becoming a film composer was seemingly a birthright; his father was nine-time Academy Award-winning composer Alfred Newman, the man behind the sound of iconic 20th-century films like The King and I, The Mark of Zorro, and The Greatest Story Ever Told. Thomas Newman took lessons in piano and violin as a child, and would later go on to receive his masters in music from Yale University. He earned his first major Hollywood film position supporting John Williams as he recorded the score for the Star Wars film Return of the Jedi. After regular work as a film composer in his own right for the rest of the 1980s, Newman earned the first of 14 current Academy Award nominations for the music he wrote for The Shawshank Redemption. He has since worked as a composer on a wide range of films, including dramas like American Beauty and Road to Perdition as well as family films like Finding Nemo, WALL-E, and Saving Mr. Banks. Additionally, he wrote the score for the Sam Mendes-helmed James Bond movie Skyfall. Newman’s compositional style is considered bold and diverse, with heavy rhythms made up of sweeping orchestral music combined with electronic elements as well as solo piano. 5. Ennio MorriconeThe most prolific and experienced of all composers on this list, Italian composer Ennio Morricone is, in the opinion of film music historians, singlehandedly responsible for the invention of the musical style that characterizes classic American western films. Having worked on over 500 films in his six-decade career, Morricone is a versatile composer who has created music in nearly every genre. However, his legacy as the creator of the “spaghetti western” sound is the one that changed film history. He studied music in Rome as a child, worked as a jazz trumpeter as a young man, and eventually teamed up with director Sergio Leone to create the scores for the Clint Eastwood films A Fistful of Dollars; The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly; and Once Upon a Time in the West. One of his most recent notable works in contemporary western film was the 2015 Quentin Tarantino movie The Hateful Eight, for which he won the first Oscar of his career.
His strength as a composer lies in his ability to combine diverse instruments and styles into a single piece, drawing from a wide range of genres, including jazz, avant-garde, Italian, rock, and electronic music. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based businessman Don Gayhardt is a fintech executive who also dedicates his time to philanthropy and other business ventures. For example, as the chairman of Music Training Center Holdings, Don Gayhardt provides oversight to a group that allows children to train in subjects related to music and the performing arts at multiple locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. When children are exposed to music from a young age through classes like those provided by Music Training Center Holdings, it can inspire a love of music that stays with them throughout life. Some young music students may even be influenced to pursue music in a professional capacity and seek admission to a music school after graduation from high school. If you are among the many students who wish to study music at an institution of higher education, here are four questions to ask yourself before you choose which school to attend. 1. Which suits my needs best: a university or a conservatory?Higher education in music can be pursued in a traditional university setting or at a conservatory exclusively dedicated to the study of music. The type of school that’s right for you will depend on your professional goals and the kind of experience you want to have as you earn your degree. A conservatory will require students to take some general education courses, but the primary focus of study will be on music. Coursework is often more intense at a conservatory, as the main purpose is to teach students to become professional performers. The level of competition for admission into a conservatory also may be much higher than at a university. On the other hand, the benefit of attending a university or college to major in music means that your experience is likely to be more balanced. For instance, you’ll have the opportunity to take classes in a much wider range of subjects within and outside of music. Students who choose to attend a university can still train to become performers, but they’ll also be able to prepare for other career paths in music, such as business, therapy, and education. 2. What are the faculty and curriculum like at the school I’m interested in?The faculty and curriculum at the music school you choose to attend play a significant role in your development as a music student. Learning about and meeting the faculty you would be learning from is an important part of choosing a school. The majority of music programs at the university level require students to take a certain number of hours of private lessons with different instructors every semester. If you feel like you wouldn’t get along with the instructors at a school, or simply don’t enjoy their style of playing or teaching, it’s going to be much more difficult to enjoy your lessons and, by extension, to learn. If you like the faculty members at a particular school, it’s important to ascertain how accessible they are outside of class for questions and help with assignments. The same consideration should be given to the curriculum of the school that you are considering. Look into the types of classes that are offered, as well as which courses are required and what your elective options are. Additionally, make sure to do some cross-referencing when it comes to claims. If a school says that its curriculum prepares students for a certain type of work in music, check out the accomplishments of its alumni to see if you can find evidence for this claim. 3. How can my financial situation impact my decision?Cost may play a significant role in which music school you choose to attend. Larger, more prestigious schools located far from your hometown may not be in your budget, and it’s important to remember that you can still get an excellent music education from a smaller, lesser-known school close to home. As with anything in music, the value you get out of your music education will ultimately come down to how much work you’re willing to put into it. If you have your heart set on a more expensive school, you can look into financial aid in the form of scholarships, grants, and student loans, or you may choose to build up a savings account by working a job before you enroll in school. There really isn’t a “wrong option” when it comes to getting a music education—there is only the option that is right for your personal situation. 4. Would I be more comfortable in a rural or a city setting?Though not as critical as factors such as faculty, curriculum, and affordability, it’s important to consider how the location of the school you select will affect you as a student. Schools in major cities like New York, San Francisco, or Boston tend to be part of thriving local arts scenes with many opportunities for music students to connect and collaborate with likeminded individuals. However, the busy nature of a big city may not appeal to some students. A smaller, slower-paced town may provide you with a platform to relax and truly focus on your music education through dedicated study and practice, away from the higher costs and many distractions that often accompany big city life.
Ultimately, it’s important to visit the schools you’re seriously considering before committing to enrollment. Taking a trip to the campus will help you get a feel for how comfortable you will be with the faculty, at the school, and living in the town. Remember to take notes about your experiences at each school and ask questions of music students who already attend. This will help you become as well-informed as possible when you make a decision. |
Photo used under Creative Commons from Marina K Caprara