At some point in my music teaching career, later than it might have been, I questioned why I was putting so much physical effort into conducting my band, and getting a very poor return on my investment. As my band dragged the tempo, I pumped the beat harder. As they ignored dynamic markings, I got … Continue reading Transform Your Band’s Performance with Less Effort
classical music
The Composer-Audience Tension in Classical Music
When I say “new classical music,” what is your first thought? Do you think, “let me at it, if it’s new, I want to hear it. New music is exciting.” Or, are your thoughts more along the lines of, “oh no, another noisy, annoying, incomprehensible piece. Why do they write music like that? Is it … Continue reading The Composer-Audience Tension in Classical Music
Why Do Grand Pianos Sound So Grand
by Aidan Whelan, guest author Grand pianos are prized for their magnificent sound. What makes these instruments sound so extraordinary? Why do grand pianos sound so full and rich? What makes their tone so penetrating and robust? Pianos come in all shapes and sizes, so why don’t all pianos, big ones and small ones alike, … Continue reading Why Do Grand Pianos Sound So Grand
How Much Should We Interpret Music?
As musicians, we regularly perform music written by others. For the classical musician, be it for the symphony orchestra, chamber ensemble, or solo recital, we have on our stands notated music handed down to us by publishers, often composed by those considered among the greatest creators of music Western European culture has ever produced. Many … Continue reading How Much Should We Interpret Music?
What Makes A Melody Beautiful?
What makes a melody beautiful? I’m intentionally not asking what makes music beautiful, because there are many different kinds of music and with them, different kinds of beauty. But the beautiful melody is much more likely to transcend genres; it’s properties are more universal, so it seems most tenable to ask, “what makes a melody … Continue reading What Makes A Melody Beautiful?
What Is Classical Music?
To many, maybe even most in the Western hemisphere, the term "classical music" refers to a select repertoire of music composed exclusively by European or European trained composers. Some restrict the term to refer to music composed only in the mid seventeenth to early nineteenth century, while others use it to mean a broader repertoire … Continue reading What Is Classical Music?
Classical Music and Contemporary Culture
Elsewhere on this site, I wrote about the top 25 classical music works, and key words that help explain why they are as popular as they are. After writing that post, I decided to take the results to my eighth grade students and see if the key words in the survey resonated with these adolescents. … Continue reading Classical Music and Contemporary Culture
Inside Music Appreciation
For some years now, I have been interested in music appreciation. I have come to consider it something of an oddity. At the center of any text or class on music appreciation is the premise that in order to appreciate music, one must understand how music works; how it is put together. The listener, or so the … Continue reading Inside Music Appreciation
How Can Video Be Used To Develop A Young Classical Music Audience?
While there are any number of what I would call novelty classical music videos on the internet, these can only peek an interest in classical music. They do nothing to bring a person to a live orchestral concert or even to introduce the novice to a symphony orchestra. The forest xylophone played by a rolling … Continue reading How Can Video Be Used To Develop A Young Classical Music Audience?
The Power of Music X 2: What Happens When Music and Video Join Forces?
Though music is always a product of the cultural context in which it is created, American popular music is perhaps more than others genres placed in a position of sociological prominence. Both from its characteristic rebelliousness and its bent toward social commentary, American popular music, unlike other musical genres including jazz and Western classical art … Continue reading The Power of Music X 2: What Happens When Music and Video Join Forces?
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