Category: Challenge
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The Challenge of Speed Playing a single note repeatedly at high speed, like Peter Bence’s world record, is one thing—but playing multiple notes or an entire piece at a fast tempo is a completely different challenge! It requires precision, control, and finger dexterity. This month is Allegro April, and the focus is on helping…
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As a music teacher or parent, you’ve probably encountered the dreaded phrase, “I don’t want to practice!” It’s a universal struggle for students of all ages and skill levels. But don’t worry—this momentary resistance doesn’t mean your budding musician is doomed to give up their instrument. With a few creative strategies and a little patience,…
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Habits. These are things that we naturally do, whether positive or negative. What is the first thing you do when you wake up? More than likely, it’s what you do every day. These habits affect our day, our productivity and so much more! When it comes to being a musician, habits are extremely important. There…
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2 years ago yesterday, I got to sing at Carnegie Hall. That sentence seems very surreal to write. The experience itself was totally surreal. Growing up in the church, as a pastor’s kid, a performance venue like Carnegie Hall was never on my radar. Only churches. But it was a once in a lifetime, life-changing…
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I was given this shirt by my church choir for Christmas of 2019. While it’s funny and ironic, it actually was quite prescient, because in March of 2020, the times did really get difficult. If you’re not a musician, the top number tells you how many counts are in each measure. Normally that is 2,…
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I came across this video and was amazing. Larnell Lewis is a drummer who plays with the jazz band Snarky Puppy, one of my favorite jazz groups! The whole point of the video is that he listens to the song once, and tries to drum along with it. Watch and see what happens. I tell…